U.S. OPEN

{U.S. Open sign}

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the U.S. Open this year with my parents, which first started back in 1881. Being one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, times have definitely changed from when this event wasn't even televised to now it being displayed in high-def 3-D flat screen tv's at one of the venue kiosks. Our box seat tickets had previously been scheduled for the day before but due to the crazy weather were postponed until the next evening. This postpone, which we had originally thought was a setback, actually enabled us to watch the match between Serena Williams and the #1 womens tennis player in the world, Carolina Wozniaki.

{Serena's opponent, Carolina Wozniaki}

Before the match, we ate dinner at Aces, the delicious restaurant of a wold-renound chef for events across the country. Honey Deuces, a Grey Goose melon cocktail was the signature drink for the evening and therefore we had to try them, you even got to keep the souvenir cup!

{Honey Deuces cocktail}

For appetizers, we ordered the portobella fries which the waiter informed us that they receive 45 cases of mushrooms every single day just to make these, needless to say they are extremely popular.

{Portobela frieswith ginger soy sauce}

For dinner we tried an assortment of entrees, including scallops, lobster salad, and ahi tuna (although they were all very tasty, I must say the tender ahi was my favorite).

{Scallops and arugula salad)

However, I must say that the mini peanut butter ice cream sandwiches for dessert might have been my favorite part of the meal.

{Mini peanut butter cookie ice cream sandwiches}

A little while after we finished eating, we headed over to explore the whole venue. There were lots of different kiosks sponsored by companies such as American Express, Grey Goose, Ralph Lauren, and a few others. After not too much longer we went to our seats and had an up-close and personal view of the action. Cyndi Lauper sung the national anthem and then the games started. At serves over 115mph, you could see the power in Serena's shots.

{Serena Williams}

The excitement continued back and forth while the fans cheered each of the opponents on. After just 2 sets, Serena had already won the game! As fans applauded and slowly left the stadium, I took in the whole scenery of unforgettable night.

Fashion's Night Out

I can't believe it has taken me so long to finally write my Fashion's Night Out post... maybe that is because on some level I am still fathoming over all the marvelous events that took place during this year's fashion week. As my Facebook status said "Fashion's Night Out is better than my Birthday and Christmas combined...."and to some degree I could pretty much consider it my favorite day of the year. With complimentary cocktails and gourmet hors d'oeuvres being passed around by model-looking gentlemen at basically every single store, there is truly nothing not to love about this elegant night (okay except maybe the insanely large crowds and seamlessly never-ending lines to enter certain stores). Starting off in the Upper East side around my apartment, we strolled down Madison Avenue stopping in just about all the stores we passed. Chloe was amongst the first we went into and we were quickly served champagne and the decadent desserts upon our entry. 

{Mini desserts at Chloe} 

After Chloe, we continued strolling down Madison and ran into the amazingly long line filled with star-struck young girls waiting to see pop star Justin Bieber at D&G. Next we went into Lanvin who was hosting a karaoke contest, however with our singing capabilities we chose not to participate... although we did help ourselves to a glass of champagne while we sat on the comfy chairs and chatted on the top floor planning out our next move. Finding some gourmet appetizers was on our agenda and it just so happened that our next store was serving delicious mini lobster tacos. After going back for seconds we decided it would be time to find a new location.

{Mini lobster tacos}

Oscar De La Renta himself was hosting the FNO party at his store, assisted by his PR girl or most commonly known as @OscarPRgirl on Twitter (who we had the fortunate opportunity of meeting and taking a picture with). Although Oscar seemed heavily involved in his "oh-so-important" phone call, we were able to briefly meet him, until he was whisked away to join in singing with the mariachi band.

{Me, Oscar PR girl, Hannah}

Agent Provocateur was next, where we watched sky high models emerge out of limos in nothing but lingerie waltzing up to full body windows where they were modeling. After perusing most of the stores down Madison, we decided to make a change of scenery by heading over to Lexington and stopping in Dylan's Candy Bar. The top level was transformed into an actual bar and upon walking in, everyone over 21 received a wristband validating their age.Sangria was served and while sipping on this sweet cocktail we frosted out own high-heel cookies, an unbeatable combination.

