tabs

I thought today was going to be a mellow Sunday, but noooo. I got up this morning to find a long to-do list taped to my bathroom mirror, left by, none other than, Tabs. He leaves for Europe in a couple of days for his next round of Fashion Week shows, which means I have to take care of the last-minute details, like finding Tabs a new set of Louis Vuitton luggage, booking him an appointment for a deep conditioning fur treatment, and making sure the overseas team has the house on Lake Como prepped and ready for Tabs’ arrival after Fashion Week in Milan.

Yup, life’s tough when you’re an international plus-size kitty supermodel…

But seriously, Tabs has been keeping busy lately, and here are the most recent pics from his kitty modeling portfolio. 🙂

[Continue reading…]

Tabs the Cat, international style icon

During his apprenticeship with Tim Gunn, Tabs learned some very valuable lessons about the cat-eat-cat world of feline high fashion, one of them being to always stay ahead of the trends. Fall behind for even a minute, and the gossip/celeb/style mags and blogs will skewer you.

Luckily, Tabs has a solid team of talented stylists surrounding him — professionals who keep him fabulous from head to tail — but sometimes, like now during NYFW, those professionals are too busy for Tabs, and I get tasked to help.

Which brings us to this: hats. This fall Tabs needs clever, stylish headgear to keep his ears warm and his bad fur days covered while remaining fashion-forward all the way.

I did some research this weekend, but I could use a second opinion. Can you help?

Which of these hats would look best on Tabs? Keep in mind that while he values form over function, he likes practical accessories, too.

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model). 🙂

1. William Bowler Hat

$20, available now online at the melpdesigns Etsy shop.

2. Froggy Hat

$12, available now online at the mseebaldt Etsy shop.

3. Robin Hood Hat

$26, available now online at the ToScarboroughFair Etsy shop.

[Continue reading…]

I haven’t seen Tabs at all today because he’s been at the spa getting his claws did, his fur done, and I think he might also be getting a deep-tissue full-body kitty massage, all in preparation for the hustle and bustle of NY Fashion Week.

The past couple of weeks have been a non-stop whirlwind. Not only has Tabs been busy prepping for Fashion Week, but he’s also had a full suite of fall kitty modeling jobs. This week he worked on ad campaigns for Burberry, MAC, Lancôme, Burt’s Bees and Dolce & Gabbana.

Here are the latest pics from his portfolio. Which one’s your fave? 🙂

[Continue reading…]

Dear Diary,

Stress alert! Where the hell is Tim Gunn? I’ve had my assistant call him like five times over the past hour, and he’s totally MIA. I’m starting to think he’s screening my calls.

But why? He knows he’s my mentor. Even after Project Runway propelled him to stardom, we always kept in touch. We even had a spirited discussion about pocket squares just the other day.

I don’t know what’s going on, but I hope he calls soon. I need him by my side in NY next month when I accept that Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Pet Modeling Community Commission (IPMCC). They’re honoring me for my groundbreaking work in plus size kitty modeling.

Cats are saying that I made curves cool again. Whatev. I’m just glad the kitty fashion world is finally recognizing that big is beautiful.

I hope Tim can be there, since he was instrumental in getting my career off the ground.

Not much going on here tonight other than prepping for Fashion Week. I’ve got NY next month, then the European shows shortly after.

I’ve been trying to get my mind and body ready for the long days with lots of P90X (I already feel a difference in my haunches) and extra private lessons with Zen Master Morris. Gotta stay on top of my game because the cats in this industry will tear you apart if you slack off for one second!

And, truth be told, I’m thinking about returning to the mixed martial arts ring. I know I promised my fans that I was done cage fighting, but I miss the thrill, ya know? My therapist says it has something to do with my formative years. Something about having to fend for myself on the streets of Mill Valley, but I don’t know. Sometimes I think I just like to tear sh*t up.

I’ve been busier than usual lately, but I still got some “me” time in last night. I finally bought those Jimmy Choo Uggs I saw in Paris last week. Huzzah!

My assistant kept trying to talk me out of them (“Dude, those are so beyond fug!”), but what does she know? The chestnut looks fab under my tum. Plus, you know how I am about fringe.
[Continue reading…]

My goodness, Tabs sure had a busy week of kitty modeling, but he turned in some top-notch performances for Urban Decay, Make Up For Ever, NARS, Smashbox and Sula Beauty.

Sometimes I complain about how much work is involved in being his professional and personal assistant/human, but I have to admit — the cat’s got game.

Hope you had a nice weekend. Tabs and I will see you again soon. 🙂

[Continue reading…]

Remember how I was saying that Tabs likes my zinnias? Well, I wasn’t kiddin’. All I wanted to do this afternoon was read my book on the deck, but a certain someone wasn’t having it. Every time I took my eyes off him, he’d take another bite!

He likes the catnip, cilantro and the echinacea plant, too, but he LOVES the zinnias. It’s like he’s incapable of resisting it.

An uninvited guest…

When I stepped out of the house today, I spotted our Russian neighbor traipsing around one of our potted catnip plants.

Tabs was like, “WTF!?”

He grows that catnip for medicinal use…

[Continue reading…]

So what’s Tabs been up to while I’ve been gettin’ my conference on? He’s been holding down the fort back at MBB headquarters with the help of a temp (aka a petsitter).

He still insists on twice daily meetings, though, and thanks to technology, it’s totally possible.

We use Skype set up as a pet cam. I’ve talked about it a couple times before. It works like this: I have Skype installed and running on my computer at home using one account, and set it to automatically answer video calls that I make from a second account using a laptop. That’s it, and now that Skype has an iPhone app, we can even teleconference literally from the road (it works over Wi-Fi or 3G).

I was at the pool today when he called with an “emergency.” He needed to go to yoga, and the car service was running late. It fell to me to “make it work.”

But seriously, technology has revolutionized the assistant-cat relationship. Using a combination of Log Me In, Skype, iTunes, iPhones and computers, we’re able to continue working with each other remotely.

Cat/Blogger Road Warrior Tech Tools

Log Me In: It lets me access and control my computer at home. I use it to change channels in iTunes for Tabs because he can only listen to techno for so long (he also fancies country music).

Skype: I have it set to automatically answer video calls placed from a second account (because Tabs is a diva and won’t answer the calls himself). Now that there’s also an iPhone app that works over Wi-Fi or 3G, Tabs can reach me anywhere there’s a cell phone signal.

iTunes: Tabs listens to free iTunes radio stations pretty much all day long while I’m away, but I remote access the computer in the evenings to turn off the music while he sleeps.
[Continue reading…]