My NYFW Recap (and photo overload!)

Alright babes! Almost three weeks later but I finally have my NYFW recap for you girls and WARNING it’s a photo overload. I’m sharing where we stayed, played, ate and everything in between… so let’s get to it!!

If you girls followed along on SnapChat you got to see SO much more of all the behind the scenes of this crazy trip! (I know I sound like a broken record but I just think Snap is so much more fun and easier with the videos in reallll time)  Fashion Week is something that I have always wanted to attend but in-between having babies the past four years, the timing just never seemed right. Finally this was the year I decided to pull the trigger. I wasn’t sure what to expect but honestly have to say I had THE BEST experience.

The energy of the city, the street style, the restaurants …just everything about NY had me like a kid in a candy shop. The hubby and I used to go every year but we hadn’t been since Ava was born. We love going but it just felt like such a hard trip with kiddos, so I was so thankful he stayed home and let me experience NYFW in FULL force!

This was my first big trip (so far away) from the kids. I have never been away from them for more than 24hrs so I was a bit nervous on how they  I would hold up. Luckily I was so insanely busy and that really helped keep my mind distracted….minus the one time I decided to face time and learned that that was a HUGE mistake. Ava started crying and saying she wanted mommy and then I started crying…just a HOT mess. But it was a fast three days and I am so so glad I made the decision to go. I actually started off majoring in Fashion in college so to be able to attend fashion week and sit from row next to so many inspiring people/celebrities was pretty amazing.  I got to meet so many awesome bloggers that I have come to know on Instagram over the years and got to run around in the best city (kid free!!!) for three whole days!!!

I took the first flight out of Orange County and wearing my go to easy travel pieces! These comfy Sneaks , Travel Tote (look for less HERE), Carry On Luggage , Wallet and my most worn Skinnies (ever!)

I did tons of research on places I wanted to stay and honestly just kept going back to this hotel, The Nomo Soho. It’s in an amazing location in Soho right next to all the shops and every inch of this hotel is photo worthy……

If you’ve stayed in NYC you know the rooms are tinyyy but these didn’t feel so as they had large windows with pretty city views!

Seriously every inch of this hotel was photo worthy!

We landed Thursday night and bright and early Friday morning I was headed off to my first show, Mischa Collection. I wore This Little White Number ( Another fun style for less style HERE) and These killer embellished heels!

There are so many pieces from the collection that I want and this little leather dress is one of them!!

Later that night I broke out this Little Lace number and  headed off to the Nicole Miller Show. I am so in LOVE with THIS DRESS and also found an IDENTICAL version for you girls under $100 HERE!

Some serious Spring inspo at the Nicole Miller show. I loved all the bold patterns, fun maxi’s and some playful heel options too!

It was actually my birthday when we were in NY so I did a little “Treat Yo’Self” 😉 and splurged on the prettiest pair of red velvet heels! I received so many compliments on these and am so in love with them!

Lots of in-between shows and meetings tastings 😉

This trip was NON-STOP! I know everyone said NYFW is crazy but it seriously was on another level. I think next time I am going to have bring my family and stay longer as I just felt like there was so much I wanted to squeeze in and it was  just impossible. I wanted to post so much more in real time for you girls but honestly  also wanted to soak it all in and experience it while I was there. I swear the only time I got to actually sit down and check emails and post on social media was to and from events in cab/uber rides.

I had so much wearing This Gold Maxi skirt (look for less in a midi version HERE) to the Rebecca Minkoff show. I shared a lot of it on Snap but they closed down a street in Soho for the show which was reallllly neat but it was MISERABLY hot and everyone trying to leave the show after gave me crazy anxiety. We were all like a can of sardines trying to exit. This gold skirt is definitely  a statement piece though and street style photags dug it too! I paired it with a lace trim silk cami, leather moto vest, block heel sandals, Valentino bag and Saint Laurent Sunglasses. Metallic skirts are HUGE for Fall so can’t wait to remix this one in the months to come.

It was a Golden Goose kind of morning

I went with two of my close fab mama friends and was so thankful they put up with my crazy ass schedule!

Casual Comfy City Style

Sneaks // Flannel // Skinnies // Tank // Tote (look for less)

Now lets talk restaurants! The first night we went to dinner at Dirty French and LOVED it! The bread they serve as a starter is out of control and the cocktails are amazing…..

The vibe was dark and sexy and we were soooo happy to finally be in NYC with a cocktail in hand!

It was SO hot that week in the city so a comfy silk slip dress was a must! Also loving THIS ONE and THIS ONE.

La Esquina has been around for years and I couldn’t wait to finally try it! I snuck some snaps on SnapChat and just couldn’t get enough of this place!

It looks like a random diner from the main street but once you go inside and down some stairs … you’re in this really cool almost basement like restaurant with a DJ spinning some amazing old school jams. If you want to go here, I would definitely recommend making a reso at least a month out.

