LE CATCH

$89, nine west

It's rare that I come across a shoe that is both distinctly chic and outright practical. It's a winning combination, especially with...

1. Joseph striped sweater, $465, netaporter.com
2. Camilla and Mark wool vest, $629, shoplesnouvelles.com
3. Reed Krakoff bag, $1490, forwardbyelysewalker.com
4. Nine West leopard loafers, $89, ninewest.com
5. Current Elliot jeans, $228, netaporter.com

For those of you who missed out on Stella McCartney's damask print pieces from Fall 2012 (above), this cotton sweater from Dorothy Perkins (below) can fill the gap. It's kind of hard to resist at $69!

Photo (top): Pamela Berkovic

$64, topshop

My chic friend and Glamour magazine editor Gretchen Gunlocke Fenton successfully demonstrates how to pull off head-to-toe winter white here (P.S. how amazing is her $39 Joe Fresh sweater??)--and I am thinking this skirt, with its cute moto zippers, will be a good starting point.

1. J.Crew wool turtleneck sweater, $69, jcrew.com
2. Helmut Lang shearling biker jacket, $1850, netaporter.com
3. Lanvin crossover bag, $1515, forwardbyelysewalker.com
4. Alice & Olivia snakeprint leather pumps, $295, shopbop.com
5. Topshop wool zipper-trimmed skirt, $64, topshop.com

Back to work. Back to basics--and the indispensable black blazer. It's highly employable, no matter where you are going, works overtime, and there's no easier layering piece. I swear by these from Helmut Lang, Stella McCartney, and Madewell--all of which will be forever good.

$10, old navy

Throw this little leopard print beanie hat on to look up-to-the-minute stylish and keep the dead-of-winter cold at bay.

1. Warehouse black coat, $169, warehouse.andotherbrands.com
2. Old Navy leopard print hat, $10, oldnavy.com
3. Chan Luu cashmere scarf, $120, netaporter.com
4. Super Sunglasses, $148, shopbop.com
5. Nars lipstick in Flair, $24, saksfifthavenue.com
6. Rag & Bone suede boots, $495, shopbop.com

Happy 2013 ! I am looking forward to a new and exciting (LE CATCH-filled!) year. I have several fashion and beauty aspirations for the new year, some of them high (and perhaps unattainable) goals, like honing my figure to look like the one above, and some that are very much within reach, such as finessing my wardrobe, which I thought might be of interest. For starters, I'd like to invest in more jewelry. I don't wear a lot of it, but I know a few more sparkly earrings, like these from Fallon, and a standout choker necklace, such as this, will go a long way in finishing an outfit (see below for proof). I also want to start wearing dressier statement shoes casually during the day; the juxtaposition just looks fresh and smart to me right now (like the last pic). These Givenchy heels with some distressed jeans would be ideal. I also want to wear more head-to-toe white, more head-to-toe black, and the two of them together. And just back to the picture, above, at least I can pick up a similar striped bikini (on sale for $20!) and imagine I look as hot!

$134, warehouse

Stripes dominated the spring runways, and already they're appearing every where you look. Here, they lend graphic edge to a zipper-trimmed coat that you can wear now and later.

1. Alexander Wang cotton terry sweater, $185, netaporter.com
2. J.Crew cashmere hat, $44, jcrew.com
3. Fallon classic choker, $325, shopbop.com
4. Warehouse coat, $134, warehouse.com
5. Madewell brogues, $165, madewell.com
6. Rebecca Minkoff bag, $295, shopbop.com
7. Frame jeans, $174, netaporter.com

My friend (and Lucky Magazine's senior fashion editor), Elle Strauss is a constant source of style inspiration to me. She's always perfectly dressed whether in New York, LA, on location, which she often is, or even while buzzing around town with her toddler daughter. Every occasion we get together, I find myself dissecting her outfit and interrogating her about the provenance of her coat, bag, shoes, jewelry, etc. She happily participates in these Q&A's, so here are a few of my favorites from her amazing wardrobe: a statement designer bag with staying power, like this Chloe duffel; a polished-meets-edgy black leather motorcycle jacket, such as this one by Alexander Wang (on sale!); a durable, wear-with-everything pair of black booties (she swears by these fringed Steve Madden ones); along with a lot of Isabel Marant, and a good amount of lace. She also loves a good red lip (Nars' Dragon Girl is her favorite). To get further inspired as well as a few fail-proof outfit ideas, check out Elle's recent feature on Refinery 29 here.

In response to my recent posting about pursuing LE CATCH full time, I have received many supportive comments from many of you - thank you. In addition to the notes of encouragement and thanks, a number of comments have read something along the lines of "I love Le Catch, but how are you going to make any money?" The answer is yes: you can support LE CATCH by clicking through my links to products/stores when you are going shopping. The reason is that virtually all notable online fashion retailers now pay a small commission to the sites/bloggers that send them customers who buy stuff. Of course, you don't pay anything extra; the merchandise price is the same to you regardless of whether you visit the store via LE CATCH or go directly to the store's homepage. And, of course, I also only post about products that are truly my favorites on the web, and that I want to wear/own myself.

Well the answer is yes

Over lunch recently with some friends, I got a lot of questions about LE CATCH and one in particular seemed worthy of reprinting here: Can I make any money from writing LE CATCH, since it takes quite a bit of work on my end, but obviously is free to its readers (you). The answer is yes: you can support LE CATCH by clicking through my links to products/stores when you are going shopping. The reason is that virtually all notable online fashion retailers now pay a small commission to the sites/bloggers that send them customers who buy stuff. Of course, you don't pay anything extra; the merchandise price is the same to you regardless of whether you visit the store via LE CATCH or go directly to the store's homepage. And, of course, I also only post about products that are truly my favorites on the web, and that I want to wear/own myself.
xxMarlien

Some of you have asked if I can I make any money from writing LE CATCH, since it takes quite a bit of work on my end, but obviously is free to you. The answer is yes: you can support LE CATCH by clicking through my links to products/stores when you are going shopping. The reason is that virtually all notable online fashion retailers now pay a small commission to the sites/bloggers that send them customers who buy stuff. Of course, you don't pay anything extra; the merchandise price is the same to you regardless of whether you visit the store via LE CATCH or go directly to the store's homepage. And, of course, I also only post about products that are truly my favorites on the web, and that I want to wear/own myself.
xxMarlien

$198, j.crew

A denim jacket in a polished, ladylike (very Chanel Spring 2013) silhouette is endlessly versatile and forever stylish.

1. Christopher Kane silk organza dress, $3080, netaporter.com
2. J.Crew denim quilted jacket, $198, jcrew.com
3. Deux Lux striped clutch, $65, shopbop.com
4. Alexander Wang ankle strap pumps, $495, shopbop.com