Monday, September 23, 2013

Part 2 of Heather & Marie take on NY Fashion Week

Part Deux

As green as it gets we strut into our first appointment of Coterie NY


Coterie NY was held at The Javits Center if that gives you any idea of how big the show is. Thousands of brands and designers showing their new Spring 2014 collections. With a map and our appointment list we set out to find the first appointment spot. It’s hard to focus with all the booths surrounding you. We had to keep ourselves on track and act like we had blinders on to make it on time to our first appointment. The picture below is just the 3rd floor!
Found the spot for our first appointment, it’s on the fourth floor which is one entire floor dedicated to denim. You name the denim brand, they are there. Up the escalator we’ve arrived, walking past model after gorgeous, perfect model. All of them modeling each brand of denim. Nothing looks bad, they make it all look good. Ok focus, we need to focus.
There it is on the right, oh gosh we are dying of thirst and just want a bottle of water. Where is the water? Our mouths are dry and we’re nervous. We step inside the showroom, tell them we are here for our 10 o’clock and we sit down at a table facing a row of denim. An over bubbly, young girl introduces herself and asks what collection we are interested in. She begins to show and sell us on each style of denim. Whenever we showed uncertainty of liking something she offered to have it modeled for us. Marie loved this idea, she had the models spin and walk. It was awesome! By the end of the appointment we were getting the hang of things and feeling comfortable. We placed our first denim order. This isn’t so hard. On to the next and the next, this is getting easier. Then the ride gets bumpy. Our next appointment, was rude, disrespectful and very unprofessional. It totally threw us off and ruined our mood. Because the encounter was completely unexpected, for a good hour we just wanted to leave. We hung in there and stuck it out, meeting many more great people and purchasing some awesome lines. Our next two appointments made up for the bad experience and we ended our day at market on a better note. Unfortunately the bad experience was all we could think about, it was hard to shake off. Something like that leaves such a bad taste in your mouth. Tired, thirsty and hungry we hunt for a cab and head back to our hotel. On to drinks and dinner.

Desperate for a good end to a stressful day we asked the concierge for a great Mexican restaurant with great margaritas and delicious food. He suggested La Esquina, which he described as an underground exclusive Mexican restaurant. Ok, sure why not. Of course reservation is required so he calls for us and gets us in at the bar. His directions and description of how to find the place led us to an old Mexican open air diner on the corner of Kenmare between Lafayette and Centre. He said to find the guy inside with a list and give him our name. It didn’t look like the type of restaurant you need a reservation for. The place was packed and overflowed onto the sidewalks.
We go in and find the guy with the list, he’s wearing an earpiece and holding a walkie talkie. Name please, he says. He takes our name and repeats it to the person on the other end of the walkie. Then he opens a door behind him and walks us into a hallway with stairs leading down. He tells us to give our name when we get to the bottom of the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs a lady tells us to go to the right. So Marie and I walk to the right which leads us through a kitchen and out a doorway. We are surprised to see an elegant Mexican style hideout. It was a dim lit luchador underground style hangout with Mexican tile murals, drip candle chandeliers, wrought iron and carved wood.
It’s hard to explain how awesome this speak-easy style taqueria with sexico waiters and candle-lit ambiance is. It’s just something you have to experience for yourself. Here are a few pics to help you envision the awesomeness we experienced.
 

Not only was the underground restaurant a good surprise, the food was delicious and flavorful. We ordered the Queso and plantains, Tostadas with chicken & avocado as appetizers and for dinner we got soft corn tortilla pork and steak tacos. Our favorite were the Tostadas and the steak tacos. The margaritas were perfect too and the ambiance topped it all off.
Last day in NY we had fashion house and showroom visits. Going into the meetings we knew to be on our game, they were bigger designers and well seasoned lines. All the paperwork was submitted and all required forms and questions were answered. I’s were dotted, T’s were crossed and all the hoops had been jumped through. We were invited to these showrooms and had appointments. That said, we were treated as if we were bothering them and they didn’t have time for us, It was disappointing. You want us to beg you to take our money to buy your s**t. We have a hard time conforming to the norm and being made to sell ourselves to the wolves, it’s just not our style. No Thanks.
After our appointments, there’s just enough time for lunch and a quick shopping sprint. We head to SoHo for lunch at Balthazar, a french bistro on Spring street. Marie had Pan seared chicken with a glass of champagne and I had Mac n cheese with a glass of pear cider.
It’s a quick lunch, we still need to pick up some last minute items for Marie’s kiddos and get to the airport on time.



This was a great experience, we gained some wonderfully talented designers that make the trip well worth it.
Until next time NY. We hope you enjoyed the peek into our journey.
 
XOXO, Heather & Marie

Friday, September 20, 2013

This is the blog you have been waiting for


Heather and Marie take on NY Fashion week. The introduction to House and Thread.

