Holiday Window Displays: Bergdorf Goodman

With the snowfall this past weekend, it finally feels like the it is December and the Holiday season is upon us. I've always loved looking at window displays but something about Christmas window displays has always been especially magical for me. I guess it's when retail uses the most creativity, imagination and glamor to bring to life something more than just clothes, but tells a story. The Holiday windows I have loved best in New York City, have been at Bergdorf Goodman.

Until recently, checking out the Holiday windows has been a personal pleasure that I enjoyed on my own, or with the occasional friend but for the past three years, I've gotten to share it with my husband. Perhaps that has added to the fondness in my heart for this simple pleasure. We first came on one of our early dates by chance, then again on the following year as the location of his proposal and again this year as a marker of five months of married life. For us, this has been part of building our own traditions, as we hiked into the city again to take it all in.  We found ourselves enjoying this year's theme of "Holidays on Ice".

Holidays from Valentine's Day, Arbor Day, Labor Day, Halloween, The Fourth of July, Columbus Day, New Year's Eve were all impressively "frozen" into captivating scenes dripping with icicles.  Here are some pictures for you to enjoy! If you have a chance, you should check it out in person, and warm up at the food court under the Plaza hotel for some gourmet treats!

Love and Other Distractions

So I know that for the past few months I have been more than a little M.I.A. and honestly the past year has been a growing year from me full of many ups as well as downs. I think I've grown a lot, experienced a lot and been stretched a lot beyond my comfort level. As I mentioned before, I experienced the new normal - being laid off and then the struggle of searching for just the right opportunity. The exhaustion of "being on" all the time and putting out my feelers in every direction. The fear of having to give up my entire way of life and move cities. The challenge of making the tough but right decisions when more than one opportunity came my way. Adjusting to a new job and everything that comes with it.

And somehow in the midst of all this chaos this past year I learned what falling in love was all about. I never shared until now but my life that I knew changed once more and I am so happy it did. I have been distracted because I am now engaged to a far better man than I could've dreamed up.

Designer to Watch: Kelly Wearstler

Kelly Wearstler is a design powerhouse - she is best known for creating the lifestyle and design experiences for luxe resorts and hotels in addition to product lines which include carpets, furniture, fabrics and trim and dinnerware. In fact if you are into interior design, you probably already know her and her visual eye candy of a blog My Vibe, My Life.

The LA based tastemaker and interior designer just simultaneously launched a ready-to-wear and accessories collection.

Her debut collection features plenty of bold clothing that is playful, wearable and feminine in the same breath. The simple eye catching prints and easy shapes make the pieces easy to love. I’m personally pretty enamored by the little striped blazers.

Her jewelry collection is bold, eye-catching yet simple and elegant. I love the raw simplicity of the pyrite stones that add plenty of attitude to the below pieces.

Click after the jump to see more.

Weekend Shopping Roundup

In case you haven't noticed, while the sample sales have been sparse this week, online and retail stores have begun the process of clearing out their summer merch to make way for fall. Lucky for us that means some great sales are happening:

Online and In Store:
Project No. 8 - 60% off most spring and summer merch (bathing suits are 50% off):

Siki Im cap toe shoe $149 (was $648)

Scoop NYC - An additional 20% off sale items which includes this shirt from Steven Alan:

Steven Alan Reverse Seam plaid shirt - now $62 (was $168)

Saks - up to 60% off of staple pieces like this striped nautical sweater:

Gant Rugger striped sweater $62 (was $125)

Barneys - up to 75% off great contemporary menswear:

Band of Outsiders Striped Hoodie $99 (was $315)

Bergdorfs - up to 60% off designer collections:

Phillip Lim woven short sleeved shirt $60 (was $150)

As usual, sizing and quantities are limited and definitely won't last long. Happy shopping!

Tim Hamilton x Bergdorf Goodman

Photo from Tim Hamilton's fall 2010/2011 line

After checking out Hamilton's presentation last fashion week and his sample sale - I'm definitely a fan.

According to WWD, Tim Hamilton will be launching a new collaborative line with high end retailer, Bergdorf Goodman. Hamilton's take on the line involves "bringing in some fundamental pieces that cover key product classes but are still forward and modern in spirit".

Construction, quality, simplicity and detailing are what Hamilton has brought to the table with this collaboration. Modern basics including chinos, V-neck sweaters and the perfect polo are all staples that the line will carry. The pieces will retail for approximately 30% below Hamilton's collection line with polo's coming in around $195-$250, chinos $250-$295, shirts $225, hoodies $295, cardigans $325 and blazers $595.

HP Brings Tech to Sex and the City

A couple weeks ago before Sex & The City 2 hit theaters, HP invited us to a press day which included a panel and screening of the movie.

The panel included: Sugar Rock Catwalk fav Vivienne Tam, former IMG VP Fern Mallis, Project Runway runner-up Emilio Sosa and a couple other guests. Fern Mallis discussed the history of Fashion Week. It was really interesting to learn about the humble beginnings of New York Fashion Week and the evolution into a highly covered, commercial event.

