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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Recipe for a Good Weekend

I think we all agree that weekends fly by way too fast. Often times, we get so caught up with doing chores and running errands that before we know it, it's Monday again! It's nice when you can press the pause button and do things you want to do instead of just things you have to do. It was a gorgeous, sunny weekend in NYC, the kind that reminds you of why weekends (and life in general!) is meant for living. My simple (and all too-obvious) recipe for a good weekend:

1. Spending quality time with the ones who matter most. After spending several frustrating hours on assembling an Ikea dresser, the hubby and I took a walk to Bryant Park where we enjoyed a nice drink...and laughed over our wobbly dresser back in the apartment. Cheers to that! :)

2. Soaking up the sun and stopping to "smell the roses" (cliched, I know, but it's the little things in life, right?).

 

 3. Indulging in a little bit of retail therapy...or perhaps just some window-shopping (it's also the frivolous things in life!).  This window display with clean and crisp color-blocking at Lord & Taylor on Fifth Ave caught my eye, but I kept on walking--must...resist...the...urge...to...shop!

4. Enjoying a good meal with family and friends. We enjoyed a delicious Indian-fusion meal on Friday night at a cozy little eatery in the Lower East Side called Grafitti. Pau bhaji burgers, eggplant tacos, green mango paneer? Yum!

 5. Reading a good book every now and then. I finally made the time to visit the New York Public Library over the weekend to pick up some good old fashioned books (remember them from before the iBook era?).

What are your favorite weekend activities?


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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!