Oh my gosh..Happy New Year??

Here is a picture of me from this past September in Europe. I am showing off my lash extensions, making my eyes look wider than normal and  playing with VSCO cam filters. Creepy, I know.

Gasp! It's almost the end of 2015 and everyone's prepping for 2016 and here I am still shocked that Christmas has already come and gone. Well I've got to admit that 2015 started out alright and I had no major complaints whatsoever (well, there are always complaints) but after what I've been through these couple of months, I no longer have complaints about my complaints! I've always counted my lucky stars when I think about my health and that of my family's. That everyone's alive and kicking and we're still a close knit family. As long as I got health, family and a bed to sleep on, I am happy. Oh and of course, lots of good food. Well, I can no longer say this and it has ripped a big hole in my big fat dream bubble. I had to say farewell to one of my most favorite person in the world last month and the sadness sips in and out of my daily ongoings. So, for the past few weeks, I have just been sleeping and resting. Resting my body, my soul and my heart.  Maybe in 2016, I'll talk about the great year 2015 was but for now, I just want to look forward and not back. I look forward to what 2016 has in store for me...

Talk to you soon! x

When I feel blue...

I open my photo albums and look through my memories. Most of them are happy ones because that's when you most likely want to take a picture to remember.

This is one of my mom and my nephew laughing and playing together when he was just a toddler (he's now 8 years old!). They were just opening and closing the door together over and over again. It made both of them laugh which made me laugh.

And this one is a picture my mom asked for a copy to print a large poster of. I think she likes this picture because this is when the whole family was together (a rare event!) for our wedding two years ago in New York city.

Happy six..with some truffle, duck and steak!

This week, the husband and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary. That is for our first date, kiss, trip to NY, whatever you want to call your first whatever.We had an extraordinary dinner at Gotham Bar and Grill and really spoiled ourselves.

nykeiko plays: That weekend we went to Storm King Art Center and let the inner child breath...

When we came back from our Euro trip, we planned on spending the weekend unpacking and cleaning the apartment but instead, we spent a whole Saturday upstate at Storm King Art Center. A friend rented a car and offered us door-to-door service which we could not refuse. We drove an hour to Cornwall and had a big hardy breakfast at Fiddlestix before heading to Storm King. 

We spent a couple of hours at the center and what we regret the most was not bringing a blanket and some food for a picnic. Despite it, we still enjoyed the wide open space and the large art installations. This is definitely a great place to bring your kids if you ever want to tire them out from running around. There is a lot of space! 

The center offers two-for-one tickets if you have a Zipcar membership. Our friend had a Whitney museum membership which also allowed her to get in for free. There are shuttle buses that can take you around the park or even bike rentals available by the hour. There's 500 acres to explore so it might be worth it! 

nykeiko shops: Sandro Sample Sale [October 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Last night, I stopped by Sandro's sample sale. Here's my report for Racked NY. I took over 100+ pictures but really had to trim it down a bit. I liked all the jackets and coats offered in both men and women's section. Of course I don't need a new coat nor anything else so naturally came out empty handed. I always like Sandro's dresses. This past weekend, I stopped by Maje's sample sale with my sister on the last day where an additional 20% off was offered but of course, all the good stuff were gone. Sweaters were still $60 so I didn't go for it. There simply wasn't anything nice anymore anyway! Yay for the wallet.

nykeiko shops: French brand Maje Sample Sale is le back! [October 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

After my trip to Paris, I've walked in a couple of Maje and Sandro shops to see how the selection was. It didn't defer too much from NY's selection from what I can see but then again, I never shopped the collections too closely because the retail price never interested me. However, I covered Maje and Sandro's sample sales earlier this year and knew it would be best to save my pennies in Paris and wait for the sales to hit NYC. When I got back, I got the email about the Maje sample sale followed by the Sandro sample sale a week later, like clockwork. I didn't buy anything at the last sale since the prices weren't super decent but this time around, I might wait for some markdowns and grab a few sweaters or leggings if the prices are right.

Here's my report on Racked NY. After the jump are some of the pieces I liked...

nykeiko travels: If there's one thing to see in Milan, it's the Duomo di Milano says everybody!

When I learned Dave planned a one night stop in Milan, I searched for "must-see in Milan" on Google and Duomo Di Milano popped up just about on every list out there. So, with less than 24 hours in Milan, that's where we went. We purchased a ticket to visit the terrace for 8 euros and climbed the stairs to save 5 euros (and to get some steps in knowing we would be chowing down on a ton of pasta later). Going up was pretty easy. We weren't even out of breath! The cathedral is just as large and majestic as we have seen it in pictures. I took lots of pictures too but really nothing can do it justice. We were lucky to arrive just before sunset so the lighting was pretty amazing.

nykeiko travels and shops: Le shopping in Paris

Galeries Lafayette in September

We have been back for two weeks now from Europe but it feels like so far away already. Work was slow in the beginning but has now picked right back up but it's been a good kind of busy. I also make sure to keep myself busy outside of work. I try to swim at least twice a week and add a Vixen workout from time to time. I'm going to add yoga back into my life starting this Sunday. I'm also going to be covering more sample sales in October (that takes care of shopping). And just a couple of days ago, I signed up as a zombie dancer for the NYC Greenwich Halloween parade! For not being much of a Halloween person, this is tops for me. October is going to be a busy one!Anyway, when I come back home from any type of trip, I like to look at my shopping loot and reflect upon what I love most and what I definitely wasted my money on.

nykeiko shops: Links of London Sample Sale [September 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

I'm back for less than a week and back to covering sample sales. The first one is 'Links of London'. Here's my report for Racked NY. Hoping I can snag some friendship bracelets as gifts but at $50-$75 a pop, I decided it wasn't worth it and came out empty handed. Some of the silver effervescent bracelets looked really nice on me but with no occasions to wear such shiny baubles, $300 for a bracelet seemed steep.

nykeiko travels: 2 weeks, 4 countries later...and Valais blacknose sheep!