Wide eyed and full of excitement we dive head first into a world every girl dreams of. With overloaded suitcases full of perfectly planned outfits and stacks of line sheets we are ready to go. This is ten years in the making, we’ve joked about, talked about and are finally making it happen. We are the perfect mix of design & fashion. Here are all the juicy details of our exciting NY trip. All the fashion, laughs, adventures, ups N downs and champagne stories.
We’ve landed in NY! Rolling our luggage as fast as we can, hop in a cab and go. We arrive at The Gem, it’s a modern boutique hotel in the heart of Chelsea. Just here for the night, tomorrow we transfer to a hotel in the lower East Side for the rest of our stay. Can’t wait to get up to our room, drop our luggage, relax and have some dinner. Giddy with excitement, the elevator can’t get to our floor fast enough. I push the key card in, door cracks open and I burst out laughing.
At this point Marie is oblivious and thinks somethings wrong with me. I push open the door so she can get a better look and we both crack up. It’s a dark closet size room with no windows, one light, a full size bed pushed against the wall and a shower head next to the sink. The room gives us a good laugh, thank goodness it’s just one night. A quick wardrobe change and it’s onto food. Armed with a long list of great places to eat, we set out on a search for a cool place to chow down. Around the corner is The Meatball Shop, a hip little hot spot, bustling with locals. This place has city style with good ol’ country elements. The menu allows you to design your own meatball dish. The food was delicious!
Bellies full of meatballs we decide to walk it off and explore Chelsea. Marie had read about a salted caramel sundae served at ABC Kitchen, sounds good to me. ABC Kitchen requires reservations so we took a seat at the bar and stared around at how beautiful the place was. Lightly lit by candles and sparkling glass chandeliers it looked like a modern and elegant, organic french farmers market. Champagne and a salted caramel sundae was the perfect ending to our night. In a food coma we shuffle back to the hotel to rest up for our big day.
Day two, up early we pack our bags and head to the new hotel in the Lower East Side. Outside of the Thompson Hotel we can already tell this is going to be a huge upgrade. It’s a classy NY boutique hotel with style in a great location. The porter escorts us into the elevator, swipes his key card, presses PH, and says “you are going to love your room”. Marie and I look at each other with a big smile, we can’t wait to see what he’s talking about. WOW! The view is amazing! Our room is fabulous, the windows are floor to ceiling and wrap around the room. Now we’re talking, this is the way to stay in NY. It wasn’t the Penthouse (PH was next to our room) but it felt like it to us after last nights stay.
Dropped our bags, checked our outfits and headed out. Not sure what the day will be like, a good breakfast is in order. Just down from our hotel we duck into a tiny bagel shop,Konditori for hot chocolate and bagels.
 
All fueled up, standing outside our hotel waiting for a cab we meet Luis Guzman- super funny comedian. I was staring at him wondering if it was Guzman or not when a car pulled up with “Guzman” written on a paper in the window. Like a fool I yell at him “I knew it was you!”, all while pointing my finger at him. As if we were long lost friends I said “Hey how are you?” He said “I’m good, good, How are you?” Realising how awkward I just was I giggle and walk away as he gets in his car. Some of Guzman’s movies: Waiting, Journey 2, Arthur & Boogie Nights. 
We are ready catch a cab to the Capsule market for accessories and new designers. It’s an eclectic mix of contemporary clothing, accessories and modern, edgy jewelry. The vibe is laid back with an alternative style. Everyone is super nice and excited to meet us, some are just as new to the industry as we are. We fall in love with so many jewelry lines and meet an awesome leather bag designer- David Galan, we can’t wait to work with. This was the perfect first day for us, not structured and stuffy at all. Within a few hours we realised our bags were too heavy to carry and Marie’s feet hurt! Her gorgeous Louboutin boots were a bad idea. Armed with 5 pounds of line lists, catalogs and information we decided to call it a day.
Too early for dinner, too late for lunch and stomachs growling, appetizers (and champagne of course) were necessary. The concierge suggested a few spots, we walked past in search of the perfect ambiance. ‘Inoteca vino e cucina had the perfect outdoor cafe table on the corner of Ludlow and Rivington, for us to sit and people watch. We ordered a couple apps, the bruschette was so tasty. The streets were busy and kept us entertained.
Rested and ready for dinner we decided to walk the area to see what it had to offer. Passing tons of cute shops, across the street I see Beauty & Essex. I had read about a place with that name that was hidden behind a door in a pawn shop. Intrigued we went in for a closer look. At first glance it really is a pawn shop, with cases full of jewelry and guitars hanging on the walls. Marie and I look through the cases of jewelry as I say “I guess I misread the article or something”. Just then a group of well dressed women and men walk past the pawn counter and open a door. Marie says “where are they going?” The girls working in the pawn shop said “there’s a restaurant back there”. Giant smiles on our faces we rush to the doors and it kinda felt like Narnia and walking through the wardrobe. It was a cool hidden gem. The place had a gatsby glam style feel with large chandeliers and lush tufted sofas. Reservations required, we know the drill now- so we grab prime location at the bar. I swear we sat there in awe for a good two minutes. There is something so cool about secret doors and hidden places. The bartender was super friendly, he fixed us up some cocktails and suggested the perfect meal. He told us to make sure we visited the bathroom. We both thought that’s kinda weird to suggest. Come to find out there was a champagne bar in the ladies room! I think we floated out of there on a treasure hunt high. I wanted so bad to take pictures of every little detail but didn’t want to flash a camera all over this exclusive place like a tourist. I have a few pics and found some more online to share with you. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
 
Stay tuned for part two of Heather & Marie take NY Fashion week.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Design DIY: An outfit to FALL in LOVE with

 DIY's that will create an affordable outfit perfect for Fall.
 Want big Fall style without breaking the bank? An outfit like this would cost over $700. This outfit created with two DIY's will cost you less than $20.
Photo & DIY credits:

Monday, September 2, 2013

Monday Muse: Modern Southwestern

Create a modern southwestern eclectic space with these key pieces. A classic wicker sofa paired with southwestern accessories and a few modern touches.

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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Style Hive: Fall leather

This Fall season's leather is hot! The classic biker jacket has kicked things up a notch with style.
Which is your favorite?
Check back for the winning jacket.