Hello Hauteness followers!  I have some exciting news to share!  First of all, I have a job!  Three months after leaving Austin, Texas and moving to New York City, I’ve found a new position.  I can’t go into details because I’m not allowed to mention my company via social media, but I will say that I’m working for a well-known fashion & beauty firm that has offered me a great opportunity to learn and grow.  I’m thrilled to take on this new chapter of my professional life and truly think I’ve found a great home where I’ve landed.

Second of all, six weeks after moving into the city I am finally ready to share pictures of our apartment with all of you.  I can’t share every detail and the place is not completely decorated (I’d say we’re at about 90%), but hopefully this will quench the thirst of those of you who have been asking for pictures since we first moved back in July.

Prints of our friends and family in black & white are featured in the living room.  I love the classic look of black & white photos, don’t you?

One of my favorite features of our apartment is the exposed brick wall.  It captures your attention as soon as you walk in.  This is a common element of NYC apartments and I love it!

While we do have a fireplace it is not a working one so I decided to use the space to store our DVD’s.  Believe it or not, I was able to fit all of our movies down to the very last one.  If we get even one more DVD it won’t fit.  Just another reason why we were meant to be in this apartment.

We don’t really have a dining room so I found this great table at Target with collapsible leaves to fit up against the wall.  The print hanging on the wall is one of Rich’s favorites and looks great with the brick.

This is Rodney, our Roomba!  Yes, we named our robot vacuum cleaner.  I highly recommend a Roomba for anyone living in a small space.  Rodney does a great job and saves me from having to vacuum.  Love it!

Our closet space is small, but I’ve made the most of it.  When I moved up here I invested in slim felt-covered hangers that allow for more space on the bar.  We have two closets (both of which Rich surrendered to me) and they don’t have overhead lights.  To fix this problem I purchased touch LED lights from Bed Bath & Beyond.  I must say, they really do the job!

I love our bedroom!  Rich already had the furniture (from Ikea) so I decided to try to soften up the modern feel of his set by accenting with more feminine textiles.  The bedding is from West Elm and the curtain is from Overstock.com.  I really love that curtain.  Thank you to our friend @ericaStanoch for the fabulous lamp!

Our kitchen is small but charming.  We are lucky to have a dishwasher (not common in NYC apartments) and I have enough space to cook comfortably.  Rich tends to steer clear of the kitchen so we don’t have to worry about getting in each other’s way.  The canisters are from Ikea.  Rich’s sister Kim gave me the idea to customize them with press-on letters…which is exactly what I did.  I’m really happy with how they turned out.

Last but not least is our bathroom.  It is definitely smaller than what I had in Texas, but it’s actually bigger than I expected to find in NYC.  The giant mirrored medicine cabinet makes the room feel bigger than it is.  I really like this geometric print shower curtain we got from Target.

So that’s it!  Home sweet Upper West Side home!  Sorry for the delay but hopefully this gives you a good glimpse into our humble abode.

Earlier this week my good friend Kristine (@gloriakt) was in the city so I took her visit as an opportunity to check out some places I’ve been curious to explore.  At the top of my list was just about any restaurant featured in the movie You’ve Got Mail.  As a typical girl, I LOVE romantic comedies and one of the reasons I’ve been so excited to explore my Upper West Side neighborhood is the fact that it’s where the movie took place.  Knowing that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan walked down to same streets as me and ordered coffee from my local Starbucks brings out my inner tourist.

Tuesday morning Kristine and I ventured out to Cafe Lalo for brunch.  This is where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s characters, who are email pen pals, are supposed to meet for the first time.  Remember the scene?  Meg is sitting at a table with a book and a red rose waiting for Tom, who is standing outside trying to decide if he should go in or not because he’s just discovered that the possible love of his life is actually his nemesis in business.  *Sigh*  I love this stuff!

