I had the opportunity to visit The City of Angels for a couple of days this month. The Cali weather was impeccable and the shopping was addicting to say the least. One of my best friends, Tiona, recently moved out there and showed me the best time in LA. From blowouts to thrift shopping, stay tuned for a full travel post with details of my Cali trip!
These are definitely some of our favorite photos to date! After brunching in the Lower East Side (see part 1 of our travel post for deets), we wandered around and found these amazing iron church gates and had to seize the moment! Reb found this great top the day before, shopping on 5th ave at Zara and decided to go for the cream-on-white-on-snow look for our Sunday Funday in the city.
blogged while listening to Joni Mitchell, “Chelsea Morning” Top Stitched T-Shirt in Ecru; Zara.Avedon Skinny Jeans in White, Citizens of Humanity.Cool Ter Leather Wedge Sneakers, Ash. Bindi Bangle Set, Free People. Ippolita Turquoise Rock Candy ring, similar here. “Remmy” Sunnies, Raen. Louis Vuitton “Sully MM.”
As we said in Part I of our NYC travel post, we got invited by Jenny Chase to attend her curated tradeshow with some amazing international designers – Formshow NYC. Not only were we wow-ed by the clothes and the atmosphere, but more importantly we learned how each designer is dedicated to their craft and to giving back.
There were 22 talented designers to attend the show, but we decided to highlight a few of our favorites!
Valigi – Valigi is an Italian line that had no problem catching our eye. In our opinion, Valigi is a combination of The Row & Theory, with a bit of a Tibi flare. Each piece had a modern but yet classic component that we were really drawn to aka we can’t wait to get our hands on our very own pieces. Valeria, the designer, was unbelievably sweet and we could truly see how proud she was of her designs!
Wylie Wilson – First and foremost, this lingerie is awesome & looks uber comfortable. For those of you that loathe wearing bras, these are the solution for you. Some of the Wylie Wilson bras can even function as swimwear as well! Wyle Wilson is owned and designed by Australian actress, Peta Wilson. Wylie is working with Pegasus, a program to liberate those in bondage in India & Nepal. We think what she is doing is amazing.
I-OWE YOU – I Owe You consists of authentic, unique, and fashionable pieces. You can track the journey of each handmade piece, bringing awareness to the artisans who create each garment. In purchasing a piece, “you are completing the story.” Kavita, the designer, told us. From the devoted IOU weavers to the designers, this is a truly a unique & inspiring experience.
Calleen Cordero – We are absolutely in love with these gorgeous American handmade shoes, belts & bags. They capture the cali-style perfectly and are made of the most amazing leather & stud detail. Totally lusting after the sandals in the Spring Collection. Nanette Lepore used Calleen Cordero shows in her latest runway show, see it here.
We had the best time walking around, holding pretty things, and talking to the utmost talented international designers. We really enjoyed how each designer had various ways of giving back to the community. Check out Harriet Selling and Parker Blue Collection if you are interested in other cool designers.
Rebecca and I had the opportunity to shoot with the amazing team at J & D Photography. This was my first professional photo shoot and to say I was nervous would be the understatement of the century.
I quickly realized once I got on site that I didn’t even need to pop open my bottle of Veuve Clicquot because of how easy it is to work with and to be around Jada & David Parrish from J & D Photography. One of my favorite parts about my experience with them was the insightful direction they offered throughout the entire shoot. David and Jada know their stuff and to be honest, I felt like a movie star.
What more can you ask out of a photographer for a special occasion than to feel like a movie star and recieve mind-blowing photographs as a result of it?
I can’t stress enough that David & Jada are a blast to work with, extremely talented (as you can see in the pictures below), and truly know how to elicit your best for an array of incredible photographs. If you like what you see, mosey on over to http://www.j-dphoto.com to see all of the amazing things these two have done! Jada and David do a wide range of photography from destination weddings to boudoir shoots. If you have an itch to do a photo shoot or are getting hitched anytime soon, what are you waiting for? I highly recommend you contact Jada and David for an unforgettable experience.
PS How awesome are these overalls? No, they aren’t OshKosh B’gosh. Outfit details are below and stay tuned for my next outfit post with pictures from J & D Photography!
Reb found this fabulous Alana Robe at Free People Manhattan during our trip and just had to put it on immediately! It turns her usual jeans-and-a-white-tee outfit from blah to fun with the addition of the necklace and bangles.
The Crystal Press was so excited to be invited up to The Big Apple to attend an international tradeshow called Formshow NYC. How can we say no to New York City when it involves fabulous fashion designers, one of a kind shopping, and a quick ride on Amtrak? If you are wondering why we are drinking Coronas in the dead of winter in the picture below, let’s just say we like to be reminded that warm weather still exists.
