nykeiko wears: Herve Leger for a wedding!

It's wedding season but this year, we only have one wedding to attend which happened a couple of weeks ago! Well there is another coming up this weekend for one of my friends in Montreal but I had to bail due to bad timing. We aren't really that close anyway but he wanted to make it like a cegep reunion of some sort which I thought was a great idea!

This year has really been all about babies more than weddings. Earlier this year, five of my friends had babies. All boys too..oh wait no,  a friend of mine in Hong Kong had a cute baby girl! Baby announcements are also streaming in...I saw on my Facebook about three new babies coming along and four more for 2016! Yup when we talk about this amongst our friends, we just accept that we're at this age group now where it's allll about them babies. Not only should we accept that one day we will be parents too but I can also see how exhausting and difficult it is to raise a kid, so, we are currently cherishing our freedom now until that inevitable day comes! More traveling please (which we have planned for September already! Yay!) 

nykeiko wears: New stacking bling rings

My mom bought herself and all of her daughters a demi pavé diamond ring duo. One in rose gold and another in white gold. Here is my rose gold one stacked with my wedding band (which is also rose gold) and the stack of rings I have worn every day of my life since my collegiate days (usually on my right hand though but I've been mixing it up since I got my wedding band). I bought the rings from a local shop in Montreal and the jewelry brand was called The Right Hand Gal. This is over a decade ago and I'm not sure if they are still in business due to the empty content on their website. The ring  (from Noi NY) on my middle finger is part of a stackable trio too but it was too difficult to wear all three with my engagement ring.

nykeiko wears: Catherine Deane Wednesday Dress

I actually thought I would be done with clubbing for the rest of my life. I haven't entered a club (except during the daytime) for the past four years. I do not miss it at all so I figured, well, I guess I'm never going clubbing ever again. Just dancing at weddings from now on....Most people I know don't go out anymore. Most of them just want to do happy hour and scurry back home in time for dinner. Heck, I don't even want to do happy hours. I just want to come home, strip off my pants and be a vegetable in front of my laptop for the rest of the night.

nykeiko wears: Oliver Peoples Blondell

I got these Oliver Peoples Blondell aviators at an OP warehouse sale in Soho for only $125. They retail for over $400 USD! The lenses are polarized and protect my eyes 100% from UVA/UVB rays. They are super light too. These are probably the best actually-functional designer sunglasses I have ever bought and possibly the cheapest! They definitely saved my eyes from snow blindness while we were in the Berkshires. I barely squinted.

nykeiko wears: The not-so-glamourous me during Fashion Week [NYFW 2014]

New York Fashion Week has come and gone and I have bombarded my blog with maybe one too many pictures from the shows. I hope you enjoyed them nonetheless as I did try to not to put every single picture I took and bore y'all. Behind the scenes, I tried to dress up for most of the shows but having to attend shows before or after work proved difficult for me to go all out. The cold weather didn't help neither. No hair blow-outs, no mani-pedis, no full makeup but there was definitely some sweating and wrinkly clothes. 

Here are just a few snapshots of a couple of outfits I wore. I did not take a picture of myself on day one because I really looked like crap and I also just didn't have the time. I attended 6 shows in total this season (click to view posts: Nicholas K, BCBG, Nicole Miller, Rebecca Taylor, Pamella Roland and ICB) thanks to someone who really went to great lengths to help me get some tickets. Not sure if I should share her name in case she gets bombarded with requests but thank you (you know who you are :) I would have loved to attend more if it wasn't for my work but maybe next time I should take a day or two off to be able to enjoy the shows without having to rush too much.

For Nicole Miller

Wilfred blazer/Isabel Marant pour H&M lace top/Rag & Bone jeans/Rodarte x Opening Ceremony shoes (bought here for $10)/Fallon necklace (bought here)

nykeiko wears: My purse... [Lauren Merkin]

It is blurry because my camera doesn't know where to focus anymore!

This is my latest go-to purse. It is the Iris clutch with magnetic closure and python embossed leather by Lauren Merkin. I purchased it back in November here. Made in New York City (and not China)..I love that!