Immediately once I turned the corner onto 83rd Street and saw Cafe Lalo I knew I was at the right place.  The cute tree-lined street.  The steps leading up to the entrance.  The charming wooden framed windows.  And it only got better once we got inside.  You walk past a sinfully delicious pastry case to get to your cute little table, that is conveniently located practically on top of the table next to you (typical for NYC).  There are so many delicious breakfast entrees in the menu that it took Kristine and I 15 minutes just to decide on what to eat.  Cafe Lalo offers up typical breakfasts from around the world, which I found fascinating and delicious all at once.  In the end, Kristine ordered the Dutch Breakfast while I ordered the Italian Breakfast, along with our giant Cappuccino and Viennese Coffee.

May I just say, that this was one of my favorite experiences to date in New York. I got to enjoy good conversation with a good friend over delicious food and coffee in an absolutely charming environment.  From the exposed brick walls to the vintage posters to the fresh lavender plants hanging above the bar, I loved everything about Cafe Lalo.  Not to mention that the food was beyond delicious and actually rather healthy.  The ingredients tasted truly fresh and the menu offerings were unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else.  I know I don’t typically critique restaurants on this, my fashion blog, but I just had to share with all of you this little gem in the heart of the Upper West Side.

Whether you live in the city or are just visiting, I highly recommend you make it a point to visit Cafe Lalo…especially if you’re a hopeless romantic and a fan of You’ve Got Mail.  Cheers!

Big news Hauteness readers!  I’m very excited to announce that I am now contributing to the fabulous blog Pretty in Kate.

As the name probably gives away, this is a blog devoted to following the Duchess of Cambridge and her many outfits.  Not exactly a hard fit for me to throw in my two cents!  A princess + “get the look” posts = heaven for me!

So check out Pretty in Kate to get the latest on the former Miss Middleton’s fabulous style, along with other little tidbits we find out by stalking her every move.

P.S.  The blue Issa dress she wore in this picture for the engagement announcement is still my favorite piece she’s worn.

I am very excited to write this post because I have the pleasure of spotlighting my good friend Meredith Budwin and her fabulous jewelry line, Merah.  For years Meredith struggled with a nickel allergy that made it hard to find stylish, trendy earrings that did not irritate her skin.  I remember that she always wore the same pair of classic diamond studs because it was the only earring she could wear because the posts were solid gold.  Imagine if all of the earrings you wore had to be made of solid gold.  It would get a little expensive, right?

Well after some time spent researching the market for 100% nickel-free earrings and finding nothing, Mere made the brave decision to quit her job and open an affordable online boutique to cater to other stylish women with the same problem.  And this is how Merah was born.

All of Merah’s styles are on hypoallergenic earring hooks made from a metallic element that is 100% nickel-free without any impurities, similar to solid gold, but for a fraction of the price. Unlike other metals commonly used in “hypoallergenic” earrings, this element is commonly used in medical implants due to its nonreactive nature.  Pretty smart discovery on Meredith’s part if you ask me.  The feedback she’s received from customers has been overwhelming.

“The response to Merah has been incredible – countless women have shared their stories with us,” said Meredith. “Before Merah, some of our customers had simply stopped wearing earrings altogether while others opted to suffer through a few uncomfortable hours of wearing earrings for special occasions. I love being able to tell women with sensitive ears that there is a pain-free and affordable option now.”

In addition to the usual Merah baubles, I am also thrilled to announce that just last week Merah introduced a beyond fabulous designer collection featuring styles from none other than BonBon by Micah Yancey.  You can now choose from 13 one-of-a-kind BonBon designs with hypoallergenic hooks!  Love.  It.

So whether you’re an allergy sufferer or not, be sure to check out the chic styles at www.ShopMerah.com.  Merah offers up 45 styles ranging in price from $20 to $98 with free domestic shipping.  You can’t beat that!

Kudos to Meredith for making a company out of problem for which she couldn’t find a solution.  I’m very proud of her and of Merah!

Be sure to follow Merah on Facebook and Twitter for special discounts and announcements.

Three days after I landed in NYC I was invited to participate in a fashion show.  While I’m used to working behind the scenes at shows doing stylist or production work, this invitation came as a surprise because I was asked to model this time around.  As a size 8, this is not exactly the norm for me.

