HAY GIRL

In short: it’s whatchu wear.

Luckily I’ve had a good amount of freedom in terms of my work wardrobe, as seen from some images I’ve posted here. There are some events that we’ve hosted, however, when I have been requested to wear all black. It’s an easier way to see who is in charge of the event in case of emergencies - from there is no way I’m not on the guest list people to directing all hired help (photographers, caterers, model/waiters, sound help, visual team, etc). PR professionals are really more of the invisible eyes, ears and hands at events and the best way to blend in, at least in New York, is to wear all black.

Bonus, it’s suuuuuuper chic.

Standard mirror pic during some downtime at the Burberry/Lucky Kids Charity Breakfast event we hosted on Thursday. iPad and iPad case for guest check-in courtesy of Burberry (but not for keeps unfortunately).

Who’s the Queens? What’s a Bronx? There is another NYC island?.

My New York world consists of Manhattan and Brooklyn.I have been fortunate enough to visit Bk (that’s how we new yorkers abbreviate it, yeah wut) thrice in the past week. 

I’ll now illustrate stories through my instagrammed photos:

Jon, Julia and I got to watch and bartend for a few performances at Our Ladies (friends of friends). Those lais were given to us upon entering, as was a piece of travel advice. When all the performances were said and done we took control of the music and played what else? 2003 pop and hip hop! What up Nelly? But really, What’s not to love? (Not to be confused with Fat Joe and Ashanti’s What’s Luv, also a great song)

One of the night’s musical performers

There was also a short play, which I won’t lie I wasn’t very good at paying attention to plot-wise, but visually it was great. There was, what I am assuming, a dad in the play and he wore a lion’s mask, but was a king? I’m not quite sure..

Mas musica

Saturday Julia and I transformed into tourists and walked the Brooklyn Bridge. I know people say it’s a must do (I think it’s on that 1001 Things To Do Before You Die bullshiz), but really, it’s a must do. Quite pleasant. This trip was also unintentional, we just decided to be frugal and walk to Bk, because $2.25 for the subway is just too damn much. Our lil walk turned into a 6 mile stroll that left us bed ridden when we got home.

The bridge ‘n stuff.

Whilst walking we stumbled upon Junior’s which is apparently super famous for its cheesecake. Both of us were a little overeager and each ordered our own slice (first mistake) of complex flavored cheesecake (second mistake). It was good for about 5 minutes, then my stomach was all “SMH Helena, what you doin”. Oops

Another stop on this stroll was Trader Joe’s. This place totally used to be a bank… or court house… or something else equally regal. I should do my research.

Tuesday was Lizzy’s birthday so there was a lil BBQ action at their apartment in Williamsburg- which has a backyard! The weather was awesome, daylight savings let the sun set later, Penny the cat was in attendance and I didn’t have to cook a thing. It was fantastic.

S’mores were even made and had. I cherish any semblance of New Hampshire* in this city, or anywhere really. 

*By New Hampshire, I mean my personal memories of New Hampshire. So none of this, “you can make s’mores anywhere with a microwave, that doesn’t make it New Hampshire”. Um well, I’ve made them in a microwave before and it’s way different- but not half bad.

So, my birthday is at the end of this month- the 28th, thanks for asking. In recent years, I have become a birthday celebration simpleton. Last year I had a small dinner with school friends at a rodeo/mexican themed restaurant in STL (their choice). The year before I… went to a frat party? Oy vey, oh I also gave myself a sharpie peace sign wrist tattoo that night #glamour.

So, friends and family, if you are reading here are some things for you to think about… it’s time to think outside the (gift) box:

An app that downloads food
Uh, does this really need any kind of explanation? Nope. 

A Lisa Frank revival

A card that enables me to get free bottomless margaritas wherever I go
I’m not turning 21 for nothing, people.

Exclusive access to the invention of teleportation
Life would be so great without a commute. I could save 20 hours (and $104) every month if I could teleport to work. I’ve been loudly praying for teleportation since I was a pre-teen now. How have we not done it yet??

A laundry chute in my apartment that goes downstairs to the laundromat
Where they then wash, dry and fold my clothesto deliver back to my door. Now, that’s luxury.

