The One by Cotton On Launch Event in Santa Monica

Last week I went to the Cotton On store on Santa Monica Promenade for the launch of The One collection. Cotton On is an Australian brand that now has stores in sixteen countries! I was able to meet and talk with Cotton On spokesperson and Australian It Girl Lara Bingle.

I love Lara's new, shorter hair cut

The One collection is three basic tees (Deep V, The Scoop, and The Crew), a tank top (6 colors) and boatneck tops (stripes or solids). Cotton On was my go to store for affordable basics during my time in Australia. There's only so much you can pack for a semester away-I had to do some shopping! I am thrilled they are opening up more stores in the US.

The tees in The One collection start at just $14.95, with the long sleeve boatneck tops costing $17.95. Very affordable! Each blogger was asked to style an outfit using a t shirt from The One collection. You can see my styled outfit below.Of course I picked the nautical striped v neck!

Cotton On General Manager Felicity McGahan giving a talk about Cotton On and the new collection

This is the outfit I put together: Carolina cotton/chambray shirt over the deep v in navy stripes with shorts, sunglasses, and summer love floppy hat

On the mannequin

All of the blogger designed looks-so many ways to style a simple t shirt!

Some of the Cotton On store locations

#selfie time

Lara is the perfect spokesperson for the Cotton On brand: that beachy, carefree girl that just lights up the room. I talked with Lara about her own personal style and why she loves The One collection. Lara said that so often she sees girls that are examples of "the dress wearing the girl, not the girl wearing the dress." A simple t shirt that fits well is simple and sexy. Being confident in your clothes is a must. Just look at Lara in one of the tees:

I asked Lara what her beach day essentials were. A simple t shirt over her bikini. Nothing fancy, something comfortable and fitted.

Summer is just around the corner and so go out and find THE ONE!

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11 Things

Last night I went for a run around my neighborhood and thought about what I was going to post today. Originally I had scheduled something fun, something I would normally post. But it seems like there is quite a division in blog world when there is some sort of national tragedy. Do you post as usual, sharing something positive, not dwelling on the negative? Post your thoughts on what happened? Post nothing? I don't think there is a "right" answer, just what feels right to the author. I decided to reschedule the post I had written for later this week. I wasn't going to post anything.

Then Tierney emailed me and her emails always make me smile. Tierney writes over at the Preppy Leopard and now she is hoping to be a published writer (!) and started a new blog here for her writing. I can't wait for Tierney's new book (think Gossip Girl, the A List, YA)!

Anyway Tierney tagged me in a recent post to share some facts about me! I don't post much about my personal life so this is a chance to share a bit more with my readers.

1. My birthday is October 8, my sister's birthday is October 9 (we are 6 years apart)
2. I majored in psychology and criminal justice in college. I am still planning on going to grad school to purse one or both of those (maybe forensic psychology?)
3. I really love living alone. I'm not sure I could ever live with a roommate again. I had both ends of the crazy roommate spectrum-party 24/7, always had friends/guys over girl (had two of these) and then the other direction- a girl that needed total silence (using the microwave or tv at 10 on a Friday night was too much) and even complained when I used the space heater in MY ROOM (it was making her room "too hot")
4. I lived in the same house for my whole childhood (rare for LA) and now live just over a mile from that house
5. I stopped drinking soda during my semester in Australia in 2008. I don't like the taste of it out of the can/bottle (prefer fountain soda) so I stopped drinking it. I very rarely drink soda now. Maybe once every 6 months if that. I have never had coffee. The only issue with this is that when I do have soda/caffeine, I am awake for hours at night!
6. I am terrified of spiders
7. I have the bad habit of popping pimples but I never pick at scabs/scrapes/cuts
8. I've never had a hamburger (well maybe as a toddler before I got super picky but definitely not in the last 20+ years)
9. I thought I was going to be a teacher after college. I made it to the final round of Teach for America and then got rejected. I'm happy with my current job but it took a long time to get over that rejection
10. I started online dating last fall and that is quite an adventure. Entertaining I'll say!
11. I always sleep with the covers/blanket over my head. Even when it is hot!

