NYC: What I saw

If you read my post yesterday, you know that I spent the majority of the week last week tromping around New York City. I've only ever been for work, and 2-3 times at that. While I did get to see the Rockefeller tree lit during the holidays a couple of years ago, I really haven't been able to see anything outside of the job sites. We were touring the market on foot, so I was able to catch a few places that I've been wanting to visit! Here's a photo recap of the goodies!

Views from the High Line

The first day, our time was consumed at the job site and the light fair, so we really didn't get to walk too much of the city. Well, I take that back - we ended up walking the entire High Line, which was pretty awesome. I didn't even know it existed! There were so many great vignettes of the city along the way.

View from the Gansevoort Hotel rooftop bar

For Happy Hour, one of our vendors ended up taking us to the Gansevoort Hotel rooftop bar for some wine. And ok, ok, I was going to save this for the end, but I can't not talk about it. This was where I MET TYSON BECKFORD.

GIRL. (Or boy, if you're reading this.) I just can't even. 

I was sitting at a stool height counter enjoying the view of the city, and when I turned around, I saw him standing there with a couple of other dudes. I recognized him immediately, but couldn't understand why he wasn't getting flocked with people. It made me second guess that it was really him. And then I totally blanked on his name-- I kept thinking of Tyrese or Taye Diggs, both of which I knew were incorrect. So I sent a few text messages out polling my pop culture junkie friends and family, and in less than one minute, Gina not only texted me back with "Tyson Beckford!!!" but she also sent me a photo from Instagram proving that he was in NYC at that moment. I'm LOLing right now at her sleuthing skills.

I'm typically not *that* girl who has the guts to go up to a celeb to ask for a picture. Not that I'm EVER around anyone famous, but still. But, there were a couple of other guys (yes, guys) that were taking selfies with him, and after downing my glass of wine, I mustered up the courage to just do it. Screw it. I will never in a million years run into him again, so I may as well take a proper photo with him vs. a creepy stalker pic of him from afar! So the convo went like this:

Me: I'm really sorry, I know you get this a lot, but can I get a picture?

Him: Yes, yes, I do get this a lot. But yes! I'm going to have to do this on my conference call. Hold on… (to the person on the phone) Can you hold on one second?

Then we snap some photos and I walk away all tingly. Haha. This whole situation has made me second guess what I pack for work trips now! Especially work trips to NYC! My top knot is even sad! And I'm wearing like zero makeup and flat booties. How much unsexier could I have looked next to a SUPERMODEL. Geez!

I had to share this meme my brother sent me after I texted him and my sister my photos.

Needless to say, that was the highlight of my whole trip. I was super smiley the rest of the night, and I'm not sure if dinner was really as good as I remember it, or if I was still a bit star struck. We ended up eating at Tao for dinner, and I easily ate my weight in food. And then had dessert, too!!!

Dessert from Tao

I was struggling a bit the next morning. I was just a wee bit dehydrated and sleep deprived. But, we managed to make it around the city on foot. I'm not sure why it seems like a must see, but I was excited to walk on Wall Street and see the New York Stock Exchange.

New York Stock Exchange

Trinity Church on Wall Street

9/11 Memorial

I never actually got to see the World Trade Center when it was still around. Nor did I ever see it when it was ground zero. But I've been really wanting to see the memorial, and I just can't put into words all of the different emotions I felt as I stood here.

The single photos really don't do it justice, so I took a few photos and stitched them together to make this. The mass and scale of the memorial is unreal, as is having such a big void (literally and figuratively) in the middle of a very dense city. I just can't even imagine what it was like during those days. Shivering thinking of it.

Dominique Ansel Bakery

Have you guys heard of the cronut? I have never had one, but I hear that if a croissant and a donut were to have a baby, it would be a cronut. As we were walking to our meeting on Thursday morning, we were looking for some place to grab some coffee. We saw this little bakery and decided to go in. What was weird was that there was a liquor store at the corner of the building the bakery was in, and there was a line of about 20 people waiting. I had no idea why people would be waiting for a liquor store to open. But, anyhoo, we walked into the bakery for our coffee. That's when we realized it wasn't just *any* bakery. It was the bakery that invented the cronut, which is also what the people outside were waiting for. Next time I'm in NYC, I'm having one of these cronuts, dangit!

And last but not least, I just wanted to share my NYC flooring collection. The top two photos are from inside my hotel -- we stayed at SIXTY SoHo. Bottom left is a plaque just outside the doors to Trinity Church on Wall Street. And bottom right are the floors in the Anthropoligie store at Chelsea Market. No, I didn't get to shop, I just ran inside as we were walking through the market for the photo op. ;)

Thanks for sticking with me on this photo heavy post. It's kind of nice to document all the places I've been though! I'm hoping a beach will be involved in wherever I go next!

