Stephanie Kate Strohm's Blog, page 2

Valentine's day and statement sweaters - the perfect marriage of delightful cheese!  But things don't have to be too cheesy.  If you're eschewing all things pink tomorrow, you can still wear your heart on your sleeve (yes, I went there), with this heart print cardigan from Forever 21.
Available at forever21.comGotta say, I love how they styled this one.  I need a flippy skirt to wear with all of my long cardigans.Have fun planning your Valentine's Day outfits, all!

February is Black History Month, so I want to spend some time this month talking about amazing African American women from history, and today, I want to talk about Bessie Coleman, the first African American female pilot.  (And I am extra excited to talk about Bessie Coleman because I just found out she lived in Chicago!  Like me!) 
Bessie Coleman was born in Texas in 1892, then moved up to Chicago to live with her brothers when she was 23.  She went to beauty school and be...

Feeling whimsical, but ONLY A LITTLE BIT?  Then this For Love & Lemons Bunny Knit Pullover Sweater is for you.  The soft, muted color scheme says business, but the sweet bunny shape (complete with fluffy tail!) reveals the hidden quirky depths within. 

HOW MANY SWEATERS COME WITH A TAIL??!?!?
[image error]Statement sweater.  Boatneck.  Bunny.

It's been very gray here in Chicago, which is perhaps what attracted me to this statement sweater from Topshop.  Its simplicity.  Its grayness.  The way it makes a statement without really making a statement.  Its nihilistic approach to geography.  Is Paris forward?  Is it backwards?  Who cares?  You've got a sweater.
[image error]http://ow.ly/IdCiA

Today in 1777, John Burgoyne proposed the British isolate New England as a tactic in the Revolutionary War.

This raised a lot of questions for me, like 1. What?  2. John Burgoyne? Who? and 3. Isolate New England??  Of course, as a proud Nutmeg Statin' Connecticut Yankee, I had to investigate.  Nobody isolates New England!  Unless we isolate ourselves by choice!  So, let's investigate:

The Plan:  8,000 British troops came down from Canada, planning to move south thr...

I am most decidedly a dog person, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the aesthetic appeal of some fluffy-tailed kitties playfully splashed across a sweater.

Also apparently I only like sweaters with animals on them now?
Modcloth. Cat's What I'm Talkin' About Sweater. 

Looks so big and cozy I want to pull on a pair of leggings and dive headfirst into this sweater then watch movies all day while eating oatmeal.  Because if you put enough peanut butter and chocolate chips on your oatmea...

The Oscar nominations have been announced, the Golden Globes are over, and we are officially in awards season.  My favorite awards category is always costume design, and so far, this year, the only nominee I've seen is Into the Woods.  So I decided to take it upon myself and rank the Top 10 Outfits in Into the Woods.  This is obviously a highly subjective list, and only includes ladies' clothing, as the criteria I used to grade each outfit was what would I most want to wear.

Jac...

Happy New Year!  Recently, I've been really interested in all things Scottish - the history, the highlanders, the haggis...well maybe not so much the haggis.  But everything else!
  (for the record, I have tried haggis and it was...okay.)
Recently I came across an interesting Scottish New Year's tradition, called the First Foot!  Or the First Footing!  Honestly I think they're both okay?  Anyway!  If the first foot (i.e. the feet of the first person) to come i...

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Ugly Holiday Sweater Party.  I feel like it's pejorative to sweaters.  Why we gotta call 'em ugly?  Can't we just enjoy wearing statement sweaters?  What's up with that?

Anyway.  End Rant.  While I may not enjoy Ugly Holiday Sweater Parties, I do LOVE sweaters.  I adore them.  They're 90% of the reason I would never live in a climate without snow.

Now that winter is upon us, I've decided to feature a Statement Sweater...

Somebody found one of Shakespeare's first folios in a library in France! 

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What is the first folio?  Basically, it was the first printed collection of all of Shakespeare's plays.  (Or 36 out of 38 of them?  Close enough.)  Printed in 1623, it is THE source for Shakespeare - the most reliable one, anyway.  This one that was just found at the library in Saint-Omer is one of only 233 known to exist, so it's pretty cool!

Read more about it here:
http://www.history.com/ne...