Here are the new questions from Tierney:

1. Do you have a special story of how your parents picked out your name?
I am actually not sure why they chose Kate (not short for anything). I know my dad liked Kay. The funny thing is that my oldest sister has a 3 syllable first name, next sister has 2 syllable name, then I have just 1 syllable. Easier to yell out 1 syllable names? ;) My middle name is after my beloved Great Uncle though

2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always loved babies so something to do with kids. I think I said teacher?

3. What was your favorite memory from a child?
Family trips to Sun Valley, sleepovers with my neighbors, the yearly fall festival at my elementary school

4. If you had to wear one color for the rest of your life, what would it be?
PINK

5. What fictional place would you most like to visit?
This is a tough one! Capeside from Dawson's Creek. Nautical small town!

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6. Who is your fictional crush?
Pacey Witter (Dawson's Creek) and Ben Covington (Felicity). Honorable mention to Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)
7. What is the craziest/most brave thing you’ve ever done?Skydiving in Australia8. What has been your most embarrassing moment to date? I cried in front of my english class in high school, threw up once on an airplane in high school (I don't think anyone but the lady next to me saw but it was an awful experience)9. If you got to spend one day as a member of the opposite sex, what would you do? I think I would just try to pick a guy's brain and see what they are thinking! I did try to pee standing up when I was in preschool with my best friend. It didn't go well. Maybe I'd try that again. 10. What fictional character do you think is the most like you? Blair Waldorf meets the members of the Babysitters Club

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11. What’s the most likely reason you could end up in jail one day? Protesting something/civil disobedience

Thank you, Tierney, for tagging me!

New York recap (part 2)

See the recap of the first half of my New York trip here

Friday: We slept in (much needed) then headed to Cloud City at the Met. Thanks for the tip, EAS! We finally got sunny, low humidity weather. It was perfection!

We didn't have much time for lunch before my sister needed to go to work so we decided to take a risk and try Dos Caminos. Normally I would NOT have Mexican on a trip back east because let's be honest, the Mexican in CA is 100x better. But we were pleasantly surprised! The guacamole was great, Mexican corn was amazing, and my quesadilla and my sister's chicken were so tasty!
My sister headed to work while I headed down to ABC Home and Madewell. I highly recommend checking out ABC Home. There are at least four floors of housewares, accessories, furniture, stationery, and more. I had the most fun browsing the baby and kids room.

I met some friends from my Australia semester for dinner. M, J, and C all live in the area and I was so excited to see them. We went to Don Antonio for dinner. Can you tell I never get tired of pizza?! This place is supposedly the original maker of the lightly fried pizza which we tried. I prefer a bit more cheese but the lightly fried dough was really good. My favorite was the quatro formaggi. SO GOOD!

For dessert we went to Caffe Bene, which is a Korean coffee brand/bakery. I had a waffle with nutella. Amazing. There is now a Caffe Bene in Koreatown here in LA-thinking I might need to go soon! And of course we had to have a mini photo shoot in Times Square!

Saturday: woke up early and said goodbye to New York

New York recap (part 1)

My sister is doing a rotation at a New York City hospital and had room for me at the apartment she is staying in. I ended up having time off work so I figured I might as well go to New York, especially since I had to cancel my trip last spring. I was hoping for fall weather but instead I got very high humidity and rain/mist. One day of sun at least!

Tuesday: My flight was delayed leaving LAX so I only had time for dinner when I got in. My sister and I walked over to Il Vagabondo. I had the best penne alla vodka. YUM!

Wednesday: I walked up to the Upper East Side to do some shopping and exploring. First stop: Lilly Pulitzer. I picked up this adorable poppy top in navy and the delia dress in whale's tails on sale (yay!). Next I stopped at Jack Rogers where I finally bought the pink glitter sandals I had on my wishlist. I also stopped in the Crewcuts store (adorable) and Laduree (makes me want to go to Paris again asap!). For lunch I went to Shake Shack. I went to the UES location because the weather was humid and rainy so I didn't feel the need to sit outside. The chocolate shake was even better than I had thought it would be! My fries were crinkly perfection. After lunch I walked all the way back to the apartment because I realized my brand new camera didn't come with a memory card. I looked up camera places nearby and went to Camera Land, which was just a quick walk away from the apartment. Next I headed to the Plaza to check out the Eloise store and the Plaza Food Hall.

The Food Hall is amazing. I had a made to order s'more. I had to resist the frozen yogurt and other sweets (you can find all kinds of food from burgers to sushi-I just wanted a sweet snack).

