Tag Archives: fashion friday

5K Fashion Friday!

Be sure to enter my giveaway for Mama Micki’s vegan cookies – you have until tomorrow (Saturday 9/22) at 11:59PM EST to enter!

I’m still so relieved to know that I’m not alone in feeling what I shared on Tuesday. I would never be happy that others are experiencing any negative emotions, but it is comforting to know I’m not alone, and I can see that many of you share the same sentiment. I always get paranoid when I open up here but I never end up regretting it because you’re all just so very kind and understanding!

This seems like a fitting time to announce that I recently signed up for the Love Your Body 5K on Saturday, October 20th! The run is being put on by the CT Chapter of the National Organization for Women and will take place at the beautiful West Hartford Reservoir. I highly encourage anyone in the area to sign up and join fellow blogger Maria and I on Team #AmazingMeThere’s no “official” sign-up process to start a team, but if you sign up and want to join us then simply shoot me an email and let me know so that I can keep you in the loop on where we’ll meet up before the race and costumes(YES we are ABSOLUTELY dressing up and suggestions are welcome!)

My dear friend Jenny and I on a hike in the Reservoir!

Registration is just $25 before the race and $30 on race day, so if you’re on the fence you won’t be losing out on too much money by deciding to show up last minute. But you MAY lose out on the advance notice needed to put a costume together 😛 fair warning! Proceeds benefit the CT NOW Foundation and they are still looking for sponsors, so if you are a local business interested in showing support for an empowering movement then you can email them here!

Now let’s get down to it. I know you guys enjoy Fashion Friday and I do too, even if it means I’m slowly revealing the  size of my closet to the public – it’s actually a small closet, but way more full than it should be. Oops. But fashion makes me happy (and so does donating clothes I don’t wear anymore!) so I will keep filling (and periodically emptying) that closet of mine with more material for more Fashion Fridays. After all, there are 52 Fridays in a year!

Disclaimer:I am completely kidding and am in no form promising you all 52 (multiplied by 4-5 outfits per post) unique outfits per year. Now that would be obscene.

Like my work badge?

Top: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: mystery to me

Watch: Fossil

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: Toms

Top: H&M

Watch: gift from grandpa

Rings: Forever 21

Pants, Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Bow: Samantha American Girl doll (not a joke)

Earrings: Forever 21

Cardigan: J. Crew

Cami: Hollister

Watch: Michael Kors

Ring: Forever 21

Jeggings: American Eagle

Wedges: Francesca’s

Headband, Earrings, Ring: Forever 21

Top: Urban Outfitters

Watch: NYC flea market

Belt, Jeggings: American Eagle

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

I also just found one of the tops from last week’s Fashion Friday on Urban Outfitters online SALE section!

Which outfit is your favorite?

Got any ideas for costumes for Team #AmazingMe? Remember the Love Your Body 5K takes place just 11 days before Halloween, so the possibilities are truly endless!

Have you ever attended a Love Your Body – themed event?

Fashion Friday Gets Pensive

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for the two newest Element fitness DVDs from Anchor Bay Entertainment! Entries close this Saturday 9/8 at 11:59PM EST. And did you catch yesterday’s recipe for easy Gorton’s Seafood Grilled Fish Tacos?!

Happy Fashion Friday Friday guys! And it’s a happy Friday INDEED because Heather is coming to stay for the weekend! We have so much fun planned – Pinot Grigio + Whole Foods salads + The Hills re-runs tonight, Daybreak Coffee and other Glastonbury activities tomorrow during the day, dinner at Fire & Spice with our dear friend Jenny, and my Farm to Shaker Cocktail Competition judging on Sunday at the Coventry Farmers’ Market! TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!

I am so enjoying doing these Fashion Friday posts most weeks, and I hope you’re still enjoying seeing them! I feel like I’ve been shopping a TON lately…but I continue to be a cheapo and refuse to buy the majority of what I like because it’s “too expensive” or “not worth it”. So you can imagine, with the new things I’ve been buying, how many things in stores I like but say no to! I love clothes, but I love saving a fair amount of each paycheck more!