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nykeiko wears: One Piece, One Thought...Tom Ford

Tom Ford

These Tom Ford Whitney are my very first designer sunglasses I purchased on my own (cuz my momma once bought me a pair of Gucci sunglasses back in high school. They made me look like Ozzy Osborne and I barely wore them. Sad thing was, I picked them) back in college. I did a lot of research before settling on these ones and finally purchased them brand new on eBay since I couldn't really afford $400 sunglasses. They were significantly cheaper on eBay and I remember messaging the seller, who sold hundreds of sunglasses, to swear to me that they were 100% authentic. I think I paid less than half for them but I cannot remember. Over the years, I've acquired 3-4 more pairs of sunglasses and kind of neglected these ones. I had worn them for many years and loved them except they always sat on my cheeks and left an imprint every time but since they were my only pair, I kept wearing them. I recently decided to let them go and it was easier to do so by selling them on eBay so I could make a little bit of money off them. I am glad I did since I was holding on to them for the wrong reasons. They were one of my first designer purchases almost ten years ago, and that's me getting emotionally attached to my clothes. I can't believe I sold them for $80.

Me wearing my beloved Tom Ford Whitney in SF

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nykeiko wears: Sunday in Soho

Oh yes it was definitely chilly today and I have a cold so I bundled up. 

I'm wearing:

Louis Vuitton shawl, Men's sweater from Opening Ceremony, my fading black Citizens of Humanity Avedon skinny jeans and new Matt Bernson boots! 

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nykeiko wears: One piece, one thought...Equipment

Sweater by Equipment

When Dave saw me in this polka dot cashmere sweater for the first time, he started saying how cute I looked and poked all the dots on my sweater. I can't wait for this warmer than average autumn weather to return to normal so I can wear it again on a chilly day, hand in hand with Him by my side.

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nykeiko wears: My two new Alexander Wang pieces

I was in Soho this past weekend running errands (waxing!, returning a GoPro head strap at REI, getting cheap flip flops at Old Navy for our vacay, checking out sales at Scoop...) and since I was just a couple of blocks away from the Alexander Wang sample sale, I decided to pass by to see what final day markdowns were offered. There was actually a line to get in and lots of shoppers inside although nothing like day 1.

The stock had already been depleted big time since markdowns began mid-week but on the last day, almost everything was marked down. Large bags were almost all gone except the strappy beige Ingrids which was $150 instead of $400 (retail $825). Shoes which were marked down to $75 were down to one style left per size.

I went straight for the ready-to-wear. It was pretty difficult to pull a style I liked from the leftovers on the racks. Since the stock plummeted, everyone is kind of trying on the same things so you can decide what you like by seeing what is being tried on. It was then that I saw this girl try on these tapered black pants (Dave calls them Aladdin pants) that I decided I wanted them too. Luckily, she tried them and didn't want them because I couldn't find a similar one on the racks. I grabbed them. They were $60 and I really liked them. They were originally $150 at beginning of the sale and probably retailed at $400-500+. I also wanted a soft T by Alexander Wang bra which were now $15 (were on sale for $35). Oh yea, and that damn T by Alexander Wang dress I got from Scoop was now $50 which bugged me a bit because i paid more for it haha. The only thing that didn't have any reduction seem to be the small clutches which were still going for $250 and didn't have too many takers.

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nykeiko wears: Sample sale buys...

I think I should start a blog segment about my sample sale buys. I always talk about the sample sales I attend but rarely show off my purchases. I also haven't done an outfit post for a while so here goes...

Here is an outfit I wore last weekend.

Bracelet by Lulu Frost ($115 sample)/Dress by Equipment (bought for $50/retails $258!)/ Tristyn Sandals by Boss Orange (bought for $30/retails $315+)/ Sunglass by The Row x Linda Farrow ($75/retail $377). Outfit total is about $270. Approximate retail value: $1,685. Pretty good huh!

Now do you see why it is so hard for me to shop retail anymore??