As it turns out, Katie Behnke, Creative Director of Elegantees, wanted me because of my curves.  Katie herself has more of the typical model physique, but she wants her designs to appeal to women who come in different packages.  As part of the charity fashion show she put on to benefit Freedom Forth on June 16th, Ms. Behnke brought together beautiful ladies of all shapes, colors and sizes to show off her fabulous designs.  I applaud her for this move not only because it allowed me to be a model for an evening, but also because it celebrates beauty in all forms.  The result was a fun fashion show featuring real women in flattering styles.  Well done Katie!

In addition to modeling the uber comfortable styles in the fashion show, Katie also asked me to participate in a photo shoot for the Elegantees website.  Honored and flattered, I accepted and now you can see me on their website showing off the Pamela and Lori styles.  May I just say, it’s totally surreal to see myself modeling.  Like, woah.

Doing my best model pose. What do you think?

So just what is Elegantees?  This is a stylish line of cotton jersey t-shirts that Katie launched in 2010 to feed two of her passions: fashion and philanthropy.  As the company grows and the initial start-up costs are recovered, eventually 100% of Elegantees’ dividends will go towards fighting sex and human trafficking.  In addition to this, Ms. Behnke is currently establishing relationships with factories in Peru and Nepal that are transforming communities by teaching sewing skills to those rescued from trafficking, therefore helping the fight against this horrible practice.

I recently sat down with the lovely (inside and out) Katie Behnke to hear more about her company and her mission to give back.

Where are you from?  What is your NYC story?

I’m a Midwestern girl from a farm in Iowa.  I always wanted to move to a big city, and after attending a local college I applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology and got in!  I moved to NYC in 2005, spent 3 years at FIT while taking on a series of internships and jobs before launching Elegantees in 2010.

What led you to start your own line?

It’s been a dream of mine since I was little and at my last job as a Production Manager I gained a lot of the knowledge I needed to start my own company.  Once I learned more about human and sex trafficking in a World Affairs class at FIT, I promised myself that if I ever started a company I would bring awareness to this issue.  I’m excited to say that I kept this promise and am currently working on establishing relationships with manufacturers that give back to their communities and help fight sex trafficking.  It’s my hope that the Spring 2012 collection will be produced exclusively by these factories.

What is the target market for Elegantees?

The majority of our customers are in their 20s and 30s that want to be fashionable but don’t want to work hard at it.  Elegantees are all about effortless and affordable style.

Do you have a signature piece/style that you will always carry?

It’s still a little too early to designate a signature piece, but I will always design styles that drape and are accented with trends.

Do you have a favorite style?

I’d have to say that the Lacy tee is my favorite.  It accentuates my shoulders and has nice sleeve detailing.

What is your favorite piece in your own closet?

I love my high-waisted boys uniform pants that I bought at a thrift shop.  I actually wore them at the fashion show.  They fit my proportions perfectly.  I just love wearing them!

Katie, wearing her fav pants, at the fashion show alongside her boyfriend Israel

Do you have any upcoming projects/events that you want to share with Hello Hauteness readers?

We’re having a fashion show in Dubuque, Iowa on August 14^th to benefit the Nepali Rescue Project.  I’m also excited to announce that I’m partnering with Whitney Fields, Austin, Texas based Stella & Dot Stylist, to design a line that will be photographed and featured in a fashion show in Austin hopefully around February of next year.

Where do you like to shop?

I actually love to go to the 5^th floor of Bergdorf’s in Manhattan not so much to shop but to snap pictures of items that inspire me for my own line.  I don’t shop too much because I know I can make anything I see in the stores, but I must admit that jewelry is my weakness.  I’m a huge fan of Prima Donna (5^th & 37^th), Forever 21, and if I could afford it, I’d get Stella and Dot often.

Who is your favorite fashion icon, male or female?

Jeanette Scott Thwing of jseverydayfashion.com. I love how she is so down-to-earth and inspires a lot of American women to dress with ease and affordability.

Are you a coffee or tea drinker?

I’m a hot tea drinker all the way!  I’m all about flavored teas.

Are you a flip-flops or heels girl?

