a juicy secret

if you aren't a chictopia member, you don't already know my secret. i was a winner of the "make your life juicy" contest on chictopia!!! after the conference, me and two other winners got the chance to go to the flagship store in bleeker street and pick out an outfit for the chictopia10 conference after party. we had lots of fun playing dress up. (if only they had a hairdresser there to fix our wet hair from the rain!)

left: tieka from selective potential, right: kim from eat sleep wear

i loved all the outfits we chose. many pieces in the store were so pretty. it was actually my first time ever getting anything from juicy couture. my outfit was pretty conservative: a grey blazer, corduroy leggings, and a floral blouse. i topped it off with a gorgeous gold jeweled cuff (in the previous post) that i can't stop wearing. (however, i had to admit, i can't believe i didn't opt for the leather jacket that was too perfect to pass up. shoulda coulda woulda...)

all of the staff was so friendly and helpful. they definitely made the experience that much more enjoyable. to top it off, the store's music playlist was basically the same as my itunes library, so it felt like i was getting dressed up at home. good music is always a plus!

middle: christina from c ly, right: ann from holier than now

me and laura from on the racks

hehe i had to get a photo with one of the 'juicy' boys!

nyc day 5: what i wore

(jacket-vintage, bustier-borrowed, skirt-funktional, boots-jeffrey campbell, cuff-juicy couture, ring-lowluv x erin wasson)

because there was a lot of running around involved on my fifth day in new york, i wore this outfit all day. now as i look at these pictures, i'm realizing that saying i looked tired is an understatement. the erratic sleep schedule in combination with the lack of meals and caffeine really showed by the end of the trip!

i love this ethnic print batwing jacket, but i wear it rarely due to san francisco's typically chilly weather. the nude bustier was borrowed from aimee, while i loaned her something of my own to wear that day. i paired it off with my high waist leather paneled skirt that i absolutely love. and again, i wore my jeffrey campbell boots. i honestly haven't stopped wearing them since they first arrived at my door!

ps: please take a moment to vote for my niece by clicking the link in my right sidebar. you could help her win a scholarship! thanks so much!

nyc day 5: shows

my highlight of the visit in new york was attending the alice & olivia presentation where i saw great live performances, beautiful fashion, celebrities (although i didn't know who they were), nina garcia and the designer stacey bendet herself.

i had been looking forward to seeing this presentation since i first heard i could go. i love the femininity of bendet's work but she manages to keep an edginess in the entire look. i also admire her for admitting wearing fur although she eats a vegan diet. since i read her quote back in july, i felt someone understood me!...really we can both admit we're hypocrites... i eat a vegan diet but i wear leather and vintage fur sometimes. just as she said, there's something the feels barbaric to me about eating animal products. i know it's all controversial, so we'll see what comments this gets...

anyway, back to the collection. can i just say, i'm beyond excited for spring? the overall consensus from fashion week is that sheer and 70s are coming back in full force, and i'm completely on board. the alice & olivia collection had beautifully tailored wide-leg trousers in spring colors, chunky platforms (so happy to see these aren't going away any time soon!), and sheer layers.

some favorites from the collection for me were the maxi dress with the feather vest and the sequined vests paired with wide-leg trousers. (see below) yes. yes. and more yes, please!

this beauty (below) reminds me of ingre's "odalisque" in the flesh. stunning!

i also attended the tibi runway show on the same day. it was very simple yet feminine. i loved the black and white print below with the low v neckline. my favorite outfit, obviously, was the sheer black sweater paired with the high waist leather shorts. i'm a sucker for black and leather, what can i say?

a big thanks to liz for bringing me to each of these. they were the perfect way to end the trip!

nyc day 1: teen vogue

from the moment i landed at jfk international airport, i was already on a non-stop spree going place to place. after finding our home away from home in the east village, christina and i met with aimee to get an exclusive tour of the teen vogue offices at conde nast courtesy of our friend dara.

i was in complete awe of the space. honestly, it looked like any other office building; however, this one had the most coveted shoes, clothes and beauty items everywhere you looked. in fact, i was literally stopped in my tracks by an office half full of shoes on the floor. amy astley's office was light and airy perfection with floor to ceiling windows and sterile, stark white from top to bottom. we also met the adorable eva chen, beauty director (in photo above), who told us all about her path to becoming part of the team at teen vogue.

the best surprise of the tour was that we got to visit the beauty closet and take some goodies home with us! we were like kids in a candy store just giggling and running from shelf to shelf, scooping up product after product.

before we arrived at teen vogue, christina and i made a pit stop at topshop, where i regret not buying a few items. i visited uniqlo for the first time and fell in love with this faux fur vest. i also toted around my new marc by marc jacobs purse while sporting my new jeffrey campbell boots. i can't stop wearing them!

i've also started a facebook fan page! please check it out and 'like' it in the sidebar on this page.

you can also follow going west on bloglovin.

in retrospect

on my last day in new york, i remembered to take some video clips of some shows and parties i attended as well as getting around the city. i had a really great time meeting people, sipping cocktails and seeing amazing spring 2011 fashion and new york street style. i forgot how much i love east coast style, and i was totally re-inspired.

here is a video with clips from the boy meets girl fashion show with liz walking, scenes from the alice & olivia presentation with nina garcia and stacey bendet, the tibi runway show, a 'movie moment' with christina in times square, and going from place to place in the city.

i can't wait to show you more posts throughout the upcoming week! until then, enjoy this condensed version of my day in new york.

(music: cheree by suicide, edited by shannon dean)