Apartments, Bags and Jewels... Oh My!

Work Hard, Play Hard!

Does watching Selling NY on HGTV count as playing hard??

Selling NY is great entertainment - gorgeous unattainable apartments, aggressive but cool realtors and millions of dollars in commisions! How can you not get addicted. One of the realtor companies is Gumley Halt Kleier a family run business featuring a mother and her two adult daughters. They are far from the 23 year old, 6 foot tall super models but they always look amazing in the show and they are always consistent. Do you see a pattern?

Its like a uniform! Here are the must haves that make them look like the powerful, wealthy women that they are!
#1: Solid color fitted knee length dresses (often neutral color, black, nude, brown , navy)
#2: Fabulous designer bags (Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vutton - you name it they have it!)
#3: Classic stilletos or pumps (Yes you will often see them sporting the red soles - it amazes me that they can treck through NYC in those!)
#4: Jewels! Lots and lots of jewels especially around the neck

Create a uniform for yourself and your mornings will be so much easier and you will never have an off day! Having a "uniform" might seem boring from a fashion standpoint but all the greatest fashion icons have a staple look - its what works for them throughout the years, the trends and the working day!

Miranda Priestly's Hermes Scarfs

Coco Chanel;s Suits with pearls

and Katherine Hepburns pants (it was really unpopular for women to wear pants back then but she made it work and its her staple!)



On a side note...in searching for the Kleier's pictures I learned a little about their lives. They appear to have the perfect life, all three are happily married with kids, money and the luxurious Manhattan life. But this amazing family has recently experienced a terrible tragedy. The sudden death of their 26 year old brother and son. The way they have handled their terrible loss by remembering and honoring him and but becoming even closer as a family is really amazing to me and proves their strength!

The Office Drama!

For most of us the weeknights are spent out to dinner with clients, at the gym or in front of the computer. But some nights you are lucky enough to take advantage of all that NYC has to offer and feed the soul. Last night my friend Anna and I, along with our hubbies saw Death of a Saleman . Run don't walk to get tickets, they are amazing! Anna's work outfit transitioned beautifully into a classy theater look. 

I love the all black outfit i a few short week we will all be in pastel so why not get black out of our systems

Notice the fun accesories, they make her look so cool (the double band mutli color watch, and funky large glasses)

 I love that the top is not solid black, makes it so much more interesting. Also notice the buttons on the skirt and the clasp on the pearl necklace - they work together beautifully!

Thanks Anna!!

Hump Day..so lets talk Men!!!

We can't ignore the men in our lives right? You know... the Boss, the trader across the row or your buddy, the sales guy that sits 2 feet away from you for 10 hours of the day. Oh! and my Hubby of course ;).

Here is what I like for the boys this season!

#1: Colored socks - go either bright with the classics like blue, green and red or go pastel!



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#2: The clean crisp white pocket square. No fuss all business but super fashionable!



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#3: Black and White or Colored Boat Shoes!



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We Rally Around the Details

I'm sitting at my desk, staring at the my three computer screens, when my friend Mayse interrupts my mid morning lull with a visit. Her presence was cheery and her outfit just made it so much better. Its a classic combo of white shirt and pencil skirt but done with unique touchs; it takes the outfit from boring to fabulous!

Did you notice the details on the collar and sleeves? How great is that!?! Mayse's shirt is custom made by this guy. They are going to have tailor-made clothes sales meetings in New York, NY. Here are the details:

New York, NY - New Yorker Hotel, 481, 8th Avenue New York, New York, 10001-1821. (We will be set up in one of the suites. Please ask for Sam Surin/New Royal Fashions at the reception upon your arrival).

Sun, 25th March - 11am - 7pm(no appointments required).

Mon, 26th March - by appointments only.

I'm going to check it out of Sunday!  

Bond Girl & What She Wore

We all have read or seen The Devil Wears Prada but the tortures of being a newbie in the work place aren't just at the biggest fashion magazines, they are also alive and well on Wall Street. If you haven't read Bond Girl by Erin Duffy get the book; it is a fun, easy and enjoyable read about a young women who "set her sights on conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. And though she's prepared to fight her way into an elitist boys' club, or duck the occasional errant football, she quickly realizes she's in over her head.."

But hey! I'm not here to do a book review right? Well there were times in the book that I was cringing at the outfit descriptions. In one of the chapters, [SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT] Alex (the young woman in question) is attending a barbecue summer party in Connecticut at the home of her scary boss. She wears black pants and a pink silk top. While that may work for a night out in NYC it was "oh so wrong" for CT. Here is what I would have picked out for her. She would fit in but still show off her youthful city style. 

#1. Zara Dress with assymetric sleeve

#2. Reiss Elenor Dress 

#3: DVF Wrap Dress

Lets not forget the shoes of course!:

#1: Vera Wang Wedges
#2: Zara Wedges (I own they super comfy!!)
#3 Mad Men inspired Necklace from Banana Republic
#4 Fossil Vintage Bag

"The GAP " is no more

The markets are crashing, clients are yelling and traders are loosing money; you are in the middle of it all! That is stress at its peak so you really don't need anymore stress right now.  You are going to need all the confidence you can muster up to get through the day but instead you are sitting there worrying that someone will see this....

"THE GAP" is haunting you!

So what do you do? Sure you can wrap a scarf around it but you are wearing a gorgeous necklace and hate hiding it. Or you can fumble with a safety pin every time you put the shirt on but it will take forever to get it right and it won't be neat.

So here is what I did...This has transformed my life! I no longer hesitate when I pull a button down out of my closet. Its crisp, clean, professional and GAP-less. Here is the easy step by step!

#1. Buy these:

#2: Put the shirt on and mark with a pencil exactly where the gap is (it will be between two buttons at the chest area)

#3: Sew the eye on the same side as all the buttons (I.e. the side which when buttoned is closer to the body)

#4. Sew the hook on the other side, make sure you check that the hook and eye are lined up and won't be visible when the shirt is closed.

#5: YOU ARE DONE! WEAR IT WITH CONFIDENCE

P.S. The picture above is from www.the-shirt.com a women's shirt manufacturing company that developed a new technology to prevent gapping (saves you the hassle of sewing :). I can't really vouch for them yet because I haven't gotten my shirt in the mail yet but I'll report as soon I know!

Working on Wall Street but inspired by Main Street

Its amazing how you can find inspiration anywhere and everywhere! I was walking home from work and took a detour to look for inspiration on Fifth Avenue. I was counting on the window displays to do the trick but inspiration struck me in an unusual way. Walking towards me was a woman wearing a long camel wool coat. In her hand, swinging by her side she carried a Sephora bag. The color combination was amazing! It looked something like this (please forgive the amateur photo editing) …

Camel, Black and White is classic and gorgeous but the stripes elements give it something extra. Here are the pieces I would use to pull together an outfit:

If you are heavier on top balance out the top half with camel pants and break up the stripes -which can have a widening effect- with a black blazer.

All 3 pieces from Zara

If you are heavier on the bottom keep our pants or skirt black and add the pattern and lighter color to your top half.