{Dylan's "Candy Bar"}

{High-heel cookie and white sangria}

Celebrities were being studded throughout the neighborhood and it was exciting to run into one of the couples from the Real Housewives of NYC. Although Oscar's singing with the mariachi band was fun to listen to, the real singing talent came out when we heard Natasha Bedingfield at Ann Taylor.

{Real Housewives couple of NYC}

{Natasha Bedingfield at Ann Taylor}

YSL, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Henri Bendels, were a few more places we popped into before the saddening 11pm FNO closing time rolled around. The Hester Street fair took over Bendels 2nd floor and over a dozen local food vendors opened their stands inside this high-end retail store (a seemingly unconventional location for quick bites such as homemade mac n cheese and crepes).

{Hannah and I in front of the YSL store}

Now that another year of Fashoin's Night Out was officially over, we continued the evening by attending Christian Audigier's party at The Chelsea Room, The event was lively but we left after about an hour and headed over to Tenjune, one of my favorite Thursday night hot spots. Heading home a little after 3am, I would consider this night to be a huge success.

PARKED. NYC's best food trucks come together

Do you like NYC's food trucks? Or do you prefer sitting down at restaurants? For a tasty, quick, and reasonably priced meal on the go food trucks are the perfect option. Originally when I used to hear the word "food truck"I would think of the grungy taco truck that used to hang out near the park by my high school. However, after moving to NY I have seen the most gourmet food coming out of those mobile vehicles cruising around the city streets. Hearing many great reviews about the fabulous finds you can eat on the street, I couldn't believe I still had yet to try a place until this past Saturday. Therefore, when I read online that over 30 of the best food trucks in NYC were all coming together at the South Seaport I jumped on the opportunity to try all these delicious treats.

{Crowd of people at "PARKED"}

Though when I first arrived I was overwhelmed by the increasingly large number of people and the lines that looped around to what seemed to be almost back uptown. After perusing around all the different trucks to see which ones were worth the wait, my family and I decided to all split up so we would be able to sample multiple different eats. My mom waited at the infamous Wafels & Dings for the BBQ chicken wafel while my dad waited at it's bumper truck, Rickshaw Dumping Bar that sold the most delicious vegetarian edamame dumplings. I went back up toward the front where I had seen many other great trucks that I wanted to try.

{Wafels & Dings Truck}

{Rickshaw Dumpling Truck}

On my way back, I couldn't help but sample all the delicious desserts being passed out by the Treats Truck; the mexican brownies, almond & crandberry rice krispies, and the oatmeal raison cookies were among my favorite. Stopping at the Cinnamon Snail for a minute, I almost purchased a tempeh sandwich from this vegan truck, however just a few inches away I saw someone carrying a mouthwatering mountain of shaved ice with an assortment of yummy toppings. I immediately asked them to point me in the right direction and I found myself at a small booth. Although this event was primarily food trucks, 10 temporary booths joined the party to serve from their mini traveling shops. I ordered some very unconventional toppings (peanuts, wasabi peas, almonds, rosemary, granola, and strawberries) which actually complemented the shaved ice and the dollop of mango sorbet perfectly in an interesting way.

{Shaved Ice Menu}

Even though I was only able to try 3 different trucks this time, I am hoping to try some of the ones I missed in the near future: Gorilla Cheese, Frying Dutchman, Cool Haus Ice Cream, and Red Hook Lobster.

{The Frying Dutchmen}

{Red Hook Lobster Pound}

Following trucks on twitter is the best way to instantly know their locations! What are your favorite NYC food trucks?

Rachel Zoe Event @ Saks

"Be honest, but be kind and loyal" - this was the advice given to me yesterday by the glamorous Rachel Zoe. At an event yesterday held at Saks, debuting Rachel Zoe's new clothing line, I had the opportunity to meet and take a picture with this legendary stylist. In a leather jacket with a complimentary blue scarf dress and rocking the beachy wavy hair look, she was definitely dressed to impress.

