My NYFW Day 3/4 Recap contains affiliate links and was created in partnership with Salon V, Joli Beauty Bar, and Bond 45.

Hey loves!
I’m so sad to say that my recap of all things New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2018 is coming to a close. I think I was delaying writing this post because I didn’t really want it to be true! All the more to look forward to next season, right?
Day 3 started with the typical visit to Jamba Juice for another round of oatmeal with brown sugar and bananas, followed by a subway ride to our first destination, Salon V. If you watched my Stories on Instagram, you might have caught our visit, and you still can because it’s saved to my “highlights” reel!
Instead of the curls I’d been requesting, I wanted to go for a more sleek look, because today would be the day that it rained A LOT and I knew there was no way they would have stayed intact. My blowout left me feeling smooth, sleek, and super chic!
Next up, we met with the uber talented Katie Stuart of K Stu Photography (also be sure to check out her stunning personal blog, WanderAbode), at Grand Central Terminal for literally one of my fave photo shoots ever! It’s crazy that in some of the shots, it looks like we have the place to ourselves…

(My outfit) Sweater / Moth from Anthropologie // Leggings / Nordstrom // Booties / Forever 21 (old) // Earrings / Forever 21 // Clutch / JustFab
Shot by KStuPhotography.
Sorry for the influx of pics, but like I said, this one of my fave shoots to date so you know I had to share my top selects!
Next up, we braved the torrential downpour and headed over to Joli Beauty Bar, where we were greeted by Charde and Zsuzsi, the proprietors of this glam studio. They offer one of the most inventive and necessary services I can think of in the city, the Zsuzs, which touches up both your hair AND makeup before a night out or event. They even have lockers in the back where you can store your workbag, a change of clothes, etc., that can be messengered over to you the next day! They also have a VIP primp area for clients that want a bit more privacy. Charde and Zsuzsi are both crazy talented, and had the three of us looking like NYFW bombshells in no time!

If you can’t tell, I was totally feelin’ myself! I asked Charde to throw in a couple curls to bring back some volume.

We then headed over to the Angela Mitchell Presentation, a display of the latest styles from Canadian sisters, Krystal and Marilyn Lavoie.

A couple of highlights from the show. My top picks were the pairs with crystal embellishments.

We then rushed over to the Show Collective featuring Seven Crash, Lavenda Coodly, and Halo Mimi at a BMW dealership. Unfortunately, as per usual, there was a mixup at check-in and even with my email confirmation and a PR contact’s name, it still took us over 10 minutes to proceed. We were told there were only two seats left by that time, and the other three girls in our group would have to watch from the balcony. As myself and Danielle headed over, we were told that the show was about to start, and we were going to have to watch with everyone else up the elevator. We hoped for the best, but by the time we made it up there, there was not one space left to actually be able to view the collections come down the runway. My feet were already not in a good way, so I found an empty desk, put my feet up, and watched the show from one of the girl’s live Instagram feeds. Better than nothing? The styles were a bit eclectic for my taste for the most part, but there were some gorgeous dresses that I did see walk down. No pics because, yeah, I didn’t see a bit of it firsthand.

A little frustrated, and a lot beat from the day, we headed back to the hotel for some R & R and to do a little packing prep, before getting ready for dinner. I have to say that our meal at Bond 45 was one of the top notes of our entire trip. From the service (ask for Jonathan, it’s a must!), to the atmosphere (upscale yet still relaxed), to most impressively the food, not one detail at Bond 45 has been overlooked. I may have actually been in a food daze after our experience, but I remember starting with the Cocktail for Two (with pineapple-infused tequila, habanero tincture, passion fruit and lime, and it is YUMMY), followed by the most delectable house-made burrata with heirloom tomatoes and ridiculously flavorful olive oil, fried artichokes with lemon aioli, two pizzas (including the “a lot of pepperoni”, which gave me the idea to start putting spicy honey on my slices), and then a slew of entrees.. We all helped ourselves to multiple servings of the chicken & truffle fettuccini, scallop scampi, chicken parm, spaghetti with short rib meatballs, and pastrami spaghetti carbonara. If it sounds like a lot of food, that’s because it was a massive amount of food! We were happy little porkers, as my grandfather likes to call it, and were sad to admit we could only manage a few bites of the chocolate blackout cake and strawberry cheesecake they presented to us for dessert. Are you hungry, yet? Because just the thought of this delicious meal still makes my mouth water. I will definitely be back next time I’m in the city.

I included this solo shot of Alyssa from Life and Style by AP because I thought it was so darn cute!
From L to R, here is my girl gang – Sydney from Sydney Bliss Photography, Lavenda from Lavenda’s Closet, Katie from K Stu Photography/Wander Abode, Alyssa from Life and Style by AP, Alison from All Things Alison, muah!, and Danielle from Danielle Alana Reyes. These ladies are so vibrant and inspiring, and I’m so lucky to call them friends, too!

We parted ways that night, and headed home to sleep off the stressful, yet crazy fun day.

Sydney and Danielle had to make an early flight, so Alyssa, Alison and myself checked out of our room at the DoubleTree Times Square West, and cabbed it to The Real Real. We were invited to check out their flagship location, as well as the opening of their in-store cafe that just opened on the bottom level. They are serving up coffee and tea, as well as gourmet snacks and bites, everything we needed for a little pick-me-up at the end of Fashion Week. It wasn’t difficult to get a bit lost in their sprawling and designer fashion-filled store, but we all had planes to catch, so we chatted a bit then headed to our respective airports.

Their little patio area is so cute! It was super chilly still, so I made good use of my earmuffs, found on Amazon after a recommendation from @rachmartino after I saw her rocking the same pair! The bag envy was in full effect at The Real Real, and the Valentino’s, Chloe’s, and Gucci’s (props if you caught the butterfly brooch-encrusted one I posted on my Insta Stories), had my heart racing and my wallet oh-so-nervous. Side note, they have a pop-up shop open now though April 15th at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas! If you can’t make it to either location, visit The Real Real online and take $25 off your first purchase.

I’ll be honest, my trip to the airport was a rocky one. I couldn’t find the bus to take me to the airport because it was in a different spot than the drop-off. I had to depend on the kindness of the nicest man EVER who walked me through Port Authority, carrying my bag at times, to help me find my spot. Then the bus driver passed by my Terminal for SouthWest, causing me to drag my super heavy bag uphill a half mile in the other direction. Then we had tons of turbulence landing in Phoenix for my first layover and ended up circling the city for 20 minutes. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see Mark after my long flights. And wouldn’t you know it, I brought the rain home with me!!!

I truly can’t wait to start planning for September, because now that I have one season under my belt, I know what the expectations vs. reality are, and to plan accordingly for traffic, weather, and to ALWAYS print out my show confirmations. I had a blast, got to know some blogger friends a whole lot more, and make some new ones, I saw a different side of the city, and felt pretty damn glamorous while doing so.

I’d love to know, what are your thoughts on Fashion Week? Worth the trip, or watch from home (Insta)?