racked.com fashion week swag bag giveaway

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i recently entered racked.com's fashion week swag bag giveaway, where entrants were asked to give their best quote of what sean lennon was saying to yoko ono in a photo from the threeASFOUR fashion show. my entry was chosen as one of the top 10. who knew such sarcasm would one day come in handy?

the top 10 entries were then voted on racked.com.

and....i ended up winning! winning what, you ask? stuff. let me show you.

thanks to all the beautiful people who voted...especially the small, canadian army contingent of voters (who actually had a facebook link going!) too much, peoples, too much.

of course, muchas gracias to racked.com for holding a fabulous contest!

restaurant weekend review

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a meh weekend for food...here are the reviews.

first stop: minca.

suggested as an alternative ramen place. had the spicy miso ramen. only meh. the broth cannot touch that of ippudo.

minca. 536 e 5th st (b/t avenue a & b)

second stop: isabella's.

isabella's is a hopping place for brunch (which is when we went). crowds were waiting outside (in the rain) for a table. the turnover was rather quick and we only waited 20 minutes or so. of course, i had to try the filet mignon eggs benedict. description (in ordered layers): english muffin, onion ring, filet mignon, poached egg, gravy-esque hollandaise sauce. the dish also came with a generous serving of homefries. it was definitely worth trying.

isabella's. 359 columbus ave (at 77th st)

third stop: ichi umi.

aahhh, ichi umi. touted for being a gargantuan of sushi, korean, chinese, and more buffet. here's what you can dream about from ichi umi: seafood (including lobster, softshell crab, oysters), sushi (including maki, nigiri, sashimi), soup station, grill station, dessert, fruit & ice cream stations.

here's the reality: all of the above is mediocre at best. bahhh.

ichi umi. 6 e 32nd st (b/t 5th & park ave)

red hook recreation center

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this weekend, my friend and i trekked out to the red hook recreation center soccer fields in search of latin street food. we weren't disappointed.

red hook recreation center, intersection of bay & clinton st, brooklyn.

numerous vendors line the intersection surrounding the soccer field selling a variety of latin food delicacies. we tried some el salvadorian food including pupusa & yuca frita. the best thing i had by far was the elote. of course, i had to have one with mayonnaise, cheese & chili toppings. sound ridiculous? see below...


my friend who was visiting is definitely not a shopper. so, it was a food weekend...more reviews laters.

happening this week

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this week's sales:

tory burch sample sale
september 29 - october 1, 10-7pm
261 w 36th st, 2nd flr (b/t 6&7th ave)

luca luca sample sale
september 29 - oct 3, 8:30-7pm (tues-fri) and 11-5pm (sat&sun)
19 w 36th st, 4th flr
rsvp@lucaluca.com, 212-755-2444

7 for all mankind warehouse sale
october 2 - 4, 10-8pm
metropolitan pavilion
123 w 18th st, 5th flr (b/t 6&7th ave)
rsvp at www.7forallmankind.thewarehousesale.com

uniqlo: tights!

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a popular japanese brand with a store in soho--that's uniqlo. it's got pretty much everything. the store in soho is huge. with cheap to moderate price points, it's a good place for basics...and tights.

in my mission to never (or hardly ever) wear pants again, tights are a must in colder weather. usually my go-to store for tights is urban outfitters. until now. opaque colored tights at uniqlo are a mere $4.90. patterned tights run at $10.90.

uniqlo
546 broadway, b/t prince st & spring st

current obsessions: bcbg

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bcbg textured tube skirt (shown in teal). $138

mo's bacon bar by vosges

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my sister picked out this bar of chocolate as a last minute purchase while in the checkout line at wholefoods and then didn't take it home with her. so, i had to eat it.

vosges haut-chocolat: mo's bacon bar. (applewood smoked bacon, alderwood smoked salt, deep milk chocolate) $7.50

here is vosges mission statement:

"The Vosges Haut-Chocolat mission is to create a luxury chocolate experience rooted in a sensory journey of bringing about awareness to indigenous cultures through the exploration of spices, herbs, roots, flowers, fruits, nuts, chocolate and the obscure. We invite you to be aware and open to the many cultures, artists and theories of the world's people, through the medium of chocolate. What better way to learn about a culture, person or object than through eating. If we can embrace the idea of trying something new such as the perplexing oddity of curry and chocolate, we just may come one step closer to bringing peace to the world through chocolate. One Love, One Chocolate. "

whatev. the real question is: how does it taste?

pretty good, peoples, pretty good.

another vosges item i want to try:

bacon caramel toffee. $12

full line of exotic chocolate bars here.

