NYFW Day 5/6

Lunch break with Blake Scott, Taye Hansberry, Ash Tianah, Jae Joseph and Jovan Ali

It's been a couple of weeks since I said farewell to the Big Apple, but the memories are still alive in my heart. The energy of that city is so intoxicating and you're hooked on it everytime you're there. My last days at Fashion Week were the icing on the cake. Alice & Olivia, Maki Oh, and a party for Marcelo Burlon at Opening Ceremony. Oh my! Let's relive all that deliciousness together.

Good morning, Monday! Taye and I had no time to spare as we woke up a bit late. Typical. After days of wearing heels and dressing to the nines, we decided to have an off-day and be a bit relaxed. So shorts and an Eric Clapton T for me as we headed to Lincoln Center for the Mathieu Mirano presentation. He'd designed costumes for Lady Gaga, so his collection wouldn't disappoint. A simple color palette of white, red, and gold with a hint of black in sophisticated shapes and fabrics. For some reason I was expecting latex and plastic, but it was great. After that we needed a pick me up, so we stopped by the HSN Lounge at the Empire Hotel. The new darlings of fall for HSN were on display including OH by Joy Gryson, Iris Apfel accessories, and the new shoe line by June Ambrose. Taye and I also got our makeup touched up with Trish McEvoy cosmetics.

After a bite to eat and a quick change, we headed to one of my favorite events of Fashion Week, the Alice & Olivia presentation. The clothes were fantastic and the little accents were just perfect. I was drooling over this jeweled clutch and the sparkly evening shoes while I sipped cocktails and chit-chatted with fashionie folks. But time was not on my side and I had to rush out to the Maki Oh presentation down the street. The event sponsored by Free Your Mane was simple yet beautiful. Designer Amaka Osakwe kept true to her Nigerian roots with fabrics and patterns reflective of Lagos flavor. Loved it! Ok, now for the really good stuff. My friend Steph and I hightailed it over to the County of Milan x Opening Ceremony party. If you don't already know, I'm absolutely crazy about designer Marcelo Burlon and everything he creates. His new collection is so freaking awesome... of course. Obviously the party was off the hook. My Instagram video will prove that for you.

The next day would be my last in New York. In true Mercedes Benz fashion, we unsuccessfully attempted to make it in to the Carolina Herrerra show. But we got the best seats anyway, and watched from the comforts of the Samsung Lounge as we sipped on lattes. My trip wasn't complete until I ran into Andrew Bevan, Teen Vogue's style features director. I kept seeing him dashing off to shows and sitting front row when I couldn't get in. Sigh. Andrew and the whole team at Teen Vogue looked so fresh the entire week as they hopped around from event to event. And New York was just their first stop for the Spring/Summer 2014 season. Oh the life of a jet-setting fashion insider must be gorgeously exhausting, and I envy it.

New York, once again you captured my heart on this trip. Your grace, your grit, your style. There are no other cities quite like you. Thanks for another wonderful Fashion Week... until next time.

xoxo

When In New York - Part II

Fantastic. Awesome. Exhausting. Those are the words I've been using to describe my adventures in the city that never sleeps. Like seriously, this was the one time that I really needed to clone myself in order to make it to all the fashion shows, presentations, and festivities. Somehow, even without a doppelganger, I was able to do it. Without further adieu...let's get this party started, right?!

The first chapter of this story begins on Monday. My crew and I had a challenge before us: one show and two presentations in just a matter of hours. And none of them were anywhere near each other. I put on a simple tank and blazer, Future Heretics snake-print skinnies, Shoe Dazzle heels, bright orange lips, and I hit the pavement running. At the Lincoln Center, I met up with my partner in crime Taye to catch the Farah Angsana show. The energy at the tents was oddly quiet and a little tense, but all that died down when the first model hit the runway. Farah Angsana's collection featured jeweled collars, sequins, lace, and paisley in a vibrant take on evening wear. The finale dress with its jewels and brightly-colored feathers looked like something you'd wear at Carnival, but it worked.

Next up was the Lublu Spring/Summer '13 collection by Kira Plastinina. We walked into this posh suite at the Four Seasons full of champagne, great music, beautiful people and gorgeous clothes. The room was buzzing as we all gushed over Kira's new stuff. There were lots of geometric-almost-tribal prints, flirty silhouettes, and fun accessories. She's continued her use of blues and orange in the Fall/Winter '12 collection into Spring as well. The party reunited me with my favorite Russian Vogue social butterfly Laura Djaga. So many adorable ladies and gents and such a wonderful atmosphere... loved it!

Without a moment to spare, Taye and I high-tailed it over to the Alice + Olivia presentation. With gift bags in hand and our foreheads glistening with perspiration, I'm sure we looked a little crazy amongst the crowd of fashionables. This didn't seem to matter to us as we consumed cocktails and over-indulged in cake pops and the Alice + Olivia Magnum Ice Cream Bars. I ate like two of them. Such a glutton. Oh, I can't forget the clothes! The collection was like a retro ball of sunshine with clouds and disco balls. Groovy!

After that one day, everything else was a blur. We ate like kings, and partied like queens at super trendy spots like Beauty & Essex, Ward III, and a cute bar named Isola with an even cuter bartender named Bobby. We also had the priviledge of popping bottles with Claire of The Fashion Bomb. On a non-fashion related note, we went to a taping of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and Issa Rae of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl as the special guest.

Whew. Can't believe I packed all that cool stuff into a week. Even though you sucked every drop of energy out of me, you were well worth it New York. Until next time.

xoxo