The ability to never get dirty
Whenever asked what my superpower of choice is, it is always the power to stay clean. Showering is such a process! Not to fog up this post with a first world problem but, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… dis is my house/blog.

Good thing I wrote this post pretty early, give y’all lots of time to get a head start inventing/instigating this stuff. 
kthnx!

Even though most of my friends are now on spring break, learning NEVER stops, am I right?? 
So listen up.
Today we learn about press clips.

“What’s that”, you say? Oh I will tell you. Imagine all the print and online press coverage BG gets- topics ranging from recent events, store windows, merchandise, our staff, new projects and pretty much anything in-between. If our name is mentioned in a relevant way, we clip that shit.

This means saving the article and/or images in a way that is more concise and clean for archival purposes. All press clips are saved as a Word doc and created with the ever useful selective screenshot tool (love you, command shift 4 <3). All the important information like the publication, title, author, text and images are screenshot (screenshat? #notclearon) and saved.

If you’re following along, yes, this means we have folders and folders full of word docs chronicling our public image and presentation. It’s a lot. But often for big events that get a lot of press before, during and after, we create a press recap that lists every press clip and the publication’s circulation. Circulation numbers are then translated, via magic and math, into press value- the real money maker $$. 

-

This post makes me sad because there were no pics. So…

Recently I’ve hopped on the express train to Healthville choo choo! So I’ve been exercising more. This week I’ve been to a couple yoga classes and a spin class and doing each so close to the other (time-wise) has given me a lot to think about. 

Side note: I haven’t been this sore since I “did” track freshmen year of high school.
That spin teacher was not messing around.

So here are some of my observations from the two recent experiences:

The Companies

Yoga to the People

SoulCycle

The People
Yoga
Literally anyone could be there. From my experiences it’s usually young (20s) people- my guess is that many hail from NYU since it’s so close to the campus. And most people don’t look like typical yogis (thank god). Instructors are around my age, maybe a little older. Their voices are so soothing- it calms me down when I am shaking from holding some ridiculous pose.

Spinning
Two words: Hot Moms. Nothing motivates you more than someone twice your age who looks twice (or thrice) as good as you. REAL TALK. Also SoulCycle has a little bit of an upscale clientele so I can only imagine what these women at the Upper East Side location do all day- I even overheard a conversation about one of their friends’ new Bravo show, really. The instructors, I am told, all teach VERY differently but all have extremely high energy and make the class fun.

The Music
Yoga
Relaxation nation over here! A lot of The XX and other things I couldn’t instantly recognize because, duh, I was focusing on my breath. 

Spinning
When I wasn’t in a semi-serious thought panic of how I may pass out- I was able to notice that this place could have doubled as a night club. One of the climb songs we spun to was M.I.A.’s Bad Girl and one of the faster songs was Nicki Minaj’s Starship- both of which are on my new spotify playlist.

The Environment
Yoga
There are three floors that classes take place on in the St. Marks studio. It tends to get crowded- when I went on New Year’s Eve day we fit 11 people in each row… the picture below is only 7/row… so it was, intimate. But it’s all about “sharing your practice” since energy is a big component of yoga.

Spinning

The Objective
Yoga
Balance, core strength, de-stress, and a steady and constant breath.

Spinning
If it’s not “GET YOUR BODY IN SHAPE”… then I don’t know what it is. Instructors even incorporate an arm workout using 1-3 pound weights and doing pseudo-pushups on the bike.

Payment
Yoga
As much or as little as you want, it’s donation based!

Spinning
$32/class at SoulCycle. Luckily Daniella works there, because friends and family spin fo’ free. Phewf!

—-

Since this was merely a comparison via my own observations and thoughts, there is no winner or loser. All I can tell you is that the combination of the two is making me wince when I walk down stairs, that’s good right?

I know what you’re thinking….
“What the heindogger are you talking about? You work for a department store, every day is a selling day!”

LOL, sortof. Not really

To help a certain brand or boutique within the store with their sales, a Sell Day will employ a model or two to walk around the store for a few hours in the brand’s designs whilst holding a sign saying something like…

Kidding! That is not chic.

Instead, it’ll say something like “Miu Miu on 3”- the brand and where it can be found for purchase. 

