New York Fashion Week Look

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Dress: Shoshanna [c/o] | Shoes: J.Crew [old!], Similar | Bag: YSL, Dupe | Sunglasses: Karen Walker | Lipstick: Bite The Bullet | Earrings: Tory Burch

Photography by: Angie Garcia


This was my absolute favorite look from NYFW so I had to share it on the blog! These photos were really quick as I was walking out of the Banana Republic Presentation waiting on my uber and Angie was able to snap a few. 🙂

This dress is from one of my favorite designers, Shoshanna, and it’s one of my favorites because of the fit. I have on a size 4 and it’s really forgiving if your chest is bigger or if you have curves, which is perfect for me with pregnancy right now! But now that I’m so obsessed with this dress [be warned, you will see this on my Sunday morning #ootds until it doesn’t fit me anymore] I keep looking at more Shoshanna dresses online. Like I’m trying to justify how I could wear this to my baby shower. Too much, no? Never. 😉

I thought I’d share a few things I got to do during fashion week in this post and you can let me know if you want another post on any of these topics! I started fashion week with a few meetings with brands and seeing what collections they will be sharing for spring. This was so helpful because I’m able to see what trends will go from fall into spring so you won’t be wasting your money on items that will feel awkward come March. Big hint: off-the-shoulder is here to stay! Off-the-shoulder sweaters are huge for fall and not only did I see them in collections with brand meetings but I saw them in a lot of shows as well. I got to go backstage with MAC cosmetics to some shows and see what makeup trends would be big for spring. Think strobed cheeks, nude lips and a fuss-free look. This isn’t to say contouring is going away, but every makeup artist I spoke with said that they really wanted the models to look like they did their own makeup, but they didn’t. So don’t worry about perfection with lip liner and lashes come spring.

One of my favorite shows was Self Portrait. I wanted to wear everything I saw, especially this pink off-the-shoulder dress! I keep envisioning how I will wear everything while breastfeeding which is so funny, as a blogger, but hey, it’s realistic! I also loved the Banana Republic Presentation. Lots of pinks and checkered patterns which gets me excited for crisp March afternoons.

A few places I have to add to my NYC guide that we got to try this time around:

ABC Kitchen for dinner

Order the broccoli. It sounds ridiculous to order steamed broccoli in NYC, but I could have eaten bowls of that for dinner and been the happiest girl in all of Manhattan. Also, the waiters and waitresses are so incredibly sweet! Our waitress asked why I didn’t order a cocktail, so I pointed to my baby bump and she asked if I was craving anything. I told her I LOVED apple juice right now, so she had the bartender make some sparkling apple juice drink and it was amazing. How nice is that?!

The Butcher’s Daughter for brunch

Because I’m in NYC so much for work, I have my favorite little streets and this is one of them. We go to the one in West Village [our favorite spot] and we get there as early as we can. It’s so fun to watch all the little kids walk to school while you eat avocado toast. There is a really cute children’s book store right next door. My mom was a teacher while I was growing up and was actually a reading specialist. So as you can imagine, our baby has so many books and it’s the one thing I do not care how many I buy! 😉 My best friend, Taylor, knows I’m this way so she is actually throwing me a story book shower, is that not the sweetest thing?! Anyways, it’s about two stores down from The Butcher’s Daughter in West Village and it has the cutest books I haven’t seen at any other shops before.

The Pink Olive for gift shopping

Thankfully, you can shop this store online as well! 😉 I stocked up on so many birthday gifts for friends and cards. Their soy candles are amazing [the banana bread was my favorite] and the girl that was at the check out is from Texas and such a doll. She kept talking to us about different spots in our area that we lived in and it felt like home.

Bergdorf’s for lunch

I’ve actually never been able to eat here for lunch, and I have no clue why! I think I’ve just always popped in to look at something, left and never gone to the 7th floor to eat. Get the ravioli! I promise you. My friend, Ashley, ate there the day before and she said, “I regret what I got. Get the ravioli.” Paul and I both got it and it was by far our favorite lunch while we were there. I felt bad taking Paul to such a girly lunch spot, but it ended up being fine. After he heard Ashley rave about the ravioli he didn’t even care what kind of restaurant it was haha.  We ate at noon on Friday, so it was actually a bunch of husbands taking their lunch break meeting their wives for lunch. So if you do go with your boyfriend or spouse, it really isn’t a big deal if it is on a work day! Plus, the people watching is incredible. The couple next to us just got back from 3 months in the Hamptons and we heard them talk about that and the other couple next to us was breaking up because she is taking 6 months to travel Europe with her family. Her final sentence and I quote was, “I mean, I’m going to see the world with or without you, so you probably need to just accept that.” As unrelatable as it was, I wanted to clap my hands of her. haha. #getitgirl

