Travel in Style

In keeping with the travel theme I've sporadically had going on this month, today's post is about being (style) ready to hop on an airplane. 

I can count the number of times I flew before the age of 18 on one hand—two fingers, really—once to Florida around the age of 10 and again on a school sanctioned trip to California when I was a freshman in high school. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I likely wasn't terribly stylish, as I never put much thought into how I looked growing up (more on that here). In college, I finally started to get the hang of flying somewhat sporadically, with three trips in consecutive years to Vegas, another trip back to LA, a spring break in Florida and my first time abroad in Italy. I like to think my travel style improved, but really, college is about comfort over fashion—although I can guarantee I was at least in jeans, since I've never been a big fan of sweatpants outside of frigid weekends I spend on my couch. 

Now, I fly at least three or four times a year, on top of train and bus travel around the East Coast. This year alone has included a trip to Phoenix, London, two visits to D.C., several trips to Long Island and multiple flights back home. 2015 is looking just as packed, as I'm hoping to squeeze another European visit and Phoenix trip (where my best friend lives) in between a few trips home, a bachelorette party in the Ozarks and a wedding in Illinois. Racking up those frequent flyer miles has also helped me work on my travel style game, narrowing in on what works and what doesn't when I want to zip through security quickly, since I'm one of those people who shows up maybe an hour before my flight leaves. 

Since I frequently fly between different climates (ahem, winter in Iowa), and it can get pretty hot hauling your luggage around the airport but cold on the plane, I focus on layers, usually a t-shirt or light sweater layered with another sweater or pullover. Once I'm in the airport I tend to carry my coat til I get off the plane because I hate the extra bulk, so I always have a scarf within reach in my bag. Keeping the outfit hue neutral or dark makes it easy to look chic, and I usually wear heeled ankle boots because they're both awkward to pack and easy to style. Since I usually travel late at night or early in the morning (looking at you, 6a flight home next month!), I keep my makeup minimal as I'm sure you can tell by these photos. Light BB cream/face powder, a coat or two of mascara since my eyelashes are naturally half blonde, and a bright lipstick. I stash a small makeup bag with non-liquid essentials in my purse and tuck the rest that I'm traveling with in my liquids baggie or suitcase! I also keep a pair of sparkly earrings or a necklace on hand in case I need to look more put-together once I'm off the plane. 

Wearing: Kenneth Cole Sweater c/o Zappos || BCBGeneration Scarf c/o Zappos || Acne Studios Jeans

Sole Society Bucket Bag || Nine West Boots c/o Zappos || Gerard Yosca earrings c/o

White After Labor Day

September, man…

Halfway through, and yet it feels like we just got going. What started as an unintentional hiatus here turned intentional after a few days. It was a hard decision to make, consciously letting go of the content I'd been trying to build up and ignore the numbers in favor of focusing on my personal and professional lives outside this space, but it was necessary.

Now that I'm ready to dive back in, I'm also working on creating some new content outside of "hey, here's what I was wearing when I did ________ over the weekend"...as much as I love a pretty outfit picture, I know that I love coming to blogs to discover new and exciting things and I hope to be able to bring more of that to this space! Stay tuned. In the mean time, here's a "hey, here's what I wore to NYFW and my Zappos Recharge event weekend before last" post ;) 

While I've been stepping back from NYFW in recent seasons now that I don't attend quite as much for work, it's still impossible to avoid completely...but this season I think I found the perfect mix of meet-ups, events, shows and downtime (note to self: next time, don't get back from a trip 36 hours before it all starts and it'll go even smoother!). Breaking chronological order here, this look is from Sunday, when I spent the day catching up with a girlfriend over brunch at a new-to-us spot in the West Village, swinging by a presentation downtown and heading up to Lincoln Center to host a style session at the Zappos Recharge booth. If you dropped by to say hello, thank you!! It was a ton of fun, the Zappos team is a blast to hang out with (and I was majorly coveting all the pieces they had on set, natch).

I've already broken the no-white-after-Labor-Day rule multiple times, but I've never been very good at following rules in the first place. On my last night at home, my mom and I were clearing out an old closet (saying goodbye to all my school formal dresses...a little sorry I don't have pics from that for a good laugh, but there is a great one at the bottom of this post!) and we came across a few silk skirt-suits of hers from the 80's. She said she'd never wear them again and they luckily fit me (a little tightly), so I stuffed my suitcase to fit them in! This skirt is from one set, with the jacket, it's a little Victorian/older Chanel looking and I opted to dress it down thanks to the hot temps and my supreme laziness (sorry, mom!). 

