Let it snow!

The phrase is used to death, but when the earth turns winter white and the winds won't cease to blow, there's nothing left to say but... let it snow!



Taking these pictures proved to be quite the challenge yesterday. I (optimistically) set my camera on my tripod, and scampered to my "posing areas" as quickly as possible... quite a few times, the camera was knocked over. So. Not the best idea to use a tripod during a nor'easter.



The blizzard-like conditions also required a change in footwear. I started out (again, optimistically) wearing a pair of brown lace-up sweater-lined booties (all faux leather and acrylic "wool," FYI, fellow vegan fashionistas!), which have treads on the bottom but also stiletto heels. So. NOT the best idea to wear stilettos in a nor'easter! The things you learn... ;) I switched to my waterproof rubber duck boots, which also have heels, but chunkier ones. Yes, my "snow boots" have heels. My co-workers at the Environmental Police like to tease me over this.



These boots complement what I consider to be a practical winter weather ensemble! My Anthropologie Southward Stop dress is corduroy, and therefore quite warm (side note: I wanted this dress for months; eBay score!). I added a draped, cranberry-colored cardigan for a little extra warmth, along with eggplant-hued sweater tights. When that still proved a tad too chilly, I added a faux leather jacket. No puffer coat required! Really! Ok, truth: I was frozen solid after mere minutes, as my entire outfit was covered in snowflakes. But for a winter wonderland photo shoot? Worth ever freezing second!

And because today was sunny and slightly above freezing, I celebrated with an iced coffee. Yup. Guess I'm more of a New Englander than I thought!

What about you? Did you get buried in snow?

Shoes Got Sole: CSN Stores Product Review

New year, new shoes, new product review!

CSNStores.com was kind enough to send me a voucher for one of their online stores. I chose ShoesGotSole.com, and after much perusal, decided on this pair of beautiful red booties! I have always wanted a pair of red shoes; I'm usually a pink kind of girl, but red is such a power color!

I decided to build the rest of my ensemble around the shoes. The rosettes are my favorite detail, but to balance, I kept the rest of the outfit a little more menswear-inspired with straight black cords and an oversize vest.



I'm also obsessed with my Eiffel Tower pendant! It goes with everything, I swear. Oui, oui!



Overall, I'm pretty pleased with these sweet new kicks. Thank you to CSN Stores for this great opportunity! For you readers, I hope to kick off the New Year with a new giveaway, soon!

Fashion ballet

Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in Black Swan.

Thanks to Black Swan, ballet style is finding its way back onto the center stage of fashion. Dancers and their lithe, graceful figures have long been envied and exalted by the fashion industry, but this spring, we're expected to see a lot more dance-inspired looks on both the runways and the streets. The New York Times recently highlighted this in a 'Ballerina Chic' slide show, where you can view the inspirations behind the costumes in Black Swan (designed by Rodarte) and glimpse how ballet was big in the Spring 2011 shows, and will therefore be all over retail in the coming months.

A department store opening in the U.K. last year, featuring a resplendent ballet theme.

Feeling the dance wear craze coming on? You can get started now... Just pop over to American Apparel for leotards and tights, dust off those old dance shoes and pull on a cozy shrug... You'll be pirouetting en pointe in no time!

Here are a few ballet-inspired looks I cooked up on Polyvore... I love seeing an array of pinks and grays in dance wear. Nothing screams "dancer off-duty" quite like a slouchy gray sweater, sweet ballet flats, and a giant pink bag!

Prima Ballerina by erincathleen featuring long sleeved tops

Of course, I had to include a nod to the darker side of dance, as depicted in both "Swan Lake" and Black Swan's sinister version of the tragic tale...

Paint it Black by erincathleen featuring a feather handbag

But if you find Black Swan to be too twisted a portrayal of a dancer's life, why not look a decade back to Center Stage?

Nina Sayers, meet Jody Sawyer... Now who would win in a dance-off?

Center Stage is a much lighter take on the world of professional ballet, and is one of those films that's so bad, it's good! If you care more about costumes and dance sequences than actual acting, this flick is sure to delight!

An Academy Award winner it is not, but who needs Oscar when you've got happy feet? And, you know, a normal-ish psyche...

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to lace up the toe shoes and don some legwarmers... Dancing makes for great exercise, especially during the winter months when it's too cold to go outside (I'm a cold-weather wimp and won't work out in the snow... unless, of course, I'm skating!). So... Anybody dare to wear a tutu?

You say you want a resolution...

Happy (belated) New Year, everyone!

Now, I'm not someone who gets into New Year's in a big way. I don't go to crazy NYE parties or brave the cold to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Growing up, I always spent New Years' Eve at my grandparents' house, eating finger foods and watching the ball drop on TV, and that's exactly what I did this year... save for staying up for the countdown. After a six-hour drive, I was exhausted and wound up dropping long before the ball did! But it was still nice to welcome the new year, surrounded by family in my hometown.

