Tag Archives: fashion

Fashion Friday: Captain Jabbo Bracelet Giveaway!

Two thumbs up for Caitlin, folks. I so appreciate your encouraging comments and tweets about my plans yesterday to NOT do more of a workout than one Group Step class at the gym, and still go out to a restaurant afterward and enjoy myself. I have to admit, it was tough. I was tempted to skip a snack before the gym because I was trying to restrict and compensate for not working out “enough”. But I didn’t because I knew that I wanted to be strong, fight the ego, and be true to me! And truthfully, Caitlin knows she needs a snack before she works out.

Nicole, I love you.

Nicole, I love you.

The step class felt great, and though I still felt seeds of doubt about doing enough working out or being “hungry enough” for my dinner, my worries really did dissipate almost completely the moment I sat down. I had great food, drinks, and company. I did not overdo it on food/drinks whatsoever and even ditched my comfort zone and stayed out at the restaurant until 11pm! This morning when I woke up I felt a) exhausted and b) wonky in the stomach area. So I ditched the planned P90X Yoga session and did some basic stretching. That’s IT for me today. I feel REALLY proud right now because though I’ve got some anxiety going on right now, I’m being kind to myself and I have faith in that and know I’m doing what’s right!

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Fashion Friday: Back to Basics

So I’m REALLY glad you guys enjoyed yesterday’s little random Three Things Thursday post, because I REALLY enjoyed writing it and I hope that more posts about my daily life/musings will be popping up! Sometimes I “take on” so many opportunities that have come to me because of my blog – tastings, reviews, giveaways, events, what have you. I’m so very grateful and love doing it all! But it also fills up my blogging “schedule” and leaves less time to just ramble. And believe me, it feels good to ramble. Anyone who has a blog I have commented on knows I love doing that. 😉

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Can I get a WHAT WHAT for FASHION FRIDAY?! Lately I’ve been going with reviews/giveaways or themes, but today I want to take us back to basics (hence the Christina Aguilera reference) and just do five outfits I haven’t shared yet. Some for work, some for play – not much difference between the two categories though, since I’m lucky enough to work in an office where engineers make the dress code. Every day is Casual Friday – I get funny looks when I “dress up”.

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Fashion-from-Florida Friday

4 F’s?! FOUR?! I am on FIRE today baby. Wait, there’s a fifth F! Alliteration celebration!

It is flipping cold in Connecticut right now. I said a big fuck-it to the weather yesterday and wore a Lauren Conrad skirt (Black Friday buy) and Nononsense tights despite the fact that when I woke up it was 11 degrees, because a positive mindset is half the battle.

The work bathroom shot, an instant classic.

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Fashion Friday: Mews Boutique Giveaway!

I’ve got a couple of outfits to show you on this Fashion Friday – built around gorgeous accessories from Mews Boutique! The online store is owned by a friend of mine and sells rings, necklaces, bracelets, scarves, and earrings. She was kind enough to send me a few pieces to review. I can honestly and truthfully tell you that I loved all of them and have so far been very impressed with the quality (and so is my sister, who keeps stealing my new accessories).

FAVORITES.

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A No nonsense Fashion Friday

SO excited to see so much enthusiasm already for my Harry & David Chocolate Covered Strawberry giveaway! But I’m not too surprised 😛 remember you have until Sunday at 11:59PM EST to enter!

I’m a huge fan of leggings…like to the point where most of my frequently worn jeans are jeggings at this point. I recently had the chance, as a member of Clever Girls Collective, to receive some No nonsense tights and leggings to review. I have to admit I don’t really wear tights, but I also appreciate a chance to try a new fashion find. I was also psyched to see that the leggings I received were corduroy! I own leggings, and I own jeggings. But courdurings? Yes, I made that up. And no, I didn’t already own a pair. Score!

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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: Friendspiration!

I appreciate all the interest in my SOYJOY giveaway! I have randomly chosen two lucky winners out of the 152 entries received. And they are…

…Jentry and Amy! Thanks for entering ladies and I will be contacting you for shipping information!

Now let’s do this – it’s Fashion Friday! I get lots of fashion inspiration from friends, both “real-life” and blend. You may call it copying, I call it flattery 😉 of course not every friend’s style is one I try to emulate. What works for one lovely lady may not work for this girl. But what I love about fashion is that it’s so on-display, always available for viewing, just begging to be emulated. And it’s even more fun to rock a statement piece seen on a friend first – after all, models ALWAYS look good in that stuff. But to see a girlfriend wear something risky and pull it off gives me more confidence that I can do the same!

