currently craving {nyc edition}

1.) Tibi sweater; 2.) Joomi Lim necklace; 3.) Sandro jacket; 4.) Linda Farrow sunglasses; 5.) 3.1 Phillip  Lim 31 Hour Combo bag; 6.) Tibi PVC pencil skirt; 7.) Dannijo earrings; 8.) 3.1 Phillip Lim Kadie cut out bootie

It's been quite some time since we've had a proper "Currently Craving" post around here so I figured a little figurative window shopping would be fitting as we duck into one of our first fall weekends of the year. A lot of what you see above are all pieces that I spotted during my whirlwind New York trip a few weeks back. It's always difficult justifying serious retail therapy while out there for Fashion Week -- mainly because my luggage was already overweight from the get-go (desperate transferring of shoes to other bags didn't help!) but also the bank account simply just won't allow it. That said, I did get to visit some of my favorite retail haunts while in the city and while the credit cards were benched for most of it, it's still made for great leisurely afternoons of window shopping. My must-visits always include:

1.) Opening Ceremony in Soho: It's a no-brainer for me really as I usually have one browser tab dedicated to Opening Ceremony, defaulted to their sale section (which I check constantly!). When visiting the city, I'll typically devote an entire afternoon to digging through this store -- all floors of it, since a lot of their specialty pieces aren't carried online. This last trip, Samantha and I popped in after a few morning presentations and left with some serious clutch candy (seen here) and a certain embellished skirt, which will be making a blog appearance quite soon. 

Don't miss: their accessories. They carry a lot of emerging designers that I've yet to find stocked anywhere else. Personal favorites include Joomi Lim and Cabinet Oseo.

2.) Otte in the West Village: This gem of a boutique came at the recommendation of Alicia, who has been obsessed with their cool, it-girl designer offerings since moving to NYC earlier this year. After one of our first brunches in the city, Alicia took Heather and I to Otte to see what it was all about -- and I'm so glad she did. 3.1 Phillip Lim, Elizabeth & James, Suno and Dannijo all under one roof? Where do I sign? 

Don't miss: their bag selection. It took a lot of will power to walk away from this goodie. 

3.) Tibi in Soho: Heather and I made a beeline to the Tibi store during this past trip, just so I could try on the emerald green sweater/skirt combo you see above (you can see the end result here). That's about par for the course though as I always enjoy stopping by their Soho store to play dress up. Plus, their sale racks, if you hit them at the right time, can be awfully kind to you! 

Don't miss: the in-store merchandising. Many of the complete looks are straight off the runway, but several mix it up a bit and make for good outfit inspiration fodder. 

4.) Spiritual America in the Lower East Side: Like Otte, this boutique is a recent find to me. The store owner, Claire Lemétais, is a former art gallery curator, and it shows in the designer pieces she selects for the floor. Expect to stumble across Loeffler Randall, Wendy Nichol and Vanessa Bruno, in addition to a slew of up and coming New York-based designers, like Dusen Dusen and Shabd. 

Don't miss: the kitchsy romance novels sprinkled throughout the space as decor. Most, if not all, are about nurses, which is homage to the nurse paintings by Richard Prince, who incidentally displayed some of his work in the same space the store is now in. How's that for some trivia?

5.) Sandro in the West Village: I'm borderline obsessed with this white leather Sandro jacket I picked up a few weeks ago, so a visit to their West Village store was a must for me during this trip. We came just in time, as they were fully stocked for fall -- lots of emeralds, wine reds and this amazing jacket, which sadly did not make it's way into my luggage at the end of the trip. 

Don't miss: their dresses. Man, I'm a sucker for their dresses. Truly embodies that Parisian je ne sais quoi.

Since I'm always on the hunt for new boutiques to try when heading into the city, I'd love to hear your favorites! Let me know in the comments below!

nyfw photo diary

After pouring over memory card after memory card, I think I just about exhausted all my snaps from New York Fashion Week. Part of me still can't believe it was two weeks ago! Feels like just yesterday I was complaining about my battered feet to Heather. :)

So if you're experiencing NYFW withdrawals like me, perhaps this stroll down memory lane via Instagram is just the thing we need for this Monday morning...

From top left to right:

1.) No NYFW is complete without a Bill Cunningham sighting. I just love how he's always smiling behind that camera. 

2.) A quite fetching printed short suit (donned with an embellished tie!) at the J.Crew presentation. Major swoon.

3.) An outfit snippet from Day #2. See the full deal here.

4.) A beautiful trumpet skirt gown dream at the Zac Posen show. 

5.) Guess who I ran into at a random Starbucks on 9th Avenue...getting her own coffee...

6.) Quick detour through Central Park.

7.) Park benching it to read the New York Times Style Section (and loving the cover story on the Proenza boys!).

8.) Backstage glamour shot at the Prabal Gurung show. Did you catch my recaps here and here? How about the little styling challenge Heather, Alicia and I had here?

9.) Dear J.Crew, Your shoes get me every time. Every. Time.

10.) Resting our feet in front of Lincoln Center, right Julia, Kiley, Taylor and Caroline?

11.) Pink lady in full force for the Zac Posen show.

12.) A sweet bouquet the man friend sent to my hotel after the IFB Conference wrapped. (He knew how nervous I was -- and sent me my favorite flowers!)

Of course, if you want more, you can catch up on all my show coverage here and all the outfit changes here. Lastly, I wanted to send out another huge thank you to the Yotel hotel for being such a gracious host during my stay. Definitely a great home away from home during such a chaotic time.

new york fashion week {day 5}

Top and skirt: Patricia Chang (borrowed); Shoes: Zara; Sunglasses: Karen Walker

Ah, yes, Patricia Chang strikes again with this outfit! You may have seen some of her work in this last outfit here and I'm still beyond myself that she asked if I wanted to borrow some of her pieces for Fashion Week. (Seriously, you guys need to check out her Spring collection -- the doctor's coat is everything!) 

For this particular outfit, Heather and I decided to take a slight pause before our show festivities by indulging in a cocktail (or two) out on the terrace of our hotel, the Yotel. The sweeping views of both the Hudson and skyline behind us made for the perfect, kick up your heels treat. And on that note, I'd like to send out a huge thank you to the Yotel for hosting me during my stay in New York. Aside from their amazing terrace bar, we couldn't have been in a more perfect location (Hell's Kitchen) which made multiple outfit changes throughout the day incredibly easy. My favorite part though? The bellhop staff was awesome -- such great senses of humor and they never failed to recognize a pair of statement shoes when they saw it (kindred spirits!).