We stayed at Hotel Chandler because it was in the middle of where all my shows/meetings were, and I HATE to be negative on my blog, but y’all it’s not worth it. It is rated so high online and listed by Forbes as one of the best places to stay in NYC for work, and come to find out some workers from Expedia were at the hotel while we were there. They were telling Paul at the hotel bar that the hotel pays them a ton of money for great reviews. There wasn’t anything terrible about it. I’ve been at hotels where they forgot or messed up my reservation. I’ve been at hotels where people are loud and partying. I’ve even been at hotels that the rooms were so disgusting before. However, the thing that makes hotels incredible is their service. Once you acknowledge an issue they always go above and beyond to repair whatever is wrong. This hotel, had such a lacksadasical vibe and I could tell from the moment we walked in. During fashion week brands will send press passes and looks for you to wear to your hotel. Hotels know this. Hotel Chandler sent all of my press packets back and gifts, so I couldn’t get any of my information ahead of time. When I asked when they were sent [so I could get an idea of who to contact to get my packets back because I completely understand that they were confused as I hadn’t checked in yet/brands call me by two different last names “McFarlan” and “Hellman”] the man checking us in kept interrupting me to the point I couldn’t even finish talking. He was honestly so rude that at the point we finally got our room keys and got to our rooms Paul said, “Let’s switch hotels.” It was 11 p.m. at night, we’d been traveling and I was so tired I told him we could just stay and it would turn up for the better. When your husband who isn’t picky at all wants to switch hotels, I guess you should listen! haha. They also have no air in the hallway, which I get for NYC! It happens. But I also go to NYC for work up to 4 times a year, and I stay at a different hotel each time and I’ve never even seen that. Not for a hotel ranked 4-stars. So needless to say, with the humidity and heat the hotel smelled like a mixture of sweat and marijuana. Yep, you read that right. The hotel smelled like a Courtney Love concert.

It was just so many little things that made you think, “Why did we even stay here?” From the fact that they don’t give you water when you order room service to the man that restocks your bar cart and literally comes in your room without knocking. Can you imagine the look on my face when I was napping and saw a man entering our room? I think even the baby got scared! haha. On our last day I went to shoot with our photographer and I was ironing my clothes but the iron was broken. So I called down and asked for another. They sent one up and that one was broken as well. I called and asked if they might have a steamer [most 4-star hotels do, right?] they said they didn’t have one and just hung up. It was so odd to me!

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received from a professor in college was: “If a client or your boss asks for an orange and no supermarket in the country is selling one, you buy an apple, you paint it orange and you make that person think it’s better than an orange.” All of that to say, I really strive to treat work with that aspect. And hotels of all places are where I truly see that piece of advice in action. It doesn’t matter where you stay, hotel employees are always so incredible at making you feel like the Kate Middleton of all guests! It is what makes hotels feel so special! So it was odd to me that after two broken irons, I asked for a steamer and they didn’t even offer a solution. How easy would it have been to say, “I’m so sorry Mrs. Hellman, we don’t have a steamer at our hotel, but I could send someone to get one and charge it to your room.” That would have been so kind and been fitting with the reviews they get online.

So it wasn’t a terrible hotel by any means. I had a safe place to lay my head at night. It was fashion week, I’m sure they had an off week. Heck, I know I have off weeks! Sometimes Paul is married to an angel and sometimes Paul is married to a hormonal, cry baby! And that hormonal cry baby even scares me. 😉 However, I just wanted to be honest with my experience because if anything I felt like a nuisance each time I talked to them. I literally wanted to cry asking the man at check in if they had my press packets and I couldn’t even tell him my full name because he wouldn’t stop interrupting me. Maybe he had a bad day and maybe the other employees did as well, but after you spend a lot of money on a hotel it’s really sad to leave frustrated and unimpressed. It’s not like a $40 bottle of shampoo that just doesn’t work for my hair type. 5 days in NYC during fashion week is more like 70 bottles of expensive shampoo that wouldn’t even wash your hair. haha. While I HATE more than anything to be a #NegativeNancy on this blog, I want to be honest because I had a lot of readers ask questions about where we stayed and I would never want you to spend money on something that I had, if I can warn you!

But enough negativity,  was there anything you saw on my snapchat that excites you for spring?!

XOXOKatey-2

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17 Comments

  1. Dee White wrote:

    We are headed to the city for my daughters 16th birthday! I love reading blogs that have different ideas other than the places we have already been or want to go! Thanks for the ideas. Sorry to hear about your hotel experience, maybe write the review in Expedia and hope they can use it as a learning tool to better themselves for future guests.
    Can’t wait to see all your baby posts, and diaper bag choice I bought 6 in the first 3 months til I found the one! We adopted a baby last year and I was/am a gear freak!!!!

