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

When In New York

If for some reason you haven't been paying attention to a word I've been blabbing the past few days, I am living it up in the Big Apple for Fashion Week. As soon as I stepped off the plane from LA, grabbed a cab to Manhattan, and got settled in I crashed hard. But there was no time for jet lag. I woke up on my first day to rain and a message from Taye that read "You want to go to Jill Stuart?"
Must you even ask...

My level of commitment to fashion was definitely tested that day. Not only was it raining, but the humidity was ridiculous. Why did I even bother to take a shower? Oh, I got splashed by a car before I could even cross the street to get to the Lincoln Center. Seriously?! And a bird crapped on me as I walked under a tree. They say it's good luck, but that string of unfortunate events almost had me frazzled.

After all that craziness, Taye and I made it to Jill Stuart. The mood was set. The music was fantastic and there was this excitement in anticipation of the show. When the lights began to dim, a hush came over the crowd and everyone prepared their cameras for the first look. The Spring/Summer collection started with a beautiful black lace dress and continued on with great textures like chiffon and brocade. There were ruffles and sequins with cream and flesh tones. The runway looked romantic.

The next show for us was Russian designer Katya Leonovich. The models had their hair pulled up in tight top knots and wore very minimal makeup, so that the focus would be on the clothes. The collection reminded me of Lord of The Rings or the Dark Crystal. Everything looked fit for an elf or a fairy, but with edge. Leonovich ended the show in a political statement: two models wearing dresses with the hand-painted faces of Obama and Romney on them. Wow! It is an election year.

So in between shows and after shows, I ran into some familiar faces and got snapped by a few cameras for street style. Right outside of the Allure Magazine Lounge at the Empire Hotel, I spotted Afrobella. This was the very first time we'd actually met, and I was so thrilled. Then inside the tents I met Claire of the Fashion Bomb, Ty of Gorgeous in Grey, and Teena of Fashion For Breakfast. Oh my goodness! All of these ladies looked impeccable. We took a few photos to have proof the encounters actually happened.

Just when I thought my day was done, the evening came. My friends and I hit the town. We ended up at this party where the super-talented creative magnet and designer Marcelo Burlon was dj-ing. He is absolutely amazing! I rarely ever get starry eyed, but this dude is so cool that I had to get a pic with him. When you're among greatness, you've got to make the moment last forever.

If this is what my first day was like, you can only imagine what would happen next. To be continued...