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!

Gilt Holiday Preview

I stopped by the Gilt Groupe offices a few weeks ago and to be perfectly honest, I stopped by because I've always been curious what the insides of the Gilt offices looked like. Right now it looks rather festive. They have transformed their showroom into a idyllic family home for the holidays - complete with fireplace, Christmas tree, bedroom, stockings and living room.

Each of the different scenes showcased product that will be on sale on Gilt Groupe in the coming months to fit your lifestyle - from Children's toys/books and even a bicycle to Jamon Ham, macarons and deluxe truffles, to sequin dresses, statement jewelry and nail polish. Gilt has man, woman, child and home covered from top to bottom.

Click after the jump to see more of what to expect or wish for this Holiday season.

Target x Neiman Marcus x 24 Designers

Target announced today that it will be teaming up with Neiman Marcus and 24 American designers for a limited-edition holiday collection.  Partnering with CFDA, the two retail giants are setting out to create a collection of 50+ items for gifting which range from clothing, to home decor, to pet products, to sporting goods and more.  Prices range from $7.99-$499.99 with most items coming in under $60 and will be available in both Target and Neiman Marcus stores (and online) December 1, 2012.

If case you're wondering who the 24 designers are - here they are:  Alice + Olivia, Altuzarra, Band of Outsiders, Brian Atwood, Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam, Diane von Furstenburg, Eddie Borgo, Jason Wu, Judith Leiber, Lela Rose, Marchesa, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Philip Crangi, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Robert Rodriguez, Rodarte, Skaist-Taylor, Thom Browne, Tory Burch and Tracy Reese.

According to Target:
"The designers were given the freedom to explore categories they felt strongly about—some chose to create products that fall in their area of 'expertise,' while others took this as an opportunity to explore an entirely new category. What results is an unforgettable collaboration that we can’t wait for you to see."

Now Wearing...

Before the holiday break, I went to my company's holiday party at Willis Tower, formerly known at the Sears Tower. I was excited to step foot in one of the world's tallest buildings and celebrate with my coworkers.

I dressed for the occasion with an Aqua dress I picked up from Buffalo Exchange a few months ago. I generally don't like satin dresses because the shine can add a few pounds, but I was attracted to the shape and use of hot pink and cobalt blue. And in the spirit of being festive, I wore a big red bow from Forever 21 and my biggest (and favorite) cocktail ring from Sorrelli.

Because I suffer from extreme klutziness, I sprained my ankle the day before the holiday party, slipping on wet floors on the walk to work. It all worked out though. If it hadn't been for the sprained ankle, I probably would have worn pumps and not realized how much I love my new Dieppa Restrepo oxfords. I picked these up earlier this month at sample sale hosted by a handful of Brooklyn designers. This patent pair is not as comfortable as the other pairs by Dieppa Restrepo, but compared to heels, they're wonderful.

 

Dress - Aqua
Cocktail ring - Sorrelli (new & similar style from Sorrelli here)
Bow headband - Forever 21 (similar)
iPhone case - Rebecca Minkoff x Casemate
Green satin clutch - 1950s vintage
Patent oxfords - Dieppa Restrepo
 

Looking down on Chicago from the Skydeck at Willis Tower

 

Rebecca Minkoff: Holiday/Resort 2011

A few weeks ago I was invited to the Rebecca Minkoff Showroom for a Girl's Night Out event where attendees got to sip on Skinny Girl cocktails (which were dangerously delicious) and snack on girly treats like Macarons and really pretty cake pops from Goodie Bites! It was a blast catching up with some of my favorite ladies while admiring some of the new pieces from the Holiday/Resort 2011 Collection.

Some of my favorite pieces included these stunning pony peep toe shoeties with the subtlest hint of metallic shimmer.  I also couldn't help but like the Sweetie Bow Clutch in beige with rose gold hardware.  I know that sometimes too much hardware can start to look cheesy but this little bag was so over-the-top that it was just right.



Throughout the night they kept things interested by giving away Mini MAC Clutches to some lucky attendees who got a chance to have them personalized with initials by Jenni of I Spy DIY.  And while this particular night wasn't lucky for me I still had a blast.

Mulberry: Win Your Wish Contest!

British lux label Mulberry is holding a Holiday contest this year - where you have the chance to win up to $8,000 in merchandise.  So if you covet pieces like the Alexa, Evelina Hobo, or Brynmore, why not give it a shot! Just add the items to your wishlist and tell them why you wish/want/need them. Click here to get started!  Contest closes on December 14, 2011.

nicole by Nicole Miller Holiday 2011 Look Book

If you are a fan of Nicole Miller’s sophisticated, luxe aesthetic but can’t break the bank this Holiday season  make sure that you check out nicole by Nicole Miller the diffusion line carried exclusively at  JC Penney.  All the nicole by Nicole Miller pieces featured in this look book will retail for way under $100.  There are so many great little pieces that will add plenty of style and sparkle to your wardrobe for a glam night on the town or a festive holiday party.

