a personal post: photo challenge - 15

Day 15 - A picture of yourself and a family member

my last photo challenge post (yeah, 15 days is a whole lot more fun than 30!) and i wanted to make it a good one.  i brought a bunch of great pictures to work where i could use the good scanner and then share with you the my most beloved people in the whole world.  well... i forgot.  whoops.  my pic selection is super selective on my fancy new computer because of the aforementioned theft of my previous laptop, the one with all my photos and songs and documents... sigh.  but anyways!  my momma had sent me a few pics when i did my second photo challenge post, and i'd love to share another, slightly more recent pic, of us for my last post - it seems very fitting and a perfect conclusion to my little fifteen day personal experiment ~

my momma & i, back when i was a little 17 year old, getting ready for prom ::

{gosh i look so young here!}

i honestly love my madre.  love, love, LOVE.  so even though i wanted to post a bunch of pictures of a bunch of my lovely family members, it's fine that i only have my momma, because she is representative of them all: strong, intelligent, motivated, and compassionate. 

so there you have it -- me with a baby face.  my gorgeous mother.  my utter admiration of my family.  my 15 day photo challenge. now you know just a little bit more about me, my life, & what i'm about :)

{p.s. want a recap? days: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14}

pretty pictures: imaginary fantastic bizarre

incredible photography tim walker shot an editorial for vogue italia and i really couldn't be more in love with it's surreal, whimsical beauty ~

lotsa, lotsa love for this photo shoot, *especially* the first.  what's your fave?

tim walker for vogue italia; images via

a personal post: photo challenge - 14

Day 14 - a picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

it's weird but...

magazines

especially ...

in order to stay "in" with what's going on with teenagers, i read all of the teen-targeted mags.  the others are a little more for me and my own interest in fashion.  and all of the pretty magazines give me inspiration for photo shoots, designing dresses, and even helping shoppers accessorize in the store.  there are stacks and stacks of new and old magazines pretty much everywhere i look - whether i'm in the office, at home, or even in my car!  not a day goes by without me scanning through at least one or two magazines.

note: this is just a small sampling of the mags i read.  like i said, i read all the teen ones, including anything that has to do with prom, pageant, or quinceañeras.  then there's the stack of bridal focused ones!  and last, many more "big kid" magazines than just vogue and marie claire.  wow this is pretty lame to admit.  then again, it's mostly for work -- even the subscriptions are paid for by my company! :)

wedding wednesday: adorable vintage dress

"adorable" is truly an understatement.  and the bow?  perfection.

the bride got her dress from a local san francisco vintage shop, ver unica.  i'm madly in love with it, and the addition of bright yellow j. crew pumps!  love, love, love.

discovered on martha stewart weddings -- check it out to see more of the adorable wedding details!

fashion: LBD + leopard print scarf

annalynne mcord was spotted out and about shopping in L.A. and i'm completely in love with her casual style.  the LBD in question is super laid-back (not the traditional audrey-esque LBD we are used to, but i still want to add it in that category) and she paired it with comfy looking matching black flats, but what really pulls me in is the long leopard print scarf she added to give the look a pop.

now what is really drawing me in to the scarf is the way she is wearing it.  i'm a major scarf fan myself but i usually tie it more around my neck.  i know that the way annalynne is rocking her scarf is one potential way to do it, but i never really considered it for myself.  well, now that i've seen this particular look, i'm desperate to try it out for myself!  i'm not sure i have one quite long enough, but i really do want to try it.  i also have a cotton black dress that would look great with a scarf tied like this.  hopefully the outfit turns out as chic as hers!

p.s. from the back view you can see just how pretty and laid-back this dress is ::

pictures via the vogue diaries; dress and scarf labels unknown

a personal post: photo challenge - 13

Day 13 - a picture of your favorite band or artist

 florence welch, a.k.a. florence + the machine

maybe not "of all time," but certainly as of late.  especially as of tonight.  see, i've been at work all day and into the evening.  the only thing that kept me going (until nearly 11PM!!) was the soulful voice of florence welch.  every-single-song on lungs is a masterpiece.  i first fell in love with "kiss with a fist" but ever since i - almost immediately! - went out and got the full album, i have been unable to pick a favorite.

tonight, "the drumming song" was played most often.  it just boosted me through the fatigue and pain (if you've ever merchandised a store of over 5,000 square feet, you understand the physical pain it produces) unlike anything else could have.

