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New York Fashion Week 2017: Day 4

September 21, 2017

New York Fashion Week street style, NYC rooftop bar

Jumpsuit: Dillards | Top: Similar | Booties: Nordstrom | Purse: Goodnight Macaroon | Lipstick: MAC

By day four in the big apple, I was exhausted to say the least. You will see throughout my final two recaps that my schedule starts to trail off. I’m glad that I kind of planned it that way but it is also attributed to having to miss some things the last couple of days. Britt and I both woke up with sore throats but were determined to push through as much as possible. Pro tip for anyone planning to go to fashion week: bring all the drugs – Advil, cold medicine, cough drops, Emergen-C, etc.

The morning started out with a quick photoshoot in the Tribeca area with Ban Avenue Photography before heading to the Dan Liu show. This was my second year to see Dan Liu and it did not disappoint. All of his collection is bright, feminine, and a little flirty! There are so many shows during fashion week that are fun to go to if you just want to dream and check out of reality, but what I love about Dan Liu’s collection is that it is something I could see myself wearing on many occasions.

I had yet to spend quality time with my girls Kailey and Tayler so when they told me they were headed to Bergdorf Goodman’s for brunch, I totally invited myself along. I ordered the lobster mac ‘n cheese and indulged in girl talk and a break from the fashion week crazies.

After brunch I met Britt back at our hotel as we had to check out of one and into another. We split our time between the Courtyard New York Manhattan/Herald Square and the SpringHill Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Fifth Avenue. These pictures were actually snapped on the rooftop bar (The Monarch) of the Courtyard location. In fact, both of our hotels that we stayed at had amazing rooftop views. I might be a big city girl but theres something about each new NYC rooftop view that makes me fall totally in love with the city all over again.

While both hotels were absolutely amazing, I am bias towards our first hotel stay only because the staff went well out of their way to accommodate us. The bellman walked us down to the subway, showed us how to buy a ticket, and then pointed us in the right direction. This type of scenario happened many times and we were so grateful for their sense of humor and patience with us and the fact that they knew our names each time we returned! If you are needing a place to stay in New York both are great options and right in the meca of everything. The subway stop was literally right outside of the hotel and provided easy access to Grand Central, Central Park, Soho, Rockefeller Center, Empire State building, Chelsea, and so many others.

We were supposed to go to the Leanne Marshall show but sadly both Britt and I admitted defeat. Once we were checked into our new hotel we both started to get ready and then looked at each other and said “there’s just no way”. We decided to just “chill” for the little amount of time we had before we needed to be at our next scheduled event. While I am sad we missed the show (it was my favorite last year), I think our bodies thanked us for the much needed break in our schedule.

Next up, we headed to Rockefeller Center to take pictures at the top of the rock. It costs $37 to go up there but the pictures and view were well worth it in my opinion! I’ll be sharing the pictures on the blog very soon 🙂 Back to the hotel we went to get changed for the Free People x Vogue rooftop party. I wore this stunning jumpsuit that felt more like pajamas and received SO many compliments. I highly suggest it for a fall wedding or girls night out so that you an bust a move in it! The actual event was hands down my favorite one of the entire trip. They had Free People coats to try on, on open bar, and hor dourves, not to mention the view at sunset was breath taking! Right after the sun went down, in remembrance of 9/11, two light beams shot up into the sky right where Ground Zero was. All of us stopped in our tracks and fell silent for just a moment. In the midst of a crazy week, it was a much needed reminder to be thankful for the life we have and to not take a single moment for granted.

Bless the Lord there were lots of Shake Shack fans attending the party because we all made the executive decision to have a late night burger in our cocktail attire and it was hands down the best decision of the day. What a sight it must have been for everyone else to watch 10 ladies decked out in their best attire shamelessly chowing down on greasy burgers and all of the fries. Did we care? Not one single bit!

PS: Does this jumpsuit look familiar to you? Well probably because I have the same one in maroon! You can see how I styled it here. Again, these are the absolute perfect outfits to wear to any Fall wedding that you might be attending. I will never wear another dress again if I have the option to wear a jumpsuit! You might ask why? One reason: the dance floor, that’s why.

*I’ve linked mine and Britt’s outfits below*

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NYFW, Outfits

New York Fashion Week 2017: Day 3

September 20, 2017

Continuing on with the daily fashion week recaps… if this isn’t your thing, this post makes us more than half way through! Our third day in the big apple started a little later than the previous two which I was so grateful for. Sleep is hard to come by during fashion week after all!

