Hello Hauteness

I have definitely been racking up the airline miles as of late.  This weekend I met up with Rich in Orlando to go to Disneyworld and Universal.  He grew up going to the parks every year whereas this was my first time.  I must say….it…was…a…blast!!!!!!!!!!

Every little kid dreams of going to Disneyworld and I was definitely one of those kids.  It only took 27 years, but I finally made my way there thanks to my awesome boyfriend.

Funnily enough, I had a bit of a struggle packing for this trip.  Being a girly girl, I had a hard time matching comfy shoes with cute outfits.  I only wear sneakers and t-shirts when working out so trying to find a way to create chic looks with them was a challenge.  I know, I’m ridiculous…but this is me.

In the end, I managed what for me was a few packing miracles:

1. I didn’t overpack.  There was only ONE shirt I didn’t wear.
2. I packed only a pair of sneakers and a pair of hiking shoes.  Woah.
3. I didn’t have to use the extension on my carry-on suitcase to allow for more room.

Once I was at the park I realized that my boyfriend, his brother, and everyone else was right.  Comfortable shoes are KEY to one’s enjoyment of a weekend spent in amusement parks.  The few ladies I saw dressed up in the parks stuck out like sore thumbs because they looked ridiculous.  When walking around all day, riding roller coasters, and mixing with Disney characters, heels, skinny jeans and a fur-trimmed puffy jacket is not a good look.  It’s all about t-shirt chic on trips like this.

How do you think I did?

Of course, I have nothing on this guy…

I had to visit a store aptly named Castle Couture.  They had all of the female Disney character dresses for girls 12 and under.  If only I was 8 years old and could have fit in one of them!  I totes would have come home with a Belle or Snow White costume.  Sigh!

And this post would not be complete without a pic of me and Rich in front of the Dr. Seuss entrance at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Happy holidays Hauteness readers!

I’m baaaaaaccccck!  After a lovely 9 day vacay over the Thanksgiving holiday in NYC, I have returned to Texas and to the wonderful world of blogging.  May I just say, yet again, that I love NYC!  There is such an energy and a buzz to that city and I loved being in the middle of it all, especially at the start of the holiday season.

While up there I got to hang out with my boyfriend and his family while also exploring the city and doing some shopping on my own.  Some trends in styles that I noticed while walking the streets of Manhattan included:

• Riding Boots
• Houndstooth Print (swoon!)
• Oxford Style Lace-up Shoes on women
• Military Jackets
• Tights in all colors of the rainbow
• Big Tote Bags

Too bad I couldn’t have stayed for an extra week.  I was there as the holiday decorations were still going up and the windows at Sak’s weren’t all up yet.  Speaking of windows, check out these pics (sorry for the glare…and occasional people):

Mystery behind the curtains at Saks

Bergdorf's Window 1

Bergdorf's Window 2

Bergdorf's Window 3

So unfortunately the glare on these is so bad that you can’t get a full feel for how amazing they were.  I will speak for them.  They.  Were.  Amazing.  It’s everything you hear about when it comes to ridiculous store windows.  They don’t just decorate a window and say “look what we have”.  They say “we’re not just stuff, we’re art and you want to be a part of this so come in and buy!”.  Yes, the windows literally spoke to me.  As you can probably tell, on the long list of things I want to do when I grow up is Visual Merchandising.  Sigh!

Anyway, back to more pictures.  I made my way up and down all of the avenues and enjoyed gawking at the luxury goods.  Louis, Burberry, Tiffany’s, Gucci…we all got acquainted.  Of course the storefronts outdid themselves with creativity due to the holiday season and the fact that they have to put their best face forward in the city that never sleeps.  Here are a few notables:

Hello Bergdorf's!

Apple may not be a fashion brand, but they certainly know how to make a statement.

This Forever 21 was so massive that I couldn't fit the entire storefront in the frame of my pic.

This Hollister storefront was made up of television screens that made it look like you were staring at the ocean...in the middle of Manhattan.

Just what every girl wants: Cartier wrapped in a big red bow!

Last but not least, my fav! I was literally drawn to Fendi from afar thanks to their twinkle light belts. Who wouldn't be?!

There were so many more but these are just the few I caught when I remembered to pull out my camera.  After a while you just go into sensory overload with all of the amazing shopping in that city!

In addition to all of the windows and storefronts, I was truly inspired by random architectural elements while walking through Manhattan.  As someone with an art and design background, I find myself intrigued by random items all the time.  Rich laughs at my obsession with trees so it’s probably good he wasn’t with me when I took some of these shots.

The interior of the Guggenheim. The best part of the museum was truly the building.

