sublet living.

I was so excited to see a little sun peeping through the curtains that I decided to pop out the camera. We have been juggling the occasional head-cold over here, and it was Sam's turn to be out for the weekend. I felt bad for the guy, and tried to fill him up with soup and goodforyouthings. It's funny, when I am sick I lay around the house like a slug and force Sam into servitude. But, I spent half the weekend trying to convince him that he needed to lay down and practically had to force him into bed while he dragged his laptop around the house trying to get work done. This kid doesn't know how to take a sick day. Most of the weekend was spent indoors, although we did venture out for a few walks in the new spring air.

We actually haven't spent very much time in our own area of Harlem. We usually meet up with people downtown, and we've found that living in West Harlem is about the same as if we lived all the way in Jersey. It's so far from anyone and everything. And, we are getting a little weary of our sublet situation. Subleasing in the city is completely odd. Maybe it's just me, but I had never really heard of it before our move. For those that don't know, subleasing means that we are living in someone else's fully furnished apartment while they are away. We sleep in their bed, use their dishes, and live out of suitcases while our things are in a storage unit in the Bronx. It's been a bit of a hassle, to say the least. I'll spare you the details, to avoid venting. Instead, I took a few quick shots inside on our day off. It's actually a really beautiful apartment. Try to imagine this apartment how it is meant to be, and not how it is right now.

I feel like you can tell a lot about a person after living in their apartment for so long. This is what I feel like I know about her:

1. She is a chef (Ok, I may have already known this.) She has many beautiful copper pots and pans.

2. She doesn't take herself too seriously. Her toilet seat has fish on it.

3. She is pretty active. She has one couch, and it's not really for lying down on.

4. She is a bit spontaneous. None of her dishes really match, and she has an eclectic assortment of flatware.

5. She doesn't get too lonely. She has a dog, and 19 plants.

the ludlow shop.

A couple if weeks ago, I managed a little promo for the opening of the new J. Crew Ludlow Shop. Have you ever seen The Liquor Shop? It's a pretty great J. Crew menswear shop in TriBeCa, housed in an old liquor shop complete with beautiful brandished wood bar. Well, their suiting outgrew the little shop, and was moved to a new store just down the street at 50 Hudson. The Ludlow Shop is solely dedicated to suiting, named after their signature suit-- The Ludlow. To celebrate the opening, TH executed a little campaign involving this beautiful, vintage Citroen. We gave rides to anyone at The Liquor Store who wanted to check out the new Ludlow Shop. It was a huge success, marked mostly by the way a man's eyes would light up when they saw this awesome car sitting out front; the way they grinned when I told them that they could actually take a ride in it; and to top it off, the almost-giddy way they would wander around the suiting shop, being fitted for a jacket or trying out a handful of bowties. It's one of those times when men get their share of the fun.

Later in the day, Sam stopped by to say hello and take a quick ride. He was in heaven at the shop, and I wanted him to take home everything he touched. Maybe I will settle by surprising him with a new pair of socks.

Gentlemen of NYC, head over to The Ludlow Shop soon. We will be giving rides every weekend in March!

color and skin.

Spring is here. Or, it is teasing us at least. It goes like this:

Day One: Out of habit, I bundle up like the kid in A Christmas Story and don't realize until after I arrive at work, sweating and uncomfortable-- that Spring has arrived.
Day Two: I arrive at work with no pants and open toed shoes. Heaven.
Day Three: We wake up to death outside our windows, and pull out the coat again.

Well, make up your mind already so that I can retire my well-worn winterwear. Boots and coats get trashed here in the city. My boots are worn through to the soles, and my brand new coat has seen better days. But, I have had a small taste of Spring in the city and I can't wait!

It seems that once New Yorkers get a glimpse of that warm weather on the horizon, they transform. I was afraid to wear anything but black since we got here. But now, with Spring on the way, it is all about color and skin. A little warmth, and out come the bare legs! A little sun, and suddenly the city is blooming with color. And this season is all about the bold and bright. So, in honor of color and skin, I give you a little Spring Collection. It's made up of all those colorful little bits in the shop that you thought you couldn't pull off just yet. Well, the time has come.