First up, all of the roomies and I started the morning with a photoshoot by Vicki Bartel who so graciously reached out to me prior to fashion week and wanted to shoot together. I love meeting new creatives and supporting each other in this entrepreneur life! After all, it’s what this is all about! I am obsessed with our girl gang photos which remind me of Sex and the City! After our photoshoot, I met with my RewardStyle rep. This was our first time to meet face to face even though we have emailed and talked on the phone for over a year now. In a way it’s like she is my business coach, providing analytics on how my blog is doing and what you all like to shop most. It’s fascinating stuff and extremely helpful to know what works well and what stuff y’all could care less about!

Next up, I headed to the Banana Republic presentation which was madness to say the least. It was a public event which means that thousands of people showed up to see what the event was all about. Thankfully we finally made it in to see the store, catch a glimpse of Olivia Palerma, take a few pictures and dash out to avoid the insane crowd.

After that, Brittany and I decided to walk over to Rent the Runway. My original dress that I had ordered for this night never came in the mail so I was in search of a cocktail dress. I ended up renting this one for the big night but am still in love with this one that never came in the mail 🙁

I met up with Kelly and Kylee next to see what Chinatown was all about. I pulled a rookie mistake and went in uncomfortable shoes so let’s just say that I did not last long! We also stopped by 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar to check out the view (I highly recommend for Sunday Funday) and then ended up back at the food trucks for a fast meal (see my second day recap for details on this).

After this, things got busy as we geared up for a night full of parties. First up for the night was the Lulu’s Style Studio party. It was my second year attending and it did not disappoint. There were cotton candy cocktails, clothing gifting stations, a dance floor and a great view of the city. Unfortunately we did not get to stay long this year as the Liketoknow.it party was scheduled during the same time.

The Liketoknow.it party was so much fun! Getting to actually meet all of the bloggers that you follow via Instagram is crazy and a little eye opening too in the sense that not everyone is who they appear to be on social media. I was in the same room as many of my absolutely favorite fashion inspirations which is pretty darn cool, not to mention the insane party that RewardStyle puts on. There was a 360 photo booth, open bar and a dance floor that I had to refrain myself from busting a move on.

To end the night a group of us were invited to the Philipp Plein fashion show and what a show it was! When we first arrived there were thousands upon thousands of people trying to get in. One look at the crowd and you would have thought there was no way we were going to make it in. Well just as we were about to leave, someone pointed to a gate that was open and we hopped up to the front of the line- woohoo! We climbed our way up to the nosebleed seats in the NYC Hammerstein Ballroom and ended up sitting next to EJ Johnson (who I learned was Magic Johnson’s son-news to me!). The show was beyond amazing with performances by Dita von Teese, Future, and Nicki Minaj.

We ended the night with dollar slices of pizza in our cocktail attire. Something that none of us are above when we are tired, hangry and just watched a bunch of skinny models walk down the runway 🙂

*I’ve linked everyones outfit details below*

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NYFW, Outfits

New York Fashion Week 2017: Day 2

September 19, 2017

Two piece Dress: Dillard’s | Shoes: Nordstrom | Jacket: Nordstrom | Purse: Charming Charlie

Day two of fashion week started out with an early morning shoot with Ban Avenue Photography at the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a Christmas miracle that Kylee and I were only 30 minutes late after the night we had before. Not sure if advil, water or coffee was getting the MVP title that morning. The pictures from that shoot will be on the blog Monday along with a blog takeover by my girl Kylee so make sure to check it out!

After our shoot, we made our way over to Amika in Brooklyn to get our hair done for the day. The retro style salon had a cool vibe and I decided to go with statement curls and a french braid. I use Amika’s dry shampoo on the reg so I was excited to see how they would style my hair! I might add that we also stopped at Starbucks and grabbed our first PSL (pumpkin spice latte) of the season. Definitely a note worthy occasion!

Next up, we headed back to our hotel, changed into something a little more comfortable to run around the city in. RewardStyle was hosting a come and go party at a rooftop location so we stopped by there to mingle with bloggers, throw back some champagne and take yet another rooftop pic (because the limit does not exist when it comes to NY rooftop pics!).

Our first productive meeting of the day was with Bauble Bar, my hands down favorite place for trendy accessories. I might as well buy stock in the company since I own half of their jewelry collection. It was my second time attending their showroom and it never disappoints! If you are in the industry and heading to New York at some point, I highly suggest stopping by.

Outside of Bauble Bar we found a little slice of heaven, aka food truck heaven. This traveling food truck market is open until September 23rd right outside of Madison Square Park. If you haven’t gotten the gist already, fashion week is chaos and food is not a priority (shocking, I know). So stumbling upon fast and good food was a total blessing. We loaded up on empanadas: mac and cheese empanadas, pulled pork empanadas, curried chicken empanadas, etc.

