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Weekend Update

1. Happy Friday! I have just come back from CES in Las Vegas, so man does it feel good to be home! Were any of you there?

So not a sexy shoe, but these bad boys were my savior during long days of running around during the show, so I had to give a shout out to my favorite Nike trainers, especially because they’re now on sale for under $80. Do any of you have favorite trainer recommendations I can add to my list?

 

2. I love almost anything and everything that Cathy Horyn writes, so I was delighted to come across this piece about her trip to Germany, trying out both a “fasting clinic” and a string of Michelin starred restaurants. Really nice to find a non-fashion related article from her as well, though of course those are still my favorites!

via Purseblog

via Purseblog

3. Do you agree of disagree with Racked’s assessment that Prada is on the decline? I thought the piece was really interesting and brought back some nostalgia for me about the days that all I wanted was a black nylon Prada backpack with the little triangle.

I don’t own anything Saffiano leather yet, though I have admired a few items.

master

4. This book is probably not meant for those looking for an easier, feel good time, but if you’ve enjoyed Russian literature in the past, I would recommend Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita. I liked this satire on Communism and Stalin’s regime more than I thought I might, and was my nightly reading while at CES. Enjoy!

15 Comments

  • Reply
    Yuet
    January 9, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    Hi Katherine. I’ve been wearing the asics gel-fit sana trainer in blue for a few months and really love it. Why? Because it fits like a sock, no moving tongue to deal with, stretch mesh on top, and beautiful blue, torquoise and a shot of fuchsia to round out the color combo. It’s super comfortable and looks cute with almost any type of pants. I found them at athleta.com. Hope you’ll like them when you see them.

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 10, 2015 at 9:26 am

      Thank you SO much for the recommendation. I’ve never tried Asics before but I just ordered a pair!!

      • Reply
        Yuet
        January 10, 2015 at 10:25 pm

        Happy to recommend something to you. I’ve really enjoyed your blog and suggestions too! Hope you’ll love your asics.

  • Reply
    christine brightside
    January 9, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    Thanks for that article about Prada. I found it very interesting to read! I so recognize myself with that nylon-thing, back in school all I ever wanted was a black Prada-backpack, too! But when I started earning money next to university, I switched to other labels, the Prada pricetags just were not suitable for the material (I was always quite keen on “what do I get for the price” and still am)… I also disagree with the mentioned probably-label-for-my-parents but this might come from the fact that my parents are by now almost 70, and their “value system” does not include Prada but Chanel and Omega-watches being raised after WWII experiencing lack of everything. I think Prada is a classy, yet modern brand with a certain twist. I personally just don’t like French hipster stuff, sporty style, ohsocool labels such as Tory Burch or Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang, it’s just not my style at all. For me, Prada is a brand I would mention if I was asked what labels are “big” in my opinion. And I don’t have a Prada collection at all – I own a winter coat that my husband got for me, and a Saffiano wallet – and here all I want to say is: bought it about 6 years ago and is the only purse I use ever since then. It looks almost brand new. If this ever falls apart or I get sick of it, I think I would buy another Prada one.

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 10, 2015 at 9:24 am

      Very interesting perspective on Prada! I also like the brand and especially the coats actually like you mention as well. The clothes in my opinion are more classic even than the accessories. I also have a Prada wallet that would have lasted forever, but it was a light baby blue color so got dirty after a while!

      • Reply
        christine brightside
        January 12, 2015 at 9:31 am

        hahaha, yeah my wallet is all black – so will probably never die 😉

  • Reply
    irina
    January 9, 2015 at 3:18 pm

    Hear, hear on Bulgakov:) Majority of new generation of russians wouldn’t fully pick up his satire, so I’m surprised:):):):) I’m kidding, of course!

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 10, 2015 at 9:23 am

      Thank you Irina!! High praise coming from you! 🙂

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    January 9, 2015 at 9:59 pm

    Hi Kat! Too funny….we brought nearly the same trainers to CES. I wear the 4.0 but would like to try the support of the 5.0. My feet are still hurting anyway from wearing heels one nigh and being dragged to every single partyt!
    ‘ll check out the Bulgakov. My CES nightly was Kenzaburo Oe’s “A Personal Matter”, also not light reading, but so beautiful. I wish I could read it in Japanese.

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 10, 2015 at 9:23 am

      I was so sad to have missed you! Didn’t realize you were there until Instagram, of course 🙂 I hope you had a great time!

  • Reply
    TC
    January 11, 2015 at 8:48 am

    I think the “decline” is because Prada just hasn’t emphasized accessories as much as other design houses. If you look at the runway, half the models are barehanded whereas at Vuitton (or Celine) almost every single model is schlepping a bag or some sort of accessory.

    But when it comes to rtw ideas, Prada is still well ahead of most designers. I always thought ideas trickled down from Prada/sometimes Marni > Louis Vuitton during Marc Jacobs > everyone else with two seasons in between. If you look at some collections now, you can see old Prada in them (ex. compare No.21 Fall14 and Prada Fall06).

    BTW, Asics is my shoe of choice for running and tennis.

  • Reply
    Helen
    January 11, 2015 at 10:22 am

    Thanks for sharing that interesting article on Prada. The brand’s popularity is definitely on the decline but I don’t associate it as something my mother owns. For me, i associate that with Louis Vuitton, retro Gucci (red/green stripe) and Burberry. I like Prada. It’s classic, conservative and functional. Not fashion forward but like any good classics, it won’t go out of fashion as well.

  • Reply
    Susan
    January 11, 2015 at 12:34 pm

    I love that you post interesting and thought-provoking articles regularly! There are few fashion/lifestyle blogs that offer such great and fairly diverse reading material! I had to smile reading the NYTimes piece on experiencing two extremes in Germany. Regarding Prada, I actually didn’t have much of an interest in the brand while in the States, but I started getting into it more here in Europe (went from owning 0 Prada to buying two bags and a wallet in the last 2 years). I can imagine it’s definitely on the decline in the US, but from my own anecdotal observation, Prada and Louis Vuitton, or trendy bags like Celine, are much more popular here in Germany. I rarely see Gucci here, have NEVER seen american brands like Coach, Kate Spade, Marc Jacob, or Tory Burch on the streets, although Michael Kors is definitely a growing presence. I started to prefer Prada handbags and totes over other brands because of the quality leather, which in my opinion is much better than most of the popular LV brands! Can’t say whether my anecdotal observation is an accurate representative of how Prada is actually doing in the European market, but I would guess it’s at least more popular here than in the US!

  • Reply
    Nina R.
    January 12, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Interesting article regarding Prada, but some of the observations leave me baffled. Citing Coach as a competitor that has lured shoppers away from Prada? Coach is struggling and just had to buy Stuart Weitzman in order to expand its business! I do think Prada has to step up its game as far as being more creative with handbags, but it’s still a force.

  • Reply
    Kimberly
    January 23, 2015 at 12:46 am

    The Racked article was interesting but the comparison to Coach, Michael Kors, and Kate Spade confused me. It’s difficult to imagine the customers cross over very often. While it’s true many styles are produced in some variation for years the same could be said about Balenciaga or Proenza Schouler.

    I recently bought a black nylon Prada crossbody bag for travel and it made me nostalgic for the 90’s. Not only are the bags indestructible but they weigh almost nothing, an important factor as I age.

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