1. hot pink button mini dress- a little bit Audrey.

2. lime green maxi- the perfect pop.

3. burnt orange maxi- barefoot in the park.

4. yellow shirtdress- take it for a ride on your cruiser.

park slope.

We did it! That smile on his face is called abeamingsighofrelief. We have found and signed a lease for an apartment after a very long month. Actually, we signed two weeks ago (I just haven't found the time to say anything.) But, we can't move in for...another month. That would sound more like asmallannoyedmoan. That means that we will continue to live out of overflowing suitcases in our sublet in Harlem for another month. It's ok, though, because it is all going to be perfectly worth it. After long nights of searching listings online, weekend trips around the city to look at cruddy apartments. Now, we have found a home. It is a beautiful ground floor, two bedroom apartment in this cute, old brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn. We also have a backyard! And, if that little square of earth isn't enough for us, we live only a block and a half from Prospect Park that looks a little like this.

I can remember when we were packing to move, I was so insistent that we just find a place online and move in right away--to avoid the sublet and storage situation. But, now I am so grateful that I didn't let myself be too stubborn. For those not familiar with the city, it is almost impossible to find a nice two bedroom apartment with great landlords, a backyard, and a beautiful neighborhood all in one package. Now, you can understand what that smile means to us. That man looks like a home-owner, because with as much trouble and money we put down for that apartment--he practically is!

Happy weekend, everyone. We are counting down the days until April 1st!

pop.

Two days after the Polyvore show, we executed a cool, little pop up show on the city streets. Basically, we loaded everything in a van, arrived at a location, popped up a backdrop, and walked 14 models down a runway on a busy sidewalk. We did it twice- once in SoHo and once at Union Square. It was a fun little promotion for U by Kotex, and drew a great crowd. The clothing was styled by Patricia Field (stylist of Sex & The City, Ugly Betty) so it was outrageous and colorful. I loved it. And, yes that is Miss Hannah Jones of ANTM Cycle 16 (Of course, I still watch this show. Not embarrassed at all.) I was out in the drizzling rain, helping with our crowd and trying to catch a few photos on my phone. It was fun to see everyone confused and asking questions as they stopped to watch, or crowded at office windows to look down. Here's a little video of the day:



Did you see my little cameo?

backstage.

Ok, obviously I know that this is a little late in coming. Let me just tell you one thing: NYC is not convenient. Nothing is convenient. I have to schedule a time slot for every little thing that I want to do, and blogging has definitely fallen by the wayside. Sometimes I miss those summer days when I was freshly graduated, sitting around in our spacious, low rent house blogging about picnics and road trips. (Actually, that sounds so wonderful right now.) But, really we love it here and couldn't be happier. It just takes adjustment, that's for sure.

Polyvore Live was just wonderful. I thought that I would have a quick chance to snap some pictures backstage (what was I thinking?) I spent the whole day running around filling gift bags, labeling seats, and organizing programs. And, then when the masses showed up I was stationed at the front desk with an earpiece blaring in my ear trying to take down names with a smile. It was such a rush, and I loved it. I stole these pictures from many of the bloggers that walked in the show. I think it was a great thing, and I felt like it made a little splash in the fashion world. Up and coming designers, with a cast of well-loved bloggers. It was fun to be a part of the production and see every single detail that went into such a huge event. And, when the show was over, we could all smile and give a happy sigh of relief. I feel like I was thrown into the hurricane by arriving at TH right in the middle of Fashion Week, but I completely loved it. This last shot is of me and some of the TH staff backstage. All smiles.

You can see our work at TH Productions. The photos I pulled are from Jen Senn at TH, Polyvore, FrouFrouu, Sincerely Jules, Cali Vintage, and Holier Than Now. And, check out this video from backstage!