cats & gentlewomen

I love cats (obviously) and I love cat people. I love cat prints too, and was so excited when I first saw the Miu Miu interpretation. I think it was so well done: moderately twee, but not overly "whimsical" and saccharine (my second favourite is the reclining naked lady print). One of these days I hope to make use of Elizabeth Spiridakis' tutorial to make myself a cat print collar.

This weekend I went to Zara, which happens to be my favourite place to indulge in some fast fashion. I'm not sure why I give it a pass, but I do. Maybe because it's Spanish and I love Spain. While I was there, I spotted this.

Oh! A cat print dress in a viscose/rayon blend, for $40. I had to buy it, even though I'm always hurtin' the weekend before pay day. Please notice the bowties on the cats. Irresistible. It's the perfect cut for a summer dress, and a good length. It has an elastic waist, and the top part can be worn in a blousy sort of way, which feels easy breezy. I have my moments where I feel as though I should go buy another one. You know, for backup.

I did wring my hands about it a little bit: is 31 too old for cats & bowties? A brief text message correspondence with Erin confirmed that no, it's not. It depends on the 31 year old, I suppose. I can always wear it with a blazer for a bit of a "young professional" vibe.

Look at that! I could pretty much talk to you about offshore funds and currency futures now.

After I had purchased & thrown the dress in my tote bag I headed to the Drake General Store where I found a copy of The Gentlewoman, a new magazine from the creators of Fantastic Man magazine. I am trying to savour it, and so far, I am incredibly impressed. The editorial alone is a very positive celebration of modern women, and the content is beautifully presented. So many women's magazines are oppressive and passive aggressive and I am always so happy to find the rare one that isn't. I have also become mildly obsessed with a leather-trimmed Céline skirt that appears twice in the magazine, once in an ad and once in a feature.

If you're interested in a copy for yourself, you can find it at American Apparel (online and instore), but any finer bookstore or newsstand should have it. Please note that American Apparel lists it for $18 on their Canadian online store, but the marked price is $10.95.

REPLIES

K.Line: I've heard good things about Union. Maybe I'll try it for lunch sometime since lunch is always half the price of dinner!

hellotaylarose: Thank you. For a long time it was a bar called The Chelsea Room. It was painted purple on the outside and quite dark on the inside. I never actually went there, though.

Fran; Thanks for the recommendation -- I'll have to try it!

katrina: That would be amazing!! Please do.

sn: Thank you! I'm really enjoying my funny LC-A+ camera. It does all the work.

nice-etc.com / caitlin: It is really nice, I agree. You can also see through to the kitchen where a bunch of dudes are cooking everything from scratch. Pretty great. Haha! I broke veg for a tuna fish sandwich! I had been eating nothing but honey nut Cheerios for weeks, and I had just finished my exams for my last year of university. I figured I deserved it. Geoff and I rarely eat meat at home, but I don't think I could go veg again!

CARLY WAITO: It was so nice! I just wanted to see the artwork again and then there you guys were. I want to go back soon too!

Flor M., Belen Vazquez Amaro, owl and peacock : melina: I agree!

erica-knits: Oh yes! It's well worth trying. The owners also have a restaurant across the street, The Black Hoof (the Cafe was meant to be a sort of "waiting area" for the Black Hoof since it's always jam-packed). But there's something so nice about eating a nice lunch on a sunny day. I'm so glad you like my pictures! It means a lot. That little camera is the best.