Say Hi

Hi. Just in case you forgot, this is what I look like. I'm so excited it's that time of year again when all my blogger friends flock to NYC for fashion week. First up, is the IFB conference tomorrow. If you see me there, make sure you Say Hi! There are great speakers, and plenty of lovely ladies who will be in attendance. If you can't make it, you can check out the live stream of the conference. Who knows, maybe you'll even see me unknowingly walk past the camera.

Live streaming video from ifbconference at livestream.com

Mostly, I miss you. There's a lot to share. Nothing too exciting, but I almost forgot what it was like to "see" and "talk" to you all almost everyday. Let's be friends on Twitter for the time being. I'll be bouncing around NYC this week and am SO happy to finally meet some of the ladies I've been following even before I started my own blog! I remember how nervous I was last year. This year it's a completely different feeling. I can't wait to see these girls again, and meet everyone who I didn't get to last time around. See some of you tomorrow! 

Not So Far Away

June 18th

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away (Brooklyn), there was a picnic. Since then I've been doing exactly what I said I would. I've been getting out and away from my computer whenever I can, taking in this summer for whatever it needs to be, restoring old friendships, and securing new ones. 

It's strange looking through these pictures and suddenly realizing how much has happened since they were taken. The summer was practically just getting started. I was beginning to like my city again, which meant spending a lot of time exploring and ending up at places I hadn't been before. Which of course led to meeting new people and plenty of new experiences.

Before the summer started I made a point to try and get myself all sorts of put together, in a cute little package with a big ribbon on top. Over the last couple of months it would seem that I've lost interest in that. I've been acting in the moment so often that it became easy to stop worrying about the future. I wanted to be more hands on and in control of my life. I now find myself doing almost the exact opposite of that.

In the past few months I had some unforgettable first time New York City moments. I got swept up and did things I never thought I would do. I don't regret any of it, I can't. I was there and I made those decisions too, and for a lot of reasons I'm glad things happened the way they did. I'm learning from them. One choice, one moment, can't possibly define everything about me. I happen to be a nice little collection of things. 

 

It's interesting to realize how different I thought of things just a few months ago. I certainly never would have predicted or planned everything thats happened. Being able to accept things as they are is clearly something I have to learn to be better at.

Selima Optique Sunglasses, Tank from H&M, Shorts from Madewell, Dolce Vita Sandals from Piperlime

Wooden Bangles & Necklace borrowed from Melissa, Taurus Pendant Necklace from Julie Nolan Jewelry

For now I'm content with living in these moments, however right or wrong they end up being. It's easy, it's dramatic, and you learn quickly. Summer doesn't really lend itself to deep, life shattering thinking anyway. That's what the fall is for.

Photos by Veronika

By the way, I love Veronika's camera, or lens, or whatever it is that's doing amazing things here. Many thanks to Veronika for snapping a few for me after the blogger picnic. Oh, and HELLO AGAIN. 

Neutral Central

Instead of going for another rambling story or getting into one more of my theories, I decided to try and keep it light for this post. These pictures were taken a few weekends ago when I met up with Veronika for breakfast. I usually let the things I choose to wear speak for themselves but since I have nothing else to say right now, I guess I'll have to do it for them. I've been wearing these jeans every weekend since I got them. They have a bit of stretch which makes them extra comfortable to wiggle into. I liked the idea of going tone on tone so I wore my favorite taupe suede boots to keep the bottom half in the same color family. 

The ever so lovely Lisa of Tree & Kimball surprised me with these earrings to go along with my latest purchase from her. They are so feminine and flirty. Every time I look at them on my dresser I think about how I have to wear them on a date sometime soon. And based on yesterday's post, if it comes down to it, I'll show them off to the city on a date with myself. 

 

I'm very aware of the fact that I don't make it the easiest to leave comments here with all the long winded posts. I truly appreciate everyone that I do get because I know that as much time as it takes me to write everything out, you put just as much effort into each of your comments back to me. There are a few reasons I don't generally like to go on and on about what I'm wearing. I don't dress overly complicated, I don't make any extravagant purchases, and what I'm wearing usually ends up being more of a representation of my style than a commentary on or reproduction of current fashion trends. 

Taking pictures of what I wear winds up being a way to share what I did, what I'm thinking, or where I went. That said, if you haven't said hello yet because you don't always relate to what I'm writing about, then now is your chance!

Shirt from Madewell, Suede Belt from Anthropologie, Jeans from Anthropologie
Vintage Frye Boots from Old Baltimore Vintage, Earrings Courtesy of Tree & Kimball

Just for fun, I'm linking back to two other posts where I took pictures in the park. You'd think that after blogging for a year and living in the city for over two I'd have a few more pictures to share from the biggest park in New York City. I was in the park this fall when I got the chance to meet so many lovely blogging ladies. About a year ago I took a walk up to the park when a lot of things looked much different. I promise I go to the park more often than that, I just don't always take pictures when I'm there!

Photos by Veronika

Huge thank you to Veronika for taking these photos for me. It was so nice to be able to snap off a few rather than having to lug out my tripod for the weekend. I'd also like to take a moment to notice how well these pictures match the color scheme here. Fun stuff. 

Only a few more days to get your entries in for the Giveaway! Winners will be posted on Friday, the 22nd.