The speakers discussed the recent convergence of fashion and technology. If you think about it, it's seems only natural. In fact it's almost surprising that it didn't happen sooner because both fashion and technology are ubiquitous. Everyone is affected by fashion, whether or not they are willing to admit it. And technology is everywhere, though people often don't think of it as such unless it's new. Technology can serve to make fashion better both in design and functionality, and fashion can obviously serve to make technology more aesthetically appealing.
A fun photo from Polite in Public, which uses HP products. I look like such a creeper in this photo, and Erin looks adorable and flawless like always. Moving on!


The movie screening was at the legendary Paris Theater near Columbus Circle. Not going to lie, my expectations for the movie were pretty low as it usually is for most sequels, but Sex and the City 2 proved me wrong. It was a super fun movie; I even laughed out loud a few times.

The movie was definitely over the top with everything from clothes, to story line and sex jokes, which could have been bad, but it was great like a semi-guilty pleasure. Maybe it was just me, but I felt like a lot of the jokes in this movie were way raunchier than anything from the series or the first movie.

Believe it or not, I felt like the sequel actually had more substance than the first movie. There were a couple honest and heartfelt conversations around marriage, motherhood and aging. If you haven't seen it already and are a Sex and the City fan, go see it this weekend so we can talk about it. ;)
Following the screening, there was a great after party at Bergorf Goodman. The space was completely transformed and the party carried on the new lux Middle East theme from the movie. Drinks were served at the jewelry counters - so fun!

We met Vivienne Tam (second time for Erin), and she was so sweet. Like Erin's written before, she is incredible warm, and she is genuinely excited about her collaboration with HP.

We also met actor Willie Garson, best known as Carrie's gay best friend Stanford Blatch. And yes, that's Thom Filicia from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in the background.
Thank you to the wonderful people at HP for inviting us to such a wonderful evening!

iWant McQueen's Dogtooth Cardi-Coat

I've been lusting after this coat for awhile and been meaning to post about it. The other night I was browsing some old entries from a fellow Indepedent Fashion Blogger, and she had posted about the same coat, which reminded me to get on it before winter is over.

This coat by Alexander McQueen, and I like he calls it "dogstooth" rather than houndstooth. I love how warm and comfortable this piece looks, and true to McQueen style, this coat is very dramatic with its oversized print and heavy draping.
What's funny about this coat is how different it looks on the model at Bergdorf Goodman. It makes me wonder how it would look on me. I'm pretty sure it'd be awful since I'm not very tall.

If you're into the coat and can afford to drop a couple grand, it's currently 65% off at Bergdorf from $4,365 to the low, low price of $1,528.

Preview: Suzanna Dai Fall 2009

Antwerp Collection

Back in March, I posted an interview with up and coming jewelry designer, Suzie Gallehugh (of Suzanna Dai). She had told us that for Fall 2009 she was going to bring us "more neutral colors, but still with a lot of glitz". Just this week she launched her sophomore effort and I really love the results.

Antwerp Necklace on Blake Lively

My fave piece was actually one I saw on the designer herself a couple months ago. She had told me it was for her upcoming Fall line so I was super excited to see more! The necklace is from the Antwerp Collection, it's a bold piece but is full of intricate details from metal beadwork and delicate chains. If you think it looks a little familiar, perhaps you caught a glimpse it on Blake Lively during Gossip Girl!

I also thought that the baroque feeling I got from the St Petersburg collection would definitely make dark romance kind of statement! The satin cord, jet beading and mesh overlay make it fit for a modern day Czarina.

Finally, I also appreciated the fun tropical but earthy feel of the Amazonia collection which features real beetle wings!

Also important to note, Suzie also brought back my previous fave style the Monte Carlo, in a whole new variety of shades including amethyst, noir and bronze.

The Suzanna Dai collection is currently available at:
Bergdorf Goodman, Takashimaya, Sucre and Debut in New York;
Sassanova in Baltimore and Washington, DC
Fred Segal Rocks (Los Angeles)
Vermillion (Raleigh, NC)
Calypso stores nationwide

Prices start at $165 for earrings, $245 for cuffs and $365 for necklaces. For more info and to see more collections please visit SuzannaDai.com.

Suzanna Dai Trunk Show

I interviewed Suzie Gallehugh a couple weeks back I just updated the post with a new question that I never got to ask about her brand name. Also, Suzie will be holding a trunk show this coming weekend in Williamsburg. It's your chance to meet Suzie and see her Spring/Summer 2009 collection up close and personal. In other news, her collection just got picked up to be in Bergdorf Goodman this May, so expect to see alot more of her going forward!

Who: Suzanna Dai
What: Trunk Show of Spring/Summer 2009 Collection Preview
When: Saturday March 21, 2009. 1-4pm
Where: 93 North 6th Street. (b/n Berry and Wythe) Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Enter through The Lovin' Cup Cafe.

Through the Looking Glass - Bergdorf Goodman

Nothing makes me excited in quite the same way as a great window display. Especially this time of year, it's one thing I look forward to as the weather gets colder. Purveyors of New York City's best window displays have got to be Bergdorf Goodman and the Anthropologie by Rockerfeller Center. Here's a peek of Bergdorf Goodman's display in progress.

I happened to walk by while they were still setting up, hence the visual merchandisers in some of the shots. I wanted to share, as I think the windows are very inspirational and aspirational in terms of product.

I'm not sure what the theme is, but I think it might be communication, hence the phones, typewriter, pens and letters. Perhaps letters to Santa?

Santa can you hear me? I'd love some of of this display! Especially those 2 looks below.