Hello Slices of Pepperoni Pizza,So early morning start on the first proper day we had in New York, and we head down to the reception of the hotel where they had complementary blueberry, cranberry and banana muffins as well as some much needed coffee. After two cups of milky caffeine and a little bit of Holiday buzz we set off to go to the Museum in the Fashion Institute of Technology to see the two exhibitions, "American Beauty: Aesthetics and innovation in Fashion," as well as "Night and Day"
When standing outside of the FIT they had these huge fashion drawings on the window which were really stylised and very cool. Not sure whose they were but still impressive. There were a few favorites in both the museums such as the Augusta Bernard brown silk dress with green velvet bow, 1932-33, I just found the contrast of luxurious silk and tough velvet along with very ugly colours brown and green together really intriguing, and you know what it worked quite well, I thought the ugliness bounced off each other to make a spark of good looking-ness in the gown.
There was a French silk Satin Flapper dress which anything to do with the 1920's makes me shake in the knees one of my favorite eras in fashion, mixing sequins, fringes, cocktails, deep v necks, androgynous drape aaaaa cest perfect!!!
A Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel blue navy suit that caught my eye, along with a Christian Lacroix adorable turquoise silk satin dress dating back to 1988, A Marc Jacobs "picnic" day suit which had embroidered ants all over very witty and cheeky, Architectural gowns from Francisco Costa and Isabel Toledo which threw some unusual and obscure shapes into the exhibitions which i very much enjoyed. As well as an Actual Rodarte fall 2008 piece which I've literally fallen in love with the shredded tights!!!
But I have to say my favorite pieces in the museum were from the designer Jean Yu, whom I'd never heard of before. But I loved it, just the simplest drape held together by a few stitches and a black band, it just seemed if you blew a puff the dresses would slink off the mannequins body. He also did a nude flesh coloured cocktail dress which was amazing I wanted to reach out and try it on. If it wasn't for the alarms that made sure you didn't lean too close to the pieces, I probably would've. Hats off to you Jean loved it.
After quite an exhausting experience going through the museum being flabbergasted by everything, we stopped by to get some lunch with the girls, where we divulged into an "American sized" slice of pizza. Chicken. Broccoli. Mozzarella. YUM.
We headed to 5th Avenue where we first entered Macy's after previously seeing it the night before. To be honest I was quite disappointed, I expected this grandeur welcoming, but being at the Mac and Benefit counter there was no help when asked and just a general unwelcoming rudeness. I remember in Benefit a lady coming up to me saying, "wow you really need to get your eye brows done," I responded, "Darling, how kind but ironically I don't have an eyebrows," where she pulled out her last reply, "we'll make you some sweetie." Ummm... I don't think so. The Mac section wasn't any better not very approachable when asking questions about the eyeshadow as hey were too busy gossiping about they're holidays and weekends. This isn't a hairdressers!
Quickly moving away from Macy's, we went by Juicy Couture. Now never being a "Juicy kind of girl," I was in bedazzlement. On the sky high glass shop window there were pink piggy's with gold wings, a mannequin riding a pink cow print horse, huge popcorn bags, a mermaid. I thought then and there if this is Juicy I want to be in their wonderland. Inside was even better, they loved my English wellies, which I thought was a joke as I felt silly for even bringing them,they had sheep heads with metres and metres of pearls wrapped around them, cool anarchy graffiti posters, Chandeliers, gold suits of armour, amazing gold jewellery cases . I purchased a little burger charm to go on my rubbish Motorola pebble phone but they wrapped it up in pink tissue paper and had an antique brown box to hold the charm in. I am now a Juicy Lover, That day I took back any prodigious I had for Juicy Girls.
We also came across this odd looking shop and from far away I was like "wow!!! look at those chandeliers!" until we came closer and it was a sex shop, and the chandeliers were glass dildos placed together in a glass case. What a naive fool I am, although they did have some cool stuff, like pole dancer glasses, mouses for the computer in the shape of a naked women and men and pin up girls on towels. Surprisingly cool and very Kitsch.
Also on 5th, (I love it how i'm already abbreviating 5th Avenue like a wannabe New Yorker) There was the Abercrombie store which I don't know how any girl could shop in for the good looking chaps in there with their tops off.
