Paint the Town Red

View from the Jimmy at the James Hotel

Dress- Alexa Chung for Madewell (similar here), boots- Stuart Weitzman, clutch- Stuart Weitzman, jacket- Members Only (similar here), belt- vintage

Your most fabulous counterpart comes into the city seeking that electric feeling that only the side streets of Spring and Mercer can provide... so that led to a little bit of shopping (hello Louis), wandering (in fabulous suede footwear naturally), and sipping on carrot juice cocktails (Sanctuary T and the Jimmy). Inspired by my latest run-in with Alexa Chung I remembered I had this 20s inspired red dress that she had in her Madewell collection a few years ago. Tis the season for knee high boots and the leather jacket and spiked clutch toughen it up. The weather is that perfect "I need a cool jacket, but I can avoid pulling out my coat for a few more weeks" feeling. It's a clear reminder of why I love east coast falls so much, and what helps me embrace the months when my nose is as red as this dress.

Egg Shop feeling black and white

 Jacket- Zara, T-Shirt- Marc by Marc Jacobs, skirt- Uniqlo, shoes- Stuart Weitzman

If you didn't already know, I have a deep obsession with eggs. So when Egg Shop opened a few weeks ago I had to eat there the first weekend. We're talking all eggs for all hours of the day. Well to begin with service, at the time they were definitely still working out the kinks. The space is small so trying to get a table is hard, but even harder when they're not keeping track of who is waiting for a table and how many people are going to be at the table. Then there's the ordering (delayed), bringing out the food (delayed), and bringing my coffee right when I got my eggs (delayed). The rest of the group got Bloodys which I tried and would suggest you get as well. I settled on the Spandex. Yes, partly cause who doesn't want to order something that sounds like Richard Simmons would, but also the egg bowl has miso in it (which I'm low-key obsessed with); poached egg, miso quinoa, farm greens, avocado, and pickled carrot to be exact. The awesome menu and perfect meal in a bowl made up for the rocky service. Assuming things have gotten better now, and still dying to try the Fish Out of Water and Egg Salad Sandwich.

As the seasons transition it's like my wardrobe will be mostly all black. I prefer how clean and professional it looks. However, these funky shoes and a matching black and white kimono jacket keep the outfit from looking less like I'm in mourning and give it a little soul for a Sunday brunch.

NYFW

Where in the world have I been? What have I been doing? In all earnest, trying to figure out the direction this is going to go in. In NY there's more lifestyle bloggers than I can count, and most of them have their lives dedicated to their work. I moved to the city that never sleeps, and when I think about it I probably never sleep either. I literally have not stopped moving in the past two months. Part of that does include getting the opportunities to attend events that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten to attend particularly those relating to NYFW.

Mr. Siriano himself

It all kicked off with Christian Siriano's fragrance launch party, Christian himself is so high energy and did a great job working the crowd despite the lack of any proper A/C in the space. Nevertheless, being close enough to touch Alexa Chung's Gucci booties was enough to keep me happy despite the heat (hello fashion icon).

DVF hole

Refinery29 hosted a Country Club event with a real mini golf course that had different holes designed by different designers. Diane von Furstenberg's was definitely a favorite using some of her most famous textile designs to wrap around her hole.

Over the weekend, I stopped by the Storefront at the RePoP Room for their "brunch." In the fashion world that means juices and of course plenty of champagne (ok there were some bites thanks to Chef Jordan Andino). Vincetta and Ilana Kohn were showing their comfortable designs, while Marrin Costello hosted a trunk show of delicate and beautiful jewelry. All of which I wanted.

Finally, to cap off the season I was invited with my other fellow NY blogger behind The Kitchen Closet to see Christina Yi's Bone Collector collection. Chain links, mesh, and gauzy fabrics perfectly draped the models, and I fell in love with this scoop back white dress. Also all the models had the most amazing twisted knot hair that I definitely want to try to recreate for a night out.

Today is really and truly the beginning of fall, and as you can see from my outfit at the Storefront I was desperately hoping it would be cold enough to pull that off. Sadly I was wrong, but I'm excited to do the lace pullover with another button down soon.

