Sister Sister

I could probably stretch my LA trip out into about 5 posts but I figured I would recap you with the cliff notes version... or at least try

As I mentioned in my last post, the purpose of my trip was to attend BCBG and BCBGeneration Brand Summit meetings to discuss 2014 planning and also reiterate the different brand DNA's. Thursday we flew out and quickly went to Pour Vous - this awesome bar in downtown LA which turned out to be the perfect venue for the Generation Summit. Joyce Azria, creative director of BCBGeneration, chose the location because she wanted us to be in a setting where she thought the #GenGirl (her target customer) would hang out on a typical night in LA. This really beat the routine Thursday "work vibe." Joyce's energy and passion for the brand is truly uplifting and it was a great way to kick off the trip.

 Here is a preview of the Sp 14 line for Generation

Friday we woke up and went to the BCBG Corporate office to attend the BCBG Max Azria Summit. With 2014 being the 25th anniversary of the brand, it was amazing to hear more of the history and get a better understanding of it's incredible growth over time.

 

Here is a Preview of some BCBG looks for Spring 2014

After the summit, I went back to meet my sister and we decided to cross something off our bucket list and hike Runyon Canyon. The weather was amazing and although it was a lot steeper than we expected, the views and sister-time made it totally worth it. Tip for future hikers: Don't try to hike after Bloody Mary's.

 

Following the hike we did some retailing. One of the fun parts of my job is getting into as many stores as possible to shop the competition and offer my clients the best feedback, advice, and opportunities to improve their business.

 It was amazing getting into a Generation store and seeing the all of the product we work on merchandised in the store. This Cold Weather Gifting table looks flawless!

Had a BCBG Moment!

Friday night we went to dinner at Riva Bella on Sunset Blvd. The food was amazing!
Saturday we woke up and continued retailing and then headed to Santa Monica to go to the Pier. I looked homeless but Natalie looked absolutely adorable! 

 

Her panama hat is Collection18 - the company I work for :) , sweater is BCBG, bag is Rebecca Minkoff, Jeans are BLANK, sandals are Dolce Vita, and her necklace is from South Moon Under
 

 So much for the cliff notes version :) At least I managed it in one post.

Dewey Beach Recap

If you follow me on Instagram you would've seen that my 8-Girl Wolfpack (including Currently Coveting) took our annual trip and this time it was to Dewey Beach. For kids that grew up in NOVA, it's our Jersey Shore. So from 4 different states, we packed up our cars and were beach bound early Friday AM. Never a dull moment and full of laughs, we danced for hours every night to AMAZING cover bands who played the BEST of the 90s - I'm talking the best of the TRL Countdown- Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Spice Girls and the list goes on. We beached, brunched, twerked, and I even got in a couple of beach workouts. I hope you all enjoyed your first official weekend of summer too! Xo

MIA because I was in MIA

Hi everyone sorry I've been MIA- ironically enough it's been because I was in MIA-MI. I took Friday off of work for a long overdue girls weekend getaway. We stayed at the gorgeous FontaineBleau Hotel in Miami Beach. Like most people, we were going to Miami for the nightlife, the poolside tanning, and a change of scene. We took the 6am flight and landed early so that we could be poolside by 10:30 AM to achieve a solid base-coat tan by that night (priorities). The FontaineBleau is an amazing hotel but if you're looking for a quiet and low key vacation this is NOT the place for you. The pool is packed and music is blaring while beds surround the pool with bottle service. Even though it's predominantly a "party hotel"  it has three of Miami's best restaurants- Gotham Steak, Hakkasan, and Scarpetta. Saturday night we did dinner at Scarpetta and it was a great last meal there. Of course it wouldn't be a trip to Miami without hitting up the club LIV also within the FontaineBleau... so basically we never left the hotel. It was the perfect long weekend quick getaway one stop shop and the only thing it left us asking was.... "When do we plan our trip back???"