Heels.  But, since I’m a New Yorker, I need to walk a lot and go for the shorter ones then. They can be comfortable yet sassy at the same time.  Plus, they just look and feel more special.

Are you a Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda or Samantha?

My friends tell me I’m a Charlotte…maybe because I seem to be the purest of our bunch.  I would definitely say that my style is more Carrie though.

Ladies, if you’re looking for comfortable yet stylish t-shirts, I can honestly say that Elegantees is the way to go.  You will not only be supporting a young entrepreneur, you’ll be supporting the bigger mission of raising awareness of human and sex trafficking.

Sorry for being radio silent the past two weeks, but I have the best excuse. Rich and I officially moved to the Upper West Side on July 1st! After spending a few weeks living on Staten Island, it was Rich, me, and a U-Haul filled with all of our earthly possessions off to Manhattan.

Since we moved on a Friday it was just the two of us moving into our 4th floor walk up apartment, but at least we didn’t have to move furniture because it was delivered to us a few days later. Word to the wise though, if you are moving anywhere in the city that doesn’t have an elevator, hire movers! Carrying boxes up three flights of stairs in the middle of summer is a bit tougher than Rich and I anticipated. Nough said.

But, after a week plus of settling in, we’re finally here! May I just say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE our new hood! It’s so cute and charming that I feel like I’m walking around in a movie when I come and go everyday. We’re a block and a half away from the gym, two blocks from Central Park and three blocks from the nearest subway stop. Not to mention that we have every market and clothing store known to man within a few blocks of us.  Life is good!

I don’t have apartment pics to share just yet because we don’t have curtains, rugs or wall decor.  I can’t show you guys the apartment without it being properly accessorized afterall.

In the meantime, I walked around the hood and snapped a few pics so that you all could share in my delight of the Upper West Side.

Our street

Another view of our street

Yup, Magnolia Bakery is a few blocks away

Trader Joe's, need I say more?

Gray's Papaya

72nd Street subway stop

Citarella gourmet market

Beacon Theater

Living in New York City definitely has it’s perks…and I’m experiencing it firsthand.  Last week my best friend Jenni urgently messaged me because she heard that the new season of Project Runway was filming a public runway show in Battery Park and all you had to do was RSVP to attend.  Of course, I immediately jumped on this news and was SUPER excited at the prospect of going…but even as I typed the email to RSVP I didn’t expect to actually get a response.  Well, I was wrong.

Last Friday I woke up bright and early (even earlier than Rich, who had work) to head downtown and wait anxiously for the show to start.  The email I received from the PR reps said you could bring friends, so naturally I invited my new friend Katie Behnke of Elegantees to join me for this exciting experience.  We arrived at the show site by 8am amidst mist, fog and rain.  I was worried that the show would not take place due to the inclement weather, but the stage was going up and a crowd of 20-30 people was already congregating so all was still on.

Aside from the gray skies, this was a fabulous setup for an outdoor runway show.  The Hudson River with gorgeous boats and yachts provided the backdrop for the stage.  Opposite the stage were the buildings of downtown Manhattan and the greenery of Battery Park.  The thing that struck me most about this experience was how accessible it was.  There were temporary barricades around the immediate stage area, allowing just enough room for the judges’ chairs on one side and space for the designers on the other side, but aside from that we could walk right up to watch the show.

Another thing that surprised me was the amount of people that actually showed up to watch.  Back in Austin, you say “free public show to be aired on a popular television show” and EVERYONE shows up.  Not so in this case.  I assumed that fewer peeps would show up once I saw the rain outside, but I was still worried that I wouldn’t have a good view because I wasn’t showing up at 5am.  Once again, I was wrong.  Katie and I were able to stand towards the back, on an elevated ledge, with only a small crowd in front of us, and got a GREAT view of the runway.  We were actually pinching ourselves at how easy it was.

Project Runway fashion show stage at the beginning of the morning.

The PR decal going up on the stage backdrop.

