Shop the Night Away

On a warm and breezy Thursday, two girls took to the Meatpacking District for an evening of indulgence – think shopping, champagne, and spa treatments. It was the Shop the Night Away event hosted by DailyCandy and OO.com, featuring exclusive discounts in several Meatpacking stores, including favorites like Diane von Furstenberg, Scoop, Trina Turk, All Saints, Rebecca Taylor, and Theory. My friend and I were like women on a mission, marching into each store with gusto! While no wallets were harmed in the goings-on of this shopping event, a delightfully girly time was had! We browsed the stores, sipped some bubbly, and appreciated beautiful pieces of fashion. A few highlights from our shopping crawl:

- Sampling amazing fragrances at NYC Bond – I highly recommend the spicy Chinatown and the light and airy Union Square fragrances
- Falling in love with the summer dresses at DVF (think bright orange, cool mint, and Santorini blue)
- Trying on floral denims at Paige (Unfortunately, I don’t think I can carry off this current fashion trend!)
- Fawning over the intricate beaded dresses at All Saints (the detailed ethnic designs reminded me a lot of the creations of Indian fashion designers)
- Drooling over a pair of leopard-print flats at Rebecca Taylor

Some snapshots from the evening below...

The evening capped off with a flourish at the Gansevoort Hotel. At the rooftop bar with a view of the sun setting over the Hudson, shoppers were treated to a spread of delicious desserts and drinks. If that wasn’t enough, Exhale Spa offered mini-manicures and massages. Talk about pampering! We also had the opportunity to chat with the editor of DailyCandy and the director of Exhale Spa, the hosts of the event.
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Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

On a hot Sunday afternoon, I found myself walking past a bright, ferocious Tibetan face mask, running my fingers over a dusty old gramophone, admiring antique silver jewelry, and staring at faded pictures taken from the 1800s. No, this wasn’t some surreal dream. I was hanging out at the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market. Regarded as one of the best street markets in Manhattan, I was curious to check it out for myself.  I was surprised to see that the flea market was not very big. The offerings, however, were quite diverse. There was a dizzying array of vintage shoes, clothes, and jewelry as well as old collectibles, memorabilia, original art, and antique items. Interestingly, there were even items that one could rent as props! 

The saying “one man’s junk, another man’s treasure” rang true here. As with any flea market, one has to have the patience to sift through the overflowing items on display to find that one piece of bargain to take home. I found myself lingering at a stall containing a treasure trove of exotic Tibetan art, figures, and ornaments. Although I eventually went home empty-handed, walking through the flea market made for an interesting afternoon. 

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Rihanna Up Close

Thanks to free tickets that I was lucky enough to get, I had the chance to see Rihanna perform live at a benefit concert this past Monday. Talk about a great way to start off the week! 

First about the benefit: Have you heard of the Robin Hood Foundation? It’s an organization aimed at fighting poverty in New York City. According to the Executive Director of Robin Hood, “New York is arguably the richest city in the world, and yet we still have over 1.8 million New Yorkers living in poverty.” That’s a hard-hitting fact when you stop to think about it. With a distinguished board of directors (with big names like actress Gwyneth Paltrow and TV anchor Brian Williams), Robin Hood raises over $100 million every year to fund programs that battle issues related to poverty. The gala on Monday was help to raise money for Robin Hood’s initiatives. 

The evening capped off with a performance by Rihanna. On a stage designed to resemble ancient Egypt, RiRi made her grand entrance in a Cleopatra-style outfit with a gold headband, a gold bustier and mini-skirt, sky-high boots, and some fierce make-up. Singing famous hits like Umbrella, Disturbia, S&M, and of course the currently popular We Fell in Love, she rocked the show! Sure, there was a fair amount of lip-synching going on, but I guess you can’t blame her. With all the dancing she was doing on stage, she probably would have sounded awful and out-of-breath with her real singing. But because of the intimate setting, I was able to see her up close, literally 5 feet away from the stage. Exuding confidence and sex appeal, the guys at the show were literally clamoring for her. I’m still laughing at the random dude next to me who kept screaming, “Rihaaana! Rihaaana!” and then singing off-key to Only Girl in the World. Overall, RiRi did good and it was a great night. And I have the fuzzy pictures to prove it…

On-screen close up

An "artistic" shot of the show's finale

Can't Rain on My Parade!

