Steals & Deals at Romwomen

Chic under $100 by fleur-d-elise featuring a crossbody purse

This week, I'm partnering with Romwomen to spread the word about a great promotion they're having. When you spend $85+ you get $10 worth of free jewelry! 

You could get an entirely new outfit for that much! My picks are this color-blocked jacket, a blue sequined dress that could be dressed up or down, and this cute, little heart purse. To finish off the look, I'd probably go for these bright pink chain earrings. What's better than free jewelry??
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Look of the Day: How to Style a Baseball Cap #2

Look #2: Vintage 

When I first put this look together I didn't expect it to look so vintage. I just liked the combination of blues and polka dots. Looking at these pictures now, it kind of reminds me of "A League of Their Own". 

 If you prefer a more retro look, pair your hat with classic, lightweight fabrics like chambray, searsucker, or other cottons textiles. Denim works, too.

 Again, you can go in a tom-boy direction, but add "girly" details which contrast nicely with the more androgynous pieces. Polka dots are perfect, or simply add pearls and pointed flats. Here's a good example featuring a 50s style a-line skirt. Love her style!

If you're not sure if a hat will flatter you, try a couple in colors that flatter either your skin tone or your eyes. The blue of my hat matches my eyes and is what eventually convinced me to buy it.

This is my favorite photo from the test shots I took indoors. It is currently my profile picture on Facebook. My dog looks unamused, as usual.

Thrifted hat - Thrifted chambray romper - H&M cardigan - Aldo bag - crappy black flats

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What I Wore: Election Night

My first thought as I'm writing this post is "I hope I don't lose any readers over this." Party affiliation is the most divisive thing in America! It's just unreal. No matter who you were rooting for, remember that I am just like you. I'm a blogger, a daughter, a sister, a dreamer, an American (or at least a resident of Earth). We want what's best for our families; we want to better ourselves, and feel valued in our communities. We need to stop focusing on what makes us different and we need to work together.

For those who aren't in total agreement with me when it comes to "red or blue", the rest of the post is pretty liberal, so don't feel you have to read it all. I want to stay friends, haha

I'm very proud to say that I live in Washington state. If you haven't already heard, we're pretty damn liberal and we're changing the course of history. We legalized pot, which I never thought I would see in my lifetime! I don't partake of the stuff myself, but I do believe that legalizing it will actually give the government more control over it. If you think about it, when you make something illegal, you actually lose control. Take prohibition for example. Alcohol didn't go away. It just became harder to see and harder to control.

Speaking of Prohibition, my husband and I went to Capitol Hill in Seattle to celebrate and, my goodness, was it packed! It looked like the night before the 18th Amendment took effect. Everyone was trying to get into the bars with TVs so they could watch the election results, so the lines were incredibly long. Just at the right moment, we found a table at Big Mario's Pizza and camped out there with 5 or 6 happy strangers. For those of you who don't live in Seattle, Capitol Hill is, for the most part, Gay Pride Central, so you can imagine how jubilant the crowd was. The crowd dancing in the streets numbered over 2000 people! Personally, I can't decide what I'm happier about: Gay marriage passing or Obama being reelected. Victory is my word of the day!

H&M blazer - American Apparel t-shirt printed by MoveOn.org - Forever21 pants - MIA flats - Coach bag

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Look of the Day: on repeat

The velvet skirt appears, yet again! Autumn is usually the only time I get to wear it, so I've been wearing it a lot. It's just so much tawny velvet, doesn't seem appropriate in any other season.

 Not to jump subjects too drastically, but... ELECTION DAY IS TOMORROW. Thank the Heavens, we've made it through!! Please, please, please don't let it be "too close to call". At least, even if it is, the ads will stop. Hopefully. Here in Washington, our gubernatorial race is neck-in-neck, so even if the presidential race ends with a clear winner, we might still have to suffer through months of recounts and hearings. It happened in 2008 and it definitely could happen again.

How is your election season? Coming to a sweet, sweet end, I hope.

 A gentle reminder: I'm running a great giveaway, especially if you're need of some stylish new glasses. It's a pin-to-win, so it's a lot of fun, too! GO ENTER!

GAP denim jacket - H&M striped shirt - United Colors of Benetton scarf - Coach bag - vintage skirt - Forever21 sunglasses

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Look of the Day: Pattern Mixing

Fall is in full force. The leaves here are finally changing and I saw it rain, like really rain, for the first time in months. Strangely enough, the sun is back. It confuses my Seattleite brain, but I love it regardless. I've been walking my dog, which is amazing, considering the ordeal I've been through with my feet. I can do so much more now, and it makes me incredibly happy. I can be on my feet for a couple hours before they start bothering me!