{Rachel Zoe & I}

After the event, I browsed around looking at her fall collection, falling in love with almost everything I saw. Some of her pieces are reflections of her favorite decade: the 70's and her love for vintage. Her outerwear is definitely a strong suit as well as her draping dresses and silk blouses. Her faux fur numbers were classy with an edge and could see myself wearing just about everything I touched. Without forgetting to mention her fantastic shoe collection, the studded black over the knee boots were just about to die for. Here are my "must haves":

1. Style A to Zoe Book 

2. RZ Pamela Tote, Pebbled Leather

3. RZ Wrap Collar Tie-Waist Coat

4. RZ Ruffle Maxi Gown

5. RZ Peggy Sequin Shift Dress

6. RZ All Cape

7. RZ Bridget Leather Fringe Satchel

6. RZ Bridget Suede Over the Knee Boot

7. RZ "Bella" Booties 

Party @ John Varvatos

{Party Invitation}

Last night, I attended the lively John Varvatos Party on the Bowery. Upon entering this "store turned concert party" that is hosted the 1st Thursday of every month, the first thing I noticed was the plasma screen TV inviting guests to check in on Foursquare to receive gear from Moonshine (the clear corn whiskey that was being promoted at the event). I had never heard of Moonshine before that but right then and there I whipped out my phone and checked into the venue on Foursquare hoping to get some free loot. The first 20 people who checked in received a free T-shirt and I was number 15, yes!

{My free Moonshine T-Shirt!}

{Walls decorated with framed past concert posters}

We then made our way through the store and couldn't help but notice the interesting artwork on the walls. All the images on the walls were a collection of promotional posters for some of the past shows. In the Fall of 2008, John Varvatos started a Thursday Night Live Concert Series where he hosts new or rediscovered artists and bands to perform in his store on 315 Bowery which had previously been the space that hosted the seminal underground music club CBGB. According to their poster CBGB was "originally meant to be a small club to house Country, Bluegrass, and Blues music, CBGB grew into one of the most influential venues in the world, and a sanctuary for rock musicians everywhere. Most notably remembered as the birthplace of Punk Rock. CBGB opened their doors to any band that came through, offering them all they truly wanted, a chance to play. Some of the bands that called CBGB home were the Ramones, The Heartbreakers, Blondie..." After CBGB officially closed in 2006, John Varvatos took the initiative himself to pay homage to the club by hosting a monthly concert that replicated CBGB's true spirit at his own store.

After about half an hour of mingling, Julia Haltigan took center stage. This New York native's amazing voice instantly attract attention as she sang about everything from heartache and lust to motorcycles and tattoos. Her songs have an American pop feel to them which I loved right away. After the concert ended at 10, which they were very prompt at making sure everyone would be out by 10:05, we headed over to Phebes, another fun NYC hotspot where we spend many of our nights.

StyleOwner

Last night, another intern and I went to an event at Saks for StyleOwner. We had no idea what it was when we first got there, but after listening to a presentation and learning more about it I can't wait to sign up! After we entered the raffle and recieved our free ice cream sundae's complimentary of SnAKS, we were greeted by a StyleOwner representative who sat us down at a table and through an interactive presentation on her MacBook Air guided us through this ingenius new website launching in August.The idea behind StyleOwner is that anyone can create their own online boutique feauturing their favorite items from top name retailers. Combining the power of e-commerce and social networking, shoppers are able to open a customized online store, fill it with items, and earn money selling their favorite brands! Once your store is open for business, post it on your facebook, twitter, blog, and spread the word. Your friends can then shop through your hand-selected picks and order whatever they like. The benefit for you: earning 10% of whatever you sell! Also, if you shop at your own store, you automatically recieve 10% off your purchase. What a brilliant idea, counting down the days until I can open my finally open my own store!

Allure Promo Event!

The Allure Promotional Department and Hanes Bali are teaming up for an event at Macy's this Thursday! Who ever is in New York should definitely make it to Herald Square at 5pm Aug. 4th :)