And, just for fun…if you've ever wondered what fashion bloggers are like when they're taking pictures of themselves, on, the street, so we can post pictures of ourselves on the Internet…well, I can't answer for everyone else, but I can tell you I get pretty ridiculous. If I haven't seen the person taking my pictures in a while, I use it as an opportunity to play catch-up. Which means about 65% of the photos end up with me looking ridiculous. I'd guess another 15% of the time I'm doing things like the below, which is what happens when I'm tired and…gesturing? Walking like an Egyptian? Auditioning for Wheel of Fortune (Vanna White retired, right)? At this point, even I don't know.

J. Crew Linen T-shirt || Vintage Silk Skirt (similar) || Steve Madden Backpack via Zappos

Converse All-Stars || Michael Kors Watch || Three Jane NY Map Necklace || Illesteva Sunglasses

P.S.—if you want to see more outfit outtakes, let me know in the comments!

Photos by Emily Tozer

Fall Plaid + NYFW Details

You guys, it's September. If you're in denial about the unofficial end of summer, don't worry, I'm right there with you. Acknowledging it means the true end of summer is fast approaching (just over two weeks away!) and I know how winter likes to rush in and ruin everything. In the meantime, though, us NY'ers are using NYFW as one big distraction, and the weather has been hot and humid to match.

Usually, I start prepping and planning for September fashion week about two months in advance (this is the sixth NYFW season I've participated in!), cleaning up some of my press documents and getting on the radar of a few fashion PR agencies, getting an idea of what I'll want to wear and whether said item is already in my closet. This year has been a tad different after spending so much time away recently for my sister's wedding and a few things on the job-related front, but what I really love most about NYFW in September are the events and chance to catch up with so many friends who travel in to town. 

In between some other shows and events this weekend, I'm really excited to announce I'll be hosting a styling session with Zappos at their Zappos Recharge station, directly across from Lincoln Center, on Sunday from 2:30-3p! If you're in the city (even if you're not attending shows that day) please come by and say hi! If you are attending shows and need a break this weekend, Zappos Recharge is the place to be…they'll have fresh Blueprint juices, charging stations for all your electronics (especially important if your phone is anything like mine!), beauty and braid bars to touch up your look, a dress-up closet, runway and photo booth, from 10a-7p on Saturday and 2-7p on Sunday.

You also may spot me in this Joie skirt sometime this weekend…Zappos carries over a dozen designers that show during fashion week, and since plaid is a huge trend for fall I jumped at the chance to add a fun plaid mini to my closet. It took me a few tries to make sure I didn't look too school-girl in the rest of my look (especially since I really insist on wearing sneakers as much as possible) but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for styling it now.

Joie Skirt c/o Zappos || Zoe Karssen T-Shirt || Converse sneakers in Optical White c/o Zappos

Bite Beauty Lipstick in Violet || Sequin and Baublebar Bracelets

Summer Rain

A few weeks ago, my friends and I hatched a plan to drive out to Jones Beach for an entire day, which you may remember is on my summer to-do list…car was booked, work was requested off, sunscreen was stocked up and beach essentials were purchased. Mother Nature, that fickle creature, had other plans for that day. 

I got a text last Tuesday asking if I'd looked at the forecast…so I wincingly checked it to see a high of 75. And rain. Lots of rain from Friday til Sunday, so we cancelled the car and rescheduled everything for this coming weekend, and then guess what? It barely rained! Sure, the sun didn't come out much, but I don't mind when I'm dozing on the beach to the sound of gently crashing waves and chatter of happy people (this weekend: high of 85 and NO CLOUDS). Bring it, weekend. 

Since I had to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my weekend, I opted for the next most logical decision to beach: brunch (part of the three B's, the third of which is booze…a little different than the ones my sorority banned during initiation week: boys, booze and bars. I'm clearly a sucker for alliteration). I visited an old favorite in my neighborhood and a new place I'd been wanting to check out for ages in Manhattan—all accompanied by my new favorite summer accessory, the backpack (the fourth B in this equation). Can someone explain why it took so long for me to jump on this trend? I sure can't. 

Inside my bag for the weekend: camera (obvi), my latest summer book, a few magazines I haven't gotten around to, my external mophie charger, makeup bag, sunglasses, actual glasses, an apple and Organic Avenue grapefruit juice. Not only does the bag hide the exorbitant amount of sh*t I find myself carrying around on any given day, the straps equally distribute the weight and I barely notice I'm carrying 15 extra lbs around with me, which is usually split between an overstuffed bag on each shoulder. I'm thinking a classic leather one is next!