It sounds like an easy thing to throw together but all Sell Days are requested by the brand’s buyer(s) and must be approved by the PR and Special Events team (heyoo). Some brands just don’t make the cut, our budget it only so big and model costs add up.

Side Note: If you ever have the chance to do some casual modeling on the side… do it. That’s good $$$$. 

Anyway, one of my long-term projects at work right now is making mad spreadsheets (<3, I love a good spreadsheet) calculating the immediate return on investment from the various special events we put on. And from my initial findings, Sell Days are the easiest to plan and get the job done in terms of sales. I’m not going to disclose real numbers because that’s not chic, so you’ll have to trust me.

Last Thursday we had another event, this time (sortof) open to the public.
J Brand, the well-known and liked jean company, has recently forayed into ready-to-wear territory and we hosted a casual but fabulous party on 5F celebrating this new venture. StyleCaster, J Brand, and bloggers Eat Sleep Wear and Natalie Off Duty were there to help host.

My part in this shindig? Guest check-in, because I’ve got all the power.
Just kidding, there were like 5 different ways of getting to the party and it was technically open to the public so I was feelin’ kinda superfluous after a while. So eventually my job (as directed by me) became to just eat the lil food bites that the waiter/models were passing out. And by “lil”, I mean real lil. It looked like someone had taken a shrink gun and pointed it at burgers, cookies, s’mores, grilled cheese and pies. Superbly convenient to eat though!

As usual, here are some picz:

The day before the event, LXTV from New York 1 came to film pieces of the collection. My job during this? Crowd control #bossy

All events have a visual component. Here is our in-store Fashion Director, James Aguiar, dressing the mannequins for the occasion. Two other people had to help him put these skinny jeans on the mannequin. Oddly reassuring that skinny jeans are even a struggle for man-made plastic. PHEWF.

Just playin’ around during event prep on 5F

Snapshot of about half the bumpin’ party. Most of the guests were industry professionals (stylists, fashion directors, style contributors) and fashion bloggers

That chick with the enviable bow was our event DJ, Cleo Le Tan

Models, just doing their thang. Really regret not getting a pic of one of them in the leather top with the zipper down the back. That thing is fierce.

Excuse the glamour shot, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… DIS IS MY HOUSE/blog.
That afternoon I spent my lunch break at the Chanel counter again and let Jessica work her magic with a request of a winged eye. So I suppose I was lookin’ better than usual.
Dress to Impress, y’all

One of my personal highlights of the event was seeing Marcus don this Eleven Objects collar. A brand I have been lusting after for over a year now. Hint to my friends….

If I wanted to sum up the event with one iPhone app, it’d be: Instagram. #chic

Speaking of: “I look amaaaazing in Valencia” if you haven’t watched Shit Fashion Girls say at NYFW, do it now.

Our weekend together was so successful that we were given our own show!
Check out our new promo poster:

That’s me, the monotone prettier one, on the left and there on the right is Athena, if you can’t spot her just look for the giant photoshopped butt. Chic.

Okay no, #realtalk: my mini-me, Athena, was here this weekend and it was swell. Luckily, having someone visit me is a great excuse to be more exciting, so below is a list of some of the places we went.

Tara Thai: Nothin’ exceptional, but we did get to witness a SUPER awkz date happening behind us. Although it looked less like a date and more like a still-life… don’t people speak on dates?

Veniero’s: An Italian bakery that has been in the East Village longer than anything else I’ve heard of. Since 1894, bitch! Sorry, I take back that comment, it was typed out of excitement. Anyway, one tiramisu, chocolate eclair and chocolate cannoli later, we were very satisfied. I will be back. Just like Darth Vader. That is who said that, right?

Cafe Orlin: I had been dying to try this place because every time I pass it there was a huge group of people outside. My suspicions were totally correct: it was delicious! I got a salmon omelette, Athena got poached eggs over potato cakes and Alice got blueberry pancakes. So much yum.

Tour of BG: HAH this cracked me up. It was weird enough going to the store in casual clothes but bringing people who are pretty far removed from fashion was hilarious. Some highlights of Alice’s commentary as I led her and Athena around all 8 floors:

After seeing an unusually large bottle of this in the Chanel boutique: “wow, do you think that’s real whiskey?”