Nautical lobster spotted: Luke's!

I walked back to the apartment to meet my sister who was now home from work. We went to dinner at Parm. This was definitely my favorite meal. The baked ziti and pizza knots=heaven!

Thursday: First thing I did was head back up to the UES to visit Elizabeth McKay. The UES location is a store AND showroom. It was so fun to shop and get to see a preview of the spring 2013 line! I am so excited for all of the navy and pink! I will be doing a separate post on my visit to Elizabeth McKay.

Next I headed over to Central Park. First stop: the Conservatory Water. The little boats you can sail are so cute. If the weather had been better I probably would have sat and watched the little sail boats and ducks but it started raining.

I had lunch at the casual part of the Loeb Boathouse. Here's the view I had during lunch:

Then I walked along the edge of the park to the shops at Columbus Circle/Time Warner Center. I browsed J.Crew and C. Wonder.

I had a delicious pain au chocolat at Bouchon Bakery and then took the subway to FIT. The Ivy Style exhibit was great. It's small and features mostly men's style but it's free and fun if you like preppy style/history. Thanks for the tip, Kimberly!

I went back to the apartment to meet my sister. We went to dinner at Co. I wouldn't say the pizza was as amazing as I thought it would be but I did just get the margherita. We picked up dessert at Billy's Bakery.

Stay tuned for my recap of my last full day (Friday) on Friday

4 years ago...SKY DIVING!

Four years ago I jumped out of an airplane in Cairns, (Queensland) Australia. Yes, you read that correctly!

If you know me at all (even just reading this blog) you can probably tell I'm not a risk taker. I never really rebelled (you're welcome, mom and dad) and rarely do anything crazy (I would say never but I guess that depends on your definition of crazy ;)

I still can't believe I did it. Without the DVD, I doubt my family and friends would even believe me!!! It was so out of character that I did it AND I wasn't even afraid (I was actually more afraid to snorkel the morning before). I convinced two friends to go with me. I was the first to jump. There are no words to describe what it is like free falling from thousands of feet in the air!

Think of this post as a reminder to (occasionally) do something crazy and out of character! You never know how it will change your life for the better! On days when I am feeling down I just look at one of these photos and instantly feel happy!

Australia: 4 years ago!

I can't believe that four years ago I was packing up to go on the plane to Australia. My semester in Melbourne was amazing (I know that word is overused but there's no other way to describe it!). I had the time of my life. You can read all of my Australia adventures by clicking HERE

Favorite scenery photos:

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Favorite animal photos:

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My favorite Australia posts:
My trip to Cairns/Great Barrier Reef/Sky Diving
Trip to Surfer's Paradise
My trip to Tasmania
My mom and sister visit Australia

3 years ago... Sky Diving!

Three years ago I jumped out of an airplane in Cairns, (Queensland) Australia. Yes, you read that correctly!

If you know me at all (even just reading this blog) you can probably tell I'm not a risk taker. I never really rebelled (you're welcome, mom and dad) and rarely do anything crazy (I would say never but I guess that depends on your definition of crazy).

I still can't believe I did it. Without the DVD, I doubt my family and friends would even believe me!!! It was so out of character that I did it AND I wasn't even afraid (I was actually more afraid to snorkel the morning before). I convinced two friends to go with me. I was the first to jump. There are no words to describe what it is like free falling from thousands of feet in the air!

Think of this post as a reminder to (occasionally) do something crazy and out of character! You never know how it will change your life for the better! On days when I am feeling down I just look at one of these photos and instantly feel happy!

Beach day!

My towel collection:


Tommy Hilfiger


Monogrammed polka dot towel from swap with Pink, Green, and Southern


Monogrammed towel I won from Preppy Parade (these are currently on sale!)


Great Ocean Road (Australia)


Newest addition from Cancer Sucks even with Lilly Pulitzer on your side



Don't you love my polka dot tote??



It is from Whitney Caroline Designs and I LOVE it! It carried all of my things (book, ipod, camera, towel, bottle of water and snacks, sweatshirt) plus my friend’s-no need to bring two bags! The tote can stand up on its own (it comes with things to insert in side pockets) or can be easily collapsed (to slide under your car seat, bed or into a drawer). To read the rest of my review, head over to Whitney Caroline Designs blog