Kate Middleton's (Affordable) Olympic Style

During the Olympics, I saw this slideshow on Yahoo! that showed what Kate Middleton wore to all of the events. The outfits are all very simple and chic, making me wonder how easily you could mimic her style. Here are of her Olympic outfits and my take on them:

Kate Middleton Goes to the Olympics: Torch Relay by preppypremed featuring short sleeve shirts

Notes:

• Blue pants can be found anywhere, but I found the best-priced pair at H&M
• I've found $15 Ralph Lauren Polos at TJ Maxx and Marshalls...you've just got to look for them!
• These DSW wedges, though not exactly like Kate's pair, are very close and would be a good investment

Kate Middleton @ The Olympics by preppypremed featuring leather bags

Notes:

• The skinny jeans, navy blazer and striped tee are all probably part of your wardrobe already
• Totes.com sells old-fashioned umbrellas like Kate's in a variety of colors
• This Michael Kors wallet can be found on Ebay for a great price
• The closest shoes to Kate's that I could find were these Lauren by Ralph Lauren wedges, which could be worn into fall and beyond

Kate Middleton @ The Olympics: Visit to Team GB by preppypremed featuring h&m jackets

Notes

• The colorful red blazer can be found at many places, such as H&M and J.Crew. Red is a big color this season
• Try darker skinny or straight jeans with this outfit to let the red pop out
• The dot t-shirt can be found at Old Navy for $20
• Though we can't see what shoes Kate is wearing, I picture gold flats would go great, along with a black clutch wallet.

How do you all like Kate Middleton's style?

Best Moments of the 2012 London Olympics

Well, the official Olympic torch will be extinguished and we'll be looking ahead to Rio in 2016. What did you all think of the Olympics this time around?

Besides the tape delay, NBC's so/so coverage and the Badminton teams throwing the matches (who does that in an Olympic game?), it actually was a pretty memorable Olympics. Here are some of my favorite moments:

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--Opening Ceremony

James Bond AND Mr. Bean? Okay, so it wasn't the same as Beijing's drum/fireworks happy opening ceremony, but it showed the rest of the world what England is truly about.

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--Michael Phelps Ends His Career Smoothly

Gotta say, I was a little worried when Phelps lost that first match to Lochte. But in the end he came through and earned 4 gold medals and 2 silvers, making him the most decorated Olympian of all time. I just want to know what he does with all those medals. Does he have a special display case for them, or does he just throw them in a box in the back of his closet?

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--"Fab Five" U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team

This team is the first women's gymnastics team to bring gold to the U.S. since 1996! Not only was the team as a whole strong, but multiple individual golds were won as well: Gabby Douglas won the all-around, McKayla Maroney won silver for the vault, and Alexanda Raisman won two separate medals as well.

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--"McKayla Is Not Impressed Meme"

I don't blame her at all for making that face. After coming all the way and being so close to winning gold, I'd be a little POed too.

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--Ryan Lochte's Media Goofs

Not only did his mom say in an interview that he goes out on one-night-stands, but he also admitted that he pees all the time in the pool. Guy can't win.

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--Royalty at the Games

I'm a huge fan of Kate Middleton's style, so it was so much fun to see her in the stands at multiple events, along with Prince Harry and Prince Edward as well. I'm actually doing a style post based on what she wore to the Olympic games--look for it soon!

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--Usain Bolt

This guy is a beast...first guy to sweep both sprints in consecutive Olympics! This video says it all about him (and I love Bob Costas' commentary in the background!)

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--Reading Gold during the Olympics

I heard about the book Gold by Chris Cleave earlier this summer and knew I had to read it. It's a fictional account of two best friends who compete in cycling for Britain and are training for the London 2012 Olympics. The USA doesn't put much of an emphasis on cycling, so it was so cool to read and learn more about it--it sounds like such an amazing sport!

--Crazy Gymnast Parents

I saw this from Meagan at Megs7827 first, and it made my day.This might actually be my favorite part of the Olympics. These parents are crazy. I was never in sports, but if it was, I'm pretty sure my parents would've been like this as well.

What was everyone's favorite part of the Olympics?

4 Inspiring Olympic Women

Of course I'm rooting for Team USA during the Olympics, but some athletes with the most incredible stories come from other parts of the world. Sometimes I want these underdogs to win--even though they've probably trained just as much as all the other competitors, they've undergone more personal struggles.


Since this year's Olympics are being called "The Year of the Women", I've highlighted some great women athletes who are competing from all around the world.


1. Zoe Smith, Team Great Britain, Weightlifting

Link to article

Smith is a British teenager who has been targeted and bullied on Twitter because of her "manly" choice of Olympic sport. She has eloquently replied to the bullying tweets, but opens up in the article about issues women weightlifters like herself have faced since the beginning of the event in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.


2. Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi, Team Malaysia, Shooting

Link to article

Nur Suryani is the Olympic's first women to be eight months pregnant during the games. Even though her sport is shooting and puts her in little danger of hurting her baby, she has received harsh criticism from others telling her she is selfish for jeopardizing her child's health. Nur Suryani strongly fights back her critics by saying that, as the mother of her child, no one else should be telling her what to do.


3. Wojdan Shaherkani, Team Saudi Arabia, Judo

No photo--picture found here

Link to article

Shaherkani is part of the history-making Saudi Arabia team, which for the first time allowed women to compete. At the time of writing, she is facing problems with the Judo federation, who will not allow her to compete unless she removes her hijab for the event. This contradicts the statement they made earlier this summer, saying she could wear the hijab and wouldn't have to mix with men for the competition.

4. Tahmina Kohistani, Team Afghanistan, Track & Field

Link to article

In the article, Kohistani talks about the problems she faced trying to train for the Olympics back in her home country of Afghanistan, where women aren't very well accepted as athletes. She was heavily criticized by crowds of men and women catcalling and yelling at her whenever she practiced at Kabul Stadium back home. Instead of backing down, she continued training and made it to the Olympics.


Have you all seen any inspiring women or heard any great stories from the Olympics so far?


P.S. Is anybody having trouble avoiding spoilers about the Olympics? I swear, I try my hardest not to see the results of the events that haven't aired on NBC yet, but they end up being plastered everywhere without any spoiler warnings, even on major American news sites. Oh, tape delay...

Hexipuffs

I teased in my previous post that I've been up to something very crafty, and here it is!

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I want to knit this Beekeeper's Quilt, which is made up of TONS of tiny, stuffed hexagons sewn together at the end.

Here are a few of my first hexagons (or, as the knitting community calls them, hexipuffs):

How many do I need to make before my blanket is finished?

...um....about 300. But we're not going to talk about that right now.

During every Olympics, the knitting community at Ravelry.com puts together something called the Ravellenic Games. The idea is that, during the course of the Olympics, you're supposed to go on a knitting marathon and make something amazing.

Last Winter Olympics, I beat my goal by making not one of these Llama Hats, but two of them.

My goal for this Olympics? To make 50 hexipuffs!!!


Wish me luck, guys. I'm going to need it!

Sunday Confessions

Once again, I'm linking up with Alyx for Sunday Confessions!



1. I haven't posted much this week because I've been boggled down with schoolwork, research and making these little guys:

I'll be writing more about them in a future post!

2. My favorite part of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics was the Mr. Bean sketch. I don't know if that means I'm immature, or I just have a weird sense of humor.

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3. My sister says that I'm going to be like this lady for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Yes, I really want to see the Opening Ceremony in person, but hopefully I'm not that crazy?

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4. I bought my first MCAT book, and it's got me terrified. I'm planning to take my test on April 27th, 2013, so I've got nine months to study for it.

5. Is it bad that I'm done with summer? I can't wait to spend a fall Sunday at Starbucks, reading an epic book instead of a beach read and sipping on a pumpkin spice latte.

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How are you all liking the Olympics so far? What did you think of the opening ceremony?

5 Things to Do Before the Olympics!

The Olympic Opening Ceremonies are TONIGHT! 6:30 pm for those of us in the states watching on TV. I'm so excited, but trying to keep my hopes down...the opening ceremony for Beijing was so amazing that I have to keep telling myself that nothing will ever top that. But I did hear that Lord Voldemort is making an appearance...not even kidding. Harry Potter is gonna be in the opening ceremony!

I've been doing it up for the Olympics, and I made a list of the Top 5 Things you absolutely MUST do before the games begin!

5 Things to Do Before the Olympics by preppypremed featuring essie nailpolish

1. Download Olympics-Related Apps on your Smartphone
--Check out this infograph for a list of the best Olympic apps. I already have a bunch of these on my phone.

2. Write down a list of all the events you MUST watch
--For those of us in the U.S., go to NBC's Olympics website to check out the TV schedules. I made sure to write down all the nights I wanted to tune in at primetime, as well as what events I want to stream live on my laptop.


3. Paint you nails in your nation's colors!
--I'm alternating my nails in red and blue to represent the U.S., then painting my ring fingernails with white and a gold-sparkling topcoat. I'll be sure to show you all pictures!


4. Make an English meal for the Opening Ceremonies:
--I'm making fish and chips (out of a box...sorry, my cooking skills are below par) and this English trifle to celebrate the Opening Ceremony like any Londoner would.


5. Pre-program the Opening Ceremony on your DVR:
--Since the Opening Ceremony of Beijing was so amazing, be sure to record this year's Opening Ceremony as well. Odds are, it's something you'll want to see again and again.

Are you all excited as I am? Let the games begin (I want to pull from The Hunger Games and say "and may the odds be ever in your favor!")