outfits

Urban faux fur in the suburbs

 in General Fashion  tagged casual style / fall 2017 / faux fur / givenchy / outfits / winter 2018 by

casual faux fur outfit ideaswinter faux fur outfit ideavelvet boots givenchy antigona light blue

wearing: blue tiered earrings c/o BaubleBar / Bobbi Brown lipstick “Plum” / blue, white, black faux fur coat (under $60!!) / long sleeve black tee / distressed boyfriend jeans / small Givenchy Antigona in light blue sugar leather / Chanel fall nail polish / black and rose gold watch / blue velvet booties (so comfy!!)

Every time I attend fashion week in New York in February, I fall more in love with eye-catching faux fur. Insanely crazy looking real fur, and faux fur jackets, coats, and vests are a must-have when attending fashion week in the winter. I love how many fun colors and prints there are in faux fur outerwear. It’s full fledged eye candy! It really goes to show, no-one actually needs real fur. You can have more fun with faux; and it is just as warm and cozy!

When I am in New York, everyone wears faux fur over fabulous trousers, skirts, jumpsuits, and designer denim. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are a bit more understated, and casual. I love the idea of a “New York street style” worthy faux fur coat translated into California Casual style.

The first time I spotted this coat, I instantly thought it would be perfect to bring to New York in February for fashion week. Not only is it warm and cozy, it has an eye-catching look which plays well with the fashion week crowd. I hate buying something and only wearing it once, so I decided to go ahead and buy it, but style it to wear here at home.

I love how this faux fur coat looks with casual jeans, and my go-to velvet booties. By pairing it with an understated, basic black tee, the outfit shows off the coat without being too loud. This is turning out to be a great elevated casual outfit I can wear often here in the Bay Area; and this coat will most likely make it into my suitcase this February for fashion week. In New York, I will use it to top off an outfit, not be the outfit.

My friend Dawn, from Fashion Should be Fun, took these photos last week when we met at Santana Row for brunch. It was fun to hang out with her, and enjoy a yummy brunch at The Village California Bistro. This coat was perfect for the cool, rainy weather we had that day!

Are you loving eye-catching faux fur this fall/winter season?

Faux fur casual outfit details:

XOXO

Cathy

Photo Credit: Dawn/Fashion Should Be Fun

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Indulging in an eggnog latte and my battle with caffeine

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion  tagged casual style / chloe / fall 2017 / outfits by

cozy fall outfit ideas beautiful shoulder bag casual fall outfit ideasvelvet boots fall 2017bay area street style

wearing: silver ball earrings c/o Sugarfix by BaubleBar / Bobbi Brown lipstick “Plum” / blue and navy McQueen scarf / cozy blue jacket / black and white stripe tee / Chanel fall nail polish / black and rose gold watch / skinny jeans / black Chloe bag / blue velvet booties

OK, so it is true, I drank a coffee. I have been so good. I haven’t had coffee in roughly four years. It has been such a good run; and I am proud of myself for having such good self control! If you don’t know me too well, you might be wondering what in the world I am talking about! Let me start from the beginning. . .

I used to have a severe caffeine addiction, which caused massive headaches by noon if I didn’t indulge in at least three cups of coffee. My addiction to coffee started when I was young. I started drinking coffee when I was in high school. My days used to start at 4:30am because I had swim practice before school. I used to line up with the teachers in the school cafeteria after morning practice and buy a cup of coffee every day before the first bell. My Mom was really against caffeine, so she never bought coffee for me, or really allowed it. I was buying a cup at school on the down-low. -Don’t get too excited, that was as rebellious as I ever got. haha

My coffee addiction increased when I was in college, and then progressed as an adult. Caffeine kept my headaches away, but it also gave me jitters. It started to rule my life. I could not get through a day without head pain unless I drank coffee.

Then one day, it all came to an end when I had my teeth bleached in 2013 by my dentist in order to get rid of all the icky coffee stains on my teeth. After she bleached my teeth, my dentist told me I could only eat white foods for 72 hours; and that meant no coffee whatsoever! She didn’t tell me this ahead time. She looked at my coffee cup on the counter, and told me to dump it. Oh no! What was I going to do?

