outfits and observations: July 2015

Monday, July 27, 2015

goodbye new york (for now)

I'm sitting on my couch at home typing this, and I can't believe the trip had to end. It is nice to be back to my bed and my beagle, but New York City is my place! I feel destined for it, and I'm not fighting that. We seriously had the best time and got to have the most incredible experiences over those 24 days. I cannot thank both of my parents enough for this; my mom for encouraging me to do the program and staying up there with me and doing so much of the planning; my dad for funding it and allowing us to be gone having the time of our lives for that long.
(Parts One, Two, and Three of the trip)

Monday: dress and shoes via Buffalo Exchange, Monet Hot Sox

I highly recommend the FIT Precollege to any high school students interested in fashion and New York City. I had great, small classes with experienced professors. Learning was honestly so fun there. They also have a huge variety of classes: photography, marketing, design, film, advertising, etc!

On Monday after class I hung out at Ralph's Coffee, the coffee shop on the second floor of the Ralph Lauren flagship shop on 5th Avenue. My latte was fantastic, and it was actually a nice, quiet environment, so I stayed to work on my magazine. I have the PDF form of the magazine now, but I'm not sure how to attach it to this post. If you're interested, shoot me an email, and I'll definitely send it to you! I'm proud of how it turned out.

Tuesday: brandy tank, Savoir-Faire kimono (similar)

Tuesday was pretty relaxed, but on Wednesday night we went to Summer Screen! It's a mini weekly festival held in a parking lot in Williamsburg, and they have a ton of vendors selling food and offering samples. While there's still light they have a local band play, then they start a movie when the sun sets. When we attended we got extra lucky because the movie was Dirty Dancing!

Wednesday: Brandy Melville Romper, vintage scarf as headband, vintage sunglasses, Nike shoes

Thursday was the last day of class, so it was pretty emotional! We were all in love with it and couldn't believe it flew by so quickly. After class I went with some girls from my International Marketing class to Sugar Factory, where we had the best drinks and frozen hot chocolate! Then I travelled back to Brooklyn so mom and I could have a final celebratory dinner.

Friday: masons dress, thrifted hat, Brandy Melville bralette, Converse

Friday was a travel day, but we had decent time left in the city since our flight wasn't until 7 pm. Basically, we went to a couple of coffee shops and cafes in Williamsburg that we had been saying we were going to go to since the first days! It was so bittersweet to leave. By this time I was completely exhausted (even though I'd had 3 cups of coffee that day), but I still wanted to stay.

So I'm back home in Arkansas, but I want to get back to the city as soon as possible! It's my dream home, and I'm head over heels in love with it.

friends from International Marketing

International Marketing with my international friends from Taiwan and Paris

best ramen ever! at Ramen Yebisu in Williamsburg

with Blanka, the neighborhood beauty

Georgia greeted me at the airport with my favorite things! she's the best

much love,
claire
outfitsandobservations@gmail.com

Sunday, July 19, 2015

empire state of mind

Monday: thrifted hat and sunglasses, brandy melville dress (similar)

Week two in this wonderful city just flew by! At this point I'm all adjusted and set to live here forever. It's so sad to think that we have to head home on Friday, but we will certainly be making the most out of this next week.

movie at bryant park

Again, I spent the majority of the weekdays in class. Both of my classes are still so fascinating to me, and I really enjoy that they are so different. It feels nothing like school, even though my International Fashion Marketing class is largely lecture-based, because I'm so interested in the subjects. My magazine for Magazine Design is really coming along. It's called daydreamer, and all of the writing and photos are either my original work or pieces that my friends from home have contributed. I've been taking a ton of inspiration from rookie mag, both in design and concept. I'm excited to finalize it this week and see the end result! Also, on Wednesday we got to visit the FIT museum for a field trip and see their incredible exhibit on fashion capitals.

from liberty walk

On Monday after class I met up with my mom and we walked around Manhattan and stopped for some sushi and coffee, separately of course. In the evening I joined some friends in Bryant Park for a black and white movie. Tuesday was drizzly (I also forgot to get an outfit photo!) so I hurried over to Barnes & Noble after class to get a coffee in the cafe and look at Rookie Yearbooks for formatting ideas.

Wednesday started out wild! We attended a Daybreaker event in Manhattan. It's held in a club from 7 to 9 am, and it's basically a morning rave. They provide all of the coffee, water, and protein shakes you need for breakfast. Everybody's dancing and having a great time, but it's early morning and they're about to head to work! Definitely a cool first clubbing experience. After school I was a bit tired, so I just spent some time writing in Central Park before I met my mom and some of her college friends for dinner in Tribeca.

at Daybreaker

On Thursday my friend Alice and I went to Soho after school. After some wonderful chocolate chip cookie shots we did some shopping at Brandy and other stores in the area.

