Style...It's A New York Thing

View from the Donna Karan Penthouse

All I can say is... wow, what a weekend! First of all I want to apologize to anyone who reads this blog for taking so long to update it. I've had a lot going on both personally and professionally and have found it difficult to find time to blog. Since the last time I've written I've seen the Harper's Bazaar exhibit, got on national television at the Today Show, and styled my first fashion shoot.

Friday morning I got the bright idea to wake up at 3am and go to NBC studios to see The Today Show live. I got to the studios at about 4:30 to find others in line as well. I was the sixth person in line which gave me prime positioning to get on TV. It was about 36 degrees which made waiting in line until 7 somewhat excruciating. I was in the crowd for about thirty minutes when I finally got the camera to face my direction. As soon as I was certain I made it on TV I bolted and immediately found warm refuge. My Mom took a picture of me on the TV and sent it to me. I'm not going to pretend I wasn't excited about it.

Me on The Today Show

That evening I met up with my Australian friend, Yuko, to visit the Harper's Bazaar exhibit at the International Center of Photography. It's a showcase of all of Harper Bazaar's most iconic photos and magazine covers through the years. It was a very nice exhibit, albeit smaller than expected. It turned out to be one small room with all the photographs while the rest of the museum was dedicated to a 9/11 memorial that was absolutely stunning and heartbreaking at the same time.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Ad

I was going to try and get Saturday Night Live tickets that night, go to the Versace for H&M release the next morning, and attend SNL Saturday night. Needless to say waking up at 3am and running around the city all day until 10pm that night caused me to be way too fatigued to actually follow through with my Saturday plans.

Street Scene At Studio

On Sunday I had the opportunity to do something totally major. My roommate, Alejandro Guttierez, is a very talented filmmaker and asked me to style a shoot for him. He was able to rent a studio at his school, The School of Visual Arts, and get models, hair and makeup, and a crew to produce the video. It was my job to pick out all of the clothing, put it together, and dress the models. Shopping in New York for a high fashion look with a limited budget led me straight to H&M in Union Square. There were three looks to be chosen--one for each scene.
The video was a fashion editorial meets dubstep music video. It shows a beautiful girl in a bar who meets a man, he roofies her, and she ends up in an alternate reality until she comes-to in an abandoned alley, realizing there was no man, no roofie, and the whole thing was but a dream.

For the first look in the bar scene I opted for a purple velvet scoop-neck dress with gold jewelry. The pieces of jewelry included a beautiful gold necklace, matching bracelet, and some dangly gold and violet earrings that pulled the look together. For a statement piece we had a chunky, spiked golden ring. For the shoes I chose a pair of very tall black wedge platforms. She looked very elegant, don't you think?

The second look was to be used in the alternate reality scene. It takes place on a manhattan street with lots of fog and wind so we needed something flowy. It was shot in black and white so the makeup looked really dramatic in person but on camera it turned out beautifully. I found a velvet black dress with sheer sleeves that were attached with more sheer fabric. For the jewelry I kept it simple and used a statement necklace of a silver chain with a rock on the end. The shoes were the same black wedges used in look one.

The last look was used in the scene when the girl wakes up on the street and realizes the whole scene was just a dream. I found a KILLER white jacket that we paired with dark wash jeans and a pair of boots. The cream color against the model's skin looked amazing.

After talking with the model, Joy Scott, I found out she has appeared in Vogue, Vogue Italia, and was featured on the Tyra Banks show. She was incredibly nice and loved everything I picked out for her which made me feel really good. It's so important to make sure that the model likes the clothes so they're comfortable. She liked me so much she invited me to go out with her and her promoter to some exclusive clubs with bottle service. We'll probably be doing that this weekend and I cannot wait to see her again--sweetest girl ever, and of course gorgeous.

I also was talking to the main makeup artist, Lauren, was at the shoot and she asked me to style a carnivale themed shoot that she's doing soon. I can't wait to do it! For my first time styling I don't think it could have gone any better. I realized that reading all of these magazines, books, and websites about fashion definitely has paid off as I knew exactly what to bring to the shoot and was totally prepared for any and all wardrobe problems. I had my steamer, safety pins, binder clips, wrinkle releaser, lint roller, etc. on hand and ready at all times and they often came in handy. I loved doing it and can't wait to style again!

Well that's all I've got for now. I'll attach some more pictures I've taken around the city below. Until next time...

Staten Island Ferry (day)

Best Burgers & Shakes In The City

Staten Island Ferry (night)

Upper East Side

Bucket List Graffiti

I'm Obsessed With Pinkberry Froyo

Union Square

Macy's Christmas Decor