Zara Linen Top and Classic Pants || J. Crew Maren Sandals || Steve Madden Backpack c/o Zappos

Italia Independent sunglasses c/o Zappos || Michael Kors Watch

C. Wonder Chain Bracelet || Essie in Play Date

Big City, Quiet City

Happy Fourth of July! Let me just start this off and say I hope wherever you are, it's not raining—this whole Hurricane Arthur thing is killing my beach vibes, I had serious plans to be anything BUT serious, camped out on the beach. Oh, well...still dragging my butt out of bed for an early morning #ParkerParty, Party in the USA style!

 I mentioned in my last post that I really look forward to this weekend every summer, as it's one of the few holidays I don't travel (something to think about if you're moving cross-country…most, if not all, your vacation time goes to trips back home!). A lot of my NYC friends didn't originate here, either, and hopped planes back home or to vacations of their own for a few days, so I'm taking advantage of the quiet(er) city and hitting up some of my favorite spots and a few new ones this weekend, like when I wandered through some new streets in Brooklyn last weekend in a somewhat subtle red-white-and-blue.. Want to see where I go, or have suggestions for me? Follow me on Instagram, and leave a comment below! Hopefully this weather will clear up in time for me to catch some 

East River (!!! finally) fireworks from a Brooklyn rooftop tomorrow night ;)

Donna Morgan dress c/o Zappos || Illesteva sunglasses || Capwell & Co necklace c/o 

Michael Kors watch c/o Zappos || Twins for Peace Sneakers c/o || Zara Tote

Relaxed City Style

Normally by today, I'd be grumbling about how it's only Tuesday and thinking about how to make the weekend get here faster…no rushed thoughts necessary when there's a holiday weekend on the horizon, though! This week is a killer at work (we're having a really huge sale), but I'm like a high schooler anxiously awaiting the last bell of the year on Thursday so I can dive right into a three and a half-day weekend!

I'm not really big on holidays, but the Fourth of July is a little different to me. There's something about it that sweetly and supremely signals summer and it's no secret this season and I have a love affair every year. It's also one of the few holidays and long weekends I get where I'm not traveling (my birthday usually falls around Memorial Day and I'm often traveling to a friend's wedding; Labor Day will again be spent at home for my sister's wedding!) and there are a few added perks tied closely to it: beautiful, warm weather and a nearly-empty city.

I daydream about having a house in the Hamptons to escape to just like any other NY'er (and if you have a friend with one that you want to introduce me to, I wouldn't say no), but there's something magical about exploring the best parts of the city without all the usual people and masses of tourists crowding the sidewalks and museums and restaurants. I've got a little list of places I should hit up going already, but I'd love some additional suggestions! What's your favorite place to go in the city that's usually impossible to get in to?

Equipment Silk Blouse || Joe's Jeans Rolled Shorts c/o Zappos || Zara Tote || Illesteva Sunglasses

Joie Sandals c/o Zappos || Michael Kors Watch c/o Zappos || C. Wonder Leather and Chain Bracelet

Photos: Ashley Manfred

PS—If you're in the market for a hairstylist in NYC, I cannot recommend Hazuki Hair in Midtown East enough! I usually get my hair cut back home, but my travel schedule this year has thrown everything out of whack and I was sporting so many split ends I was starting to cut them off myself. The stylist took her time and I don't think my hair's looked this healthy in a few years!

Tribal Print

Memorial Day for me has a few different meanings...it's the unofficial start of summer, my birthday usually falls over the weekend (this year it's the holiday—today!) and it seems to be the official start of wedding season. Since I spent yesterday at one of those ceremonies, I knew I needed a dress that was fun and birthday-like, too. I opted for a colorful, printed Mara Hoffman dress, added sparkly, bright earrings and threw on a fun pair of heels!

 I'm not usually one for anything too tight or short, but I've been lusting over Mara Hoffman's prints for a while and liked the higher neckline on this piece. And, let's be totally honest, the turquoise color had me hooked, too. I've also been looking for a chance to wear my Prabal Gurung for Target heels—I scooped them up over a year ago, but between the never-ending winter and my more casual work attire (read: jeans, sneakers and t-shirts) they've been stuffed away for far too long.

The ceremony was up in Dubuque, Iowa, a beautiful little city up on the Mississippi River where Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin meet. I wish I'd had more time to get some photos of the beautiful view from the park where the ceremony was, high up over the river, but between the 3 hour drive there and back from Des Moines and all the fun in between, there wasn't near enough time to wander around and soak up the beautiful day. Putting it on my must-do list for the future, especially since Galena, Illinois across the river is known for their antiques and beautiful architecture (and I'm a sucker for both!).

Mara Hoffman Dress c/o Zappos || Aldo Crossbody c/o Zappos || Prabal Gurung for Target Heels (similar, on sale!)
Badgley Mischka Earrings (similar, only $36) || Sequin Bangles || Givenchy Le Rouge in Magnolia Organza