Tee: PacSun

Skirt: H&M (Lauren has the dress with this print!)

Watch: Michael Kors

Shoes: Steve Madden

Top: LOFT

Pants, Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Ring, Bracelet: Forever 21

Watch: gift from grandpa

A better look at the shoes!

Necklace: Forever 21

Top: VS Pink

Skirt: Old Navy (had it since 7th grade!)

Sorry for blur!

Top: H&M

Pants: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: PacSun Outlet

A fun one – wore to work after completing Color Me Rad!

Headband: Sweaty Bands

Top: Color Me Rad 5K

Jeans: American Eagle

Sneakers: Converse (purchased at Delia’s)

It’s interesting that I can cut myself so much slack when it comes to shopping. I buy lots of things I don’t need, but tell myself it’s OK because I enjoy wearing new clothes and putting together new outfits, and I never spend much money at all on one piece.

However if I try to cut myself slack on things I enjoy just as much as fashion, like food and exercise, there seems to always be a reason in my head that I “shouldn’t” be cutting myself slack! I’m working on figuring out why this is. Perhaps it’s because there has never been a time in my life in which I never shopped, never purchased clothes/shoes I didn’t need, whereas there WAS a time in my life when I was overexercising and restricting my food intake at dangerous levels. So sometimes, since I know I am capable of taking it to food/exercise “extremes” (due to the fact that I’ve “been there”), a voice in my mind tells me I “should” be doing what I’m capable of.

But I know in fact that I am CAPABLE of living a happy, healthy life that consists of a balance of food and exercise, just like I balance my shopping out by buying cheaper things!

Do you ever find yourself being more hard on yourself in some areas of life than others? Why do you think people experience this?

Which outfit is your favorite? All except the last are pretty dressy, so I won’t be surprised if it’s not the last one!

Tell me something you’re doing this weekend that makes you too blessed to be stressed!

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!

Fresh Fashion Friday

Can I just say HOLY CRAP? I have never had so many huge, giant smiles put on my face by the blogging community before. After I hit “Publish” on yesterday’s post, I was nervous. I’d put myself out there and shown you my more vulnerable side, the side of me that hides behind the adventurous foodie. And I was nothing but rewarded by your supportive comments, mentions in posts, and tweets. I was hesitant yesterday, but now I just feel pride to hear that my blog helped girls struggling with similar guilt. I’m also pleased to have a pocketful of new mantras to use against my troubled thoughts. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for not making me regret being open! In fact, if anything, I am all the more encouraged to share even more with you all, now that I truly know that I am not alone.

I just had to say all that, because I still can’t get the huge grin off my face 😀

I’ve got a fresh, new Fashion Friday for you all today! I’m also running out of outfit photos…so I don’t know if you should get used to seeing this topic every Friday just yet 😛 but I’m still getting great feedback on each of these posts. Glad to know I can inspire you all for the weekend, especially if it contains upcoming shopping trips!

Feeling in the mood to be very cozy.

Cover-Up: Forever 21

Jeans, Belt: American Eagle

Shoes: Toms

Better look at accessories.

Earrings: Forever 21

Watch: Fossil

Top: Forever 21

Watch: gift from my grandfather

Pants: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Journey’s Outlet

Weird angle – my camera looks huge and my feet look tiny!

Cardigan, Leggings: Forever 21

Boots: Steve Madden

Top, Bracelet: Forever 21

Pants, Flats: Urban Outfitters

Watch: Michael Kors

That’s it for today! Again, thank you all so much for being so supportive. I’m off…headed to a “Shake Your Soul” Dance Yoga class tonight at Granby Yoga (can’t wait to try a workout that combines two things I love) followed by a birthday dinner for a friend at my favorite restaurant!

So now I’ll ask you all the usual Fashion Friday questions…

Which outfit is your favorite?

Do any of these outfits reflect your preferred style? I won’t be hurt if you say no!

Got any ensembles already planned for the weekend?