Seeing a piece of driftwood on a 5F shoe table: “I want to just buy the decorations”

After touching the chinchilla coat in the J. Mendel boutique: “nothing in my life will ever feel soft again”

Many of the mannequins also got encouraging “you go girl!”s from Alice- she is very supportive

It’s always nice to show people you love part of your world, especially when they help ground you.

Walked!: We have legs, we used them. We ended up walking all the way from BG (58th and 5th) to home (East Village). So almost a solid 60 blocks, WERQ. It was quite pleasant and we did some shopping in-between. Well, Athena did some shopping. BG ruined my shopping eye, everything I see, I just see it as a knock-off of something we carry in the store. Not chic… but good for my wallet.

Village East Cinema: We went to see The Artist, right in time too I might add. I haven’t seen the other Best Picture contenders, but I enjoyed this movie a lot. 

I was also fortunate enough to see this movie without being exposed to anything surrounding the film. I essentially had no idea what I was getting myself into and that’s how it should be. I haven’t been that pure of a movie watcher since I saw Doubt in 2009.

The ceiling of the theatre, I felt like I was going to the opera.
The ticket price also made me feel like that too. Worth it!

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop: Not sure how I hadn’t stumbled across this place already, since it’s so close to me but thanks to Yelp, Athena and I both got Salty Pimps. Yes, that’s what it is called. It’s soft serve vanilla, with dulce de leche syrup, sea salt and a chocolate dipped shell.

Athena going to town on her Salty Pimp.
Ha, if there was no picture here this would sound totally NSFW. 

But alas, high school has taken her back to Lex Vegas (did I really just say that? oy). 

Next visiter: Aasli, one of my main WashU beezies. Can’t WAIT

Aas and me for 2011 Halloween as Erin & Kelly from The Office in their girl duo, Subtle Sexuality. 
If you’re still in the dark at this reference just watch this 

Aaaaand your fashion education continues! Today we learn about credits.

One of my recent projects was to look through all the major March magazines (Vogue, Harper’s, T, Lucky, Town & Country, Glamour, Marie Claire and InStyle) and tally the credits for BG and our competitors- Saks and Barney’s- for comparative reasons. This sounds awesome- right? I was just assigned to read a huge stack of fashion magazines and I didn’t have to buy them or go to a funky smelling library to get my hands on them. Well, wrong. 

Looking for credits is like reading all the un-fun parts of a magazine, what makes it worse is when you’re in a time crunch so I couldn’t even stop and eye the glamour! First world problems, am I right?!?!

.. Anyway, a credit is literally just the little blurb of text by a product on the page telling the reader what the item is and where they can get it. 

see the highlighted bit above as an example BG credit in December 2006 Vogue. 
I know, it’s small stuff, I can barely read it myself and I have like, better than 20/20 vision.

As a continuation of my PR Glossary: Pull post (bonus points!), anything that is pulled from the store and ends up getting used must be credited. If it’s not, we as a PR team are not happy.

I’m filling your brain with so much fashion knowledge, you’re going to have to buy a new beret because your brain is so big! Just kidding, who wears berets?

As seen from the corner of 58th and 5th

That place is big and overwhelming so let me take the stress and mystery off your hands and give you the special 10 floor tour a la me! 

Beauty Level
The hot spot! I love killing time down here. I’m slowly making friends at some of the beauty counters. Today’s stop: Chanel. Also my day isn’t complete without a spritz of parfum (that’s the fancy way to say it, just kidding I made that up). However I don’t get service down there so it makes me a little nervous.

one
Accessories on accessories. Everything you could think of.
Careful where you walk because my drool is everywhere on this floor. Often when I am doing a pull, I meet the editor or assistant in the Prada handbag section- a clear violation of the 8th amendment: no cruel and unusual punishment. Not just because Prada is my favorite brand, but because I am often stuck waiting for 10-20 minutes there.
Like I said… drool everywhere.

The current installation in the Luxury Room. Yes, it’s called the Luxury Room. Brands inside it include: Prada, Hermes (scarves only), and Goyard.