 View from our Ocean Front Room

 

First night at LIV

Early Risers Day 2 to Claim Prime Pool Seating

Dinner at Scarpetta

Weekend Recap: Babes in TOYland

Saturday night my girlfriends went down to TOY in the Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District for dinner to celebrate one of my best friend's birthday. This is a location that has been on my bucket list since it opened so I was so excited to go! When we walked in, the whole place was dark like a club and only lit by strobe lights. As we were waiting for our table to be ready, there was an awesome acrobatic performance in a lifted cage and then also go-gos dancing on one bar. Once we were seated we scanned over the extensive exotic drink menu and finally decided on 2 Giant fishbowls to split with the table. We decided on the "Barbie" and "Checkmate" and both were fruity and delicious. For dinner, I ordered the Beauty Roll which was Toy's version of a naruto roll with no rice and wrapped in cucumber. The food was pretty good but this spot is much more about the entertainment and the nightlife than the dining. Throughout dinner there is loud music from a dj in the corner and if you look around the room, everyone is moving in their seats. This is definitely not a place you take someone to talk - our waiter could barely hear our order haha

    

 

Somewhere through fishbowl number 2 our waiter decided he took a liking to the bday girl and started bringing out trays of shots with sparklers. Before we knew it, the whole restaurant was up and dancing including the host and wait staff and TOY had quickly transformed from dinner to a club with endless bottles of Dom Perignon. It was the perfect venue for a girls night and a birthday celebration and I definitely recommend that if you are looking to try something out of the box that you rally your friends and make a reservation. I would 100% go back

The whole group :)
 


Barbie & Checkmate Fishbowls
 

Michele's face is priceless as the next round arrives 

With Kelly, the Birthday Girl before heading to Gansevoort. My dress and Leather bomber are BCBG Max Azria and my clutch is Ted Baker

Orchid Exhibit @ The Botantical Gardens

Yesterday, my college roommate Katie came into the city and we decided to enjoy our Sunny Sunday by going to the Orchid Exhibit at the Botanical Gardens. I found out about the exhibit through the Weekend Guide on Daily Candy and figured it would be something fun and different. It was about a 40 minute subway ride and then less than a mile walk (Note: don't wear wedges like we did) but once we got there it was gorgeous. There were thousands of different types of orchids within the exhibit and over 300 garden trees that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. It was definitely a change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the city but it made for a cute Sunday afternoon

The exhibit was inside this dome and tickets for entry were $25 a person

The exhibit goes through April 22nd and it's close to the Bronx Zoo

Here are some of the gorgeous pictures that I took while we were there

 
 
 

 

   

 

Currently Coveting

Although other people have told me that I should start a blog the person responsible for making me take the plunge is one of my best friend's Erin. She started her own blog in DC called "Erin's Currently Coveting" a year and a half ago and it has really taken off. She works at Carlye but she has a real knack for throwing theme parties and giving them that extra bit of sparkle. Her blog started off sharing these fun party ideas- Red Carpet themes with triple decks, Beach Bachelorettes, "Favorite Things" Goodie bag themed party and the list goes on an on. The blog then evolved to incorporate her baking abilities. Thank GOD I don't have the baking skills that Erin does because I would be the size of a barn. Name a cupcake flavor, and this girl has mastered it- from Strawberry Champagne cupcakes to 3 layer Mint Oreo cake she's covered it all. Once she got into the full swing of things, she started doing Work Wear and Weekend Outfit Posts. She is definitely pushing the limits for Carlye (love it) but she finds a way to make formal work wear bright, fashionable, and affordable. Her homespun blog has really taken off and she has since been featured in the Washingtonian, Refinery29, LuckyMag, and the list goes on. I'm so proud of her and definitely recommend that you check out her adorably cute and full of personality blog. Here are some of my favorite snipits of her blog, but be sure to follow her blog as well

 

Winter Neon Weekend OOTD

 

Heart Chocolate Cherry Cream Cheese Cupcakes & Christmas Wreath Cupcakes 

 

 

Shoemint

 

 

...Getting Nail-Artsy 

Happy 94th Nana

Fact: EVERYONE that knows me, knows that I have the most amazing Nana in the world. Today she turns 94 so I had to write a post about her and how thankful and inspired I am by her. My grandfather passed away 3 months before I was born and my Nana decided she was going to live life to the fullest and travel the world making friends every place/country/cruise ship/island she visited. She has told me numerous times that life is all about making memories with the ones you love and she has definitely done just that.