My personal faves are the perfect sequin tee in look 3 and just about all of look 5. Can’t wait to see the collection in stores starting this November!  What’s your favorite piece?

nicole by Nicole Miller Kaftan |$40.60| November

nicole by Nicole Miller Handbag |$27.99| November

nicole by Nicole Miller leopard print button down | $35.30| November

nicole by Nicole Miller top | $50.40| November

nicole by Nicole Miller sheer lace blouse |$35.00| December

nicole by Nicole Miller Sequin Dress |$39.99| December

nicole by Nicole Miller faux leather jacket|$60.20|December

nicole by Nicole Miller Wristlet |$27.99|November

Fashion 2.0 Holiday Party!

Earlier this week, Erin and I had a chance to stop by the Fashion 2.0 Holiday Party presented by Beyond the Rack at the Griffin in the Meatpacking district. I was feeling a bit under the weather but after getting some booze into my system, compliments of Martin Codax, I was feeling much better. Overall - definitely a great way to start my holiday season!

The venue was nice and reminded me of a more posh lounge with mirrored ceilings, chandeliers and plenty of space to sit around or mingle. There were lots of different people across various industries and bloggers so it was nice to touch base with people before the holidays! Tunes were provided by DJ Belle De Jour with plenty of Katy Perry blasting in the backdrop.

There was a contest to score a $1,500 shopping spree to Beyond the Rack which was great - too bad Erin and I were slow and couldn't score any points =/

Special thanks to Yuli for organizing such a great event!

Photos courtesy of Sunny Norton

On a side note, the plaid shirt I'm wearing is from the William Rast for Target collection that launched last week. While I wasn't a huge fan of the line when I saw it in person, I loved the plaid shirts and grabbed a couple. They're lightweight fabrics and easy to layer with.

On Erin:

Over the Knee Boots - Delman
Tank Top - LnA
Ruffle Taffeta Skirt - Lanvin x H&M
Floral Print Tights - Primark
Chunky Necklace - Club Monaco
Velvet Collar Blazer - Vintage YSL (picked up at Housing Works!)
Chain Strap Satchel - Botkier Ava

On Jeff:

Blue Plaid shirt: William Rast x Target
V-neck T: Uniqlo Heat-Tech (seriously the best thing ever)
Dark Skinny Jeans: Jonathan Alders for 7 For All Mankind
Satchel bag: Matt & Nat
Nut/bolt leather wrapped bracelet: Giles & Brother

Craft Time & Cookies with Rebecca Minkoff

Last week I had a chance to escape the blur that has been the last month to sit down and relax for a moment. There have been more sample sales and events than I can count. I’m not complaining, it’s been wonderful in so many ways but just been feeling a bit frazzled and forgetting to take the time to enjoy the moments. * Life has become a series of Eat, Sleep, Work, Shop, Blog, Repeat.Anyways, sitting down on a Monday evening with Lani, some other bloggers, Rebecca Minkoff and her wonderful staff gave me a chance to take in a DEEP BREATH and sit still for a glorious couple of hours. It sort of also set my heart in a minor panic mode as I was icing Holiday Cookies, thinking is it really the Holidays already? Where did 2010 go? And do I really have to start thinking about buying gifts and cards already? Eek! Not sure I’m quite ready to face that yet.Tubes of frosting, bowls of sprinkles and edible stars soon held my concentration captive as I attempted to artfully decorate some sugar cookies. I learned shortly afterwards that as much as I like crafting, I am no pastry chef! Not my finest creations, but still tasty nonetheless. I wouldn’t mind a re-do or perhaps I should stick to decorating cupcakes!

Peep some of the fun cookies that others in attendance created!

We then switched gears to look at the Holiday Gift Collection that I mentioned earlier today that comes in Camel, Red, Purple, Green Snake, Green Metallic and Black. I had such fun looking at all the styles and decided that my favorite was the houndstooth multi zipper mini side purse while Lani picked out the Studded Green Snake to take a picture with to create a Holiday card.

Little did I know that Rebecca Minkoff would later generously gift us for the Holidays with the styles we picked out for our photo op.

So Lani and I began to craft holiday cards and Rebecca Minkoff came and joined us in the action. We talked about TV Shows and vacation destinations as we all got down and dirty with glitter glue, rhinestones and rik rak galore. Ms Minkoff is incredibly kind,incredibly real and so down-to-earth. She gives me a sense of being the fresh scrubbed girl-next-door. But she is also undeniably beautiful and glamorous too.

Mid progress, Lani looked up and noticed that Ms Minkoff’s card bared a strikingly similar resemblance to her new footwear line for Spring 2010! Guess you can’t deny a designer’s aesthetic whatever her medium!

Check out our finished creations above! Rebecca Minkoff’s (Top), Lani’s (Middle) and mine (Bottom Left)

As I am heading out the door, Ms Minkoff stops what she is doing to make sure that I have the gift box too. She personally helps me find the right sized box to take home and open my new gift when I need a cheer up. That little tiny action of her stopping and shuffling through boxes, sort of stole my heart. She’s a designer who cares, who’s into the details and not afraid to be hands-on. The perfect end to a perfect evening. A little glimpse at the character of one of my favorite New York accessory designers.

*On a side note, I’ll be doing plenty of chilling out soon enough as I’m heading to London, England for 9 days of holidays at the week’s end. I’ll try to keep up with the blogging but won’t be around to cover the sales. If you have any tips or fave places in London, let me know!