A room over is all the real glitz.  Who wants to loan me $140k for these?
…Bueller?

two
Shoes, oh my god, shoes. The heavy hitters in ready-to-wear live here too (Tom Ford, Gucci, Chanel, Dior, Fendi etc). I like to come here and sit on the lavish couches in the shoe salon to ponder my thoughts. However this floor is too quiet for my long-term liking.

A table displaying Birman’s shoes in the salon. It’s quite cozy in there.

three
More contemporary with some of my favorite brands (Celine, Prada, Chloe, Jason Wu) and brands I’m growing to love (Peter Pilotto, Jonathan Saunders).

The current visual installation fresh off the escalator. Party with the mannequins!

Close up shot of the designs we currently carry by Peter Pilotto.
The prints are AMAZING. 
 

four
Evening gowns and other fancy shiz. I enjoy taking detours to the J Mendel boutique to pet the pieces.
The other day I discovered this:

$130,000 floor length chinchilla coat. There exists nothing softer.
Although, I’d rather pay for that college thing.

Also the Lanvin boutique is up here.

I don’t particularly love Lanvin, but I do love their mannequins

5F
To be honest, I don’t know why it’s called 5F. F could be for “fun”? Probably not. This floor carries the most brands of all the other floors and at the most reasonable price points. Highlights: the sale section, Rag & Bone, Alice & Olivia and the bumpin’ beats. 

six
If you’re young and hip like me, don’t go here. It’s carpeted, #dark. It’s quiet. It’s full of classic clothes that nice moms would wear (no offense, moms). The lingerie also lives here, which scares me a little.

This couch is on 6 though, which cracks me up. +1 for 6.

seven
The best view from the store is from the BG restaurant- highly recommended. Also John who works in the restaurant is the best.

The view overlooking the south-east corner of the park, do you love it or do you love it?

Other depts up here: home, bridal, and kids.

I am nowhere close to marriage or even the idea of it but, SWOON @thesedresses

Also currently lolz: The kids section is selling a gold burberry baby snowsuit.

All I can imagine is a ball of gold pretty much rolling down a sledding hill. Just kidding, fancy babies don’t sled. They let huskies pull them in a sleigh. mush, y’all

eight
Employees only, sorry people. The executive (think: Linda Fargo, David Hooey, Susan Homan) offices are up here in addition to the employee cafeteria and visual storage and offices. Not gonna lie, I feel pretty cool pressing 8 in an elevator full of customers.

One of the scarier things to come upon while you are alone. Good to know all the unloved mannequins are friends though!

nine
The John Barrett hair salon is up here. I don’t frequent this floor because I could blow dry my hair fo free and save the $70 for 3 weeks worth of groceries. That’s priorities for you right there. 

—

There you have the abbreviated and highly subjective tour of the BG store through my lens. I’d happily give the real life 3D tour to anyone that visits me here*.

* This is contingent on me knowing and liking you.

I have a problem.
Besides thinking I have the funds (I do not) to get manicures all the time, I’m obsessed with collars, especially the slightly off-beat ones.

Not to label, because that’s not chic, but recently I’ve come to the realization that my daily personal style could be labeled as Androgynous Chic. I just love menswear so much, more on that later. As of late, this style identification has been manifested in an intense and at times all consuming love for a quality statement making collared shirt.  

I now bring you: the photographic inspiration & manifestation

 Kanye and his entourage. There is so much in this picture I love but today, I am drawing specific attention to the neck region. Pay attention, folks.
image via Nobody Knows Marc

A timepiece in your collar?! This woman, Anne Catherine, is a genius
image via The Sartorialist

I saved this picture on my hard drive over two years ago. I still love it.
image via The Sartorialist

Detail on a Givenchy jacket currently being sold in BG

Miuccia Prada is my favorite designer for many reasons I won’t go into now, because I have before many a time (I’m serious. Ask me for my PowerPoint on it). I can sum it up with: Intellectual Purity & Eccentric Elegance.

Double collar. Double greatness.

I don’t even know how to describe this but it’s awesome. Also I swear, this is the last Miu Miu piece I’ll post (for now).

Alright, I know this isn’t a collar, it’s the placket. Yes, I did just have to look up what it was called, I’m not ashamed. Now we are both wiser.

