feline fine

it’s been a while since i’ve done a girls + cats post, so i thought i’d repost this little piece i wrote on the modcloth blog last week featuring some of my favorite cat-inspired accessories! if you follow me in various outlets around the web, then you know it’s no secret that i’m pretty much a crazy cat lady. i recently decided to just go with it, and have been slowly collecting a little army of cat clothes and accoutrement.

  • see my cat pinboard here.
  • click here for all of my past posts featuring cute kitties.
  • and click here for my cat posts on tumblr.

clockwise from top left: kitty paper dolls by jordan grace owens, mia farrow in a promotional still from rosemary’s baby, cat pouch by fill it with diamonds, cheshire kitty rings by verameat, and cat clutch by leah goren.

summer dreams

calivintage: summer dreams

it’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but i may have developed a bit of a hoarding habit in which i prepare for hot summer weather that barely even exists here in the bay area… case in point: i’ve amassed a little collection of short shorts and tiny tops in hopes that i can somehow will the weather to be warm enough to actually wear them. i have a very busy weekend ahead of me, so i won’t be taking any day trips to the beach just yet, but at least i have a few outfits planned juuuust in case.

calivintage: summer dreams

above: american apparel stripe double u-neck tank topjungle chic sunglasses courtesy of bonlookmollie straw hat and golden yellow shorts courtesy of lulu’s.

calivintage: summer dreams

above: i am a cat by soseki natsume, chevron havana sunglasses courtesy of david yurmanamerican apparel denim sleeveless crop button up, and chevron stripe shorts courtesy of lulu’s.

calivintage: summer dreams

trend: beret baby

berets

call it what you will: an emerging trend, a classic that’s never gone out of style, or just another accessory that’s been catching my eye lately, but there’s just something about the beret that’s been calling my name! they’ve been popping up on blogs and street style sites a lot these days as a perfect little winter topper. the funny thing is that i don’t think i have ever even worn a beret in my entire life, but seeing all of these photos around the web has got me quickly changing my tune.

above: street style by tokyo faces, street style by all the pretty birds, street style by the sartorialist, meg of don juan’s reckless daughter, toshiko of it’s not her, it’s me, and marie photographed by glamcanyon.

might i also add that this trend has recently been spotted on some of our fanciest felines friends? that’s right, behold the wonders of cat atelier:

cats

outfit: kitty pocket

calivintage: kitty pocket

counting the number of items in my closet featuring my favorite little feline friends, it looks as though i may have officially achieved crazy cat lady status. from my leah goren cat print dress to my new olivia mew persian kitty scarf, to my kitty iphone case, and a host of other cat-related accoutrements (from brooches and figurines to wall art and kitchen towels), is it really any surprise that i recently acquired this pretty little rachel antonoff dress? not only because it has the perfect silhouette with darling puff sleeves in a pretty plaid, but because it has a little kitty pocket! mew mew mew!

yes, it is possible that i am suffering from cute overload. but it really is in the best way possible. this dress is a new favorite and i can only imagine that it will go into heavy rotation in my fall wardrobe layered up with cozy sweaters, colored tights, and various coats, depending on the weather.

dress: rachel antonoff kitty pocket dress from modcloth
sweater: chloe sevigny for opening ceremony sweater
coat: modcloth from last year
tights: tabbisocks tights in wine
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo vera flats
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel

calivintage: kitty pocket
calivintage: kitty pocket
calivintage: kitty pocket
calivintage: kitty pocket
calivintage: kitty pocket
calivintage: kitty pocket

four eyes

ok, you guys. i know many of you saw me in video form for the first time last week, and now i guess i’m on a roll, because today i have yet another video to share. i recently acquired a small collection of new glasses and thought it would be fun to record a little video featuring them all. it’s been a long while since i’ve made my own video… well, to be honest, this is like the third video i’ve ever made. but i was in a silly mood and thought it might be fun to show you what my silly mug looks like in motion, and to highlight some of my favorite new frames from bonlook! i think it’s so funny how i look rather serious in many of my outfit photos when in real life i’m generally contorting my face into all number of strange faces in hopes of generating a comic effect. so enjoy!

if you’d like to snatch up a pair yourself, they are quite affordable at $99 total for the frame and the prescription (or you can get them made into sunglasses or simply fill them with non-prescription lenses), and they arrive in their own little case with a soft little cloth, lens cleaner, and a mini screwdriver in case of lost screws! but that’s not all, haha! you can get $10 off with the code, “cali10” now through november 4!

