NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU

Today is the 10th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, but instead of writing about the horror and grieve of the day, I would like to post something more uplifting. New York has always been a place of hope and dreams. Although some have been destroyed that fateful day, the city was never disheartened, and now 10 years later, we are stronger and safer.

On a lighter note, the city just celebrated the third annual Fashions Night Out, on Thursday night, September 8th. The initiative which began only in New York and after the recession, has grown and was celebrated by thousands all around the world. I spent the night with my father and brother Ralph, like I did in the past. We walked along 5th avenue, and went into many shops along the way. Some highlights include, meeting the creator of Hello Kitty in Sephora, trying on heels in Miu Miu, seeing the crowd surrounding Nicki Minaj outside YSL and sadly, missing Rachel Zoe by mere minutes inside Bloomingdales. Never the less, it was a fabulous night filled with high spirits about fashion, fun and most importantly New York.

The iconic BG

One of the things Bergdorf Goodman is known for, besides their amazing shoe salon on 2, is their iconic windows. Each season they put on dazzling spectacles inside their 5th ave windows. From memory, the windows have referenced everything from children stories (princess and the pea, red riding hood) to Marie Antoinette (filled with hundreds of French Patisserie) and everything beyond boundaries and imagination. Each year they continue to inspire me, its like a real-life 'I Spy'!


For Fashions Night Out, Bergdorf had real performers inside the windows. One window was a woman talking to taxidermy animals, another was men cutting down trees in a forest, and another was a 50's band performing from inside, but my favorite window was of two french maids decorating the window with hundreds of tiny doll clothes. So adorable!!

One of the several cheeky windows at BG.
These girls were inside the window for hours decorating and hanging up doll clothes!

THE shoes of the season. MUST HAVE ASAP

My father with Roopal Patel and Ken Downing of Neiman Marcus.
Standing in Bergdorfs by the SD counter

Standing in front of Theory on Madison with the FNO window. My outfit breakdown below

Skirt: Pleasure Doing Business. Sweater: Topshop. Jacket: Gap.
Flats: Rock and Republic. Tote bag. BookMarc (from MJ)

 And now the jewelry....

Stephen Dweck coral bead necklace, mix of SD rings,
 mix of SD bronze and turquoise bracelets, Casio watch

The best picture of the night...

Me and my brother Ralph tweeting/facebooking in style

Did you celebrated FNO in NYC or anywhere else around the world. I would LOVE to know, and until then I cant wait for next year!

VINTAGE POSTERS+FACES

The decor of my family home can be summed up into the statement "more is always more." Every single square inch of my house in Allenhurst, New Jersey is covered in upholstery, furniture, antiques, or all three. My parents treasures from early-morning flea markets have become their most prized and precious possessions. And to them, more is always more! 

When my parents first began decorating our home, they knew that no wall would be left bare. The pictures below is of one of the little corners in the kitchen is covered entirely in vintage posters and the facing wall, antique faces. Although never photographed in Elle Decor a few years back, this little corner is my favorite spot of the house. 

The entire wall covered in vintage posters.
Since its in the kitchen, all the posters are of food and kitchen products! 

Just a small peek at the wall filled with antiques and faces.
In total there are 22 faces, and counting!

This BEYOND amazing Dweck necklace, has every single color, stone and charm that mixes together perfectly! This necklace reminds me of the wall above because of the way the colors and textures blend into each other, resulting in a gorgeous necklace.

The ultimate collector's necklace. The best of everything Dweck!!

My matching pastels.
Shirt: J Crew. Shorts: American Apparel. Belt: Uniqlo. All Jewelry: Stephen Dweck

GILDED

From the second I bought my American Apparel clutch, I knew it was screaming for a DIY. Luckily I literally found on every blog that they coolest thing right now is to paint the bottom a contrasting, striking color. Out of all the metallics, opaque bronzey-gold is my favorite. I used an acrylic paint, (which can be used on any material), painters tape to make an exact line and a foam brush. 


The result: perfection!

My new pouch with a classic laid back outfit.
Lots of shiny bronze jewelry: Stephen Dweck. 

My comfy, go to outfit:
T Shirt: Alexander Wang. Shorts: Gap. Shoes: Naot
(I promise, my sandals are really comfortable and not completely unfashionable!)  

A jumble of my chain necklaces on my new gilded pouch

Upon being impressed by my clutch, I used the paint to spruce up a pair of really cute wedges. The original heel was rubber and dirty, so the new gold paint gave it a second life! The wedges now look 1000 times more exotic, which is a perfect pairing for Dweck jewelry!

Shoes: Cynthia Steffe for Target

Im not sure what I am going to paint next, but Im very excited! Any ideas!??

GOING OUT

I thought it was time to be a good blogger and take pictures of my outfits and jewelry styling. Since I was in a rush (as usual), I didn't get a full head to toe picture, but next time I will!

This Rodarte for Target dress is really adorable, with a lacy camisole slip underneath and tulle on top and bows on the shoulders. Sometimes it looks babyish, other times it looks ballerina-ish but this time it looked tougher. I was going for a 'cool' look with dark bronze colorful jewelry and studded Miu Miu heels. BTW the dress was $40, which makes me really happy, especially since the real stuff retails for thousands!

Dress: Rodarte for Target. Fur: vintage. Everything else: Stephen Dweck Jewelry

 And the next night I didn't take a picture at all, silly me!! Anyway, this Lanvin for H&M dress is also stunning, with ruffles and a flower print that is 100% Lanvin. The cuffs are black agate set on leather and grosgrain ribbon that ties them up. They are my go-to accessories to toughen up a look. The necklace is also a favorite, with shiny bronze and a mix of colorful stones. The earrings are also spectacular, with an engraving on the top that makes them elegant yet sexy.

Dress: Lanvin for H&M. Everything else: Stephen Dweck Jewelry

Shiny bronze and amethyst carved earrings.
Hard to believe but they are clip-ons and light as air, perfect for a long night.

WOOD AND METAL

The other day at the Barney's Warehouse Sale I came across the most genius shoes. Im a very big shoe girl and I was ecstatic I when I found these treasures in the midst of chaos and mess. Through piles of 7's and single shoes of too many designers, I found these Marni wood sculptural wedges with metal on the heels. They retailed for $935 but I got them for $150- definitely a bargain. I have a feeling they will be part of a lot of future outfits.

Here I pair them with a wood ball and silver charm necklace. The necklace is definitely a statement and obviously gorgeous. With the rings, the more the merrier.

Dress: Topshop. Shoes: Marni. Lipstick: Urban Decay. All Jewelry: Stephen Dweck

Some of my wood and metal statement makers. For similar pieces check out stephendweck.com