Beautiful vines growing on an exterior wall of the Met.

The warmth and peace this brought on comes out even in the picture.

I don't know what the name of this church was, but it was breathtaking.

I love old churches!

Last but not least, here are a few shots of Rich and I.  Yeah, I kinda like him.

As you can probably tell, I had a great time and can’t wait to go back.  Happy hump day everyone!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!  Okay, I’m a bit early, but a) this is my favorite holiday, aside from 4th of July, b) it involves turkey and pie so you have to be excited, and c) best of all, I’ll be in NYC for the next 9 days!

That’s right!  I get to spend the entire week taking a bite out of the Big Apple!  As if I wasn’t already planning on consuming an inordinate amount of calories over this fabulous holiday, I decided to head up to my favorite fashion capital (well, technically I haven’t been to any of the others) to partake in it’s culinary offerings, in addition to my turkey dinner.

I am SUPER excited for this trip because this is my first Thanksgiving with my boyfriend Rich and I have the pleasure of attending his nephew’s christening along with his twin niece and nephew’s birthday party while I’m up there.  I love family time and getting to spend some quality time with Rich and his family is going to be a real treat.

So where is the fashion/style angle to this post you ask?  Don’t worry, I have EVERY intention of shopping, gawking, and interviewing while I’m up there.  First of all, being a Texas girl dating a New York guy, I’m sorely in need of some winter clothing…so we WILL be shopping while I’m up there.  A trip to H&M will most definitely occur, probably while Rich is at work so that he can avoid being bored to tears while I peruse the store for hours.  I’m also hoping to make it over to Times Square to check out their EPIC Forever 21 that just opened a few months back.  I’ll try to snap pics whenever possible.

Second of all, I am going to interview a knitwear designer while I’m up there.  I don’t want to give away details, but she has a small collection of knit accessories that I fell in love with as soon as my fabulous friend Brittney (@brittneydane) introduced me to it.  I look forward to introducing you to this great little designer and her pieces once I get back.

Third of all, I’m anxious to check out the street fashion during my ventures out into the city by myself.  I figure I’ll get lost at least once so I might as well take in the style scenery as I meander aimlessly through the streets of New York.  I’m curious to see what the trendsetters are wearing up there to see if it lines up with what’s going on down in ATX.  Rich has already told me that he doesn’t like these “Mary Poppins-style shoes” all the ladies are wearing….so I gotta check this out.

Needless to say, you probably won’t hear from me next week, but it will be for a good cause…I’ll be busy collecting great content for once I get back!

So Happy Thanksgiving, happy football-watching, happy family time and, last but not least, happy Black Friday shopping!

After my trip to NYC the travel bug has bitten me once again and I’m excited to say that I have a few trips in the works for the remainder of 2010.  With jet-setting on my mind, I was once again inspired to write a Fashion Tip Friday post related to travel.  This week it’s all about packing smart.

Yes, when I pack I want to take a different pair of shoes for every outfit along with a set of accessories and purse to match as well.  Do I do that?  Hell no!  That’s the quickest way to cost you money (checked bags much?) and drive you crazy when you’re digging through all that stuff on a trip.

Instead, I follow these simple “Rules to Travel By”…

• Pick a color: black or brown.  Ok, now that you have the color picked out, pick a bag, pair of shoes, and belt that matches whatever you chose.  I am so anal that if I have a suitcase full of outfits that go with brown, but have one ensemble that centers around black, I have to have a separate purse and shoes just to match it.  Ridiculous, I know, but this is how I roll.  Save yourself the hastle, simplify your life, and just pick black or brown.
• Stare into your closet and pick out the pieces that wrinkle the least.  So few items these days don’t wrinkle, so go for what you know will be easiest to either steam via the hotel shower or iron quickly.  Afterall, who wants to spend precious vacation time ironing?
• Look up the forecast for where you will be traveling and be sure you are packing appropriately.  If you’re going someplace cold, pick ONE coat and make your outfits work around that coat.  If there’s going to be rain, pack your umbrella and a raincoat.  They fit into a suitcase nicely and that way you aren’t kept from doing what you want to do while there because of a little water falling from the sky.
• Pack one of the following:  jeans, shorts, slacks, or skirt.  You better like what you pick because you’re going to make several outfits with just this one bottom.  This saves you so much space and hassle, and gets your creative outfitting juices flowing.  Pick shirts that work with that bottom and figure out how to reinvent that bottom with each top you match it with.  I suggest that if you’re taking jeans pick out a dark wash.  Darker jeans can be dressed up or down, not to mention they’re dark so they make you look slimmer.  (Note:  An exception to this rule for guys is if you’re going to need a more formal outfit for an occasion such as a night out on the town.  In that case, pack a pair of slacks along with one of the other options.)
• Avoid layered outfits.  My logic behind this is pretty obvious…the less layers you have the less you need to create an outfit and the less you have to pack.  Of course this is more difficult when traveling during the winter or to colder climates, but when packing just think to yourself “Keep it Simple”.
• I keep a travel kit with all toiletries and skincare items packed and ready to go at all times.  I am notorious for forgetting something so this saves my bacon.  If it’s already done and I never take anything out of it then I can’t forget anything.  Brilliant!

