Fashion's Night Out #2

Is it too late to blog about Fashion’s Night Out?... Good.

It was pretty rad - and not because of the fashion, but because there was a man in the Louis Vitton store window licking a LV handbag - slowly and sensually.

It was 10pm when I got there, and I watched him for a good ten minutes. Had he been licking the handbag since 7pm? I wish I’d arrived there earlier!

The rest of the night was really just an insane battling of crowds. EXCEPT for Sarah Silverman's performance at the Mac Makeup store in Soho at 8pm. It was worth the wait (I lined up for over an hour). She signed a free copy of her awesome book The Bedwetter, and also sang a song where the only lyric in the refrain was ‘cunt.’ Bless her!

Here's some more pics:

 Manic crowds outside Bergdorf Goodman

Dolls of designers at Barney's

If you could get inside the LV store, men were dancing on the staircase. 

Desert!

It was a good night, but a little overwhelming to try and plan. With a gazillion celebrities and at least an hours wait to see just one, you really have to chose your favorite and be satisfied with that. By 9:30pm most of the free drinks have dried up and the crowds on the streets are a nightmare. But it's kind of awesome to have this kind of crazed atmosphere that doesn't revolve around a sporting event. Go fashion!

Boom!

Guess who’s never buying another handbag again… in her life.

Regardless that it was on sale, it still feels ridiculously expensive. So much so, that I’m embarrassed that I bought it. But obviously not embarrassed enough not to blog about it. Hmmm. Perhaps because if you know how long and far I’ve looked for a bag, you’d see why I either had to buy it, or cut off my left ear to keep sane.

Feelings post purchase:

-       Guilt.  What about the starving people in the world who would kill to eat a good looking handbag like this. Why don’t I do the right thing and send it to them? But seriously, valuing this over important things like health insurance cannot be wise.

-       Delight! It looks and feels good, and I know it will last. Investment piece!

-       Dissonance. Of course it’s not perfect. I would have liked it to have segments inside, a thicker shoulder strap - and more compartments all round. (I can feel a rant coming.)

-       Sick... to my stomach, when lying in bed that night. I could have bought 3 Broadway tickets for Ada's nurses instead of this handbag. Selfish, selfish selfish!

-       Stress. After the water-proof spray was applied, the color looked like a burnt orange, rather than tan.

-       Relief. The next morning two ladies at the hairdresser, hair dye still in hair, got out of their chairs, bent down and worshipped my bag. The outside validation helped.

I do realize that when it comes to shopping, I am my own worst enemy and need to chillax.

I did have some help finding this bag. I emailed the lovely Jane Flanagan at the wonderful blog: ill seen, ill said -because I had a great bag on her website. She was very helpful in recommended a tonne of bags and where to find them – including the one I just bought. (Thanks Jane!)

J.Crew Tail

Today I popped into J.Crew after a manic day at work, hoping to find something/anything that would fit the "casual chic" dress code of a film soirée tomorrow night. (work thing.)

It was only ten minutes before close, and once inside, the door man came up to me with an apologetic face. I stopped him and said: "I know, I know - you guys close in 10 minutes - I'll be quick!"
"No mam," he said hesitantly. "There's toilet paper coming out your pants."

I prayed it was just stuck to the bottom of my shoe, but when I turned around I saw a good foot and a half of it hanging out the top of my skinny black pants like a long tail. (!!?!)

I quickly stuffed it in my handbag, like that was a perfectly normal place to put toilet paper.
"Thank you," I managed in a surprisingly dignified voice, as I continued to browse the racks.

I had just walked two blocks down Fifth Avenue and crossed at the lights to get here. As my dear friend  Liz would call it - Fashion Road-kill.

Hello Boots

Not long ago, in the rain….

I stared down at my new $300 investment boots, now saturated, cold and stretchy.

“Just don’t get them really wet.” The creepy Italian store assistant had said to me after I had paid.

“It’s New York. They are going to get wet and pummelled within an inch of their life. THAT’S WHY I’M BUYING GOOD QUALITY BOOTS, so they can last me more than a couple of months!”

He said nothing, but gave me a thin smile - slimier than his slick black, curly hair that he had pulled into a long greasy pony tail.

I’d searched for months for these boots. Wavering off my original course (black over the knees), bargaining shamelessly to haggle them down to a price I could handle, and finally they were mine. The perfect boot! Well almost. I would have liked a zip at the side and a shorter toe. But whatever. These deep brown cowboy boots make me feel confident. Probably because they look 2 sizes too big in the toe,  like I have big manly man feet, which is balanced by the feminine edge of a slight heel and a pointed toe.  Yum.

They slide up (just) over my chunky calves or my ‘muscular calves’ as my mum kindly calls them. (I get them from my Dad, whom also suffers from prematurely lifting of the heel. People who walk bouncy tend to have big calves. Check it.)

It’s the most I’ve ever spent on a shoe, but I’m betting it will be totally worth it. And just to be sure, I plan on wearing them every day for the rest of my life. Rain, hail or shine. 

How to break free of Wardrobe Monotony!!

Ever notice when you’re shopping that you are drawn to similar clothes? “This top is sooo me,” you’ll think… and quite possibly you already have one that’s practically the same at home.

This is even more noticeable when shopping with friends. Everything they look at is familiar to them. It’s frustrating right? You want to say – “Don’t you already have that exact beige jacket - only slightly longer sleeves?”

But that’s their style, so you let them buy it.

Well, do yourselves a favour. Next time you go shopping bring a non-toxic friend who has fabulous style! You will need a friend who is bold enough to be honest about what looks good on you, but not bitchy enough to be the jealous type.

Then let them pick out a bunch of stuff – that THEY think would look great on you.

Items are not going to be anything you would have picked for yourself. You are going to look at them and think "mmmm... not really me."

But try them on anyway. And anything that says ‘well, hang on a sec, I kind of don’t mind this’ BUY IMMEDIATELY!

I did this twice with Chelsea while she was in NY, and now every time I wear these pieces I feel like a new woman. I’ve grown to absolutely love them.

Don’t worry, I still love my grey + denim uniform, but this has helped me break my pattern and look at other clothes that I may not have previously.

After all, a change in style is as good as a holiday if you ask me. Chelsea, are you for hire?*

*Turns out she is! And admits to doing it for all her friends. Contact Rachael at Snapdragons and Teapots for a holiday from your style!

Persistence pays

Today I almost gave up, and contemplated committing suicide by ice-cream at Ben and Jerries… but thankfully a healthy dose of persistence meant I’ve lived through a day of Jeans Shopping.

I tried on over 30 pairs of jeans, with a try : fits : looks_ok ratio of 30 : 3 : 1.

BTW, it has dawned on me a truth, that I suspected last time I was here, but can now confirm…Australia is ahead of fashion in NY (by about a year). And to be completely honest… Melbourne has better shopping. There. I said it. I can’t believe it’s true. It takes a lot of guts to admit this. Jeez!!