Suno in Blue

I've got one more NYFW post for you today…I know I'm late on this (by, oh, just a few weeks!) but this look has some of my favorite things, EVER, in it, and I had to share the story behind these shoes.

It really should come as no surprise I'm decked out in head-to-toe blue, but when I was getting dressed, it wasn't a conscious color choice, although I probably subconsciously selected the pieces when I purchased them because of their hue—and, as my mom would say (about my color addiction and many, many other things) "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." And, in case you're really wondering, I showed up to the office in all blue today, maybe a subconscious choice after editing these photos last night!

I wore this look on Saturday during NYFW for a morning presentation and early afternoon show (where it rained in between, and somehow I managed to get in a cab BEFORE the downpour), followed by a meeting with some of the Zappos team and the rewardStyle rooftop soirée at the Empire Hotel. I'd acquired both the shoes and dress earlier in the summer but hadn't worn either yet, thanks to my generally lazy attitude towards dressing this summer that included lots of sneakers and t-shirts. Suno has become one of my favorite designers to watch each season, so when I spotted this dress from their Resort 2014 collection on sale at Les Nouvelles and there was just one left in my size, it was fate. I'm already wishing it were next spring so I can wear this look on repeat!

Now, for a story about the shoes. These are from the Mary Katrantzou x Gianvito Rossi that was carried in a few select stores and online worldwide, and let's just say that full price they would have been double my rent. I first spotted them way earlier this spring and it was lust true love at first sight. If you were to take my personality and style and somehow turn it into a shoe, these babies would be it. I knew I needed to have them, but I had no idea how I'd make it happen since I've been trying out this whole living on a budget thing (with varying degrees of success). I checked in on them about once a week anyways, and earlier in the summer saw the price drop about 30%! Still too expensive. So I waited. And waited. 

Then, they dropped again, to about 50% off! Still pretty pricey, plenty of sizes left, so I decided to wait more, and by this point had logged them in Hukkster (RIP!) to track when they dropped in price again. One day in August, I was at one of our stores for work and saw an email on my phone noting another drop in price to something somewhat justifiable—success!! I immediately logged in to purchase as soon as I got back to work...but my size was sold out. To make the rest of the story a bit shorter, I emailed and called various stores here and abroad, including MK headquarters in London, where someone tipped me off to the shoes running a bit small, so I ordered a full size up, figuring I'd stick some foot pads in if need be. I shouldn't have worried, because they fit perfectly. And now we're going to live happily ever after.

Suno Dress (lots of Fall '14 here) || Mary Katrantzou x Gianvito Rossi Heels || Illesteva Sunglasses

Michael Kors Watch via Zappos || Sequin Jewelry Bangle

Photos: Emily Tozer

And, because what's a good outfit post from me during NYFW without an outtake…I give you the below. This is what happens when you're physically and mentally exhausted (I still hadn't had time to unpack my suitcase from my trip a week before), your feet are starting to hurt and you've visited a few too many open bars before you shoot photos. I think Emily had asked me to walk back and forth and I'm extra terrible at making a walking photo look good, so I started goofing off instead. Think I'm going to make this my new dance move ;)

Link Love

Kicking posts this week off in reverse—but it's good to shake things up every now and again, no? This weekend was both perfect and not long enough...I never seem to accomplish half the things I say I'm going to do each weekend (this weekend's list included finally hanging up some of my gallery wall…after three years, and no it did not happen). When the weather is as beautiful as it's been I try to spend as much time outside as possible before I adopt "hermit status" in the winter, so much of Saturday was spent on a rooftop in Brooklyn, watching the sun set and bidding a good friend who's on her way to London today au revoir (for now). Those city views, man. Sunday became an opportunity to clean up around my apartment, swap my clothes out for fall and make a (small) dent in the stacks of magazines that's always piling up.

It's been a while since I've done one of these so I have some good ones below—Happy Tuesday!

How to properly store your summer clothes (absolutely necessary—don't neglect them as you make the swap!).

I desperately want these floral slip-ons for fall!

Mackenzie wrote a beautiful post on getting out of a funk recently, I could absolutely relate.

As I try to regain my hold on the French language and make an effort to travel and immerse myself in other cultures more frequently, I really enjoyed this read on "Acting French".

How to fake a good night's sleep (basically, my morning bible).

These Zimmerman booties are pretty similar to my favorite Loeffler Randall ones (last seen here).

Truths about the fast fashion industry.

The best hotel bars in NYC…and there are some GREAT ones on there!

Found—the perfect sleek (and affordable) loafer for fall.

How amazing are these Hudson Woods homes?? Sign me up for one, stat, please.

It's true, so why not advertise it? Although if it were more accurate, there'd be an "almost" in the middle.

Summer might be over, but I'm still making an effort to pick up some of the books on this reading list.

10 Foods that make your skin glow.

Have you heard of Rails? They're my new favorite for plaid shirts this fall.

*image via

Easy Denim

No matter how much I protest, it seems fall weather is pretty determined to swoop in on us. As I write this, I'm wearing a sweater (!) layered over a silk blouse with jeans, and this morning I even had on a jacket. Ugh. Let's take it easy, weather (pretty please).

I've become pretty comfortable with the fact I'm a jeans-girl. Sure, I love a great dress, printed pant or even a skirt, but when I'm lazy and, more often than not, running short on time, denim is easy. I have several pairs I can dress up with a nice boot and top as needed, but I'm usually pretty casual both on weekends and in the office. I've been picking out more and more pairs in recent years with distressing—something I avoided as a teenager, since I was pretty good at wearing my jeans til they got holes in them myself and didn't need assistance from a factory. Now that I'm able to invest in a little higher quality and spend most of my days at a desk, I don't mind a few frays and holes.