So on today’s Fashion Friday, I want to show you a few looks that were definitely friendspired.

Braid: courtesy of Heather

Tee: VS Pink

Shorts: Nordstrom Rack

Sandals: Birkenstocks

I wore this outfit while hanging out with Heather during one of her visits. If you know Heather at all, you know she’s all about the boho braids. So naturally while we were getting ready to take on our day, I asked her to give me one! I’m pretty inept at braiding my own hair, so it’s a treat when I’ve got someone around to do so for me. I love the braided look. Thanks Heather!

Tee: VS Pink

Shorts: Urban Outfitters

Watch: Michael Kors

Ring: Forever 21

Shoes: PacSun Outlet

I wore the outfit above to judge the CT Farm to Shaker cocktail competition and was quite nervous to do so. I purchased the UO shorts on sale in Baltimore  and had no idea whether or not I could pull them off. However, I was inspired to buy them and try out the look in the first place in part thanks to my fashionable blend Jess. I adore following her #ootd on Instagram (she’s a must-follow for fellow fashionistas) and she rocks daring looks like this all the time!

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I also was with my sister Hannah when I bought the shorts, and she is usually more fashion-forward than me, and gave them her stamp of approval. I’ve seen her rock a similar high-wait shorts-tucked-in look and that also gave me courage to go for it!

My mom, and Hannah in her shorts!

Finally, you may recognize this last outfit from my recent Millwright’s Tavern review. But you ALSO may recognize it from my recap of my weekend in Tennessee…except I wasn’t the one wearing it! Nope, that honor goes to my twino/blend Meg, who was rocking the dress in honor of the Vols.

I miss her 🙁

I joked to my Vols-obsessed father that I totally needed the dress to wear in honor of UT. And what do you know – he agreed, and got one for both my sister and I! We may be just a bit spoiled.

Dress: Vineyard Vines (on sale right now!)

Sandals: Francesca’s

And there you have it – fashion friendspiration for Fashion Friday. Because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! And now I’m off to plan what I’m wearing the rest of the weekend…including tomorrow for a VERY special girl’s day/night at Mohegan Sun with my blend Maria!

What kind of person do you draw most of your fashion inspiration from – celebs/models or people you know?

What’s your opinion on modeling looks after those you see on friends or family members? How about when someone models their look after one of yours?

Which of this week’s three outfits is your favorite?

Fashion Friday Misses Warm Weather

I hope you guys caught my talented foodie/chef friend Devan’s guest post recipes yesterday! And don’t forget today is the last day to enter my Country Crock Thanksgiving Kit giveaway!

Wait…Winter Storm Athena? Who are you and why were you here when we are not yet in the single-digit dates of November? I hate winter, I hate cold, and I swear this is my last winter in New England. That is my goal – please hold me to it. Yell at me if next November, I am saying the same thing.

This meal was just what the doctor ordered when I got home from driving in the blizzard on Wednesday night – swordfish, veggie pizza, roasted Brussels, and cheap red wine.

I’m not going to complain any longer though, because I was lucky enough to come home safely last night to a warm home, while so many are still without power and facing devastation from Superstorm Sandy (or as Christy called her – I LOLed at this – SuperBitch Sandy).

We only lost power at my house for an hour during Sandy, but when it happened my dad and brother were certainly prepared.

Instead of complaining, let’s cheer up with some nostalgia. I realized I had a bunch of fashion photos I hadn’t shared yet of myself in outfits I wore back in August and September when the weather was warmer. So let’s forget about the recent hurricane/blizzard and celebrate lovely warmth!

Before a pool day back in August!

Top: Urban Outfitters

Bathing Suit Top: H&M

Shorts: Hollister

Sandals: Francesca’s

Watch: Fossil

Before a Boston booze cruise in August!

Top: Urban Outfitters

Shorts: Hollister

Watch: Fossil

Shoes: PacSun

Beachin it Labor Day weekend!

Sunglasses: Forever 21

Cover-Up: H&M

Bathing Suit Top: FCUK

Shorts: Hollister (clearly a standard huh?)

Before a Labor Day Weekend dinner in New Haven!

