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Weekend Update

1. I really shouldn’t be posting impractical shoes right now, but as I currently wear my Gizehs 90% of the time, please indulge as I share one of the most beautiful pairs I’ve seen in a while, courtesy of Jimmy Choo.

These nude Jimmy Choos, called the “Hoop” style are so gorgeous. I love nude pumps as they elongate the legs, but sometimes they can look a bit conservative/Kate Middleton going to a public appearance-esque. These are really cool though – and the ties I think help provide some stability and extra comfort. Unfortunately, with tax, these shoes enter the four digit range, which is where I must draw the line for non boots/impractical shoes. These are being added to my fall/winter “sale watch” list.

2. I’d love to hear your opinions on this Op-Ed from Amy Odell, an editor at Cosmopolitan: Why Women Should Embrace Self Promotion. I obviously have a certain view myself on whether to share some of your life online, but there’s quite a bit that I still keep private. I also do suffer from the same crippling fear of outfit photos. What’re your thoughts?

BN-KH246_CLUXUR_J_20150914153456

3. Anyone been to Europe lately? The prices for a lot of brands (especially Hermes, Saint Laurent) are at a serious discount, especially if you’re from the U.S. or almost anywhere in Asia, except for Japan. I’m talking like 25-30%, before tax refund! This article from the WSJ speak to that very phenomenon – Chinese Luxury Shoppers Speak Euro (if you don’t subscribe, go here and click on the WSJ article from the Google search result page). I have to admit that I’ve been a bit hesitant to buy luxury items myself lately, because I just think that they’re so much cheaper a plane flight away. Now

4. This week’s book for me is a re-read – Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen.

Freedom

Franzen has a new book out – Purity – which has garnered quite mixed reviews. I haven’t been in the mood to try something new and potentially disappointing, so instead I’ve just been re-reading Freedom, which I know I’ll enjoy. I always feel a bit sheepish recommending a hugely popular book (it was in Oprah’s Book Club!) but hey, it’s what I’m actually reading…

On that note, I’d love some more book recommendations from readers!

21 Comments

  • Reply
    Julie W.
    September 18, 2015 at 8:21 am

    I like the Jackson Brodie series written by Kate Atkinson; they are detective stories but with a lot more heart. Also, I don’t know if you like non-fiction, but Jon Ronson is great. He wrote The Man Who Stares at Goats, The Psychopath Test (my favorite!), and more recently, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. He writes about really fascinating topics and is hilarious. You should definitely check him out if you haven’t already!

    • Reply
      Katherine
      September 19, 2015 at 7:56 pm

      Thank you! I read the Psychopath Test and enjoyed – I had seen a review on Publicly Shamed and am glad to hear you liked it! Will definitely try it out.

  • Reply
    MO
    September 18, 2015 at 8:22 am

    Ooh I’m going to be in London next week! Any luxury stores you recommend visiting?

    • Reply
      Coco
      September 19, 2015 at 4:13 am

      I just recently came back from London.

      Unfortunately service was terrible at luxury goods . The sales assistants were very reluctant to bring items out of display or even search for items ( even though another store did a search and their computers came up with 6 pieces in stock!)

      You might want to check out bicester village

      Happy shopping!

      • Reply
        Sarah
        September 19, 2015 at 10:40 am

        Oh really? Which shops did you try?

      • Reply
        Katherine
        September 19, 2015 at 7:58 pm

        Bicester is a great recommendation if you have a quite a few hours to spare 🙂

    • Reply
      Katherine
      September 19, 2015 at 7:57 pm

      I’m quite boring in London…I always enjoy Browns, Feathers at times, Harvey Nichols of course and also Dover Street Market.

    • Reply
      Sita, London
      September 20, 2015 at 5:02 am

      As a Londoner I’ve got to recommend Bicester Villiage!! Valentino, Celine, Anya Hindemarch, Gucci……
      It’s a easy drive/train/coach trip from London – Google “Bicester Village”
      Also Browns and Liberty’s!!

      • Reply
        Katherine
        September 20, 2015 at 9:12 pm

        Forgot about Libertys! Great rec!

  • Reply
    tata
    September 18, 2015 at 9:31 am

    I just wanted to tell you that i really look forward to your book recommendations!

  • Reply
    Whitney Farris
    September 18, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    A very good read, Rage Against The Dying, by Becky Masterman. Keeps you guessing until the very end! Highly recommend

    • Reply
      Katherine
      September 19, 2015 at 7:57 pm

      Thank you! Added 🙂

      • Reply
        Sarah
        September 21, 2015 at 1:20 pm

        Personally I like to stay central, Bond Street, liberty, fenwicks & even Selfridges, are just a few minutes walk/black cab ride from each other. Then a nice lunch nearby.