  

{not to mention florence welch has about THE BEST fashion taste of any other artist!  i desperately want to see her live - when you watch videos of her singing she moves around and her voice in combo with the movement in combo with the couture makes for a simply unforgettable performance.  if she could be that good in a youtube video, imagine the experience of seeing her LIVE!}

*all images from red carpet fashion awards*

a personal post: photo challenge - 12

Day 12 - A picture of somewhere you’d love to travel

herbshein, a little town in the bas-rhin area of france

seemingly random, but it's where my family is from and i'm a firm believer that if you don't know where you're from, you can't get where you're going.  my grandfather clearly agrees - he has spent decades writing extensively on our family's history.  i have the books on my shelf to prove it!  he has been to herbshein of course, but i have yet to even leave the country.

of course, if i were already in france, i'd have to hop on down to nice - i've always wanted to go see beautiful nice!

one day, one day . . .

but on a real note, i will be getting my first passport stamp one day veeeerrryyy soon - one day only 5 weeks from now actually!

where am i going, you ask?

HONG KONG, CHINA!

yes, it's a 17 hour flight and yes, it will be a very tiring work trip, but it's CHINA!  

my boss was teasing me that i've never left the country, not even canada or mexico, and on my first time out i'm going completely across the world!

but that's me - an all or nothing kind of gal.

5 weeks, the count down begins . . .

a personal post: photo challenge - 11

Day 11 - a picture of your favorite book

i'm going to make this brief . . .

the history of love by nicole krauss

like i said, i'll make this brief :: go read this book.

my mother tried to get me to read this book for years but i refused, assuming it would be a nicholas sparks-esque sappy read.  finally she guilted me into reading it by giving it to me as a sweet gift.  

so i read it.  and it was so beautiful that i immediately started reading it again.

read this book.  it just may change your outlook on life.  

or it may not.

either way, you'll love it.

xx,

kait

p.s.  i have many, many beloved books so if you'd like more suggestions let me know - i'd be happy to share!

a personal post: photo challenge - 10

Day 10 - a picture of something you wish you were better at

sketch

sketch gowns to be exact

i have this awesome opportunity to design gowns but the problem is i'm terrible at sketching.  i'm able to get the general shape down in paper but i complete biff it when it comes to the intricate details.  i have all these incredible ideas and can't get over how lucky i am to get my designs actually made and *gasp!* sold to the public, but i can't freaking get them from my mind to the sketchbook!  there's a massive gap in my creative process and i'm starting to really regret never taking art classes in college... or high school for that matter.  in fact, the last time i sat in an art classroom was 6th grade.  art used to be my passion but then i switched it over to being "smart" and "academic" and all that.  art became frivolous in my mind.

and now i'm totally suffering because of it!

i have just a handful of weeks to somehow figure it out and find a way to show others all these dream dresses.  because if i can, they can become real!  seriously, i just can't get over how cool that is...

any tips from my dear readers??

*photo cred: sketches by valentino (top) and elie saab (bottom), via fashionologie

a personal post: photo challenge - 9

Day 09 - a picture of something you want to do before you die

church divinity of the pacific - berkeley, CA

 attend seminary

i know this is probably an unexpected answer, considering i work in fashion and all that, but my real passion is feminist theology.  i want to attend divinity school and earn an advanced degree, ideally a doctorate so i can hopefully one day teach at the collegiate level.  i have been through a long journey in my spiritual life but really found my niche in studying spirituality.  i realized that i feel closest to God when i am learning about the Divine.  i have what some "traditional" Christians may call a liberal theology, but really i feel that i am about as traditional as they come - I believe in one God, even though we each may call Him/Her something different.  

working in fashion has been really fun and i know i will continue to do it for a few years, but ultimately i need to fuel my real passion and hopefully pass on what i have learned to others.  i want to change lives the same way that my college chaplain and main religion professor changed mine.  they opened my eyes to a whole myriad of theories and writings i never knew existed, and encouraged me to question and explore and above all - read.  i love to read about different theologies!  due to the store i am unable to read very much but when i was nannying i was averaging one book a week, at the very least one every other week.  man oh man do i miss it. . .

so one day i will attend seminary.  it's just not the right time yet.

sorry for being overly personal, but i suppose that is the goal of these posts.  right?

i promise, i'll go back to just writing about pretty dresses and design and such soon enough :)

xx,

kait

friday faves: 4.22.11

how the heck is it friday already???  don't i get more time to prepare?  or relax?  [also, i just now realized that i completely skipped over wedding wednesday.  i promise, i'll make up for it next week!]  ohhhh boy...  but anyways, here is a small sampling of this week's prettiest of the pretties ~

design/decor

~ dream kitchen organization ~

remember when i posted about that pretty rental the other day?  i began designing it from a dirty mess to what i envision to be one day a gorgeous retreat.  and it would be organized as beautifully as the above picture.  oh yes, yes it would.