Dress: Sister’s (I believe it’s Forever 21)

Bracelets, Shoes: Francesca’s

Have a good weekend folks and hopefully Monday I’ll be able to provide a tummy update. You may have been able to tell already but other than a few waves of nausea that have passed fairly quickly, I have been doing a lot better still! And am continuing to not bother trying to determine “what” has made me feel better, just enjoy.

Which look is your favorite?

What’s your favorite outfit to wear when the weather is warm?

Do you prefer warm or cold weather fashion?

Fashion Friday: Celebrate Your Style!

I’m hosting a giveaway on the Cait Plus Ate Facebook page – open until today (Friday 10/5) at 3PM EST! New England (excluding Fairfield County, CT) and Albany, NY readers can enter to win one free small cup of Newman’s Own Organics coffee from McDonald’s every week for almost a YEAR! I am not a customer of McDonald’s for their food but I will take a free cup of black coffee any day…hoping some of you will too!

Thank you all for your many congratulations yesterday on my post announcing my appearance in the North Atlantic region holiday issue of Whole Foods Magazine! I’m still pretty blown away and it’s not even because I’m hoping to gain new readership from this. That actually didn’t occur to me until some point yesterday! What I’ve really been focused on is taking this as a sign of recognition that this blog is enjoyable to others, and that’s really my top priority – along with making sure it’s still enjoyable to me!

Still would tweak my description a bit but still beyond grateful!

Another priority is getting self-hosted! I want to be able to get the stats I need from Google Analytics to put together a kick-ass media kit. I’ve been putting off making one because I don’t want to send out something incomplete to brands I want to work with or magazines I’d like to freelance for. I want to show what I am really capable of with a complete media kit. After BlogHer I resolved that I’d get self-hosted within a couple of months and while I unfortunately haven’t met that goal, I have hired someone to help me out and I have a development site up and running on a new host! The next step is getting the layout all set – I’m going to get a new look (I’m even springing for a paid theme *gasp*) and I can’t wait for you all to see what the blog will look like!

In honor of Becki‘s Leaf Your Negativity Behind October challenge, I am going to make today’s Fashion Friday a particularly positive one. I feel like when I see other bloggers’ fashion posts or Instagrams, sometimes I find myself wishing I had the clothes they’re wearing or wondering if I could “pull off” that look. Yes I know there are more important things in this world, but comparison traps are everywhere and even lurk among all those #ootd’s.

That’s why I want to make today’s Fashion Friday about celebrating your style. So this post is not going to tell you where each outfit is from, like it usually does. Instead it’s going to tell you why I chose to share that look and what it says about MY sense of style, and no one else’s. I’m encouraging everyone else to do the same today, whether in a post, tweet, FB post, whatever! “Leaf” negativity and comparison traps behind. Celebrate your own sense of style and your look!

Before the HLS ’12 Chobani dinner!

To me this outfit goes back to my days as a little girl who LOVED wearing dresses. I still love wearing dresses but living in New England, most of the year I’m too cold to do so. But my favorite thing to wear will always be a dress like this – floral, flowy, something I just want to spin in circles in!

I feel like my sense of style revolves around a “theme” each day. I think I sometimes confuse my co-workers because I’ll go totally casual one day, then the next day show up in a fancy dress. I try to tie everything together with accessories so my shoes make sense with my shirt, my bracelets make sense with a dress, etc. The above outfit is very tropical-vacation! Makes me think of what I might wear when I go visit my grandparents in FL this December 😀 #grandma

The above outfit is SO me. I adore bright, delicate florals. I almost always “cuff” my jeans or jeggings when I wear them. And I love bright, fun flats! Oh, and a messy bun is ALWAYS easier than…anything.

Oops, here I am wearing jeggings with no cuffs 😛 but there’s the bright, fun flats – my beloved fruit flats! I definitely think they say a lot about my sense of style – I like to pop in little “quirks”. I wouldn’t exactly wear a dress covered in a fruit print (though I did express desire for a watermelon skirt in last week’s Fashion Friday…) but shoes covered in fruit? They’re like the cherry on top – or in this case, on the bottom, and fruit other than cherries. I also wear a lot of lace, and I like how the bright neon of this top is again very me! I shy away from neutral colors because they “bore” me. I want to excite myself and those around me with what I’m wearing! It makes me feel good and that is what fashion is all about.