About 30-45 minutes before the show started the panel of judges, Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and guest judge Kim Kardashian, came out to wave at the crowd and talk to the press.  They all wore figure-hugging black (surprise surprise) and looked just as fabulous in person as on the show.  Heidi Klum was radiant, smiling the entire time and gliding around in her killer 6″ heels.  I. Want. To. Be. Her.

Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and Heidi Klum greeting the press

Kim Kardashian arriving (sorry this shot is grainy, I took it with my phone)

The hair and makeup peeps hanging out backstage.

The designers arriving backstage.

Heidi Klum greeting the designers before the start of the show.

Fast forward another hour or so once the hair & makeup, designers, and models arrived, and it was showtime!  Heidi came out and greeted the crowd and designers.  Katie and I concluded that this had to be the first show, or at least one of the first shows, because there were so many designers still present.  Not to mention, we’re all getting a sneak preview of the season before it actually airs.  They couldn’t give away who had already been cut from the competition.  Heidi prefaced the show by saying that the designers worked in teams of two to create a larger than life look with only a $500 budget.

SPOILER ALERT:  If you are a fan of Project Runway and don’t want to see the designs from this challenge until the show airs, DO NOT watch this fabulous video Katie put together.  Otherwise, press play to watch the highlight of our morning, the runway show.

I don’t want to critique the show in too much detail so as to keep it a surprise for those who want to wait for it to air, but I will say that I’m very excited to see what this year’s designers will bring to the table.  From what I could tell, Season 9 has more male designers than I remember seeing in the past, plus this crop of peeps looked to be more mature.  It was hard to tell from a distance, but I didn’t see any super young individuals in the block of designers sitting next to the runway.

Once the show started, it was an unexpected surprise to see acrobats, not models, strut onto the runway on none other than stilts!  The larger than life theme appeared to expand beyond just the designs and into the runway presentation.  They’re really stepping it up this season!  An outdoor, public show consisting of non-models on stilts is definitely something new for Project Runway and I was impressed.

As far as the designs go, it was interesting to see them in person just to be able to judge how polished and professional the pieces looked.  As a former design student, I have a great appreciation for what these designers have to do in a short amount of time.  Naturally I was anxious to see how finished the final product looked in person.  All in all the pieces looked runway ready in terms of professionalism.  As far as marketability, I would say that the designs started off less wearable (more costume-like) and as the show went on the styles grew more and more marketable.  For those of you that watched the video, the last design was my favorite.  It met my three criteria: the look from head to toe was polished, professional and marketable.

Katie and I were amazed by the models, who managed to look graceful while walking on stilts in voluminous, larger than life garments.  Plus, the girls had to walk the runway several times to ensure that the cameras had multiple shots of each garment in order to allow for editing for the show.  I’m doing good to walk in flats most of the time so watching these ladies strut their stuff on stilts was tres impressive.

Once the show was over Heidi and Tim Gunn (yay!) came out to thank everyone for coming and pose with all of the models.  After that, the morning’s festivities appeared to be complete and everyone went their own way.  But, before we left we had the pleasure of seeing Tim Gunn shake hands, take pictures and converse with several people from the crowd.  He was so friendly and genuine!  It made me love him even more!  Katie and I were going to get a pic with him but unfortunately he had to leave just as we got to him.  All the same, I was very impressed with him and am an even bigger fan after this experience.

Me and the beautiful Katie Behnke at the show

So that was my morning in Battery Park with Project Runway.  Thank you to Jenni for helping me get there, Katie for being my fabulous date and creating the preview video, and Project Runway for giving us fans an opportunity to be a part of the show.  It was truly exciting to be out there and is definitely one of the highlights of my year so far.

Don’t forget to tune into the 9th season of Project Runway on Lifetime beginning July 28th!

Back in February I was excited to see the launch of Anthropologie’s bridal line BHLDN and I’ve been checking in on it regularly ever since.  I’ve always been a huge fan of all things wedding-related and I love seeing well-established brands dip their toe in the bridal pool.

While I was not shocked at all to see Anthro take a walk down the aisle, their recent announcement of the opening of their first bridal boutique was a pleasant surprise.  What truly makes it interesting for me is that the location of this flagship store will be in none other than Houston, Texas, where I worked for Anthropologie a few years back.

