Stacey’s adventures in NYC: Part Two

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Stacey Magnolia bakery

Concrete Jungle, where dreams are made of…

Stacey Magnolia bakery

Me at Magnolia Bakery

What most excited me about my trip to New York, as well as the beauty of the city, was the shopping. Never had I been surrounded by so many beautiful clothes and so much spending money.

I had planned ahead well, I knew how much passion I had for shopping and I wanted to be able to shop til I dropped without worrying about money too much. The great thing about the American high street is the overwhelming choice of casual clothes for a small price.

Forever 21 do this best, think of it as a hybrid of Primark and Topshop. It manages to tap into key trends of the season, without looking cheap and without the money draining price tag. Thankfully, Forever 21 has finally made it across the pond and is slowly but surely taking over the country, as well as its UK website. Cheap and chic fashion is here!

 For the preppy casual look, that’s slightly cheaper than Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle and Aeropostale is your first port of call. Casual t-shirts, baggy jogging bottoms and comfy hoodies are in no small supply. American Eagle also manages to embrace a more stylish side with cute but casual skirts and dresses.

 However, if you find yourself strolling along Fifth Avenue, it’s impossible to miss the Abercrombie and Fitch building with its blaring techno beat and topless male models welcoming you at the door. It’s not everyday you start your shopping with a Polaroid of you and a handsome scantily clad man. I enjoyed the experience so much; I began collecting pictures of me with the models.

 The clothes in Abercrombie and Fitch are slightly pricier than most shops, but America is the place to stock up, as it will cost you a lot more in the UK. Also, if you’re in New York, these prices are a lot less intimidating than what you’ll find in Bloomingdales and Saks!

 If you prefer more of a unique vintage feel, head down Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. Here you’ll find boutiques and vintage shops as well as the odd cool designer store. It’s a long road, but the mix of gorgeous shops is worth it, all the more so when you reach Magnolia Bakery. Its cupcakes made famous by Sex and the city.

 While there is always a queue, it’s worth it for the delicious lovingly made cupcakes and being round the corner from Carrie’s famous stoop on Perry Street.

 Finally, I couldn’t end a trip in New York without a trip to Soho. Spring Street has every shop you could ever wish for; from Mango to Urban Outfitters to our very own home-grown Topshop!

Cooking up a storm, a recipe for disaster

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Photo by Rachel Dalton

Cooking up a storm, a recipe for disaster

Have you ever seen the film ‘How to lose a guy in 10 days’? Or rather, have you ever wished it for yourself? If so, I may have just the recipe you’re looking for…

Picture this: You’ve been dating a guy for a few months now and things were going well. But now you’re at a dull point in the relationship, where things seem to be winding down. So what do you do?

You could just break up with him, but the thought of receiving whiney 3am texts or having him stalk you on Facebook makes you think twice. The only option is to be a “man” about it.

What you need:

  • A dash of mischief
  • A pinch of drama

Method:

With a few suggestions to help you along the way, you’ll soon have enough ingredients to make him feel like small fry.

  • Turn up on a ‘guy’s night out’ and don’t leave his side.
  • Forget your purse the next time you go out – “Oops, it’s in my other bag…”
  • When queuing for the cinema, ask him to buy the popcorn. When he’s gone, sneakily ask for two tickets to see the latest cheesy rom-com.
  • Get a temporary tattoo and write his name in the middle. “Tattoos are for life, just like you”
  • Reorganise his cupboards; make up, hair products, at-home waxing kit, razors…you get the drift!

He’ll soon realise that being with you, is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Seventies Fashion: Get the look

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seventies fashion
70s women

Rock the seventies look this season.

This spring, seventies fashion is back to the forefront once again. Think floaty fabrics, flares and florals.

Fashion designers went crazy for the seventies vibe and took inspiration from seventies glamour pusses like Farrah Fawcett, with models sporting long wavy hair and platforms.

As the weather warms up, nothing will make you feel more summery than floating about with loose fabrics and fedoras.

The high street is already awash with browns, creams, reds, yellows and golds. Loose fitting blouses and shorts are the most accessible way to tap into the trend and great to mix and match, as well as their ability to hide a multitude of sins.

Topshop have a great selection of floaty blouses and have fully embraced the seventies look in their spring collections. Their buttermilk short sleeve shirt, £33, is a great starting point to ease you into the look and will look effortlessly chic with jeans or shorts.

If your looking for something a little more glamorous try their tan elasticated batwing blouse, £40, for some seventies sex appeal.

Shorts are always a good investment come spring, and can easily be teamed with tights on cooler days. This season’s baggy shorts, are a less intimidating style of short, coming longer and looser so you don’t feel too exposed.

It’s best to go for a neutral shade so you can match them with more options, ASOS’s  Soft Turn Up Short, £30, come in three different colours and will flatter most figures and hide a shapelier behind.

To finish the look, invest in a Fedora for the summer. I can guarantee they will be all over the high street.

This look is perfect for lazy summer days and festivals.

Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair

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Affordable vintage fair logoAfter many long awaited months, the travelling vintage fair came back to Lincoln’s Engine Shed so I could rummage my way through some vintage bargains.