i am wearing: j’adore in goldjungle chic in tortoisejungle chic sunglasses in havana & purple, and the simply fabulous in brown. oh, and perhaps a pair of silly novelty birthday glasses made their way in as well… and the dress is handmade by leah goren!

a house mouse

calivintage: house mouse

you may not know this, but i may have a slight affinity for crafty little projects. i feel like it sort of goes hand-in-hand with the lifestyle of a girl who would prefer to spend her weekends in thrift shops. looking at all of the bags of lace and buttons and odds-and-ends, i begin to imagine the possibilities for handmade items and start to collect bits of fabric and things in hopes of creating some sort of diy masterpiece. unfortunately, the reality is that i just have drawers and bags stuffed full of partially finished projects taunting and teasing me as i continue to set them aside for more tech savvy endeavors.

but i recently managed to throw together a very simple cat toy diy for the modcloth blog, where we are celebrating mewsweek, much to my delight! i had so much fun trying to snap photos of this little mousy with my cat momo, that i thought it would be fun to share the finished product with you! if you’re curious for the directions ,which were expertly illustrated by our graphic designer, mini, you can hop on over to modcloth!

calivintage: house mouse
calivintage: house mouse
calivintage: house mouse
calivintage: house mouse

outfit: witchy woman

calivintage: witchy woman

today i am interrupting your regularly scheduled nyfw programming to share a fun little outfit that i shot before i left for fashion week. today is the launch of the new karen elson for nine west vintage america collection, and i am pleased to be sharing one of her designs styled up in a very witchy outfit in honor of the occasion. these lace up boots definitely bring a bit of a ’90s grunge element to an outfit, and the shimmery black finish had me in the mood to conjure up a little black magic with darker colors and kitty heads. they’re definitely a fun pair of boots and i can already imagine up a few other ways to style them up!

one of the cool things about this collection (besides the fact that it was designed in collaboration with karen elson!) is that proceeds from the collection will support soles4souls, a charity that provides shoes to people in need. nine west has also let me know that beginning tomorrow, they will also be providing $1 to charity for each new facebook fan.

hat: twist & tango straw hat
dress: handmade leah goren cat print dress
sweater: chloe sevigny for opening ceremony spring collection
pin: vintage kitty brooch
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel
shoes: karen elson for nine west vintage america moonlight boots

calivintage: witchy woman
calivintage: witchy woman
calivintage: witchy woman
calivintage: witchy woman
calivintage: witchy woman
calivintage: witchy woman

caturday

calivintage: caturday

i have to make a confession: i wear my leah goren cat print dress all the time. it’s the easy sort of piece that i can literally throw on after a long day at work to just wear around the house. and the type of dress that i pair with a cardigan on the weekend to run to the grocery store. and if you need evidence, here is one way i’ve worn it, and here is another. and this is the way that i wore it last weekend to scour for vintage at the alameda flea market.

dress: leah goren cat print dress (she takes custom orders!)
sweater: j.crew dream cardigan
bag: vintage woven tote
shoes: swedish hasbeens peep toe super high
glasses: bon look simply fabulous frames (if you use the code “bonlookgive” now through the month of september, you’ll get $10 off to your purchase and bonlook will donate $10 to childsight.)

calivintage: caturday
calivintage: caturday
calivintage: caturday
calivintage: caturday

momo cat

calivintage: momo cat

today you can find a little interview with me about my pretty cat friend, momo. claire of lola is beauty has an ongoing series featuring bloggers and their cats, and i was honored to have been asked to join the ranks in her series with some other lovely bloggers. i talk all about momo and her silly idiosyncrasies and there are plenty more photos up on her site, so go check it out!

calivintage: momo cat

the cat’s meow

calivintage: the cat's meow

and it’s time for round two of the cat dress! and what better way to style a cat print dress, than with a pair of cat eye sunglasses? and for good measure, let’s throw in some sky high wedges while we’re at it! yep, this look put a little spring in my step and brightened my day with it’s silly, cartoonish quality. always good to add a little dose of humor every once in a while.

speaking of humor, i’ve been catching up on all the episodes of parks & recreation lately. i kept hearing that it was a good show, but just never got around to it until now. so i’ve been overdosing on episodes every chance i get! if you haven’t seen it yet, i highly recommend it!

sweater: j.crew infinity cardigan
dress: leah goren cat print dress
shoes: céline wedges
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
sunglasses: tom ford nikita

calivintage: the cat's meow
calivintage: the cat's meow
calivintage: the cat's meow
calivintage: the cat's meow
calivintage: the cat's meow
calivintage: the cat's meow