Upper body layering in Lower East

 Pink camisole- mom's, lace- Free People, skirt- uniqlo, wedges- mom's

The most random wall in Lower East and somehow the perfect contrast to the romantic look of my outfit for the day. Pretending I'm Carrie Bradshaw (when am I not?), and trying to layer my tops with contrasting materials, a little silk and a little lace. Simple touches to make a difference without adding bulk in this hot weather.

City lights

Blouse- Hillary Rush vintage, jeans- Seven for All Mankind, boots- Sam Edelman, sweater- Gap Boys (similar here), muffler- Burberry, fingerless gloves- Marc Jacobs special items, leather jacket- Members Only (similar here)

Horrible lighting and totally impromptu on our way walking to a MJ event in Soho, but my favorite kinda grunge outfit so appropriate for a day look in New York. I'm into the layering: blouse, crew neck sweater, leather jacket, parka. In fact I'm convinced if you can't layer you're not a true east coaster. Did this LA girl just refer to herself as an east coaster?

Sleek contrast

Suit- JCrew, booties- Massimo Dutti

An all black outfit against a snow rooftop is the perfect contrast. There's also something so romantic about a snow covered backdrop so a dark wine stained lip is necessary. Plus, I'm a sucker for a good pant suit-- they exude a sense of confidence (remember when women couldn't wear pants and were fighting to break the glass ceiling in the 70's).

Special thanks to the photog for letting me use her roof and climbing up there in the freezing cold to get these epic shots.

Sweater Change

 Sweater- H&M, skirt- H&M, tights- Missoni for Target, booties- Dolce Vita, necklace- Bauble Bar

Refinery29 helped host a party for the reopening of the Armani Exchange store in Soho, and so after a long day of work it was time for play. The larger space is much more inviting and the layout fantastic. However, as far as the new collection goes there were very few pieces I would pick up. Plus, the store had way too many basics on very clear display and was hiding the good stuff. Store aesthetic no-no.

The lighting in there and the way any image was going to turn out was bad enough to give the most confident woman in the world severe insecurities, but I'm just going with it. The sweater is a super cheap find that I bought accidentally last week at H&M. Accidentally meaning I intended to make a stop at Dean and Deluca and somehow along the way decided that I needed to buy a new article of clothing, with not much room for a hole in my pocket I settled on this chunky piece to get my shopping fix. It fits quite nicely with my two favorite pieces: the pleated pleather skirt and studded booties. Who would have guessed that they have gotten more time in the spotlight than the majority of my closet?

Kill for fashion

T-shirt- See by Chloe, cardigan- Burberry, jacket- American Apparel, skirt- Club Monaco, boots- Ralph Lauren, earrings- Bauble Bar, scarf- Gap

The art of layering is one that I feel that I've mastered pretty well. The art of a getting a photo without getting your photographer run over, might need to work on that one. Trying out the fancy skirt and T-shirt trend, which I highly recommend for the fall season cause it allows you to layer well without over-bulking. I topped my T-shirt with a wool cardigan, bolero, and coat.

To be honest over the past week I've been drained. Exhausted yes, but even worse uninspired. This is just about the worst thing that can happen to someone who is an artist and has a creative spirit. A couple hours on Spring and Mercer was enough to get that Avis spunk back into my system as I soaked up the street style like a sponge.

Not so black and white but more of a gray zone

Normally I have to annoy whoever is with me to take fashion shots, but today it was the lovely strangers from Norway, Korea, Japan, and Australia who played photographers. Couldn't really tell them what to do and yet all the shots turned out well in their own way. Nothing was good or bad just a blend of work (more of a gray) that ended up making for a cool collection to post.

Most of the outfit you've seen before except the shirt. Oversized shirts are everything (this one just a black cuffed Barney's Co-Op one) they can be belted at the hips and folded over, belted at the waist, vested, or open button down coverup. It's about never wearing the same outfit twice by wearing it in a different way.