So don’t be afraid to celebrate you today. Celebrate your style – it is YOURS and no one else’s. Don’t compare your clothes, your accessories – your ANYTHING – to anyone else. There are more important things in life than fashion, yes, but if you are able to truly celebrate anything about yourself, even just how you rock a new top, then that’s an amazing thing! It takes a lot of hard work to truly celebrate yourself! So “leaf” negativity behind and accept that you are amazing 🙂

Tell me what your favorite part of YOUR style is in the comments, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram! Use the hashtags #AmazingMe, #FashionFriday, and/or #LeafNegativityBehind!

Fashion Friday: Double Take

Time to announce the winner of a free hairdo by Blo West Hartford…

The winner is Olivia!!! I will be contacting her to set up receipt of the prize!

Congrats to her and thanks to all who entered, and to Blo and Cuvee for making this giveaway possible!

Thank you for all the well wishes on yesterday’s one-year belated blogiversary reflection! I love having this blog to look back and recognize how much I’ve grown while also remembering all the fun I’ve had in the past year.

Fun with the best dad in the world! Rockin’ those classy plaid shorts for Fashion Friday!

I have to admit that this hasn’t been the best week for me. I’ve been doing a lot of feeling bad about myself. I’m honestly just downright sick of it and I’m trying to keep trucking on – I know I need to be out of my comfort zone to learn the lessons I need to learn to be happy in the long run. But it sure isn’t easy.

Some mornings, eating my banana and beloved PB isn’t easy. Good thing I love the combo so much 🙂

I was cheered up today when I read a post from Lisa about how she is taking the plunge and is going to stay in California on a “sabbatical” for the next year. I am so envious and at the same time inspired! I want to leave Connecticut and live in a place that’s more “me” one day, but there are things I need to do (my MBA, save more money…) before it’s “practical” to do that. I’m a very practical person, but that doesn’t mean I’m always happy about it. Still, seeing someone do what I want to do makes me realize that it is indeed possible. I need to be patient!

At least last night in class when I dated my page as Tuesday, I got to cross it off after realizing it was Thursday, and not the other way around.

I’ve got a fun weekend ahead – but then again, I always do (I’m not trying to be snotty, it just seems to be the case!). Sometimes that’s the problem! The fun activities are fun to me often because they might entail some food…some drinks…and I feel guilty for thinking those things are fun. But that’s me. That’s my passion, along with the people I’ll be spending time with. I need to focus on them!

Will be hanging with my mom for sure on Sunday night for dinner!

And onto Fashion Friday! Let’s do it! I wanted to showcase a couple of skirts I’ve purchased over the summer that I’ve worn a couple of different ways. Maybe it’s the fashionista in me, but I love those features in magazines that show different outfits using the same piece. Sometimes there isn’t much of a difference, but sometimes a new outfit combo can result in a completely different look!

I used the above outfit in a prior Fashion Friday, but this week I wore the H&M skirt and those shoes again, just with a different shirt. This is an example of a different shirt NOT changing a look much…especially since it’s literally the exact same shirt, in a different color. #sorrynotsorry

Went for lime green this time!

I love wearing neutral colors on the bottom and BRIGHT neon on top! I think the two balance each other out well, and I decided to stick with that look.

This photo makes it look like I’m wearing one earring, but the glittery gold dot (Aldo) and the shell (Forever 21) are two different pairs. I refuse to lay down and let it be fall! Bring on skirts, bring on seashells!

Necklace: Mikarose

Top: Armani Exchange

Watch: NYC flea market

Bracelet, Rings: Forever 21

Skirt, Flats: Urban Outfitters (on sale now for $14.99!)

Top: Forever 21

Watch: NYC flea market

Skirt: Urban Outfitters (see above)

Heels: Steve Madden

I think the two outfits featuring the Urban Outfitters skirt definitely give a more different vibe. I love black lace because I feel like it’s a contrast between girly and dark. I think the first outfit is all girly, from the soft colors to the flats.

Also, in my “travels” through the Urban Outfitters sale skirt section I came across these two gems. I WANT.

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I don’t even like watermelon, but I want the skirt below!

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Which way of wearing each of the two skirts is your favorite?

How do you feel about my latest Urban Outfitters wish list skirts?

Do you find yourself wearing the same pieces in completely different types of outfits?

Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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