Tag Archives: clothes

Fashion Black Friday 2013

Hey CT residents! Visit Cait Plus Ate on Facebook for your last chance to enter my giveaway for a pair of tickets to a weeknight showing of Hartford TheaterWorksChristmas on the Rocks“. I’ll be attending tomorrow’s matinee and can’t wait to share my review next week!

Firstly, let me just say that I have been “going out” on Black Friday for as long as I can remember, and I was not a fan of how many places opened this year on Thanksgiving night. But not because of the whole don’t-make-people-work on Thanksgiving controversy that you may have heard about. I actually used to work on Thanksgiving (at a local bagel shop) and liked it because I was paid twice my normal hourly rate and I often find myself bored on holidays – I can only sit around the house and chat for so long. So I’m not surprised if some people welcomed the chance to work on Thanksgiving Day! In fact during college breaks I was employed part-time at my local Victoria’s Secret and working on Black Friday itself was the kicker because a) it sucked and b) you were paid your normal rate since it’s not a “real” holiday.

Fabulous idea.

No, my beef with stores opening on Thanksgiving night is because it takes away the “hardcore” from Black Friday! Any chump can stay up and hit the stores at 8PM. But setting the alarm on a day off from work takes a little bit more dedication. So call me a snob, but I do not consider those who went out Thursday night to be Black Friday shoppers.

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Fashion Friday: Bishop’s Corner Giveaway!

The experiences detailed in this post were provided to me free of charge (with the exception of my overzealous purchasing at 2 out of 3 stops). The opinions are my own.

A couple Sundays ago I had my second-ever experience at West Hartford’s Bishop’s Corner shopping center. My first was eons ago at the plaza’s Sakura Garden, but on this visit I hit three different spots and got to do so with blends. Winning! And you guys can do some winning too, just stay tuned til the end of the post…

The ladies in attendance – Julie, Latanya, Alana (of Eden’s, the company who put on the event), me, and Maria! Source.

I showed up in workout clothes (obviously) fresh out of a gym session and ready for lunch. To be honest I was super-wary when I found out the dining destination would be Noodles & Company. I’m not big into pasta or rice or any kind of noodle! A scroll through the menu had me calling this place “Panera for Pasta”.

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Fitness Fashion Friday: pvBody

Attention CT residents! I have a giveaway going on at the Cait Plus Ate Facebook page for two tickets to next weekend’s performance of CONNetic Dance‘s Suite & Spicy Nutcracker at The Wadsworth. Enter before the giveaway ends on Monday night!

I’ve already brought up pvBody on the blog’s Facebook page and Twitter, and I definitely got a LOT of positive feedback…before I’d even shared my full review!

The fashion blogger is on board!

The fashion blogger is on board!

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Fashion Friday: Mikarose Giveaway!

Happy Fashion Friday INDEED! Not only is it extra happy for me (I’m currently on the road to Baltimore, MD for a long weekend of restaurants, shopping, and baseball with my dad and sister), but it’s extra happy for you too because I’ve got a giveaway for you!

Showing off my necklace on Instagram!

I’ve been being a bit of a tease on Twitter and Instagram, mentioning the goodies I recently received to review from Mikarose. I have to admit that I had never heard of this clothing company until they contacted me, but I was immediately intrigued by their tagline “Reinventing Modesty”. I am lucky enough to have a fairly lax dress code where I work (OK, very lax…you’ve seen what I wear to work in previous Fashion Friday posts). However, I still can’t show up in tank tops or short skirts, so it’s nice to know there are enough sources out there for women to find modest, fashionable clothing, especially since most do not work in such a casual office like I do.

It’s nice when a brand takes the time to write me a note!

Mikarose’s helpful representative, Carlee, sent me the above card and two products to sample: a dress and a necklace (the latter of which I was able to pick out myself!)

The website’s image of the Butterfly Necklace I picked out.

Quick Instagram shot of the necklace when I received it.