mackage winner

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mackage nadine: ¾ length wool coat with asymmetrical zip closure; tall round collar and leather belt at waist. $640

again, same price in canadian and american dollars on mackage's website. number crunching leads me to save ~$70 cdn by purchasing in canada.

this jacket was surprisingly a close second:

mackage aura. $560

the fit of the aura jacket xxs is perfect. just not exactly what i was looking for.

for those interested, the mackage pop-up store in the meatpacking district is staying put until december.

mackage pop-up store
washington st between little west 12th & gansevoort

upcoming sales & new food faves

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this week's sales:

sample sale productions
september 24-26th, thurs & fri 10-6pm, sat 10-5pm
135 w 52 st, 5th flr, b/t 6 & 7th ave

only hearts annual sample sale
september 24-26th, thurs 11-7:30pm, fri 11-8pm, sat 1-6pm, sun 11-6pm
386 columbus ave, nr 78th st

steven dann sample sale
september 24-28th, 11-9pm
220 lafayette st, nr spring st

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now for food thoughts:

originating from l.a., bcd tofu house is my new fave korean spot in the city. we went for lunch to avoid the wait and as a bonus, the monday to friday lunch menu is a deal. paying an average of $15 each for lunch was enough to eat ourselves ridiculously silly (and with leftovers packed!)

bcd tofu house
17 w 32 st

i also finally tried the parisien macarons from la maison du chocolat:

they are decadent. and also expensive at $2.50 each for a macaron the size of a toonie. not an everyday item for consumption.

most people i know who have been living in the city for awhile swear by the banana pudding at magnolia bakery and scoff at the cupcakes there. now i know why:

magnolia bakery banana pudding $5.50 (nearly empty container)

so good, i already bought a new one:

magnolia bakery
1240 avenue of the americas (rockefeller center)

i went to a housewarming this past weekend (in hell's kitchen, meh). my cousin's-roommate's-co-worker was telling me about this amazing sushi buffet called ichi umi. it definitely looks like a place where you could eat yourself silly.

why i heart loehmann's

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i had a friend visiting this weekend and after she left this afternoon, i headed to the meatpacking district to try on many mackage jackets. after mackage, i walked up to the chelsea loehmann's to check out the fall designer sale that started this past thursday. i only knew about it because they sent me a coupon in the mail for an extra 15% off. yesterday, i almost drove my friend crazy looking for a boyfriend blazer while we were shopping, and was ultimately unsuccessful. today, i found exactly what i was looking for:

bill tornade boyfriend blazer. (retail $220) loehmann's price with extra 15% off $60

there were also many designer shoes. and numerous customers browsing those shoes. i was looking for dark-coloured booties...i tried on quite a few: a nice black pair from prada, a really cute brown pair from giuseppe zanotti, and a pair from chloe. the giuseppe zanotti ones were still over my budget (discounted at $359 from $890). if they had been more discounted, i may have gotten them. i did find these towering opentoe booties from l.a.m.b.

l.a.m.b. booties. (retail $400) loehmann's price with extra 15% off $85

loehmann's fall designer sale
ongoing, 15% coupon valid until september 22nd
101 7th ave, nr 17th st
and
2101 broadway, nr 73rd st

hiatus over

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my sister was here for a week and i took a few vacation days while she was here. hence the blogging silence. we went to the US open tennis men's semi-finals. the matches themselves were meh (ie. one-sided), and really, the entertainment was all in trying to figure out how many celebrities were in the box seats. there were many. highlights were gavin rossdale & gwen stefani sitting beside anna wintour (avec sunglasses, of course), JT, donald trump (who had the best box beside the commentators), ben stiller (who looked a mess) and jack nicholson.

the entire week, we basically ate ourselves silly...more about that later.

we made a day trip out to woodbury common premium outlets. possibly the most ridiculous outlet mall imaginable. we both bought a few things. i wanted to buy many items from catherine malandrino, but even at outlet prices, it was too expensive. here's one of the items i got:

laundry by shelly segal chiffon tunic. (from nieman marcus last call)

back to city shopping. first day of hayden-harnett's first annual KAPOW! cleaning sale. 60-80% of spring/summer apparel, shoes, & bags. it was a calm frenzy when i got there after work. merchandise was certainly flying off the racks. the swimsuits were a deal at $25. i got this one:

hayden-harnett 2 piece in painterly. (retail $78) sale $25

i then decided to try on a few other swimsuits, and since there was only 1 changing room, had to wait in line again. i was behind these girls who had a bunch of dresses in their hands. upon exiting the change room, they left all the dresses behind. so, i tried them on since they were size xs (and bought 2!)