The food was great and the queso dip is  a MUST! Safe to say we did quite a bit of tequila tasting this night 😉

Comfy Street Style was definitely necessary while doing a little shopping in between meetings/shows.

I wore THIS LBD (another identical HERE) more than once on this trip and paired it with This Utility Vest and my Balenciaga flats.

We happened to be in the neighborhood so we popped into The Chelsea Market for a quick bite. This little shopping center is so charming with tons of different vendors, restaurants and shops to see!

My girlfriend told me I had to go to this hummus place and she wasn’t kidding. I mean how awesome does this chicken hummus look?!…….

Seriously still craving it!

We wanted to check out Jack’s Wife Freda after seeing it non stop on instagram and to be honest….I wasn’t blown away. My girlfriends liked their breakfast but I didnt see what all the hype was about.

The restaurant is super tiny/crowded and it was crazy loud inside. If you want a good brunch in NYC check out Bubby’s that is our favorite we used to go every year! I also wanted to check out Two Hands Cafe.

Bergdorf’s was allll the way across town but I couldn’t come to NYC and not stop in. The Shoe Department is my happy place (literally 360 degrees of shoes!) and they have expanded the handbag department since the last time I was there and it’s BANANAS. If you’re looking for the best designer pieces, this is your spot!I did a little damage and purchased THIS BAG. I have told you girls its my favorite mom bag EVER so I splurged and snagged it in the smaller size in black too. Also if you want a fancy/AMAZING lunch , have lunch at the cafe there (I think on the 7th floor).

Can’t say no to a cheese plate…or a cocktail 😉

So one of the things I have always loved about NY is all the amazing spots to grab a drink. They have so many talented “mixologists”  and I always look forward to checking out new speak easy’s and sampling some tasty cocktails. I had so many on my list to try but honestly we just didn’t have enough time to squeeze them all in!

There was this place called The Ship , literally on the back side of our hotel and it was really good. We stopped in to grab a drink before dinner and loved the basement style vibe (can you tell we’re from sunny California?! I never knew how much I loved a good dark basement lol)  and that the whole bar kind of shook when a subway passed by.

If you’re into speak easy/ cocktail spots here are some i’ve loved on past visits…

PDT (please don’t tell)

Death & Co

Pegu

Raines Law Room

Milk & Honey

Bathtub Gin

and

Employee’s Only

(feel free to share if you have suggestions for our next trip!)

Off to the Charlotte Tilbury event and wearing This Jumpsuit I shared on instagram. I love a good jumpsuit and can’t wait to wear this one again!

ABC Kitchen has been on my list for years and ladies it was amazing!! You must have the crab toast! The vibe was chic and sexy and definitely a celeb hot spot.

I mean just check out this gorgeous organic produce display they had in the restaurant!

It was actually my birthday while I was there so thank you to my fab mama friends for putting up with my crazy ass schedule and making me feel so loved even when I was thousands of miles away from fam. xoxo

Can we talk about these dessert?! That sundae with the carmel popcorn was out of control!!

Some of my other Favorite NYC restaurant recommendations…..

Locanda Verde

Beauty & Essex

Babbo

Staton Social

Eataly

Gramercy Tavern

and for amazing desserts Momofuku Milk Bar! The crack pie and candy bar pie are out of control!

(again please feel free to share yours!! I’m already compiling a list for our next trip!)

anddddd A little “In Flight” entertainment 😉 and home to my babies

where they had this sweetness waiting for me…..

Melts. My. Freakin. Heart.

Tips for attending Fashion Week

A lot of my fellow blogger babes had asked about getting into shows etc. Honestly I am so glad that I waited till my blog was a little more established and didn’t attend the previous years. Having the companies reach out to me rather than me having to hound them down made it so much easier. No matter how you slice it is an expensive trip! Even if you get hotel comps/rates, loaned or gifted clothes it’s still expensive so it needs to be worth your time.

In previous years I only got invited to a few things but this year there were tons of shows and events to choose from. So be patient and keep grinding! If you’re thinking about attending I would recommend looking up the show schedule a month in advance and start reaching out to the designers you want to see. Make your restaurant reservations also a month in advance because the hot spots book up fast. If you have a good following (I would say maybe 50K or more) reach out to several different hotels and see if they will give you a media rate or comp in exchange for some social media love. If you have a fellow blogger friend try to book a trip together! You may not get to attend all the same events but it will help a lot to split hotel costs and you can also take each others photos to cut down on costs.

I was practically running around solo this entire trip because everyone’s schedules are so different. Some of my favorite blogger friends were staying at the same hotel and we didn’t even get to really meet up and go out because everyones schedules are SO busy. You really have to have your game face on and be ready to maximize your business opportunities (which was hard for me because I always really wanted to just play in the city because I was kid free after all!) ;). Network, take meetings with some of your favorite labels and brands, and soak up all the craziness of NYFW. All the being said I will definitely be going again because even though it was crazy, it was such an amazing experience!

I hope this helps and if you have more specifics questions please feel free to leave them below and i’ll try to answer them for you! xo