[This is not my hometown. This is where I live now. But it's pretty. :)]

But I don't consider the mere change in calendar date to be cause for celebration, or even a time to make new goals. You can set and accomplish goals on any random day of the year, after all. I am constantly making lists and attempting to check things off, one by one, finishing things as I'm able to. And I tend to mark the passage of time by birthdays or, when in school, by semesters. Or, since I've switched occupations many times in the past few years, by a job's start and end dates!

So I'm not going to bore you with a list of my New Year's resolutions, because I don't have any. Around my 26th birthday, however, I was inspired (by a few other bloggers) to make a list of 26 things I'd like to do before I turn 27. After reviewing this, I was surprised that few of my goals have anything to do with work... I found myself writing things like "learn French" and "create comic book."

Career goals have consumed me for a long time, but when I get to the heart of things, the desires that are nearest and dearest to me have more to do with personal enrichment than professional advancement. I always was less ambitious and career-oriented than I was passionate and creative. As I've gotten older, I figured that was bound to change, but I'm happy that my creative spirit is still alive and well. Somewhere, my inner songbird still chirps happily! As stupid as that sounds... But, hey, maybe one of these days I'll get around to sharing some of my songs with you... Wouldn't that be fun? Something I think my blog definitely needs... guitars! And kittens! Yes. I promise to deliver both of those things!

Ok. So this picture happens to have both those things... Yay!

What are some of your goals - we won't call them "resolutions" - this year?

Another year goes by...

Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind...

Hard to believe it, but New Year's Eve is upon us! Thank you for sharing this year with me and my blog! Ip & Audrey has grown steadily over the past two years, and I have you to thank. Here's a look at my year in blogging, and a visual reminder that, despite my recent lack of outfit posts, I do have some sense of style, and actually do wear clothes! :)

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Well, it looks like I'm definitely more of a summer blogger! Winter just isn't my season. ;) In summer, well, the days seem longer, so there's always a little more time to fit blogging in. There's my excuse. But I will strive to do better this winter... and get some new outfits posted, stat!

In these photos, you might have noticed the gradual lightening of my hair. New readers might be surprised to learn that I'm a natural blonde and went brown for a while, not the other way around. I'm slowly getting back to my roots (and believe me, blonde roots look funny with dark hair! I looked like Rogue from "X-Men"!), but it's taken a lot of patience, and quite a few salon visits!

Also, I'm guilty of the common fashion blogger sin: looking down. A lot. Maybe my New Years' resolution should be " make eye contact." I'm not promising anything, though! I like to keep these peepers hidden! Blue eyes are especially sensitive to light, and in outdoor photos, I tend to squint a lot! But I'm happy to note that the same pair of Loft sunglasses appeared in nearly every outfit post this year... talk about getting your money's worth!

Well, that's all for this year! So long, 2010! And thank you for your visits, comments and love! I hope peace and happiness find you and keep you in the New Year.

Kisses!

Erin Cathleen

You haven't seen the last of me!

Hi, all!

This is definitely not going to be my last post before New Year's. Nope. No way. I plan to squeeze in at least one more update before I take off for my holiday festivities in New York. Wee!

I am shocked and awed that 2010 is already coming to an end. It seems like only yesterday, I was making my 2010 resolutions... whoopsies. :) The year flew by! And a few fun things have happened in the past few weeks to keep me super-busy...

First, I took the LSAT. Madness, sheer madness. I don't know how I did yet, though during the test I felt oddly "calmfident" (calm + confident!). My score comes out next week, so I'm crossing my fingers until then! After that, I'll nose-dive into all those fun law school applications...

Second... I adopted a shelter kitten! I've been dying to share this for the past few weeks, but have been so busy chasing her around! She's quite an active little monkey. Her name is Chloe, and she will make her official debut on my blog... soon!

Next post, I will share some resolutions, and perhaps even recap Ip & Audrey's past year... it's been fun! Also, I'm excited to share a CSN Stores product review! It's the first one I've done for them (though we've hosted a few giveaways before). I ordered a pair of shoes and am so stoked for them to arrive and to share my little test drive! Woo-hoo!

In the meantime, I plan to check out Black Swan (for the costumes by Rodarte, of course), and maybe get a new haircut. Nothing says New Year's like a fresh crop! Here's a look I'm currently considering...

These pics of Olivia Palermo, from January's Spanish Vogue, are downright gorgeous (except for the whole smoking thing), so sixties and mod. She reminds me of my beloved Audrey in her seminal role (you know which one; if you don't, glimpse my blog header!). I love the idea of shoulder length hair, though on me, I don't always like the execution. But this is only a few inches shorter than my current style, so I might be brave and undergo a snip! If I chicken out, I'll probably just wind up cutting bangs. Again.

Till next time, then... Ciao, bellas!