Wait, did I mention that I MET TYSON BECKFORD!!!!!!!?

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The #RemixFix2015 recap

I was originally going to post the recap this past Friday, but since I debuted the challenge on a Manic Monday, I felt it only fitting to also end it on a Manic Monday. I apologize in advance for this being photo heavy. It's been two months of outfits, so no matter how I decided to organize this for you guys, I know it's going to be a visually long post! 

The Capsule: Original post HERE

First, let's start with my capsule. You can go back and read all the details about it HERE but the short story is that I ended up with 48 pieces of clothing/shoes and 23 pieces of bags/other accessories. That yielded 48 outfits that I ended up wearing in real life, though I had about 15 more outfit combinations that I planned out, but just never got around to wearing. For example - I only wore my poncho once!!

The outfits: 48 outfits from January 12th through March 12th

If I learned anything from this challenge, it's that capsule wardrobes are not for me. First, I have way too many things in my closet to segregate pieces for a couple of months. It kind of pains me that I ignored some of my most favorite pieces during this challenge. But, it did push my limits for remixing and I'm comfortable that I will have no problem surviving on a trip by simply remixing a small amount of pieces vs. overpacking.

I also feel like dressing up is my creative outlet, and when I'm limited to a certain amount of things, I feel like that creativity gets suffocated and I start to feel unmotivated as a result. Yes, I realize how superficial that sounds - wah wah wah, I can't wear what I want! But it's true, and I know that I've been extra cranky weeding my way through this. I feel sorry for Gina for listening to my rants!

But, what is gratifying about all of this is seeing the amount of outfits I was able to come up with. And while each look is a little bit different, I always love seeing how I style the same pieces different ways. I took a look at all my outfits to see trends in which pieces I styled the most and grouped them together for you below.

Basic black blazer: 6 ways

Graphic tee: 3 ways

Checkered vest: 5 ways

Striped zip cardigan: 3 ways

Maroon, long sleeved striped tee: 4 ways

Denim jacket: 4 ways

Camel sweater: 4 ways

Breton stripe sweater: 6 ways

Olive military jacket: 5 ways

Olive cargo skinnies: 4 ways

Leopard pumps: 6 ways

And there you have it! I will probably never ever ever do a capsule again unless it's due to force majeure! But I don't regret doing this. I've honestly been wanting to do this just to see if I could get through it, so I'm glad that I at least *know* it's possible to live it in real life and not just out of a suitcase. I hope you guys enjoyed riding along with me, though, if I were truly successful, I would have made you forget along the way that I'd been living out of a capsule! Thanks for all of the sweet comments and words of encouragement you all gave me during this journey!

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Denver: Things I bought

Oh you guys! It kind of saddens me to write this post because that means my weekend in Denver is officially OVER! It was so much fun, and I hope you are enjoying the recaps as much as I enjoyed living it in real life. If you missed the first part of this - you can read it HERE.

On Sunday, I parted with the Style and Beauty board girls for a blogger meet up. Kellie and Stacie from ie-Style are Colorado locals and were nice enough to pick me up from the hotel for a lunch and shopping date! Seriously, the pressure to dress for other fashionistas is a struggle! However, I felt a little bad because by this part of the trip, my body was beat down, I was super tired, and feeling very fashion un-motivated. I ended up just recycling bits from earlier in the trip.

Jacket: Express (option) | Necklace: CS Gems (c/o) (use CARYLEE15 for 15% off!) | Top: Express | Bottoms: Express | Booties: Frye

The original plan was that we were going to eat lunch at Cherry Creek - this restaurant called Syrup. Looks amazing, right? Wellll, unfortunately, timing didn't work out. We probably should have gone earlier, but I just knew that Saturday would be a rough night for me and was wary to commit to anything earlier than hotel checkout! The wait was about 45 minutes, which, to be honest, didn't surprise us, but we ended up just taking our chances to see what the mall had to offer in terms of food.

The Nordstrom Bistro never lets me down - I enjoyed a cup of crab bisque and a cilantro shrimp salad. That definitely gave me the energy I needed to shop, and shop we did! Naturally, we had to start at Express. (Hmm, this sounds a lot like my first date with Gina! I promise I don't use the same moves on all my dates!)

On Kellie and Stacie: Knot front slub knit tee (in black and pink dust)

On sale now for $19.90!