Anyway, this one’s Marc Jacobs and the silver pieces are big ass rhinestones and crushed silver button things. I’m thinking… future DIY project

My interpretation of this obsession is a lot of collared shirts with statement necklaces

McQ by Alexander McQueen sweater (got on supah supah sale), Old Navy button-up & necklace from small boutique in Amalfi, Italy

J Crew sweater, Rugby button-up, Martin & Osa necklace - not sure this brand even exists anymore. either that or they left my local suburban mall aka the center of my world.

DIY necklace & Gap button-up

Also, I enjoy wearing my denim button-up and my 1996 (not an exaggeration, and proud of it) Disneyworld sweatshirt. I look very “Brooklyn” when I wear it, in the best way possible.

Okay, here ends my gushing about one of the smallest components of a shirt.

COLLAR$4lyfe

I recently discovered that a “90’s themed” party does not mean the same thing in both the real world* and the college world. It’s very different, and frankly I miss the college version.
*”real” here refers to Brooklyn, which in some people’s mind’s I realize is still far from “real”. Also this comparison is just from my one experience this past Friday night

the music
college: Backstreet Boys, Nsync, New Kids on the Block, TLC, Fresh Prince of Bel Air Soundtrack, Destiny’s Child, everything awesomely pop.
real: Madonna, Smile Empty Soul, Alanis Morissette, Whitney Houston, The La’s, and some bands that I still have never heard of. Some 90’s stuff is just a little before my time, especially considering I was born in ‘91.

the outfits
college: Dress like a specific 90’s TV character (I once went as Spinelli from Recess #sassy), sport a fanny pack (which is strangely almost cool to wear at parties without a theme, I dunno man, college fashion is weird), spice girl motifs, scrunchies, spandex, plaid, weird windbreakers
real: Plaid, plaid, more plaid, and people who don’t love to dress in any themes. Perhaps I just thought people were dressed for the 90’s but they were really dressed for Brooklyn livin’. Just a thought.

the activities
college: Do I really need to say it?
real: Standing in front of a projected screen that is playing 90’s music videos complete with lyrics, and then proceeding to belt all the lyrics out because you can. Also, there was a stage. Not sure who loved who first- regarding me and the stage but I’m going to go ahead with my unbiased opinion and say the stage loved me first.

—-

Also today was great. Being lazy and a little sick is so much more enjoyable when you are lazy and a little sick with people you love, plus I got to do some crafty ish. 

Making my next DIY necklace, post pending, while Penny the cat helps. And by “helps” I mean she sat on my safety pins and would not let me get them from under her. It’s okay Penny, I still love you and the entire cat population. No harm done.

Let me tell you, Bergdorf’s is not just a, “store”. It’s my home. And not just because I spend most of my hours either there or talking about it, but because it is a one stop shop.

eat
BG has a cafe (Goodman’s), the BG restaurant and lil sweets bar/cafe on 5F. I have had the pleasure to heartily dine at each. And it’s all very good- croissants, fruit, little pastries, delicious meaty dinners, mini quiches, quality coffee, you name it. My favorite part is that BG only serves Voss water- that water that comes in those glass tube containers. Tap water is sooo been-there-drank-that .. and I love it.

pretend I’m shopping
I often have small moments of downtime when I am waiting for a specific store associate or waiting for a response on an issue from my supervisor. So having the “do more. as soon as possible.” mindset and standing in an enormous store, I try stuff on! Favorite sections include: the Celine handbag section, the 5F sale section, the Beauty Level and the Burberry trenches.

Fun story actually about the Celine handbag section: I was once there waiting for a floor manager and put this bag on my arm, casually foreseeing my rich future when I would own it 

I know, I know. It’s so beautiful. 