Speaking of weather, it was no surprise that it was snowing the moment we got out of Penn Station. We have had our fill of snow this winter in Richmond, and the weather man did not warn about this impending doom in NYC. That being said, the day we arrived was our designated shopping day, and we refused to let the snow wreak havoc on our big plans.
As soon as we got to the city, we checked into The Wyndham Garden Hotel in Chelsea. When we travel, we use Kayak for the best deals on quality hotels and that is exactly how we got lucky with The Wyndham. Kayak made sure we got all the accommodations we requested, including an early check in. Did we mention the Hotel was also 100% Green & Eco-Friendly?
Then it was time to hit the snowy streets! Our first stop was Free People.
Just recently, Richmond was blessed (cue Big Sean’s new song feat Drake) with a Free People store of our own. Talk about a Hallelujah. The Crystal Press loves the brand and the girls that work at our home store, and we were stoked when we saw that the FP 5th Avenue store was only blocks from our hotel. We walked out of that store ecstatic over new purchases, but not so much over our bank accounts. (this robe & bangles! this beanie!)
PS Don’t you dare think our shopaholic selves stopped there, we also scored some beautiful purchases at Zara, Nordstrom’s Rack (found these white boots!), and Steve Madden.
After our snowy shopping expedition and money very well spent, we felt obvious cause for celebration. Cheers to NYC, the new additions to our closets, and our room with a view (lol).
If you are the curious type, that teeny tiny bottle of mystery in the picture below is here.
After getting ready and pretending our fancy would last through the weather, Barrio Chino lured us back out into the snow. Let us be clear: not just any restaurant would get these two warm-weather-loving-ladies out into a snowy mess. Barrio Chino is a must see restaurant in NYC with a variety of awesome margaritas and the best guacamole in the Lower East Side. Yes, we ordered two helpings. If you get the opportunity to go to this hot spot, you must try the Habanero Grapefruit or Watermelon Margarita.
Remember how we mentioned that The Crystal Press loves warm weather and Coronas? Well, Sunday morning we hit Fonda in the East Village for some more guacamole and a bottomless brunch to meet friends. No, this is not a coincidence and yes, both mexi-meals were premeditated. Between the bottomless mimosas, bloody marys, and frozen hibiscus rosalitas (a must try), we had yet another delicious Mexican meal at Fonda. If you are a fan of traditional huevos rancheros, try the Huevos Divorciados for a twist on your favorite brunch experience.
Being Oscar weekend, we had made steadfast plans to be in front of a TV for the red carpet hour. After prancing around, thrifting, and exploring the city, we realized that it was getting dangerously close to that time. We didn’t want to miss a minute, but as we passed through Washington Square Park, Eataly was calling our name.Thankfully it was across the street from The Wyndham and we had time for a charcuterie plate and the most extraordinary glass of rose in La Piazza. (It was the 2013 Scalabrone Tenuta Guado al Tasso. Go there. Get a glass.)
One glass clearly wasn’t enough, so we opted for a bottle of 2013 Rosato di Refosco, Bastianich from the Eataly Wine Store in honor of the Oscars. Because, the Oscars. And it certainly did not disappoint.
Why are we in bed and not attending a fancy schmancy Oscar party? Why not take advantage of the glorious king bed. But really, the truth is we had to get our beauty sleep in anticipation of Formshow NYC the next day. Stay tuned for our next post about our time at the show & all of the fabulously inspiring designers we got to meet.
I have never thought of myself as a beanie girl until I was forced into buying this hat by a combination of wrongful tourist assumptions & the New York City windy streets. Leave it to the beautiful brand of Free People to change my mind. I have been working this slouchy beanie into all of my outfits since, herego – cathclaire is now a beanie girl.
Who says you can’t wear a tank top in the middle of the winter? Just like that Reb transformed her favorite Buy Me Brunch over-the-bathing-suit tank into a winter outfit by throwing on equally outrageous fur coat and red lipstick courtesy of Nars. (And this is actually what she wore to dinner on Valentine’s Day!)
We are blessed with so many beautiful places in Richmond! We spent some time at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts the other day and absolutely love the Pink Marble Hall.
Hardywood Craft Brewery is one of our go-to spots for craft beer here in Richmond. It is usually slammed with people but we love the vibe there so we decided to get there a little early and snap some pix before it got too crowded. Of course we celebrated with their Gingerbread Stout post-shoot at the inside tasting room! (Ps. We are absolutely obsessed with the piano wire bracelets from Bee Charming Jewelry! They are perfect for stacking.)