Mui Mui had the coolest mannequins with broken gold mirrors stuck to them! Big eye catcher, and Louis Vuitton had a hot pink window with a boar showing the destinations for exotic Louis Vuitton shoppers and the destinations would change with little LV items. Displayed next to it were the cool modernised vintage Louis Vuitton luggage bags and trunks and in the shop they had a the whole top wall covered with vintage suit cases. Louis Vuitton also mesmerised me with huge stickers on the side of the building saying TOKYO LONDON PARIS e.t.c. Linking in the whole travelling idea inside and out. Compared to say Tiffany and Co. who had these tiny windows with white paper settings of scenes such as Santa on his sleigh and a ballerina, which the Tiffany items were incorporated into.
Very close to all this I found the Chanel shop which I had to go in. Now compared to England usually I wouldn't be caught dead in Chanel as afraid I would be chased by the sales assistant with her Chanel 5.5 handbag, but here although I was very timid they welcomed me in as if I were in my grans house. They were so kind letting me feel the Chanel nautical scarves and encouraging me to go upstairs to look at the shoes. I fell in love with the Chanel Muff with a Russian doll embroidered, it was on sale but still too scared to ask how much. Maybe the little paper Santa from the Tiffany and Co. display could get me one next year. I think what shocked me the most, was how much they loved my ring. It's only a 3£ jewel encrusted frog ring I got from South End by they loved it and gave me far too many complements. And the weird thing was it didn't seem like they were trying to sell me anything.
On the way back to the hotel, we noticed a Massive Christmas tree in a gap between two buildings, which I though was quite charming even though it as way past Christmas. Ironically near by were theses eerie dead black trees on the roof of this black mirrored building. In a wierd way they were phantom like and quite beautiful. It was a common theme of having objects on buildings, like near the sex shop there was this red hotel with these wicked light orbs on them. Very cool and I guess effective because it catches peoples eye.
Also very close to the Hotel (the Wolcott hotel if I hadn't mentioned it before) was a Vintage store. Being really lucky and living in Nottingham I am spoilt for choice with vintage stores such as Cow or Wilder or even the Vintage Warehouse which got recommended in Vogue! Going in it was all in circular rails and labelled 50's dresses, 70's denim e.t.c and the sequin section and multi coloured feather boa section was to die for. I even managed to try on some ridiculous 1970's plastic heels which put me at the same height as empire state! but was slightly disappointed to find a little clutch with faux fur was $260. I think I'll stick to Nottingham when it comes to vintage.
Before we had dinner we went to China town quickly where we found Canal street, every where you went all you heard was "Louis Louis, Chanel Chanel, Tiffany Tiffany, Rolex, Rolex." Now I felt guilty just coming form the real Chanel shop to be in a shop where a man had his fake Chanel in a plastic bag in a locked cupboard. They looked so sad so I found myself buying one for $40 dollars and in these places you have to haggle, I lived in Asia I know how to haggle, so from $60 to $40 I got myself a fake white 5.5 hand bag, and a $15 dollar necklace. Yes I feel bad it's not real but not guilty enough not to get one.
Very close by to the bustling China town and Canal street was the charming little Italy. And it really is Little Italy for a reason. We chose a little restaurant in the middle where it was buzzing, customers chatting, food was smelling Delicious and the waiters were flamboyant, and held the Italian charm, "bella bella sit down your so beautiful." Cheese!
After our meal were I had a clam pasta i think all I remember was it was extremely good! we went outside where one of the owners from the restaurant was hanging by a white limo which had about an inch of snow on it's roof. The Crazy Italian man was like "girls do you want the limo for an hour," but I think we were crazy as well because we said Yes! The limo driver took us around Time Square while we were dancing to Ke$ha and r and b and just still taking in we were in a Limo in Time square, which was amazing and a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but the lights were literally out if this world! after being dropped off and having many a photo next to the limo, we thought our day couldn't get better. After taking in the beams, flashes and luminosity of all the billboard posters we walked into American Eagle. Nothing really too impressive until my friend bought some socks. Because she had purchased something we could get our photo taken and it would go up in Time Square! I thought one of the lights in Time Square had just exploded because this was amazing!!!! and voila faces in Time square. This is such a good marketing tool for American Eagle, to get customers to buy something so they could get their faces on Time Square! Genius especially a catch for tourists, it's like a Fisherman catching Fish!
This was only Day 1 my fellow Fish Fingers but I'll update you more on my New York Shenannigans!