Anyway, when I went to put it back on the shelf a man standing nearby says, “excuse me, can you do that again?”. Wasn’t imagining this to be my first high fashion modeling experience, but hey I’ll take it. Turns out he was looking for a Valentine’s Day present for his wife and was having trouble deciding what bag to buy her so I got to gush about my personal love for the bag and then he bought it! Great because I helped make a sale, terrible because it was the last one in the store. Side note: Sir, marry me? What a good husband.

make friends
Cue the cheesefest! No but really, I love the people who work in the store. I don’t know why I underestimated how many people work there but its easily 200, probably more. And sales associates inherently have friendly outgoing personalities so we get along grand! The security people on the other hand, let’s just say I’m breaking through their tough exterior through my irresistible charm. 

see famous people
Celebrities I’ve seen casually browsing the store include: Chelsea Handler, Nicki Hilton, Reese Witherspoon and Vivica Fox. Our special events also bring in lots of famous people as well- which you’d already know if you’ve been reading this blog. 

exercise power
As an intern, I am at the bottom of the food chain. The store is one of the places I get to exercise some form of power- usually over the customers. For example, for the Louboutin event I did a lot of the guest check-in and had to turn away crazy people trying to use fake names. However, some people in the party were just as crazy- one middle aged (and I’m assuming/hoping tipsy) woman slapped my butt when I told her I was part of the BG FBI. Yeesh.

while i’m at it, exercise
The store is roughly 120,000 sq ft. That’s a lot of walking. 

navigate unseen territory 
The store is spacious and lavish, but unfortunately the stockrooms do not mirror this. While doing pulls I often go to stock rooms to find the correct merchandise. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve gotten lost before and have asked for help many times. The shoe stockroom is especially treacherous.  

So… why would I go home when I could just go to BG? Well for starters, it closes at 8pm. 

“Friends” include:
his shoes, Brad Goreski, Olivia Palermo, his team, and models whose names I did not know

Yesterday we had an event with shoe designer Alexandre Birman.
I was fortunate enough to be personally introduced to him by Brad Goreski. Upon hearing that I go to WashU (represent), he told me that STL actually used to be the shoe manufacturing capital of the US (think Brown Shoe Co. and Famous Barr). Who knew? Well, he knew I guess. I also learned that shoe manufacturing and design runs deep in his family. He was li-trally born in a shoe factory in Brazil (#GLAMOUR), he joked that his first crib was a shoebox. Whatta charmer.

The event itself was filled with waiters who looked like models (there must be a niche agency specializing in this breed, no complaining here), macaroons from Laduree of which I treated myself to heartily (see below) and champagne of which I kept at an arms length. 

The event, which took place in the shoe salon on the 2nd floor, was meant to celebrate the moving of Birman’s collection from 5F to 2 - a big deal. He’s playing with the big names in shoes now- think Louboutin, YSL, Prada, Chanel, Choo, Blahnik etc. 

Christina, a BG model, posing by the center piece displaying Birman’s spring collection.
T’was quite colorful.

A close up of my favorite pair of Birmans. I think the python is rull. Rull beautiful!
No but really, I think that ish isn’t kidding around.

Alexandre Birman speaking with Olivia Palermo.
Isn’t he handsome? Isn’t she beautiful? Isn’t life unfair? 

Photo-Op: Brad Goreski, Alexandre Birman and Olivia Palermo.
Her coat is… everything. Hook an intern up? Ha! In my dreamz

Daniella, Brad Goreski and me. 

So Brad actually approached us, at least that is my perspective on it. Daniella thinks he came over to us because she was oogling him a little bit, but hey, whatever works. Am I right?

Anyway, we got to chatting and I asked him how his lunch was because I was in the elevator with him earlier in the day going up the 7th floor where the restaurant is. He said he remembered me from the elevator because of my necklace and proceeded to ask who makes it. Then I was like lolz to the cats, I made it over the summer in my infinite bordem and constant need to do crafts. Except I was way more eloquent than that, although still very truthful. He then (fairly strongly I might add) urged me to create more and sell them. So now I’m all like omgokaywhateveryousayiloveyou?  But really. He’s great.

Side note, but still related: I’m having a big moment right now with collared shirts and statement necklaces so… look out, world. Just kidding, the world don’t curr. Although it should.

Alright I’m going to stop rambling about being starstruck and just say that the event was quite lovely.

Token intern mirror picture with Daniella aka Aladdin (she said it, not me). Can you tell I was high off unlimited macaroons/glamour? Does it show? Oh really? Don’t cur.