For the rest of the evening we changed once more into a more cocktail attire and met up with blogger friends at the Roof at South Park. One of my Houston blogger friends, Dawn, put together a happy hour so that all of us could get together and catch up on our fashion weeks so far. So many Houston blogger friends went to fashion week this year so it was so fun getting everyone together plus all of our new friends in a different city. Yash, our Houston photographer and good friend met up with us to take pictures outside of the event which is where the above pictures were taken. After drinks, all of the roomies (Britt, Kelly, Kylee and I) ended the night at Butter, an extremely nice and yummy restaurant. Check out my fabulous roomies below!

I had planned to go to two shows (Katie Gallagher and Cindy Motiero) this day but my schedule just did not allow for it 🙁 I’ve learned for the coming years that I will put more thought into planning out my schedule. While I love going to shows during fashion week, events and parties where I get to meet new people and make lasting memories are where I would prefer to spend my time.

Thank you all for letting me relive my fashion week experience with all of you! Tomorrow on the blog I will be recapping day 3. If you like these sort of posts and would like to see more, you can view all of my NYFW posts here.

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NYFW, Outfits

New York Fashion Week 2017: Day 1

September 18, 2017

Dress: Chicwish | Sneakers: Nordstrom | Purse: Goodnight Macaroon | Earrings: Bauble Bar | Lipstick: MAC “All Fired Up”

Photos by: Ban Avenue

I hope you all aren’t sick of hearing me talk about fashion week yet because I am just getting started! It was my second time to attend this year, and if it was any sort of sign of fashion weeks to come, I would say that they are just going to get better and better each year. It’s crazy being able to visit fashion shows, parties and events of brands that I have come to know in the industry alongside fashion bloggers all over the world. New York Fashion Week truly is a pinch me moment that I don’t think will ever feel “normal”.

As a heads up, there is a lot coming to the blog this week. I will recap each day that I was there as well as answer questions that I have been asked about attending fashion week and working with brands and PR firms. In the meantime, I updated my Everything You Need to Know About NYFW blog post that houses the best information for anyone wanting to attend fashion week next season.

Day one of fashion week started extremely early and with very little sleep, but rest assured it was my favorite day! Kylee, from Whine to Wine, and I caught a 6 am flight out of Houston so that we could hit the ground running (hence the comfy sneakers). After checking into The Courtyard Marriott, we had our first meeting at Bollare’s showroom. Bollare is a PR firm that represents several brands that you will recognize such as Wrangler, Spiritual Gangster, Chinese Laundry, Triangl, and many more. While there we ran into Christine from Hello Fashion blog and I fangirled this year just as hard as I did last year when I met her!

After loading up at Bollare, we headed to our hair appointments with Redken. The location of the appointment was in one of the Dream Hotel penthouses with a terrace overlooking New York. This would be the first of many tipsy rooftop shenanigans throughout our trip! I ended up getting Laced hair extensions and a fishtail braid. Check out this post to see more of the look!

Next up, we headed to a Shopbop (one of my favorite retailers) pop-up event announcing their new site rebrand and fall collection. They had limencello drinks, a huge swing, PUPPIES, and a beanie making station. This was one event that I was extremely excited to get to attend as I shop their site all of the time! If you haven’t heard of Shopbop, I like to say it is very similar to Nordstrom. They carry many designer brands such as Tory Burch, Rebecca Minkoff, Stuart Wietzman, etc) and have a Friends & Family sale twice a year where everything is discounted up to 25% off. Stay tuned because one is happening soon! I will update this page when the sale starts.

The last event of the day was a VIP party with Sam Edelman. I had been working with them for a few months prior to this event so getting to attend their party during fashion week was surreal! By this point, the drinks had been flowing all day and it was at this point Kylee and I realized we had not eaten since 5 am and food was a MUST.

We headed back to our hotel that housed the most amazing rooftop club and danced the night away after drunkingly ordering one of everything off of the bar menu. Cheers to day one!

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Travel

3 Days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

April 3, 2017

My PJs: Plum Pretty Sugar // Britt’s PJs: Plum Pretty Sugar

I believe that most of you know that I vacationed in Puerto Vallarta recently with my good friend Britt from Hello Honey blog. If you have not been to this area of Mexico, I honestly cannot say enough amazing things about it! Our number one concern traveling as 2 girls, was our safety and not once did we ever feel unsafe. Not at the airport, at our hotel, walking around the city or even getting a taxi. Although we didn’t venture out too far from our beautiful hotel, The Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta, we had the most relaxing, and beautiful vacation I think either one of us could have asked for.