First up is my new favorite tee shirt. I may or may not have this in four colors now because I know I will wear them a ton, and they're just really easy to thrown on and feel cute. I'm such a fan of the partial tuck, which is really what drew me to this tee in the first place. I was so happy that the IE-sisters agreed with me and went home with their own! If they don't convince you that you need this top in one or more colors, here are three other reasons you need it:

Knot front slub knit tee (in grey and white)

On sale now for $19.90!

Textured knit moto jacket | Zig zag aztec embellished tank | Mid rise jean leggings

I'm not the only one that does the enabling though! Gina has this jacket (see it here) and I swoon over it every. single. time. she wears it. I figured it was about time for me to just get my own so that I didn't have to worry about the regret of missing out!! I tried it on with this Zig zag aztec embellished tank, and while I did love the tank a lot as well, I went ahead and passed for now, mainly due to limited suitcase space. Since the jacket has been out for awhile, I feared for its availability, so I snagged my size and figured I could *make* room for it in the suitcase.

I was intrigued by this skirt. Unfortunately, it's not online right now, though this one here looks like the same principle. I'm not sure how I felt about it on me, and since it was something I didn't LOVE right away, I passed on it. I LOVED however, how it looked on Kellie in black!

Maybe it's the way I'm standing, but I like the way her leg gets more exposure, and the fit is very flattering on her. I also kinda dig the whole asymmetry going on with the same knotted tee!

On Kellie: 24" Studio Stretch notch collar blazer | On me: Oversized plaid shirt, marled ruched mini

I was showing Kellie how I take mirrored selfies. Haha. But as far as what we are trying on - she realized she didn't have a structured blazer and I put in a good word for this one. You can actually read all about her fitting room endeavors here! 

I saw this plaid shirt on Rachelle here. Ironically, she was headed to Express to buy this plaid top of mine, and ended up walking out with hers instead. And when she texted it to me, well, that made me want it, too! Wouldn't it be easier if we all just shared one closet?! This is the same shirt as the one I physically wore to shop, just in a different color. And since I have this top in 3 colors already, I couldn't not get a fourth one. RIGHT? 

I didn't get the blue marled mini. Yet. I did love it, just as much as my grey and black ones, but I ended up only walking out with the moto jacket and the plaid top!

After all of that, we kind of lost the mood to try on more clothes! I know, blasphemy, but that's the downside to shopping during the winter. All the layers! So, we opted to go shoe shopping instead, and you know my favorite place for that, right?! Nordies!

Dolce Vita "Nolin" sandal

Admittedly, I was long overdue for a pedicure and managed to squeeze one in right before this trip. That made me extra excited to shop for sandals, not to mention the fact that I have spring fever like crazy! I fell in love with these cognac strappies! The block heel makes them easy to walk in, and the straps don't dig at all into my feet! Very comfy!

Louise et Cie "Hermosah" pump

I loved these Joe's pumps, but unfortunately they didn't have my size. As good sales associates do, Max was nice enough to bring out an alternate option. Similar color, but obviously more of just a basic pump. I fell in love with them immediately! The shape was perfect and they were really easy to walk in! I don't have any other pumps in this color, so I was definitely down to bring them home with me.

But, that's the problem. How on earth do I take two pairs of shoes with me without having to check a bag? Easy! Just ask Nordstrom to ship them to you, which they will gladly do free of charge. Win/ freaking win.

At the end of our date, Kellie asked me to walk them through my selfies, so we practiced outside of the Nordstrom bathrooms. I can only imagine what people were thinking! I'm not kidding when I say their laughs are contagious! Kellie and Stacie were the nicest, sweetest, most beautiful people - inside and out! I couldn't help but sneak some photos of these girls laughing it up! Makes me smile just looking at these!

So thankful to share my day with these two lovelies! What a great ending to an already fabulous weekend! I hope you will pop over to their blog here and say hello!

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What I Wore: Denver

So, I'm splitting my Denver recap into two posts, and yet, I still feel like this post is going to be very long and photo heavy! I apologize in advance, but I do feel like it was too much fun not to share all the gory details with you! Today, I'll focus on what I wore and what we did. On Friday, I will tell you all about my shopping date with Kellie and Stacie and what we bought! Lots to cover, so let's get started!

Scarf: Express (option) | Jacket: Express (option) | Necklace: CS Gems (c/o) | Top: Express | Tank: Target | Bottoms: Express | Booties: Frye

It was so hard to pack for this trip, you guys! These girls I was meeting are all from a Style and Beauty online forum! Oh the pressure! Not to mention the weather - it was only supposed to be in the low 20s for the highs all weekend! The struggle! For my airport outfit, clearly comfort and ease of going through security were key. I just started layering and ended up with this look, which could easily transition into shopping or happy hour, or whatever we decided to do that afternoon (plans had not been finalized for the afternoon yet.)