via vintage home tumblr [original source unknown]

~ dream house in SF ~

truly a kait-dream of a home.  just head on over to desire to inspire to completely fall in love.

fashion

~ zhou xun wears my fave chanel flapper-esque dress ~

i'm still totally in love with this dress - i mean, this is the THIRD post it has made its way on to! [see: 1, 2]  not to mention that i love chinese actress zhou xun's styling for the 2011 hong kong film awards about 1,000,000 times more than the model's runway look.  gorgeous.

image via red carpet fashion awards

~ helen mirren is a baller ~

and my current fashion icon for being able to pull off this look.

clearly i'm still loving the look of dress + leather that i included in last week's friday faves.  and man does helen mirren rock this leather jacket over a flowy leopard print dolce & gababana gown!  seriously blown away right now...  [found on RCFA]

~ pretty pretty necklace ~

worn by amanda seyfried at the red ridding hood premiere in london.  

necklace by by tom binns.  [via the vogue diaries]

etc.

 ~ super cool merchandising ~

found in the store of Perrin Paris, via haute design by sarah klassen

definitely something to stow away in my "maybe one day" book . . .

 giveaways

~ barberry & lace store credit ~

one beautiful item from barberry & lace, in honor of creator/blogger miss leigh ashley having 800+ followers!  whoop whoop!  so head on over to her blog to enter & also take advantage of one of the many ways to get extra entries ~

p.s.  if i won, i would get one of her gorgeous new headbands!  swooooon.

~ jewelry set by ten things ~

... that i am absolutely in love with.  daydream lily is hosting this incredible giveaway where one (very!) lucky winner gets both the earrings and the necklace - my personal fave - shown above, by the etsy jeweler ten things.   i am majorly crossing my fingers for this one!

one last thing...

~ i won! ~

the adorable cake holder i included in last week's friday faves giveaways section.  all i have to say is thank you thank you to both cassie over at moon face for hosting the giveaway, and to the etsy shop stands for all seasons for offering it!

i think i'm going to end up putting my fave perfumes in it or something because i definitely want it in my room, not the kitchen.  it all depends on how large it ends up being... i'll keep you all updated!

well, that's it for this week.

a bit briefer than usual, but hopefully still enough to add some color and inspiration to your life :)

a personal post: photo challenge - 6, 7, & 8

wow i am terrible at these "challenge" things!  the whole point of it being a "challenge" is to challenge you to stick to a schedule, do it every day, all that... and clearly that simple task is just too much for me!  sigh.  so without further ado, pictures 6, 7, & 8 ::

Day 06 - A picture of something you hate

 

open-toed boots.  sorry, i know i try to stay positive and not use words like "hate" on my lil blog, but yeah - i hate open-toed boots.  i call them hobo boots.

p.s.  if you happen to completely disagree, head on over to nordstrom to buy your own pair of these michael kors open-toed booties.

Day 07 - A picture of something you love

does it make me lame to say my blog?  okay then, i'll be lame.

because all my blog is filled with is pretty things, a.k.a. things i love

(and no open-toed boots.  until now.  whoops...)

Day 08 - a picture that makes you laugh

 me (in the middle) & my (male) cousins eating dinner, around age 2 or 3.  

i will never stop loving this picture, and definitely never stop laughing when i see it!

well that's enough personal stuff for now.

i'm off to scan through blogs by teen girls to see what's "in."  i also have a stack of teen magazines sitting next to me.

no, contrary to popular belief, i am not a teenager.

it's just my job to think like one.

sigh.

fashion: atelier versace s/s 2011 - gowns

i just can't get over how gorgeous the atelier versace s/s/ 2011 gowns are.  here are the ones we've seen on the red carpet so far ~

jessica biel at the 2011 BAFTA awards

charlize theron at the 2011 vanity fair oscar party

jessica biel, also at the 2011 vanity fair oscar party

and anne hathaway, ALSO at the 2011 vanity fair oscar party!

but there are still many more breathtaking dresses that have yet to pop up on the red carpet . . .

 

but this gorgeous gown has to be my fave --

 

clearly i've been love, love, looooving ombre lately!

 
images of model abby lee kershaw in the atelier versace s/s 2011 look book via fashionising

* head on over to see more gowns plus some adorable shorter dresses, too!*

pictures of celebrities via red carpet fashion awards & zimbio