Wednesday: brandy top (tshirt version), gap skirt, topshop shoes, tabbisocks

Since junior year starts next month and all the college stuff is about to get insane, we made the journey up to Hamilton, New York to tour Colgate University on Friday. A representative from the school did an information session at my high school last year, and I have been highly considering them ever since. The campus is stunning, the community seems really close-knit, and I'd genuinely enjoy studying the curriculum.

slightly embarrassed that this is the only picture I'm in from Thurday: thrifted sunglasses, masons vest, Gianni Bini dress (similar)

On Saturday we spent a large chunk of time at the Met then went to Central Park to see Strawberry Fields. I'm planning on doing a whole post about the Met, and it should be up in a few days.

Saturday: thrifted hat, Brandy Melville dress, vintage Dooney & Bourke bag via grey dog, nike shoes

On Sunday we woke up early to head into Manhattan and have breakfast at Dough bakery. They have some of the best and most unique doughnuts I've ever tasted; I had a hibiscus one and a cafe au lait one. After eating, we made it to the 10 am service at Hillsong NYC. The worship was so incredible and compared so well to their albums. We then spent a generous amount of time at The Strand Bookstore on Broadway before heading back to Brooklyn. Strand is enormous and so full of books! Fayetteville people, it's Dickson Street Bookstore doubled!

Sunday: gap shirt, gap skirt, birkenstocks, vintage Dooney & Bourke bag via grey dog, vince camuto sunglasses

love,
claire
outfitsandobservations@gmail.com

Sunday, July 12, 2015

becoming a brooklyn baby

monday: doc martens, masons vest, indigo dress

We just completed a successful full first week in New York City! By now, I'm starting to get the hang of Williamsburg, since we're staying here, and Chelsea, since that's where FIT is. I'm starting to understand the subway system a little better, although not completely. Last night the M train was closed when I was on my way home so I ended up having to take a taxi since it was getting dark and I was alone. Getting to explore/ find my way around New York City on my own is the coolest thing ever! I am so in love with this city and can't see myself living anywhere else. It has the most incredible energy.

the walk to class

FIT classes started Monday, but it doesn't feel like school at all! I'm taking Magazine Design and International Fashion Marketing; both are fascinating to me. Magazine Design feels like a dream. It's more focused on the technical aspects, so we're learning formatting and how to use programs like Illustrator and Photoshop. To apply all of this, each of us are in charge of making our own magazine for our final project, which is the most fun thing I've ever done. I'm making mine a sort of fashion/ literary fusion, inspired by local wolves and rookie mag, of course. I'm sure I'll be updating you as that progresses! International Fashion Marketing is so interesting because we get a taste of other cultures' preferences and how to appeal to that. Both classes are great, and they're really different environments; Magazine Design is more self-focused while International Fashion Marketing is more of a classroom environment.

tuesday: american eagle dress (also here), birkenstocks

Of course, I'm learning lots from my professors, but I'm also loving meeting all the girls I have classes with! There are lots of girls from NYC or the area, but there are also lots from far away! My International Fashion Marketing class has girls from five different countries. Everybody is so cool and passionate and stylish. Walking around campus each day is like a fashion show.

the Williamsburg bridge

The majority of this week has been spent at FIT since I have class until late afternoon Monday- Thursday. All of my family was here this week, but the boys left yesterday morning so it will be just my mom and I for the rest of the time. We went out to dinner each night and tried different restaurants around the Williamsburg area. My favorites were Chai Thai, Patrizas Italian, and Motorino for pizza. I found a nice coffee shop that I like called Blank, so I've been spending some time there.

wednesday: savoir faire kimono, target cami, gap skirt, converse

On Thursday my friend Anna Claire met up with me after class to go shopping and explore midtown. She's in the city for the summer, so she led the way and helped me find the way home!

ny public library

Friday was a big day; I toured Columbia University and the Clinton campaign headquarters. Columbia is my dream school because its campus is beautiful, the curriculum seems fascinating and challenging, it's one of the top universities for English, and of course, because it's in Manhattan. Next presidential election will be the first time I get to vote, and so far my choice is Hillary Clinton because of where she stands on social, economic, educational, and foreign policy issues! I think the whole Clinton family is incredible, and she's a huge role model to me. The opportunity to see her campaign headquarters was something I'll always remember.

thursday: masons dress, steve madden backpack (similar), vintage headband

On Saturday morning the boys left, so mom and I went to Artists & Fleas. They have vendors that range from handmade jewelry to tshirts to name brand vintage to greeting cards and temporary tattoos. I got to check something off my bucket list when I found a vintage Oscar de la Renta dress for only $10! I also purchased some NY state shaped earrings, a few soy candles, NY themed temporary tattoos, and a candle with Mindy Kaling on it. In the afternoon I met up with Anna Claire and a couple other friends to go to the Summer Warm Up event at MoMA PS1. There was live music, modern art, and dancing so I think it's obvious that we had a fantastic time.

from artists and fleas (yes, they're sideways)

On Sunday morning we hit up Williamsburg Flea, which is outdoors and enormous! There are so many stands full of incredible vintage. After that, we took the ferry to the Brooklyn Bridge Park to experience Smorgasburg! We arrived starving and left stuffed with some of the best mac & cheese, bubble tea, and fries ever. Next weekend we will be returning to try more stands!