Friday Happy Hour at Euclid Hall

I landed a little after noon - one of the Colorado locals was picking 3 of us up at the airport. We waited about an hour for the other two girls to arrive before we headed downtown. We grabbed a quick lunch at Mod Market and then met up with the other half of our group at Euclid Hall for happy hour.

How cute is our group?! We did have two others not pictured who joined us for dinner Friday night, and then one other Denver local who joined us for brunch on Saturday.

Sweater: DVF | Necklace: CS Gems (c/o) | Top: Express | Bag: Express (option) | Bracelets: H&M (gifted) | Scuba leggings: Express | OTK boots: Vince Camuto (option, option)

The two outfits I brought for dinner was this one and my leopard romper with tights and a black blazer. The romper looked awesome with the blazer, but I had to strategically plan which night to wear it - preferably the night I would drink LESS, so that I didn't have to worry about getting in and out of the romper as much to go potty. Yes, these are the fashion dilemmas we face. I thought Friday night may be the "crazier" of the two nights, so I opted for traditional, easy to potty in leggings. Ok, well not potty IN my leggings, but you get the idea.

Dinner at Osteria Marco

You are looking at ladies from Illinois, Jersey, Minnesota, and Denver. I'm sure you're wondering why on earth we chose Denver instead of the beach? We don't really know ourselves! There was a huge group of Colorado locals already, and it was really easy to find flights into Denver, so I think accessibility was truly the deciding factor.

Dinner on Friday night was at Osteria Marco. It just happened to be restaurant week, which was just an added bonus for us and our trip. I ended up ordering off the restaurant menu - 3 courses means a full belly! But I also knew it was better to eat hearty during a night of hearty drinking. Know what I'm sayin?

After dinner we went to Lannie's Clocktower Caberet which was…. interesting!! Entertainingly awkward at some points, but I have no regrets going because the stories and memories it left with us are priceless! And I will just leave it at that!

Vest: JCrew | Necklace: Express | Top: JCrew Factory | Tank: Target | Bottoms: Express | Booties: Frye

Saturday morning wasn't too terribly early. We were meeting at one of the girl's houses for brunch. She was gracious enough to accommodate 3 of the out-of-towners in her house AND host Saturday brunch for the rest of the group. It was the perfect setting though - her house was beautiful, and we literally sat around her dining room table chatting, gossiping, laughing for about 6 hours.

Saturday brunch

Oscar <3

Don't you just die from cuteness at his face?! I could not resist posting his underbite on my blog! Yes, we bribed him with a bit of food so I could take this photo. Adorable!!

Beer: Jagged Mountain pale ale | Polish: Chanel Azure (gifted)

After our marathon of chit-chatting, we decided to head out for happy hour - I mean, isn't that the most logical thing to do after brunch? Ha! We tried to go to Great Divide, but it was jam packed. Not even room to stand, much less walk around. So, we ended up walking a few blocks to Jagged Mountain, and I enjoyed a pale ale and some pretzels.

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs | Necklace: Express | Top: Express | Bottoms: Express | OTK boots: Vince Camuto (option, option)

I was freezing all day. ALL day. And I even tried to take a nap before dinner, but woke up cold and shivering. I couldn't imagine trying to wear the romper, and frankly, did not have the energy to try and fight with it all night, so I just recycled my tee from the first day and added my blazer and OTK boots to make it a bit more evening friendly.

Dinner at Vesta Dipping Grill

We had dinner at Vesta Dipping Grill and zomg, it was pretty amazing. And ridiculously affordable, I might add. Three courses, which included a wine pairing with each course, for under $50. Yes please and thank you.

Clockwise from top left: German meatballs, pork tenderloin, bread pudding, butterscotch bread pudding

OK, so the butterscotch bread pudding was actually from Friday night's dinner, but I had to finish the little 4-square of food photos somehow! I didn't think to take photos of my food on Friday, sorry about that. It was equally delicious though! So dangerous!

We ended up at a basement bar after dinner. Not the classiest of places in Denver, but we needed to shake our tushes some, and the booze was cheap. Win/win. And you know what?! The 6 old married ladies you see in this photo closed out the bar! Yep, we still got it, folks! 

It was so so much fun, you guys, and this is only 2/3 of my trip! I will have to save the last third for Friday's post. If you read to the end of this post - thank you! I hope you thought it was as fun as it looked! Even though it was only a long weekend, it felt good to truly be on vacation and turn work off for a couple of days. I needed a little mini recharge!

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