I have to say, the next 72 hours of my life were painful. No over-the-counter pain-killer could make my headaches go away. It was awful, I couldn’t function. By the forth day, when I could go back to coffee, my head was starting to feel better. I still felt tired and dragged out, but my headaches had gone away. Maybe this was my chance to quit coffee! So I did!

Withdrawal from caffeine took a full thirty days. I was exhausted for a month. My brain was slow to respond, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I spoke with my doctor who told me it was all part of caffeine withdrawal, and to gut it out. After a month, he said I would feel better then ever! He was right!

A month later I felt amazing. I was a calmer person.  I wasn’t jittery at all. I could get up in the morning without feeling like I needed coffee. In fact, the thought of coffee made me sick to my stomach. It was unbelievable how good I felt without coffee! Who knew such a common beverage could be so detrimental to daily health?!

Now that I have gone through caffeine withdrawal, I do my best to stay away from anything considered addictive. I don’t drink alcohol, and I stay away from caffeine. Now, as you read this, you might be thinking “Um, you’re holding a coffee cup in all these photos!” haha, you’re right! Let me explain. . .

My middle child loves everything pumpkin spice. So, when she saw an ad for a pumpkin spice latte at Starbuck’s, she wanted to try it. I told her she could try a decaf, but she couldn’t drink the whole thing. So a few days ago I took two of my three kids to Starbuck’s for breakfast. They ate breakfast sandwiches and tasted a decaf pumpkin spice latte. They didn’t like it all, and only drank one sip each. I love pumpkin spice, but not as a latte; that being said, I really love eggnog which is also a seasonal offering.  Since I love eggnog, I decided I would indulge in one eggnog latte; the only one of the season.

I didn’t drink the whole thing, and I have the willpower to not drink another one. I feel like I conquered a demon by tasting a coffee drink without craving, or needing, another one. I will never go back to drinking coffee everyday, I have learned my lesson. But, once a year or so, I think I can indulge in a small amount of eggnog latte.

Have you ever tried to quit coffee? How did it go?

Shop my cozy fall outfit:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

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Classic mustard wrap dress for fall by San Francisco designer Karen Klein

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion / Local Designers  tagged bay area designers / fall 2017 / karen klein / made in the usa / outfits / san francisco designers by

san francisco designerskaren klein dressesclothing made in san francisco

pictured: silver ball earrings c/o SugarFix by BaubleBar / Bobbi Brown lipstick “Plum” / mustard wrap dress c/o Karen Klein / Chloe Nile / black and silver leather watch / Chanel fall nail polish / bold silver cuff (on major sale!) / Gucci slides

Mustard is such a hot color this fall! Although it is a traditional autumn hue, it has not been as popular as it is this season for many, many years! This is actually the first time mustard has been popular that I have put it into my closet, and loved it!

I was thrilled when Karen Klein reached out to me to introduce me to her collection. Her collection has several mustard pieces in classic, and fashion-forward styles; so I was excited to learn more about her, and share the collection with you! Karen Klein is a local, San Francisco Bay Area designer. Her designs come to life right here in San Francisco! I love that her clothing is not only made in the USA, it is made in San Francisco! Love!

Karen Klein clothing is fabulous because it is made to fit any shape or size. When I attend fashion week in New York, I see SO MANY styles go down the runway that can only be worn by a size 000. If you look around you, how many people are a size 000? Um, I rarely see one! Most people walking around are wearing sizes much higher then 000, 00, 0, 2, and 4. The last time I wore a 4 I was a freshman in high school. I wear an 8 now, and I am perfectly happy with my size. It is so refreshing to look at Karen Klein’s collection and know that all of it will not only fit me, but it will look good on me! Let’s face it, just because something comes in your size, does not mean it will look good. Karen Klein’s clothing just looks good on any size body!

When I look good, I feel good. I love clothing which makes me feel secure in myself. This wrap dress looks good, and it is really comfortable, Plus, it can double as a topper over jeans, and a thin sweater when the weather gets cooler this winter. I look forward to wearing it over jeans-and yes, I will post that look later in the season when the weather calls for it.

In addition to this dress, I also have this black dress by Karen Klein, and this fabulous jacket. Those too, will come to the blog soon! So stay tuned. . .

Be sure to check out more from Karen  Klein at her website, UbyKarenKlein.com

My accessories:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

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