  • Reply
    TC
    September 19, 2015 at 4:27 am

    I read the article on self-promotion that you linked to. While I agree that women should not be reluctant to highlight their accomplishments, using Instagram / social media stars to illustrate her point only cheapens it. Those people are derivative; they became stars by wearing someone else’s design well or by acquiring someone else’s product (first). Even when they “produce” or “design” their own line it looks like the clothes they are wearing now — which was designed by someone else. They have no real accomplishments outside of posting pretty pictures (even those are copies of someone else “photos of their rings against their ice coffee, their hotel infinity pools, their powder sugar-dusted almond croissants at brunch”).

    Fashion is not particularly deep, but there are people who generate ideas and develop original work. They don’t do, nor do they need, the kind of self-promotion the author is espousing.

    • Reply
      Katherine
      September 19, 2015 at 7:59 pm

      Great point TC and I especially like your on point IG observations (though I fear that I have posted an IG cliche myself at times…I’ve accepted my fate).

  • Reply
    bisbee
    September 19, 2015 at 5:16 am

    Just read the article about Self-Promotion. There is a lot of foolishness in it – posting selfies is something for teenagers, not serious women! The majority of the self-promoters will appear and disappear just as quickly – if there is no real content in what they post, they will fade into nothingness.

    Leandra Medine is a phenomenon – however, even when she was just posting pictures of her outfits, her commentary was sharp, well-written, and often hilarious! Many of the other bloggers who have “made it” and created their own brands will probably not last too long – case in point, Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere fame. She has two books, a clothing line that is extremely derivative, and her blog is extremely poorly written. We’ll see how long her self-promotion serves to keep her in the public eye!

    • Reply
      Katherine
      September 19, 2015 at 8:00 pm

      Interesting viewpoint and I agree that I need to find the actual content good to be interested in whatever else the person may be doing!

    • Reply
      Sita, London
      September 20, 2015 at 5:07 am

      100% agree about Cupcakes & Cashmere – her content is just drivel and just full of poorly written commentary!
      I thought I was the only one who thought that lol

      (Katherine I LOVE LOVE your blog…….)

  • Reply
    Revanche
    September 21, 2015 at 9:29 am

    While I’m probably the last person who’d ever allow her image to be shared online because that just creeps me out, I think that the urge to dismiss women who self promote or post selfies is too much linked to the ingrained cultural need to keep women in their “place”. We’re urged to do the work without showing our faces, to prove that we’re serious to “prove” that we’ve earned whatever it is we’ve gotten. Conversely, women are simultaneously expected to show up looking ready to be looked at: we’re not allowed to benefit from our looks but we’re expected to keep them up? I find that peculiar. (And personally, though it’s not a skill I possess, the art of being pulled together and looking attractive does seem like a bit of skilled work!) If a man were benefiting from the attractiveness of his mug shots, I sincerely doubts we’d have a word to say about it.

    And going deeper than looks, but still linked to it: women who excel in other spheres also have to deal with not being allowed to succeed at a certain level if she doesn’t want to be attacked. I hate that we see this hugely in the STEM / tech fields: the very first thing that happens when a woman is great and rises to the top is that (predominantly men but not only men) she’s attacked and based on what? Looks. The most favored insults start with ‘you’re ugly’ and continue on many variations of such. GOMI, horrifically ugly though it is, just reflects this society-wide mentality.

    Both Cloud (http://www.wandering-scientist.com) and Nicole and Maggie (https://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/) have written thoughtful posts on this sort of thing though I’m too sleepy to find the posts right now.

    All that to say: you know what? As long as it hurts no one, I don’t have a problem with a woman self promoting, however she does it. If she builds something new out of it? That’s great. Even if she’s doing ‘derivative’ work because you know what? That’s totally allowed. She’s using her strengths to do something her way, or maybe she’s finding her own style and inspiration, or maybe she’s developing a foundation from which to build something new. Whatever, I don’t care, as long as she’s harming no one, I think there’s no harm in supporting that philosophically and maybe there’s all kinds of liberation and good that comes from supporting it.

    I don’t know if any part of this informs your fear of sharing more selfies / outfit posts, etc, but insofar as being part of the change that I want to see – I’d like to encourage to share what and however much you want. In your own community, you should have that freedom. <3

    • Reply
      Katherine
      September 22, 2015 at 7:14 pm

      Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment Revanche! I can’t wait to read the posts you recommended – add me to the “I’m sleepy” club!

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