The above Butterfly Necklace is only $9.99 and I love all the different materials that make it up – gold, pearls, the cloth flower! I’ve already worn it a couple of times, including yesterday! My only complaint is that a couple of times, the chain links have disconnected from each other whenever they have gotten caught on something, like my seatbelt when I put it on in the car or my hair when I am taking the necklace off/putting it back on. However, they are easy to snap back together and this isn’t a problem I haven’t seen on plenty of other affordable accessories, like those from Charlotte Russe or Forever 21. Like I said, it’s only happened a couple of times.

Yesterday’s “ensemble”.

Wore it with the same blazer…earrings…ring…watch…(it’s a diff shirt, I swear, ha) to dinner at Max Fish a couple weeks ago!

Though I didn’t pick which dress I received, I was really excited to try it on, especially when I saw that it was my favorite color pink! The piece was called the Ashley and is shown on the website with the below photo. If you click on its link you can see that it comes in other colors, like most of their dresses do.

Funny enough, I paired it with a similar style of heels in the same color! I also added a necklace of my sister’s, a Fossil watch, and the same Forever 21 ring and bracelet I wore with the necklace in the photos above. The dress was perfect to wear to work.

 

OK, let’s pretend we’re reading People…who wore it best? Me or Ashley? You know the correct answer. 😉

 

I have to admit the $44.99 price tag on the Ashley dress is a bit steep to me, given the fact that I have seen similar styles available elsewhere at a lower cost. However, there are plenty of other cute dresses on Mikarose’s website that I are more unique, like this adorable “little number” (I really can’t think of a better way to put it) called Daisy (again, perfect name).

So now I’m not sure what this chick’s name is – Ashley or Daisy?! Source

I also like the bottom of my Ashley dress. It adds a nice girly flair.

 

The fabric was really breathable and soft! I felt comfortable in my dress all day long.

I’ve gone on long enough – you want to know what the giveaway’s all about, right? One lucky Cait Plus Ate reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Mikarose! This is open to US and Canada residents only and will run until Tuesday 7/31/12, 11:59PM EST.

Here’s how to enter (leave a comment for each or extra entries will not count):Comment on this post with a link to an item from Mikarose’s website that you’d like to buy if you win the gift certificate!

  1. Mandatory: Comment on this post with a link to an item from Mikarose’s website that you would buy if you won.
  2. Follow Mikarose on Pinterest and repin your favorite item to one of your boards. Comment with the link to the repin.
  3. Follow Mikarose on Twitter and tweet the following: “I’m entered to win $50 to @Mikarose25 from @CaitPlusAte! http://wp.me/p1SfTW-1cN” – comment with your link to the tweet.
  4. Follow Cait Plus Ate on Pinterest and comment saying you did.
  5. Follow Cait Plus Ate on Twitter and comment saying you did.

That’s 5 ways to enter – just make sure you do at least the mandatory one and comment for each entry. GOOD LUCK!

Fashion Friday (Not Unlucky!)

Happy Friday the 13th! Did you know it’s the third Friday the 13th we’ve had this year?! It makes sense since the world is supposedly ending (and on my mom’s birthday no less) in 2012, but here’s hoping your Friday the 13th doesn’t actually end up being unlucky! I’ll be hitting the gym after work for the StepMill and an upper body lifting session, then headed to Elton John Night at the Talcott Mountain Summer Music Festival (I recently did a ticket giveaway). I’ve got red wine straight from Italy packed (literally, my friend brought it back to the US in her suitcase) and a SaveNowCT deal to Harry’s Pizza in West Hartford to use. Can’t wait to pair pizza and wine (my favorite food with my favorite alcoholic beverage happen to combine to make my favorite pairing), listen to music outdoors, and chill on a blanket. I’m hoping it’ll be an evening of zen 🙂

It can’t possibly be Friday the 13th, because lucky enough for you, it’s Fashion Friday! Here are the outfits I’m sharing (but didn’t necessarily wear recently) this week:

Top/Scarf: Forever 21

Pants: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: PacSun

Awkward Hip Jut: all me 😉

Accessories view.

Watch: Fossil

Wristband: Oakley

Bracelet: from Ilyse Baker of Dancinerate (and my cardio dance instructor at #RBKFITBLOG!)