Needless to say, I've been packing in activities while the weather is nice. I went for a long walk all over the Madrona neighborhood with my friend Ashley and her darling little boy. I've also been baking (I ate about a dozen pumpkin-pear muffins), painting & crafting, and have started experimenting with homemade fragrance oils. I have sage, coriander, black tea, and coffee steeping in jars of oil. They're all lined up on the window sill. It takes a week for them to fully steep, so I'm not sure if they're going to turn out. Fingers crossed!

I've also been experimenting with my nails. I'm obsessed with gold accents right now, so naturally, a gold-tipped manicure was in order. I found a really easy way to do it with the help of this nail tutorial.

What have you been up to? I hope you're enjoying Autumn as much as I am :)

P.S. Don't forget to enter my Vivilli Fashion Giveaway!

Forever21 dress - PINK leopard print cardigan - Vintage Coach - MIA flats - American Apparel beret - Thrifted leather belt

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Runway to Real Way

You don't have to look too hard to find affordable runway lookalikes. As a matter of fact, you can do it all in one online shopping trip! I found four gorgeous dresses, all from ASOS's dress collection, and all perfectly on-trend for Fall.

L'Wren Scott F/W '12

runway to real way #2 by fleur-d-elise featuring asos

At L'Wren Scott, it was all art deco luxury. Go for rich colors and prints. The ASOS Wiggle Dress in Coloured Wallpaper Print fulfills both of those requirements. Top it off with glittering accessories like ASOS Hyla Strappy Heeled Sandals and the Limited Edition Cameo Brooch 3 Pack

Carven F/W '12

runway to real way: carven fall 2012 by fleur-d-elise featuring a woven shirt

The look was almost school girl-esque at Carven. A mini dress, like the Nishe Flower Tapestry Lantern Dress, layered over a white collared shirt looks prim without being too stuffy. Try the ASOS Shirt with Scalloped Collar. For added warmth try a pair of Pieces Knew High Socks or some black tights. Maryjanes are the perfect finishing detail. Try ASOS Pebble Maryjane High Heels.

Jil Sander F/W 2012

runway to real way #1 by fleur-d-elise featuring asos

Jil Sander transported us back to the art deco time period again. Although, this show focused on the geometric simplicity of the art movement. When replicating this look, go for geometric patterns and color blocks in cool blues, grays, and pinks. ASOS's Denim Dress with Chevron Panel is perfect and looks simply chic with the ASOS Prior Pointed High Heels. I couldn't find an oversized coat, like the Jil Sander one, but the ASOS Boyfriend Blazer will look just as good with the dress.

Preen F/W '12

Runway to Real Way: Preen by fleur-d-elise featuring a cowl neck dress

Preen was one of my favorite Fall collections (see the whole collection here). The foggy grays and apple greens and reds reminded me of early Fall in the Northwest. Crisp and bright and full of life. I happened to find the Full Circle Floral Drape Neck Dress, that is almost exactly like the one seen here at Preen. Pair it with simple accessories like the ASOS Metal Bar Detailed Envelope Clutch and maybe a pair of pearl earrings or some silver bracelets. As for shoes, keep them simple, too. A pair like the ASOS Push It Metallic Platforms would be perfect.

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Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! You could win $30 good at www.vivilli.com

Look of the Day: Floral Maxi

 I redeemed this beautiful dress from Last Night using my Chic Points on Chictopia. That's right, it was absolutely free! And it came with this lovely handwritten note from Stephanie, the fashion brains behind Last Night. I feel really lucky to be one of the first to wear something from the site.

The site is so new, I had never even heard of it until I redeemed the dress. I just went on gut instinct. I liked what I saw, so snatched it up! Now, I'm trying to decide on the next piece to get from Last Night! I'm leaning heavily towards this white maxi dress. There is just something about a white maxi dress, and I love that the pleats run the entire length of the dress. It's the same for this floral one I'm wearing the photos. Pleats create the nicest movement and flow. Honestly, I'm just in love with it. I was a little apprehensive about the one-shoulder, but now it doesn't even matter. I'm hooked.