I have been forced by my wallet to learn to cook, well, “cook”. It is a very slow process.

What my kitchen is currently stocked with
oatmeal, cheerios, tomatoes, apples, bananas, eggs, pasta, almonds, wasabi peas, pasta sauce, pesto sauce, cans of tuna, apple sauce, hummus, greek yogurt, kale, mixed greens, peanut butter, jelly, whole wheat bread, peppers, half an onion, a veggie burger, granola bars, cous cous, tofu, garlic, and lots of tea (courtesy of Lolzy Talzy)

Wow it sounds like I’m living like a queen, but I just went food shopping yesterday so it’s throwing the perspective off a lil bit. 

The point is, I’ve gone from eating out and eating the left overs as my next meal, to cooking every meal for myself except for once or twice a week… like today, I totally spoiled myself with a $2.50 falafel. The internal monologue was something like “hey self, you rock. be my valentine? how should we celebrate. let’s treat us to a falafel on the way home mmmm”

In terms of cooking… let’s just say I’ve gone from this:

Baby stepz! Also, my roommate is a mad good cook and brought half a dozen cook books. I’m hoping these factors prove to be a catalyst in my journey of becoming a (capital F, capital A) Functioning Adult. 

Yo, New York. I luh you. 
But no, seriously. I went home for the first time since moving here this past weekend and have a new found and explicit love for dis place. This feeling may have been especially amplified after I went to the mall near my suburban home before noon on a Saturday (I had a genius bar appointment, ok?). It was a #dark place to be, not literally just figuratively. There’s just so much wrong with the way mall rats/suburban massachusetts pre-teens dress, makes me shudder. ANYWAY

To List:

one
I no longer have to religiously read street style blogs because it’s all here. New York has a very different ratio of beautiful people to non-beautiful people than the rest of the places I’ve lived in, especially STL (sorry guys). And even if people aren’t beautiful, they look unique and interesting. I have caught myself taking pictures of strangers way more than is socially acceptable- although if it were me I’d be flattered. ALSO it’s currently fashion week so the eye candy is in even great quantities.

Both of these photos were taken this morning on my way to work within 30 seconds of each other. That’s how much I love strangers (yeah, I heard it). Everyone is just so damn stylish!

two
Like I just said… it’s all here. This place literally contains the highest of the high and the lowest of the low. Infinitely expensive fine dining vs. Dollar Pizza. Park Avenue penthouses vs. those who are homeless. Bergdorf’s vs. The Dollar Store. 

three
No city block, or at least no respectable city block, is complete without the corner deli. There is no reason you should ever have to walk more than one block for almost anything. Bonus: one of the deli’s near me is 24 hours and delivers. Not only can you get groceries, but toiletries, alcohol, spices, and a pseudo-meal of any kind.

four
The T in Boston closes at midnight and STL only has two subway lines (that eventually merge into one, wtf). Well, the subway here never closes. There are 24 subway lines. And one is usually a 2 minute wait away. There’s also a zillion buses but I have yet to explore that path (ha. literally).

five
I will gladly walk 30 minutes from point A to point B here. If you asked me to do that at school or at home you’d see a less happy version of me (it’s not pretty, you can confirm with my dad). Walking here is not actually a point A to point B experience because you walk by a zillion interesting things on your way to wherever (“wherever” for me is usually the subway. or the nail salon. I’m not sorry). 

Oh the things they’d say!

Actually, I have no idea how that would work and frankly it would be quite strange. The premise of this post is, most of the time I wear clothes. Just kidding. ALL the time. What am I? A nudist? That’s not chic. Anyway, here’s a peek at some of the stuff I wear to work everyday. Unfortunately I don’t have the time for these brief moments of vanity every morning, so you’ll just have to fill in the blanks with your imagination…

Luckily the office dress code is relatively relaxed- I like to think it’s pretty much everything and anything superior to the level of casual of jeans with a strong emphasis on looking stylish yet professional. Thank gawd it’s not something dressier because I do not have the stamina for heels everyday, especially while running around the office, the store, and between the two.

Seeing what people wear everyday is always fun and inspires me to be creative. However, it also makes me want to shop, real bad. Hoping to scratch that itch tomorrow.