P&C Questionnaire: Catie of Cuffington

This week's P&C Questionnaire is from my friend, former neighbor, and partner in Style Cinema (It will return, trust me!), the ever-elegant Catie of Cuffington. Famous for her straightforward self portraits and fabulous mix of preppy, high-end designer, rockstar chic, and thrift, Catie's personal style is in a class by itself. But her writing, inspirations, and quirky aesthetic are also incredible, making her one of the most intelligent and unique voices in the blogosphere...Plus, she's just a great pal & I love her!

What is your occupation and how did you arrive at it?

I have two different jobs, I think. There’s the non-descript office job where I sit in a non-descript building doing non-descript things, and then there is the rest of my life where all things Cuffington sit front and center.

Name three things that inspired you this week.

A vintage cherry red child’s cropped coat with gold fasteners, the label sewn inside says it is from Miss Bergdorf’s, which was a children’s line Bergdorf Goodman began producing in the 1920s but phased out during the 1980s. I’d guess this piece is from the early sixties.

I was recently in Austin, Texas in this coffee shop called the Spider House. The space was at one point an actual house that has been converted to a café, wood paneled walls scrawled with Sharpie-made graffiti, fiberglass and chrome tabletops, tiny fringed lampshade wall sconces and mis-matched chairs. The sun filters through the windows and creates amazing light. That would be a great place for the right photo shoot, something slightly dirty, ethereal, vintage.

The book that The Selby recently published. It’s a fresh look at the way people live in their spaces

What is your personal style "uniform"?

I usually dress a little fancy because if I’m going to spend money on clothing I want to be able to wear it both at work and outside of work. Therefore I tend to be a bit more dressed up in any given moment. I stick with slim dark pants, a loose top, and minimal jewelry. I like variations on the pencil skirt, my Scandinavian ancestry made me tall and slender and I feel my legs are my best feature so I usually don’t hide them – as nice as they are, you’ll never see me in a maxi dress. With my shoes I do either a flat or a sky-scraper heel – no in-between, no ‘lady’ versions. I’m not entirely sold on this kitten heel resurgence thing, but I do have one pair from years back that I always held onto because there is no doubt they are very easy to walk in.  When all is said and done, I keep it slim and dark on the bottom and long sleeved and colorful on top, lastly adding an element that has a bit of personality: a brooch, a shoe, whatever. I always define my waist, I am forever tucking in my t-shirts – I’m the Jerry Seinfeld of fashion bloggers.

Name one type of clothing, shoes, or accessory that always makes you stop and stare, and explain why. 

Hats I can never figure out. I mean little vintage hats that cover just a portion of a lady’s head, with a bit of netting or flowers or some other adornment. How do they know how to put it on just so to make it look so perfect? I think it takes a special kind of confidence to wear a hat, from the teeniest of straw boaters to big floppy brimmed Bianca Jagger style. I’ve never done it and am in awe of those who do.

Do you buy vintage? If so, what piece in your collection is your favorite?

That I do.  Some heirloom costume jewelry pieces and evening bags from my grandmothers are very special to me. But for a standout item that I actually bought, I’d have to say this old marching band jacket that I got at a vintage store in Austin. Navy blue, green and white with gold buttons. It is very snug and has tails and I don’t wear it often, mostly because it illicits strong reactions from people and I get comments on the street left and right.  I don’t want it to seem like I’m the kind of person who does ‘stunt dressing.’ I just want to wear the jacket and go about my.

Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong time? If so, what era would you like to have lived in and why?

I’m not that romantic about the past.  I’m glad I was born when I was and grew up when I did. I think the further in time you go back, women and minorities had a much harder road to travel and everything was even more of a struggle. Things aren’t perfect now, but I’m lucky to have been on the receiving end of the benefits that earlier generations worked so hard for. I mean, it may seem like an exciting idea to live and work during the Mad Men era or be like Mary Richards and have a career in the seventies and wear those awesome outfits, but at the same time, American women had limited autonomy. You know, in certain situations it was legal to be fired from your job if you got pregnant, and up until the late 1970s you couldn’t even get a credit card unless you had a husband to co-sign it. 

When I was much younger I watched this amazing yet short-lived TV show called Brooklyn Bridge. It was a lot like The Wonder Years but took place in the 1950s in New York. At night I’d go to bed and pray that I’d wake up and it would be that time period, because everything seemed so fun and easy, the way it was presented on television.  Would I want to live in that time now, the time of segregated lunch counters and the constant worry of being bombed by Cuba? No thanks.

What current trend do you like the most?

I’m excited about fall’s refined full skirts and polished, buttoned-up themes. Camel coats, sweaters, skinny gloves that go to your elbow. Items a Douglas Sirk or Hitchcock heroine would wear. It’s preppy (which is my go-to), however, the shift toward more hourglass silhouettes challenges me to venture out of my immediate comfort zone, which is a good thing.

What current trend (in your opinion) cannot disappear fast enough?

Well, I don’t want to dog on one specific thing because there are themes in dressing that some folks have always done and will continue to do because it’s what they love and that’s not going away. They surpass the trend and fly above it. I suppose that above all, I want people to be sincere in terms of how they dress.  There are folks who will don the black bra under a shredded white t-shirt and a million rings and rubber bracelets and black platforms – and they do it well I might add – but that has spawned this copycat mentality and it’s become kind of tired. If that’s honestly your look, by all means, let it fly.  In general I suppose the lack of genuineness and sincerity in dressing is what I’d like to see gone.

What film could you watch over and over and still find something inspiring? Why?

Almost Famous is my favorite movie for the story, the writing, the music, the themes, the costume design, the whole package. I love L.A. Confidential and Casino – the set decoration and costuming is pristine, the detail that went into those films blows my mind. But those are all movies that examine the past with a present-day lense, if I really want that full on immersion I go to Casablanca. I weep like a baby every time I see Casablanca, guaranteed. 

If blogging didn't exist, how would you fill your extra time?

I’d probably still be doing zines. I’d have to express myself in some way. Although zines are totally still around and relevant, I feel that blogs are the zines of their time. I’d also read real books a lot more frequently!

Images 3 & 6 by JT Paradox of The SFStyle.

Image 4 by Steven Meisel for Louis Vuitton, Fall/Winter 2010.

Comments

[stylewylde]

Great interview. I love discovering that fashion bloggers, especially those who are model pretty and could easily get a following simply with 'what I wore' posts, are actually smart, grounded and have an interesting view point on the world. Well done both of you!