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nykeiko wears: Montreal [Mackage]

Dress: Mackage!
Clutch: Jason Wu!.. for Target :) Leftovers are here or on ebay.
Earrings: A and L Jewelry (Discontinued Montreal brand)
Shoes: I bought these heels more than a year ago in Taiwan from some Korean brand. They are gray leather and has metallic mesh cap toe! Did you see some metallic cap toe shoes currently trending? See?

Still not good at posing too long for pictures

This is what I wore to summer wedding #2 which was held in beautiful Montreal and wearing a Montreal-based brand was the right thing to do! My dress is made in Shanghai however but that's okay because it is one of Montreal's sister cities since 1985. How did I know that you ask? I learned it when I was interviewing for a job at the Shanghai Expo back in 2010. Random.

I love the fit of a Mackage dress. I own two now and both fit me like a glove. I cannot lose or gain any weight if I want to wear this again and again!

H


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nykeiko wears: Night stroll [Rag and Bone Newbury booties]

After a little rain, the city became a little bit cooler and more tolerable.

After being cooped up at home most of the day, we decided to grab a late night bite and take a little stroll in the Lower East Side.

This is the second time I'm wearing my booties and still breaking them in. I could have not lasted more than 3 hours in them with 30 minutes of consistent walking. They are not particularly high but I think the leather needs to soften up a little bit more before they become comfy. Or at least I hope they will!


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nykeiko wears: day in Dumbo

Top: Ella Moss/Shorts: Banana Republic/Necklace: Jewelmint/Sunglasses: Tom Ford

My friends from Montreal have come and sadly left after three short days in New York. I love everyone's great enthusiasm when they explore New York for the first or 10th time. There's always something fun or new to do and I'm happy to explore with them.

If I know I'm going to be walking out for an entire day, I will always pick my Birkentstocks over my pretty shoes. It's something you will unfortunately see in a lot of my pictures for the summer because we usually walk around A LOT!  I wish I could walk all day in heels but that's unrealistic and I don't know anyone that can survive a day walking in heels! I wonder about those Cole Haan ones with Nike soles or Aerosoles heels sometimes...and if they challenge my never ever theory.

Freedom tower still going up is now NY's tallest building

Taking the ferry from Williamsburg to Dumbo is a good idea!

nykeiko wears: Color blocking dress and steak night at Strip House inNew York!

Isn't it cool when you can find new trends in your old clothes?

Dress: Kookai , Shoes: Nine West

I look so tired and sleepy here

I bought this one piece dress from European brand Kookai in Taiwan about two years ago.  This past Spring/Summer, bright colors and color blocking is in trend so this dress came out of the closet to breath some fresh air.  What I like about this piece is that it looks like it's a chic two piece outfit (shirt and skirt) but it only takes a minute to slip it on over my head like a t-shirt and it looks so smart! You can now shop Kookai in the US via ASOS here! There are no US stores I believe.

I wore it out with my new Nine West slingbacks for a Friday night date to a trendy resto called Strip House NY. There was an hour wait even at 9 p.m. at the main restaurant on a Friday night but the Strip House grill right next door had seatings right away. They served the same menu and from the same kitchen so why not! You just miss out on the ambience but it was actually quite dark down there and filled with men with no dates. I saw one woman there and she ate alone at the bar!

A dozen raw littlenecks to start!

The sides are a hit. The Wild Mushrooms are simply delicious and complement the meal so well.

The room was so dark we could not tell that the plate was served with roasted garlics which must be eaten with your steak!

The chocolate cake was highly recommended but this meal was more than we could handle.
I still prefer the filet mignon from Porterhouse or Peter Lugers but the Rib N Eye steak D ordered was delicious. Medium rare is the way to go!

Some Yelp tip recommended the Betty Blue Eye cocktail drink but I didn't think it was that great. Also, there was suppose to be a complimentary carpacho shot to start but they forgot that AND our bread too. They also charged us more for my drink. I was not happy D tipped 18% after all that.

Wild mushrooms are a must. Truffle Spinach is popular but so heavy!

Delicious Rib N Eye

Strip House's 12 oz Medium rare filet mignon