Pants: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Toms

Top: Nordstrom (sister’s)

Watch: Fossil

Cardigan/Top: sister’s…don’t know their origin(s)…but if I had to guess I’d say Urban Outfitters or Nordstrom

Pants: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Steve Madden

Blazer: Forever 21

Top/Necklace: more sister-owned mysteries

Jeggings: American Eagle

Shoes: Steve Madden

Before dinner outside at Giovanni’s in Glastonbury.

 Top: sister mystery

Pants: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: PacSun

Watch: NYC flea market

I’ve got a busy weekend ahead of me so I won’t be blogging again until Monday at the earliest. I’m headed to Boston tomorrow to use a Groupon for a BYOB sailboat cruise (oh yes I did) and am meeting up with one of my best friends for dinner. On Sunday morning I’m running the Color Me Rad 5K with Team Fitfluential!

You may notice that I wore the same Urban Outfitters pants in almost every outfit this week – do you have that one item of clothing that you wear ALL the time?

What’s your favorite outfit this week?

What are you doing this weekend?

Orlando Premium Outlets Get the Best of Me

Oh my goodness. By far the best outlet mall I have ever been to, the Orlando Premium Outlets totally blew my mind on full day #1 (Sunday) of this trip, when I was still feeling super under the weather. I was determined to not waste a SINGLE day in Orlando though. If I couldn’t enjoy premium eats, I could at least enjoy premium shops!

FAVE purchase of day.

JUST KIDDING about the above. This was a serious for-sale dress at the Papaya Outlet. Would make a great slutty college girl Halloween costume. Hey, I’m not judging. I’ve been there…

Junior year, 2010.

ANYWAY.

Purchased the above two necklaces at Charlotte Russe, 2 for $10 and then got 15% off for having a college ID, score!

Two more necklaces from Ann Taylor Loftbuy one, get one 50% off. They look kind of weird all folded up in their cellophane bags, but I like how the cashier placed them in there and stapled the bags shut, so I’m keeping them there until I can unpack them at home.

Lighting makes this J. Crew dress look more coral, but it’s actually bubblegum pink and has one of those exposed zippers in the back. I tried to find a more telling photo online but couldn’t!

This necklace was only $5 and J. Crew has a student discount too!

Ahhhh Vera Bradley outlet!!! I used the opportunity to purchase several Vera items I’ve always wanted but haven’t been able to justify purchasing – another notebook for school, sticky notes in assorted sizes, a calculator for my desk at work, and a luggage tag. The outlet prices were an additional 20% off!

As if I need any more shoes, right? I got some Toms look-alikes at Pac Sun, because I am in love with the ones I got in Boston but too cheap to pay $54 for another pair. I am more in love, though, with the pair on the right that I got at Journey’s. I have been wanting black and white 20’s-inspired shoes for awhile and am so happy to have found some that were reasonably priced – and I got 15% off from a coupon!

At Pac Sun I also got the above cloth leopard-print tank dress. It’s so comfortable and such a simple cut. The design also has a cute criss-cross back that’s unexpected if you just look at the dress from the front! I like the leopard print – I can even dress it down if needed with a black cardigan. I’m also excited about the bikini I got because I’ve always wanted one with a “sculpted” triangle top!

Ann Taylor was having a BIG sale, 40% off everything in the store, and my madre was kind enough to buy me the clothes I picked out there for my birthday (March 22). I love the above sweater and the gold buttons adorning it, and the tank is so cute and simple. Until it warms up, I can wear it under sweaters. I also am a bit obsessed with the 3/4-sleeve dress on the right. If I wear a tan or black cami underneath, I can wear it to work, and the longer sleeves mean I won’t be freezing my butt off like I always am in dresses. This will be paired with heels – obviously 🙂

I really like the prints that Ann Taylor comes out with every season. I have always been a fan of prints over solids (though there’s a time and place for everything!) and now that I have the above three tops, my next mission is to find some of the amazing colored ankle-length pants that have been all over the fashion mags lately.

Source

Drumroll please, my biggest and most ridiculous/spontaneous purchase of the day – and ever.