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  2. Leigh Ann wrote:

    Girl, don’t feel guilty about telling the truth! How is the hotel supposed to improve if they don’t know there’s a problem? I’m with Paul, though. I would’ve just said “Put me in a cab and take me to another hotel.” I travel a lot for work and I just don’t have the patience for a bad hotel experience, especially when there’s usually another one one block down! haha

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  3. Christi Duke wrote:

    Great insight into the hotel! Make sure you leave a REVIEW!!! Please! It will get the attention of the right people! I work in the hotel business and it is so important to hear back from a guest like you – just copy what you wrote here – site your blog too and send it in!

    That look on you was – awesome and I realize I am such a mom I was concern for you getting hit by a car until I saw the cone blocking the road!!!

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  4. Hannah wrote:

    You look stunning in this dress!
    Hannah
    glamlifeliving.com

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  5. Mary-Katherine wrote:

    Appreciate the honest review, and I agree with the other comments that you should put it into Expedia. It’s not negative, it’s honest and when you’re headed to the city and splurging on a hotel that’s not a chain you want your money’s worth!

    I do NOT understand how companies that are a service business can act like that. My husband is super easy going like Paul and super forgiving, so whenever things like that happen to us he’s like “Oh I didn’t even notice” or “Whatever, cut them some slack MK, I wouldn’t want to do their job either”, etc, but I worked in a restaurant all through high school and it always irritates me to no end because never in a million years would that have been acceptable! If the customer wanted orange juice and we only had apple juice, we would literally call the restaurant down the street, order a cup of orange juice from them, run down there with a few bucks and pour it into our cup and then take it to our customer, haha!

    Glad you had a great trip otherwise!

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  6. Such a pretty green color on you! And I love these heels! I need them in every color! <3

    BlondieInTheCity.com

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  7. Carly Young wrote:

    Katey,

    I am so sorry to hear about your less than accommodating stay! I have worked in hotels everywhere from Hilton’s to Disney World, so it is never satisfying to hear when properties are not putting the guest first in mind and spirit. You’ll have to let me know if you ever visit Nashville as I work in a Five Star hotel downtown, and we would just love to have you!

    All my best,

    Carly

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  8. Such a cute look and love that pop of neon! Happy Thursday sweet girl!
    xx Tess | Sequins are the New Black

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  9. Jessica wrote:

    Home Tours! Home Tours! home Tours!!!! I love your style and am moving soon so trying to get inspired for a dark apartment. Your house looks so light and inviting so I’m hoping to lighten the place up

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  10. Don’t even worry about sounding negative! You are only giving honest feedback and I appreciate that and I’m sure other people do as well. I love hearing people’s reviews of hotels-it only benefits other people like you said from losing money or having a possible bad experience. Also, can’t wait to hear the gender reveal!!!!

    http://jellarie.blogspot.com/

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  11. Samantha G wrote:

    Like someone else commented don’t feel guilty at all! You were sharing your experience for others to be informed! Whenever I am trying someplace new I read all reviews, good or bad, and if I think it’s a good place to try despite the bad review I’ll try it and see for myself. Sometimes they are way better than written about or sometimes they are exactly what people said. Thank you for sharing your experience! I’m glad you had a great time despite the hotel mishap and can’t wait for more NYFW posts! ????

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  12. Lindsey wrote:

    Dont you even feel guilty about posting your experience. They are in the service industry and should have provided A+ service to you. On a happy note, I love that you paired your olive dress with highlighter high heels. That is such a bold combination and I would have never imagined it together!

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  13. Lindsey wrote:

    Don’t you even feel guilty about posting your experience. They are in the service industry and should have provided A+ service to you. On a happy note, I love that you paired your olive dress with highlighter high heels. That is such a bold combination and I would have never imagined it together!

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  14. Kathryn wrote:

    Oh no!! What a terrible experience, I’m so sorry Katey! Your dress in this post is stunning though 🙂

    xx Kathryn
    http://www.chicandshimmer.com

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  15. Tammie wrote:

    I cannot imagine how someone stays in business with that kind of service. Especially in NYC. I guess if your clientele is stoned, maybe they don’t notice.

    So glad that you had wonderful food and shopping experiences.

    The dress will be amazing on you with a big baby bump at your shower, I say go for it.

    I truly hope that the girl traveling the world, (Europe) decides to blog about it. My daughter did 11 countries last summer and I wish she had. I have never seen her smile like she did when she was in Europe on her own.

    Published 15 Sep 16Reply
  16. Alyssa wrote:

    Ugh, I once left a hotel at like 2am because it was so bad. Sometimes you just have to sound “negative” – it just makes you human!

    Published 16 Sep 16Reply
  17. Camille wrote:

    Honesty is always appreciated! In other news, I simply love your outfit. The dress is so chic and you made it fun with the pop of your neon shoes.

    http://www.thecocooners.com

    Published 17 Sep 16Reply