Cathy's Archive

Blue and white nautical stripes are a must-have addition to any stylish wardrobe.  It's a quintessential Spring style that we saw once again on the Paris Spring 2011 Runways.  Now here's how to translate the Parisian runways to real life:

Weekend Shopping
J Crew dress $78, J Crew belt $32.50, Steve Madden 'Genisis' $89.95

For the ultimate in weekend chic, pair a casual...

As a former ballerina, I'm very excited about the new trend for ballet-inspired fitness studios.  The idea is to incorporate muscle-sculpting ballet moves like leg extensions and pliés with cardiovascular exercises like jumping.

What to Expect:

1. Free weights, barre work, balls and bands
2. Both high energy classes and slow-paced workouts
3. You'll be working out barefoot

Benefits

1.

Step aside pigtail-wearing pre-tweens and hand over those hair barrettes.  Seen in multiple Spring 2011 runways shows including Cynthia Rowley, Badgley Mischka and Rodarte, the hair barrette is officially back as a big girl's accessory.

Badgley Mischka (left) and Rodarte, Spring 2011

These accessories can be worn to accent or secure low slung buns and ponytails, or to hold side-swept hair...

I'm a bit of a ballet flat-a-holic.  I admit I wear them far too often, but they are just so versatile, stylish and of course, a very Audrey Hepburn-esque shoe option.

Here's the classic Chanel shoe.  Le sigh…

I've been jonesin' for a pair of those classic Chanel two-tone ballet flats for ages, but at about $600 a pop, the price just isn't right.  So I went on a...

When someone asks me what type of music I like, I usually say "anything that's good".  That's the only way I can sum up my taste in music.  I will blast Hilary Duff on the same day I rock out to old school LL Cool J, classic Springsteen or Rascal Flatts.

For the gym, I pick a playlist of songs with a good beat that keep me motivated to move.  Here is what's on my current...

Popular in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, the Half Moon Manicure is a hot nail trend that resurfaced on the Fall/Winter 2009 RTW catwalks but has been slow to gain mainstream attention.  Championed by Ruffian and early adopters Dior and Thakoon, we saw on runways again for Spring 2011 - but this time, it's getting nods beyond the beauty blogger posse.

Dubbed "the Ruffian" for the...

A classic white blouse is the ultimate investment piece - it that can be worn with everything and will never go out of style.  Any colour bottoms will do, but when in doubt, a crisp white blouse paired with a neutral pant or skirt is always good for understated elegance.

Kate Hudson, Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo and Ashley Olsen

Here's a roundup of the the best modern updates to the basic...

The Ballerina Bun was one of the trendy hairstyles in 2010 and we expect it to transition smoothly into 2011.  It's easy to do and works for both daytime and evening.


Sarah Jessica Parker's go-to style of the year has also been spotted on other celebs like Kate Bosworth, Sienna Miller and Rachel McAdams.


Here's how to get the look:

Step 1: Using a hairbrush, smooth your hair into a...

Fair warning to all the chocolate lovers reading here: these easy-to-make treats are addictive!  I have alternately called them "Chocolate Chippy Balls" or "Those Chips and Chocolate Thingamabobbers", but for the sake of this article I'm going with Choco Chip Clusters:

1 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter Butter Chips
1 1/2 Butterscotch chips
1 large bag of plain potato chips
1...