With a forecast of rain for the weekend and the following week, I know what I'll be doing this weekend - staying dry indoors! This will be my weekend of watching movies ad nauseum, ordering in food, and having mimosas in my PJs. It's not that I don't like the rain. It's great...as long as it lasts for a few minutes. It's just that getting wet in the rain can be such a bother, and it really doesn't do anything for my hair (hello, humidity and frizz!). Now if only I could look as effortlessly good as Kate Middleton in the rain....

But alas, K.Mid I am not. And so, if I do have to step out in the rain to replenish my supply of OJ for my mimosas, I have some ideas on what I could wear to look somewhat put together!

I would arm myself with a seriously cute umbrella. With my obsession of all things polka dot and color-block, this might just do the trick!

Audrey Polka Dot Umbrella

I'd wear a bright trench coat to make me feel better about the dark, stormy clouds overhead...

Michael Kors Belted Classic Trench Coat

How can we forget the wet weather staple, the ever reliable rainboots? This pair might work well with the pink trench coat :)

Target-Zebra Shorty Rain Boots

And lastly, I LOVE this quirky waterproof bag! What, the rain is coming, you say? Here, put this bag over your head!

Rain Times Newspaper Bag

 Have a great weekend, my friends...and stay dry!

My Shopping Fix

With spring finally here, I’m so excited to shed off the bulky coats and jackets from the winter. Which means it is now time to fish into the depths of my closet for clothes better suited for the warmer temperatures coming our way. It’s also a grrrreat excuse for some spring shopping (do some spring cleaning to get rid of the old, make way for the new!).

      As someone who has had a mixed experience with online shopping, I’m generally a little wary of the whole process. But not too long ago, I learned about this unique online retailer called Stitch Fix. It took me a while to actually try it out from the time I first discovered it but now, I’m hooked. Stitch Fix is a service that offers customers their “fix” of 5 items of apparel and/or accessories in their mailbox upon request. It works like this:

1.  You start off by taking a detailed personal style survey on the Stitch Fix website. 
2. Soon after, a package is sent to you with 5 goodies based on your aforementioned size and style preferences. 
3. You try the items out in the privacy of your home and keep what you like, return what you don’t.

What’s fun about this service is the element of surprise associated with it. I get quite excited when I receive my Stitch Fix box because I don’t quite know what I’ll find in there! But I do know that I will find on-trend apparel and accessories customized to me and within my specified budget. In my experience, their selections have generally been pretty spot-on. Sometimes I’ll receive an item which forces me to give it a second look even though I wouldn’t normally consider wearing it. I also love the tags that are provided with ideas on how to pair each article of clothing to achieve different looks. Talk about an affordable online personal stylist!

Getting ready with spring colors - items from a recent Stitch Fix package

Stitch Fix tags that come with the clothes

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Katrina Lake, CEO of Stitch Fix. As co-founder of this startup along with Erin Flynn, Katrina is an admirable example of female entrepreneurs. Over a delicious lunch in SoHo, a small group of Stitch Fix consumers like me met with Katrina and had a lively conservation about the business. Katrina was keen on speaking to consumers and learning about their experience with Stitch Fix and how to improve it. From my end, I enjoyed learning the concept behind Stitch Fix, how it works behind the scenes, and the challenges of expanding a startup. It was also interesting to learn about the wide customer base, from a scientist in NASA to a writer for the TV show 30 Rock! Well, they can now add me, a medical writer, to their list!

If you’re curious to try out Stitch Fix, here’s the link to get you started: http://stitchfix.com/users/signup/?referrer_id=3004821. Happy Spring Shopping!