The vintage fair covers 22 cities including Nottingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, Brighton and London. It offers an abundance of vintage stalls selling affordable vintage items, for vintage lovers.

Usually vintage can be expensive, but the fair offers bargains and excellent gems if you’re willing to jostle and rummage.

I’ve been a vintage enthusiast for five years now but apart from the odd trip to Camden, I don’t have great access to vintage items apart from online and the odd section in boutiques.

Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair understands the demand for vintage fashion and the lack of access there is to it.

The other great thing about a post Christmas vintage fair? SALES.

As someone who admires vintage fashion, but often doesn’t find anything wearable, my eye was drawn to a red gingham shirt at the first stall. An old men’s shirt, it had been altered so it was tighter and elasticated at the waist, and much more flattering for a woman’s figure. The sleeves had also been altered to create that rolled up ¾ length look.

And that’s the great thing about these stalls, they bother to alter them to make them wearable for modern day. It’s all very well rummaging in charity shops, but unless you want to look like you’ve stepped out of a time warp, you need to make it suit your style and modern conventions.

Next my eye was caught by a dress, a silky white top sewn onto a floral vintage pattern skirt. The perfect mix of modern and vintage styles, ladylike but trendy. The dress reminded me of what I often find in boutiques. The perfect mix of past and present.

The shirt was £10 and the dress £12, both in the sale. For £22 I got two great items, which would often be the price for just one of these on the high street.

From 30s to 80s, there were clothes from every decade to choose from. Think 70s dizzying prints and 80s padded shoulders. An inspiring step through time for any fashion lover.

For those not daring enough to dress vintage, accessories were in abundance. From handmade jewellery to vintage bags from every decade. With satchels still popular on the high street, and another burst of popularity still to come, vintage is an excellent way to go so you don’t find yourself one of many with the same bag. As well as at a fraction of the price and better made. In the past, things were made to last, rather than cheap fast shoddily made fashion we have on our high street today.

Rummaging through each stalls many vintage bags, suddenly a beacon shone out at me. A white vintage Chanel bag. My heart skipped a beat and as I held it in my hands, it felt so wonderful. Seeing my eyes lit up, the vintage dealer approached me, I asked how much. “£30, we were just talking about it.”

“Oh, it’s a fake?” I sighed.

“No, we think it’s real, but somebody’s cut the serial number out which is annoying. With it, we could sell it for loads.”

I sighed and looked at it. Should I spend £30? I ummed and ahhed, and finally left it at the stall. It could be a fake, and I thought maybe I should wait until I could afford the real thing. In hindsight, a mistake, I still can’t get that gorgeous bag out my head. When I went back to the stall, it was gone.

You win some and lose some when it comes to vintage. Thankfully the fair had a tea and cake stall, where I could drown my sorrows with tea in a vintage cup and saucer and the most delicious cupcakes I’d ever tasted. One taste of a moist moreish sponge and sweet creamy frosting is enough to console anyone’s heart.

Stacey’s adventures in NYC: Part one.

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“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years” – Thomas Wolfe (American short story writer and novelist, 1900-1938)

Stacey on Empire State

 For years I had admired New York on TV shows and films, wishing to be part of the Manhattan rush. I longed to be Carrie Bradshaw, walking down Fifth Avenue in Manolo Blahniks with arms full of shopping bags. After years of longing, I took the plunge and made it my mission to visit New York, dragging my mum with me. Flights booked and hotel paid, my adventure was ready to begin.

In a yellow cab on a June evening, I passed over the Brooklyn Bridge into night time Manhattan. The lit up skyscrapers came into view, from the Chrysler building to the Empire State.

As we cruised down Fifth Avenue to reach our hotel near Times Square, I stared in awe of the designer shops I had seen in so many ‘Sex and the City’ episodes. I knew I couldn’t afford anything in these shops, but the window displays made my heart flutter.

Then it came into the view, the bright lights of the big city, Times Square. I couldn’t believe my hotel was so close to the street synonymous with New York. It was late, but the hustle and bustle had not ceased. It instantly felt like home.

To make sure I got the best out of my five night trip, I planned each day to a tee, with my trusty notebook and fold out map. I was determined to see as much of the city as physically possible. With my encyclopaedic knowledge of New York from books and TV, I knew every place I wanted to tick off.

The first issue was finding my bearings, as I stepped out into Times Square, I had two questions. Which way were the shops and where could I get breakfast?

Excited to embrace the American culture, I opted for pancakes as my first New York meal. I recoiled at the sweetness; heavy, doughy and sickly sweet. My British constitution couldn’t handle it.

After asking a handful of Americans, we finally made it to 34th Street, where we found the first landmarks aside from Times Square; Macys and The Empire State Building.

With my head right back, I looked up to the top of the Empire State Building, it was the tallest thing I had ever seen.

We waited for a clear day to go to the top of the Empire State Building, and when I finally made it to the top, after queuing and six flights of stairs, as well as an asthma attack, I saw the view that made it all worth it. New York City.

I could see for miles, looking over the compact sky scraper filled city. So much crammed into such a small space, yet it didn’t feel claustrophobic, it felt exciting. I wanted to explore it all.

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