I am a watch addict, so strolling into Fossil on a whim (I originally was headed to Auntie Anne’s, but alas, the damn line was out the door) was probably a big mistake. I immediately spotted several watches I’d had my eye on for awhile. Okay that’s a lie, two of them I’ve had my eye on, one I just saw and became enchanted by it. It reminded me of, oddly enough, birthday cake.

Do you see what I mean? That teal face (it’s more green in “real life light”), those colorful rhinestones. This is a total birthday watch!

My sister got the above watch for Christmas, and I was instantly jealous. Now I can say I have my own!

I saw the above watch, brown with a rose-gold stripe, online several months ago. I fell in love! It was even more beautiful in person.

Yes…I bought all three watches. AHHH. I was so afraid that the salespeople were judging me – ha! I was nervously chatting with the girl who helped me try on the watches, trying to make sure that there were people out there who had bought more than three at once before to calm myself. I am never this spontaneous and I don’t do things like this often…and I’m pretty excited about my watches…but it’s safe to say I won’t be going shopping again for awhile.

So all this shopping definitely cheered me up a bit, but I still went into the evening feeling sick, especially after being on my feet at the outlets for about four hours straight! My dad and I picked up takeout from TooJay’s and I was able to eat some of it (see above).

What’s the most spontaneous purchase you have ever made? What do you think of my purchases? What’s the best outlet mall you’ve ever been to?

Mealin’ and Movin’

I’m taking a cue from the lovely Janeetha today and blogging about some mealin’ and movin’ I’ve been doing over the last couple of days. My photos have tended to accumulate in my camera since I haven’t gotten on a good daily upload schedule, but I am getting better!

Let’s start with Monday’s dinner:

Baked potato skin with Mariah's Sweet n' Spicy Chow Chow Relish, swordfish with mango salsa, steamed broc.

Last Friday, my Whole Foods tweeted that swordfish steaks would be on sale all weekend for $9.99/lb. I texted my mom ASAP and she jumped on that deal, so that was dinner Friday night. Well she bought so much that we had tons of leftovers, so despite the fact that I felt like I was eating a gourmet meal Monday night, it was actually mostly leftovers! The swordfish was beyond perfect. I know you’re not supposed to eat more than a certain amount of it per week since it contains higher levels of mercury, but I rarely get to eat it so having swordfish every day Friday-Tuesday can’t do me too much harm – right?

And of course the Mariah’s Sweet n’ Spicy relish from the farmer’s market was awesome and has continued to be awesome.

I made the mistake of not eating breakfast before I left the house yesterday, and was starving by the time I got to work, starving, but not so starving that I was too impatient to snap a quick pic of Wednesday’s breakfast:

PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams and the most inappropriate looking banana I'd ever laid eyes on, seriously.

Lastly, moving on to Wednesday’s workout:

I left work a few minutes early so that I could get to one of my favorite classes, Interval Training. You can read more about it here. I felt challenged and energetic, thanks to the Thomas english muffin and Chipotle Laughing Cow wedge I had right before class,  and left with a strong, accomplished, albeit sweaty, feeling.

I know I'm lookin' pretty gross…

 

…but I was feelin' pretty damn good!

I have to brag for a second and show you my awesome sneakers. They seriously give me such a boost each time I lace them up.

Purchased from the Adidas Outlet. Wish I could've bought the lavender ones too!

And while I’m sharing workout gear, I have to say my gym bag gives me a bounce in my step too.

Vera Bradley small duffel.

Came home and rewarded myself with a feast: turkey burger, turkey sausage, sauteed onions, grilled asparagus, green beans, and 50,000 Ore Ida fries with spicy mustard. Mmmm the gym does good things to my appetite.

I woke up before my alarm this morning, which was awesome because I had time to get in a 30 minute Exercise TV Yoga Sculpt video on our cable’s free on-demand. It was my favorite kind of yoga: quick, but super challenging, so that I was out of breath and sweating by the end. Workout done, and I wasn’t even planning on having time to work out today, so that was a nice surprise!

Are you a swordfish fan? Do you have any cute gym gear that makes it more fun for you to work out?