While boyfriend styles have become my go-to lately (I live in this pair from Gap; also love this wash and these Rag & Bone's), I wanted to get a patch-inspired pair after reading this interview with Eva Chen. I love the silhouette of these Greywire's (a high-quality and affordable denim line in collaboration with Elie Tahari!) and they're the perfect intro to the patchwork trend without looking too retro.

Zara Blouse || Greywire Patchwork Jeans || Sole Society Carla Satchel || Illesteva Sunglasses

Loeffler Randall Espadrilles || Michael Kors Watch

Photos: Ashley Manfred

White After Labor Day

September, man…

Halfway through, and yet it feels like we just got going. What started as an unintentional hiatus here turned intentional after a few days. It was a hard decision to make, consciously letting go of the content I'd been trying to build up and ignore the numbers in favor of focusing on my personal and professional lives outside this space, but it was necessary.

Now that I'm ready to dive back in, I'm also working on creating some new content outside of "hey, here's what I was wearing when I did ________ over the weekend"...as much as I love a pretty outfit picture, I know that I love coming to blogs to discover new and exciting things and I hope to be able to bring more of that to this space! Stay tuned. In the mean time, here's a "hey, here's what I wore to NYFW and my Zappos Recharge event weekend before last" post ;) 

While I've been stepping back from NYFW in recent seasons now that I don't attend quite as much for work, it's still impossible to avoid completely...but this season I think I found the perfect mix of meet-ups, events, shows and downtime (note to self: next time, don't get back from a trip 36 hours before it all starts and it'll go even smoother!). Breaking chronological order here, this look is from Sunday, when I spent the day catching up with a girlfriend over brunch at a new-to-us spot in the West Village, swinging by a presentation downtown and heading up to Lincoln Center to host a style session at the Zappos Recharge booth. If you dropped by to say hello, thank you!! It was a ton of fun, the Zappos team is a blast to hang out with (and I was majorly coveting all the pieces they had on set, natch).

I've already broken the no-white-after-Labor-Day rule multiple times, but I've never been very good at following rules in the first place. On my last night at home, my mom and I were clearing out an old closet (saying goodbye to all my school formal dresses...a little sorry I don't have pics from that for a good laugh, but there is a great one at the bottom of this post!) and we came across a few silk skirt-suits of hers from the 80's. She said she'd never wear them again and they luckily fit me (a little tightly), so I stuffed my suitcase to fit them in! This skirt is from one set, with the jacket, it's a little Victorian/older Chanel looking and I opted to dress it down thanks to the hot temps and my supreme laziness (sorry, mom!). 

And, just for fun…if you've ever wondered what fashion bloggers are like when they're taking pictures of themselves, on, the street, so we can post pictures of ourselves on the Internet…well, I can't answer for everyone else, but I can tell you I get pretty ridiculous. If I haven't seen the person taking my pictures in a while, I use it as an opportunity to play catch-up. Which means about 65% of the photos end up with me looking ridiculous. I'd guess another 15% of the time I'm doing things like the below, which is what happens when I'm tired and…gesturing? Walking like an Egyptian? Auditioning for Wheel of Fortune (Vanna White retired, right)? At this point, even I don't know.

J. Crew Linen T-shirt || Vintage Silk Skirt (similar) || Steve Madden Backpack via Zappos

Converse All-Stars || Michael Kors Watch || Three Jane NY Map Necklace || Illesteva Sunglasses

P.S.—if you want to see more outfit outtakes, let me know in the comments!

Photos by Emily Tozer

Fall Plaid + NYFW Details

You guys, it's September. If you're in denial about the unofficial end of summer, don't worry, I'm right there with you. Acknowledging it means the true end of summer is fast approaching (just over two weeks away!) and I know how winter likes to rush in and ruin everything. In the meantime, though, us NY'ers are using NYFW as one big distraction, and the weather has been hot and humid to match.

Usually, I start prepping and planning for September fashion week about two months in advance (this is the sixth NYFW season I've participated in!), cleaning up some of my press documents and getting on the radar of a few fashion PR agencies, getting an idea of what I'll want to wear and whether said item is already in my closet. This year has been a tad different after spending so much time away recently for my sister's wedding and a few things on the job-related front, but what I really love most about NYFW in September are the events and chance to catch up with so many friends who travel in to town. 

In between some other shows and events this weekend, I'm really excited to announce I'll be hosting a styling session with Zappos at their Zappos Recharge station, directly across from Lincoln Center, on Sunday from 2:30-3p! If you're in the city (even if you're not attending shows that day) please come by and say hi! If you are attending shows and need a break this weekend, Zappos Recharge is the place to be…they'll have fresh Blueprint juices, charging stations for all your electronics (especially important if your phone is anything like mine!), beauty and braid bars to touch up your look, a dress-up closet, runway and photo booth, from 10a-7p on Saturday and 2-7p on Sunday.

You also may spot me in this Joie skirt sometime this weekend…Zappos carries over a dozen designers that show during fashion week, and since plaid is a huge trend for fall I jumped at the chance to add a fun plaid mini to my closet. It took me a few tries to make sure I didn't look too school-girl in the rest of my look (especially since I really insist on wearing sneakers as much as possible) but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for styling it now.

Joie Skirt c/o Zappos || Zoe Karssen T-Shirt || Converse sneakers in Optical White c/o Zappos

Bite Beauty Lipstick in Violet || Sequin and Baublebar Bracelets