So I mentioned to my BFF Jenni that I was going to be writing this post and next thing I knew she had emailed me her own tips for packing and travel.  I thought they were so helpful that I wanted to share them as well.  In her own words, Jenni’s “Rules to Travel By” are as follows…

• Always carry the most important, expensive items (notes, laptop, jewelry, phone, any tickets or travel itineraries) in your “additional bag” and never your actual piece of luggage. Essentially, if someone has the exact same bag as you and they grab it and you don’t notice, will you still be able to have a successful trip?
• Don’t waste space with the blow dryer, shampoo and conditioner. Most business hotels have decent blow dryers along with higher-end shampoo and conditioner. The only thing I bring along is my straightening iron.
• Invest in high-end matched luggage. Best decision I ever made. The stuff holds up well (if you do your research) and is within the size limits for federal luggage requirements. One note — I learned the hard way when traveling abroad that Europe has smaller requirements for carry-on luggage than the U.S. What fits over here won’t be allowed on the plane on the way back necessarily. So do your research.
• Wear flats to the airport. It saves time going through security. Make sure your ID and laptop is in a place where you can quickly grab stuff without wasting time. I would advise against flip flops because planes are cold.
• Screw the two bag rule on the plane. I always leave enough space in my main piece of luggage for my laptop bag (since it lies flat) and sometimes have room for my purse (which I can flatten quickly) to put in my other carry-on bag. All of a sudden, I’ve got four bags! Woot! Alternate option — get a purse that is big enough to pile everything into it!

Between Jenni and I, you should now be able to pack efficiently, simply, and most of all, smartly.  So book a trip and test your skills.  Happy Friday!

Helllllllooooooooooo Hauteness readers!  I apologize for being MIA for the past week.  I had a busy week leading up to my trip to New York and once I got back last Monday I realized that I had a dinner party EVERY NIGHT of my post-Labor Day week.  Needless to say, I was left with no time to blog.

But, I’m baaaccccckkkkk!  First things first, I gotta tell you about my trip.  It.  Was.  Epic.  Thank you to Rich, who planned everything from the time I stepped off the plane at JFK to when I grudgingly stepped on the plane back to ATX.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Austin, but NYC is the only place I visit and never want to return home.

I could go into detail about my trip, but that would lead to a ridiculously long blog post.  So to sum up my activities:

Thursday- Landed at JFK at 11pm then passed out once I got settled in at Rich’s house.

Friday- Had my first NYC bagel, hung out with Dara in Manhattan, bar hopped with Rich, Erica and Chris, and crashed hard in our awesome hotel room in the heart of the Upper West Side.

Saturday- Met up with Dara, Farhim and Heather for brunch at French Roast, hung out in Central Park on a blanket with wine and beer for hours, and joined Rich’s family at a Staten Island Yankees minor league baseball game.  The highlight of my night was watching Rich’s nephew, Billy, dance to YMCA and Party in the USA.  Classic!

Sunday- Dave, Tricia, Erica, Chris and Carrie joined us, we took the ferry around Manhattan that landed us right outside of Yankee Stadium, watched the Yankees lose to Toronto (boo!), joined Rich’s family for a BBQ, and ended the day with YouTube watching and Wii.

Monday- Rich and I made our way out to the US Open where we met some interesting people while waiting in lines, shopped the Ralph Lauren US Open store, and watched Maria Sherapova…then I boarded a plane back home to Texas very unwillingly.

So that was my amazing weekend in a nutshell.  While I didn’t do much fashion-related (if I had stayed another week I could have hit up Fashion Week…ugh!), I got to attend amazing sporting events and hang out with some really fun and engaging people.  That’s what life is all about so I would say that the weekend was a complete success!

Now for the pictures you’ve been waiting for…

Oh!  I almost forgot.  I could have done an entire post on all of the fabulous Ralph Lauren outfits that the US Open workers had on.  From the ball boys/girls to the greeters (like this awesome dude below), they were all rockin’ the RL pony like nobody’s business…and I was diggin’ it!  I have a whole new appreciation for tennis fashions.  I bet I could rock the look…if only I played tennis!