Scenes from a Weekend : XVI

A few weekends ago I was able to meet up with two lovely out of town visitors. Terra from Stylish White Female was in the city for work, and I was so happy I could get together with her for a quick afternoon date before she headed back to Pittsburgh. We met up at a really tasty vegetarian place near midtown, caught up, exchanged life stories, the usual. Then we walked over to Mood so Terra could pick up some supplies for her latest DIMy project involving an old jacket and lots of studs. Our time was short and certainly sweet. I can't wait until I get to see her again. And it's going to be soon!

 

 

After Terra and I had our midday meet up, I took myself for an afternoon date in the city. I walked aimlessly for awhile until I decided to take myself for a cup of tea. One of the things that came up while I was in Connecticut with my friend Diana, was the idea of being able to do things alone. I hadn't taken myself on a coffee date in such a long time. The cafe was crowded but I kind of liked the steady buzz of energy. It was a really nice way to spend the afternoon just being out by myself. I did some reading, people watching, wrote for a bit, and probably did more thinking than was good for me (old habits). 

  

On Saturday morning I made last minute plans to meet up with Veronika from Tick Tock Vintage. She came to the city for the day so we decided to have breakfast together. We went to Maison which was delicious. They had a huge outdoor seating area that would have been lovely, but it was still a little too cold. As it was Veronika had to eat her entire meal with her sunglasses on! We walked over to Central Park afterwards before we had to say our good byes. Luckily I'll also be seeing Veronika again in the near future! 

 

I spent the rest of the weekend at my parents. I had to do some spring cleaning to help them get the house ready for some minor facelifts. I cleaned, I watched the sunset,  I drank tea, I played outside with Lua, I blogged, I found things, I wore sweats, I snacked. Seemed like a pretty typical end of weekend spent at my parents. 

 

I'm a little backed up on posts, but hopefully I'll be all caught up in time for my birthday and the close of the Giveaway at the end of this week. Make sure you get your entries in if you haven't already!

Bunch of Chicks

Chictopia 10, September 12th 

Sunday was the Chictopia 10 conference. I went solo on this one because Merl had to catch a flight that morning. Lua nearly pulled me down trying to follow after her in the cab. This conference was the first time I had felt at ease at an event. I wore something that I felt really comfortable in, and nearly all the butterflies from the weekend were gone. I think my body was just telling me that it was impossible to still be nervous.
I really appreciated the set up of the Chictopia conference. The small round tables and coffee bar gave it a more intimate feeling than the traditional auditorium set up. As we walked into the event we were given a number corresponding to the table we were assigned to. I got number 3. I sat down and introduced myself to my table-mates. I realized almost instantly that I was significantly more friendly than the other people at the table. That does not happen often, but hey I was trying to socialize. As the conference began to take shape I realized that I had someone ended up seated with all the panel speakers, Helen Zhu - founder of Chictopia, Kristin Burrows - President of Keds, Cate T. Corcoan - Technology Editor Women's Wear Daily, Robin Creen - Chief Marketing Officer Kmart, etc. etc. I'm sure they were wondering who the heck I was and why was I sitting there. I have no idea. I will say that it was a great seat with a clear view of the panel. 

 
Alexa Chung for Madewell Top, JCrew Pants, Anthropologie Booties
Necklace from Tree and Kimball
Photo from Modcloth flickr - Photo from Karina

This is what I wore to the Chictopia conference. Despite what my facial expressions in these pictures may lead you to believe I had an amazing time at the conference. I didn't take any official outfit photos for two reasons. The first is because my photographer for the weekend left that morning. The second is because it was raining by the time I realized I needed to take pictures and I didn't want to drag anyone outside in that. Not to worry, I fully intend on wearing this whole outfit again very soon. 

creepy paparazzi shot!

 
My favorite looks from the Designer Showcase

creepy paparazzi shot!

The conference was extremely informative. Although I'll let you in on a little secret. If you were following the conference through twitter I'm sure you noticed how positive all the tweets were. That may have had a little something to do with the fact that they were live streaming them, then projecting them on the wall at the conference. So, yes the conference was a totally success in my opinion but the tweets may have been a little public pressure bias. 
After a quick trip to my apartment to let Lua out, change, and eat some dinner, I headed to the Chictopia after party at the Juicy Couture store. I honestly had no idea what to expect. It ended up being a very laid back get together. Either that or everyone was just so tired and worn out that there were no nerves left and we could all just enjoy it.  

Annie - Me - Jenny - Lucy
Photo from Juicy Couture facebook
 
Tieka and I 
Photos courtesy of Annie 

  
Kim and I 

It was a nice night with some lovely gals after a few very long days. This last full day conference was a great way to end the weekend. I walked away learning some new things about blogging and the community. Although not everything I learned was exclusively from the conferences. I took a lot away from chatting with fellow blogging ladies as well. 

Lucy - Kim - Me - Tieka - Starr - Jenny - Elizabeth

Photo from Juicy Couture facebook

That's the end of my photos from NYFW! I did get together with a few girls for BBQ last Tuesday night before they headed out of town, but I didn't take any pictures as I was just running from work to meet up with everyone.  

I'm glad that I was able to meet and get to know all the people I did over those few crazy days! It was hectic, sleep deprived, nerve wracking, exciting, thrilling, different and I am so grateful I was able to attend it all. 

So who's coming back in February?