Nana gets older every year, but her spirit remains upbeat and contagious. Although she might not be able to ride up a mountain in Santorini on a donkey anymore (she did this twice in her life, the first for the hell of it, the second to prove she could still do it) she still is so young at heart and definitely "broadened her horizons" in her later years.

She stays up on her current gossip through her subscriptions of 'People' magazine, never missing a single issue. She regularly calls me to make sure that I am aware of the happenings in Hollywood - what Posh Spice (as she still refers to her) is doing, how Lindsay Lohan is a train wreck, and how Britney needs to get it together because the shaved head look wasn't cute! She watches "Step Up" at least once a month because she loves Channing Tatum and then fights with me on who's boyfriend he is (she tells me to get in line behind her). She watches "Dancing with the Stars" religiously and was so relieved when she could ask me in person- "why do they call him The Situation?" Also notable that during the second season (I think) I asked her who her favorite contestant was and she said hands down Lil Kim. She lives for the Packers and Aaron Rodgers -one of her 73678 boyfriends- see picture below for proof.

All of these hysterical stories show how adorable and cool my Nana is but the lessons that are derived from these, are what I try to remind myself of regularly. Don't take yourself too seriously- Live life with a smile- Family and Memories with your family come first. So I recommend that everyone take a page out of Nana's book (I mean it's gotten her to 94) and relax, live a little, add some shock value just to keep people on their toes, and be thankful for every moment that you have. Happiest of Birthday's to my Girl- NANA

  

Girls Brunch in WI this last weekend

   

Nana Sportin Green&Yellow on Gameday!

 

 

Nat (my sister) and Nana this past weekend in WI for a pre Bday Bash - notice the Bday Tiara 

Throwback Thursday

So in honor of Throwback Thursday, I thought it would only be appropriate to list all the things that I was obsessed with in the 90's... These are the things I couldn't live without before Instagram, Facebook, & Ipods

1. Pogs - which also included a collection of slammers
2. Stickers - I had the most extensive sticker book and I used to trade them like I was a drug dealer in the cafeteria -- Oillies and Mood Stickers trumped all
3. TGIF - I cried when Corey cheated on Topanga on Boy Meets World
4. Umbros - I was a jock and I owned a million pairs of umbros - Do they even exist anymore?
5. Janet Jackson - I was so obsessed with Janet Jackson that when she came out with her self titled album where she was topless with someone else's hands covering her, I wrote her a letter asking her to perform at my 8th Birthday Party... My parents must have been SO terrified haha
6. Limited Too - Girl Power, Rainbows, Love Bugs - all those pictures where I look back at my outfits and wonder how I had friends
7. Overalls - this is SO embarrassing 
8. TRL - I would race home and immediately turn on the TV and cross my fingers that NSYNC beat the Backstreet Boys for the Number 1 spot on the countdown. I started watching The Voice because I loved Carson Daly
9. AIM - I had a pretty basic screen name but looking back some of the screen names that my friends had were hysterical: XOXOAngelBabyGirl67876, Biatch37, SexyA&Fchica6068 - honestly what were we thinking? 
10. BEANIE BABIES - I had well over 150

 

 

14 Things You Don't Know About Me...

1.  I eat trailmix everyday, sometimes multiple times
2. When I get annoyed at people at work, I google pictures and YouTube videos of baby animals so  that I don’t scream at someone - this is also the excuse I use for following 11 different adorable baby animal accounts on instagram
3.  I own 16 Rebecca Minkoff bags
4.  I hate getting manicures because without fail, I chip them within the first hour
5.  I don’t like naming a favorite color because I feel like I’m cheating on the others that are also so pretty
6.  Most of my make up is from Duane Reade
7.  I am sadly addicted to reality TV – the trashier, the better
8.  My feet have shrunk twice in the last 2 years
9. My biggest food weakness is ice cream/soft serve
10. After graduating college I changed jobs three times in the matter of 2 months
11.  I online shop so much that half the time when I get a package notification, I’m not sure what it is
12.  I try not to drink coffee every day because I’m nervous about getting addicted
13. My middle name is Dahl
14. I secretly try to avoid cracks on the sidewalk – it must be that “break your mothers back” rhyme from when we were kids but it makes me cringe

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