hayden-harnett penelope dress. (retail $275) sale $55

hayden-harnett artemis dress. (retail $348) sale $69.60

there were lots of nice sandals and boots. only if you have small or large feet (size 5/6 and >8). if you have normal feet, you're out of luck. lots of bags as well...nothing special. if you've had your eye on an h-h bag from the spring collection, now would be the time to get it though.

hayden-harnett's first annual KAPOW! cleaning sale
253 elizabeth st
212.334.2247
september 18-20th, 12-8pm

other sales this weekend:

alvin valley sample sale
1431 broadway, b/t broadway & 7th ave, 10th floor, entrance on 40th
september 19th, 12-7pm

chloe & reese sample sale
313 w. 37th st, suite 601, west of 8th ave
september 19th, 11-5pm

maxx bags
385 5th ave, nr 36th street, 10th floor
september 19th, 11-4pm

save the date: fashion's night out

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unless you've been living under a rock of late, you know that this thursday is fashion's night out. touted as an event to inspire consumers, invigorate the economy and local industry. it's an ambitious objective.

fashion's night out nyc. most events 6pm - 11pm.

there are too many events to comprehensively review...so here are my picks.

bergdorf goodman.
big fashion names will be on-site at bergdorf goodman doing various things, ranging from a fashion game show to selling paintings. who? andre leon talley, donna karan, annie leibovitz, cynthia rowley, zac posen, alexander wang et al.
754 5th ave, near 58th

barney's.
the main draw to hit up barney's would be checking out the olsen twins' outfits while they (gasp) bartend.
660 madison avenue

soho h&m.
miss j (america's next top model runway guru) will be teaching shoppers how to walk the runway.
soho 515 broadway, between broome st & spring st

teen vogue bleecker street block party.
runway show featuring rag & bone, cynthia rowley et al.

burberry.
enter to win a burberry trench coat. of course, what wardrobe would be complete without a burberry trench?
9 e 57th st, at 5th ave

$5,000 shopping spree.
enter online daily to win, 8 winners will receive $5,000 grand prizes.
enter here.

anna sui for target pop-up shop.
this pop-up shop will save a trip out to brooklyn's target where the anna sui for target line will debut september 13. hit up the pop-up store on september 10 for an advance purchase, and likely see a few of the gossip girl cast along the way.

anna sui for target, blair's look.

anna sui for target, vanessa's look.

anna sui for target pop-up store.
september 10-12; thurs 11-11pm, fri&sat 11-8pm
54 crosby st, near spring st

best bets for itinerary are soho and then 5th ave midtown/upper east...

current obsessions: mackage fall 2009

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ever since seeing the runway photos for mackage fall 2009, i have been patiently waiting for the line to hit the stores.


it's a far cry from winter weather in the city, but mackage's 1-month pop-up store in the meatpacking district just opened on september 1st and since i need a new winter jacket, i thought it would be a good time for review... the following are the pieces (all wools) i want to try on.

trixie. $590

nadine. $640

raffy. $490

miley. $620

joelle. $580

i favour the joelle and nadine styles. not surprising, the same price is listed in canadian and american dollars on mackage's website. i need to do some serious number crunching regarding exchange rates versus canadian taxes versus new york taxes before deciding what country to purchase from...

mackage pop-up store

washington st between little west 12th & gansevoort

month of september

chloe & reese. who?

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i booked it out of work tonight to head to the garment district to check out the chloe & reese sample sale. i'm not really familiar with this nyc label, only 1.5 yrs in the making, but decided it was worth a look. apparently the label is retailing at saks & intermix in the city...tho have not seen any of their pieces at intermix per se.

made it at 6:30pm, sale listed to be ending at 7pm, but the sales lady there was super nice and did not seem to be in a rush to herd shoppers out. there were some really nice pieces, in particular, the dresses. the cut of these dresses is fit. i tried on quite a few pieces and settled on these two.

chloe & reese wool camel dress
perfect for heading into fall wear.

chloe & reese wool pencil skirt

what also impressed me is the quality of wool. the material is soft, and certainly far from being itchy.

on the topic of it's-a-small-world, one of the other fellow shoppers at this sale was samplesally. i frequent her blog often, and it was great to put a face to the blogger. shout out.

i've also decided to start posting deets about these sales, for city readers who want to check it out themselves.

chloe & reese sample sale
sept 2-4; 10-7pm
313 w. 37th st, suite 601 (west of 8th ave)