Last Night Floral Strokes Maxi Dress - Harmonic Shawl Cardigan (similar) - vintage Coach bag - MIA flats 

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Look of the Day: floral peplum + denim

I took these photos a while ago and wasn't totally happy with them, so they've been in the "draft pile". The peplum top and harem pants just seemed like too much.

Well, I've changed my mind again. I kinda like the outfit. Maybe it's just the denim jacket, though. It's my favorite thing to wear right now.

GAP denim jacket - American Apparel harem pants - Forever21 Peplum (similar) - Vintage Coach bag - thrifted leather belt (similar) - MIA Limited Edition Audrey flats - tortoise shell bracelet (similar)
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Look of the Day: Cheetah+Neutrals

Not much to say today, mainly because I'm not supposed to be typing. I've developed yet another overuse injury. This time, it's in both of my wrists and thumbs. Must rest! For that reason, I will be skipping the links to blazers, trousers, etc. that are similar to the pieces I'm wearing. If you need help finding something, just let me know!

xoxo, Catie

Don't forget to enter my latest giveaway!! 

You have a chance to win one of two notebook sets, perfect for blog brainstorming!

H&M Blazer - Vintage fur stole - thrifted oxford shirt - thrifted leather belt - Forever21 trousers - H&M clutch - MIA Limited Edition Audrey Flats

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Fashion Week Favorites

Here are some of my favorite images (so far) from the Spring 2013 collections and the various fashion weeks around the world:

Jason Wu S/S 2013 (source: Fashion-OCD)

Rachel comey RTW S/S 2013 (source: Lyst.com)

Source: MBFashionWeek.com

Erin by Erin Fetherston S/S 2013 (source: pinkmemo.com)

These next two are, by far, my favorite. I'm so excited to have discovered Josep Font. His designs are breathtakingly beautiful.

Josep Font S/S 2013 (source: Elle.es)

 Josep Font S/S 2013 (source: Elle.es)

Tanya Taylor S/S 2013 (source: Fashionologie.com)

Tanya Taylor S/S 2013  (source: Fashionisgreat.com)

AND here's a picture of me from The Sartorialist...

Just kidding!! It's Elisa Nalin. The glasses and red lips look pretty familiar, though. (source: The Sartorialist)

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What I Wore: FNO in Seattle

I'm gonna be honest, Seattle really needs to work on its FNO. Fashion's Night Out is about encouraging people to come out and support local businesses, which seems right in-line with the Seattle lifestyle (we're all about shopping local), but every year the participation is lacking and the coverage is mediocre. Half the time I can't even find information on going's-on for the current year and a lot of the articles I read only mention a couple events or store promotions. One store I went into, which was supposed to be participating, had balloons on the door and that was it. There were no promotions, no refreshments, none of the employees even acted like anything was going on. How boring. Downtown it was $75 for cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and a department store fashion show. Just exactly who are you trying to encourage to come to these events? It's nice the proceeds went to charity, but I still can't afford it!

Instead, I bought a delicious and stylish cupcake from Trophy Cupcake in Wallingford.

 OK, that's enough complaining. I still had fun, but I just want Seattle to try a little harder. I want us to be great; I want this city to be respected by the fashion world. We're slowly getting there. Nordstrom calls Seattle home and we have spawned some amazing, internationally-recognized bloggers and designers. For instance, Adam Katz-Sinding of Le 21 Arrondissement is from Seattle, and Stella Rose Saint Claire, who you may recognize from Lanvin's F/W '12 Campaign, grew up in our fine city. See, we're not born with a love of Polartec, we only succumb to Polartec. Don't give up Seattle!

There were quite few great businesses partaking in the festivities, Like Trophy Cupcake who made special designer cupcakes featuring Chanel, Hermes, Burberry and Louis Vuitton logos.

Madewell had a braid bar and gave me the opportunity to have my very first macaron! It was just as delicious as I had expected :)

Sensing a theme? My FNO centered around baked goods, as opposed to fashion. I did, however get pictures of what I wore.

My husband hates these pants, which doesn't bother me one bit. After reading a couple articles about pants and interviews with The Man Repeller's Leandra Medine, I've decided that ridiculous pants are my generation's burning bra. They're rebellious and with the right attitude, they project quite a lot of confidence and independence. Also, you can pretend you're in a secret club, because most people, both male and female, just don't get it.

Zara top - Madewell earrings - Vintage pants (similar)- Vintage Nordstrom sunglasses - Forever21 bracelet - Tortoise Shell cuff (similar) -Vintage Coach Station bag - MIA Limited Edition Audrey flats

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