Our vacation was a quick 3 night stay as I had little time to take off from work and Britt had 2 important men waiting for her at home. We made the most of our 3 night stay and pushed the limits when it came to sun bathing, relaxing, and over indulging in ALL of the food options at the hotel. With 4 exceptional dining options, a full service spa, 24/7 gym, 2 pools, and a walk-up beach front, we were in our own little paradise!

Day 1

Since we did not arrive until late afternoon, we checked into our room and then immediately headed down to check out the hotel pool situation but more importantly the swim up bar situation (#priorities). After a few drinks we freshened up for dinner and made our way down to the Westin’s fine dining restaurant, Arrecifes Seafood and Steakhouse.

This was by far my favorite meal, or I should say meals, of the trip. We had a series of 6 courses and I devoured every single one of them as I was not told that we would be having 6 courses. I all but licked my plate clean on each of the courses as I was sure it was my last, especially when we came to the 4th course, which was sorbet. Any person in their right mind would think sorbet was dessert right? WRONG. It was a “palette cleanser” to get us ready for the main course and dessert. The inner fat girl in me was not mad about this. Maybe a little disappointed that I had wasted stomach space on the first couple courses but not to fear, I still devoured my delicious filet as well as the goat cheese cheesecake, coconut ice cream and cappuccino.

Day 2

Our first full day of vacation took the term relaxation and maybe even over indulgence to the extreme. I justify it because neither one of us had had a vacation in far too long! We started the morning with room service and since everything on the menu looked absolutely divine (I promise we weren’t even hungover), we pretty much ordered one of everything. Vacation calories don’t count after all. After taking our sweet time enjoying our feast on our balcony that overlooked the beautiful pools and beach front, we got ready for a day of relaxing by the pool. With 2 pools to choose from, we chose the one with the swim up bar (duh). We were very quickly introduced to our new best friend, the Miami Vice cocktail. Happy hour was from 2-3 each day but we pretty much made every hour a happy one if you know what I mean 😉

There were several places to grab lunch around the hotel such as Arrecifces Beach Club or Tlaquepaque pool bar but we decided to make the most of our sun time and order directly from the pool menu since it was quite abundant. Ceviche, tuna tartare and guacamole and chips were our diet for much of the trip when we weren’t on our liquid diet that is. Maybe it was the drinks talking, but we met several people at the pool that we became friends with right off of the bat. In fact, they tried to talk us into canceling our fight home so that we could stay and go to karaoke night with them. I was pretty convinced, Britt needed a little more bribing 🙂

For dinner we ate at the Westin’s La Cascada restaurant where we enjoyed scallops, muscles, roasted duck and creme brulee . I loved this dinner setting a lot because it was still inside the hotel but was open to and overlooked the entire property. We even got to end the night watching a firework show!

Day 3

Our third and final day qualifies as my favorite day. We started the morning off for breakfast at one of the beautiful pergolas (similar to a cabana) on the beach. The menu consisted of the hotel’s Superfood menu packed with nutrients and energy. Normally you would find me with my nose turned up but everything that was served, including the quinoa yogurt parfait was out of this world, as was the view of the ocean.

From there we went to the onsite spa to get a massage and let me just tell you it was the best one that I had EVER had and the facility was one of the nicest too. We sat in the sauna and freshened up in the locker room after our services were done. With fully relaxed minds and bodies, we blew off any sense of trying to be productive and headed right back to the pool for more sun time and Miami Vices.

For our last night’s dinner we finally ventured away from the hotel premises and into Old Town Puerto Vallarta to a place on the beach called La Palapa. I guess you could say we went out with a bang because I think we ordered more drinks (er, shots), than we did food. Which is saying a lot because there was no shortage of food. We started with the coconut shrimp and then I got the tuna tartare (my fav) and Britt had the salmon. We also each ordered a dessert and coffee. There was a 2 person band that sang American song covers and Britt and I danced our last night away overlooking the sunset and beach.

Having stayed at multiple Westin’s in the states, I knew what a quality hotel I would be getting, but the Puerto Vallarta site was by far more like a 5 star resort than anything compared to in the states. With enough amenities and beach front access, you honestly could stay at the resort your entire vacation and be perfectly content which is exactly what most people that we talked to were doing. Since I am such an avid traveler, I do not normally try to ever go back to one place more than once, but I can honestly say that Puerto Vallarta and the Westin are two places that I would LOVE to go back to. That being said, I am currently taking applications for travel buddies 🙂

*Thank you so much to the Westin for sponsoring our stay while we were there. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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