This latest venture is set to open August 18th.  Too bad it’s not a month earlier…I’ll be in Houston in mid-July and would have loved to tour the boutique.  H-town ladies, if you happen to check it out post 8/18 let me know what you think. My curiosity is peaked!

As I mentioned in my Resort 2012 post, wide leg pants are officially in.  Get ready to see more voluminous, high-waisted styles in the stores this Fall.  I know I know, it seems like as soon as you jumped on the skinny jean bandwagon they were “out”.  Well, you’re not alone.  I’m right there with you.  I don’t care what they say, I’m keeping my leggings for now.  They’re way too comfy and make me feel as if I’m channeling Audrey Hepburn (which is never a bad thing).

So how to wear this new trend.  Wide or flared leg pants are like any other style, you gotta find the fit that’s right for you.  For example, I have rather robust hips so I know better than to wear a pant that falls straight from the hip.  It only magnifies the wideness and is completely unflattering.  Don’t get me wrong, I actually love this pant style, but I can’t do the extreme wide leg pants.  I have to stick with more of a curvy flared style.

The key thing to remember when wearing this trend is to pair it with a more fitted top.  If you have a slim, boyish figure there is more room to wear something blousey because it will actually add volume to your shape where you don’t naturally have it.  For the rest of us, it’s best to keep it fitted on top and save the extra fabric for the bottom half of the body to keep the overall look as slimming as possible.

Here are some examples of the trend from the Fall 2011 ready to wear runway shows. (Images via Style.com)

Rachel Zoe

Ralph Lauren

Elie Tahari

Chloe

Gucci

As always, this latest trend is only a repeat from fashion cycles of the past. Katherine Hepburn looked feminine and masculine all at once in her draped trousers of the 40’s and 50’s while Farah Fawcett rocked the look during her heyday in the 70’s.  Today everyone from Jessica Biel to Annalynne McCord is rockin’ the look…and soon you will be too.

I started off my time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art meandering through the Greek and Roman galleries and I have to say that they took my breath away.  I’ve always been intrigued by the era in which the Greek and Romans lived (history nerd much?), but I’m especially in love with the draped fashions of the time.  I’ve always loved draped styles on women and those styles originated in this era.  Being able to view the exquisite marble and stone figures from the Greek and Roman times firsthand was such a study in design for me.  Every woman wants to look and feel like a goddess and each of these figures looked every bit the goddess.

I remember when I was a fashion student I looked forward to my draping class more than any other course I took because we literally got to take a piece of fabric and let it fall on a form naturally, creating a pattern from that natural drape.  I’m a huge proponent of letting fabric do what it wants to and fall where it wants to, so I will always be a student of draping.  This is exactly what the Greek and Romans based their fashions off of.  It’s so simple yet creates such a striking look, even on a statue.

Interestingly, I found myself being reminded of recent runway fashions as I made my way through the galleries.  It just goes to show that fashion is a cycle and everything comes back into style…and some fashions just never go out of style.  I think the Greek and Romans created some of the most timeless styles of all the ages.  I even found dresses from the 2012 Resort shows to prove my point.

Greek or Roman statue at the Met

Lanvin Resort 2012

Stone facade from the Met

Vionnet Resort 2012

Marble statue in the atrium of the Met

Lanvin Resort 2012

Considering the consistency in these looks, I took it upon myself to research past runway fashions that took their cue from the Greeks and Romans.

Charles Worth circa 1921

Jean Harlow circa early 1930's

Mary McFadden circa 1970's

Halston circa 1970s- the late designer with Bianca Jagger in one of his draped designs

A Halston design from the Spring 2011 collection

Ralph Lauren Spring 2004 RTW

Vera Wang Fall 2006 RTW

Monique Lhuillier Fall 2011 RTW

Amazing how these gowns mirror each other, right?!  Just goes to show, don’t make fun of what your parents wore back in the day because you could be wearing it in 5 years!

Of course, I would never be embarrassed by any of the above looks.  They’re timeless, classic pieces that have an effortless style about them you can never go wrong with.