Four countries make a lot of selfies #noselfiestickrequired

We are back!

Although I am very sad that our vacation has come to an end, I am very relieved that we are back home. Back home in our own bed, using our own products and eating home cooked meals instead of eating out all the time (thanks Dave's parents for picking us up at the airport and offering us home-cooked food and fruits and vegetables for the week!!). When Dave and I parted ways on Monday to head to work, I thought it was weird we would be apart for the whole day after spending so many days non-stop together. I told him I would miss him.  "At least we are not sick of each other yet!" he replies. He says the sweetest things!

I was hoping our trip would be a semi-relaxing one since it is after all, a vacation! We did A LOT of walking. We calculated maybe an average of about 17,000 steps each day. Some days we reached over 30,000 steps and walked over 110 miles in total. We know this because of Dave's Fitbit and my iPhone 'heart' app. We walked a lot but also ate a lot. I think I have never ate so much cheese in my life like a whole pot of fondue with bread and potatoes in one sitting.

Here is one of the highlights for me on our trip which was meeting these Valais Blacknose sheep on my birthday.

They had this waxy smoky thing on top of their hand that stained us for days...

Nykeiko travels: On our way to Gruyeres ...

Random journal entry. 

Switzerland day 5:

Dave stops the car by this old dumpy cabin, jumps out of the car with our SLR. I don't see what he wants to take a picture of but I stay in the car to wait for him. 

"You should be happy I want to take pictures!"

I was. Although Dave bought the SLR, I am usually the person taking pictures of our journey while Dave is more picky about what he decides is picture worthy. I, on the other hand document everything we do, eat and see. 

Today is our last day in Switzerland. Next stop is Paris! 

nykeiko travels: Hello from Amsterdam!

Hello!

In Weesp Amsterdam

Dave and I have finally made it to Europe. We planned this trip in less than two months (again, Dave gets all the credit in planning). I took care of the hotel in Amsterdam (courtesy of Citizen M) and that is about it. It's our fourth day here in Amsterdam and we leave tomorrow for one evening in Milan and then to Switzerland for 5 days! We are then off to Paris for 7 days and then back home! Dave booked some apartments for Milan and Switzerland and in Paris, we will be staying at a friend's for one night and the rest at fancy Hyatt hotels around town (courtesy of our Hyatt credit card). 

Amsterdam has been great but cloudy, rainy and cold. I had to buy a blanket to keep extra warm and Dave reluctantly bought a souvenir hat (although he loves how his head is super warm!). We're a bit worried about Switzerland now where temperatures in Zermatt are hovering around sub freezing temperature.

We managed to meet up with a couple of friends and even randomly bumped into Dave's coworker! We have stayed mostly in the city but today, we borrowed bikes from the hotel, took a train and rode around Weesp all day. I haven't been on a bike for a while so now my butt is super sore. Dave's souvenir hat became my butt mat and it was great. 

We tried most of the recommended dutch delicacies such as the Flemish fries (at Vleminckx Sausmeesters), smoked herring and stroopwafel (both at the Albert Cuyptmarkt). We didn't do the croquettes nor pancakes. What we did try is lots of Asian food. The city is filled with Thai, Indonesian and Chinese cuisine. We tried two thai restaurants (delicious noodle soup at Sawaddee Ka) and a Surinamese one in some hip neighborhood which we wouldn't recommend. All the dutch restaurants we tried have been misses. I'll try to blog about some of them later!

I didn't bring my laptop on this trip so here are a couple of pictures from my phone. Here is one of us on a cold rainy day by one of the many canals in the city. My blanket cost $49.50 Euros. It's made in Italy and only 20% wool but has served me well. 

nykeiko eats: Mekelburg's for sandwiches and artisanal beer!

Manhattanites rarely wander into deep parts of Brooklyn. The crowd usually flocks to Williamsburg (which is only one train stop outside Manhattan), spend the day at Smorgasburg or Brooklyn flea and think they’ve got a taste of Brooklyn. But what happens when you venture deeper into Brooklyn? A LOT! Every time we explore deep into the borough, we find new shops and restaurants we get really excited about.

nykeiko plays: Okay, one last show with Jon Stewart and seeing the POTUS!

President Obama on the Daily show gets his own presidential mug!

The Daily show with Jon Stewart ended earlier this month and the new guy Trevor Noah has stepped in! But before Jon bid farewell for good we had a chance to attend yet another show (we have been so lucky to attend a total of 4 shows now).

After every show we attend, Dave wanted more. At first we followed the 1 show per 6 month limit but in the end, Dave didn't give a damn anymore and kept checking for tickets. After the last show we attended, Dave had been stalking the Daily show website every morning to see if tickets would free up. With his perseverance, he managed to easily snatch up reservations for the Monday July 20th show with Paul Rudd. But on the Friday before that show, Dave found out that president Obama would be a guest on the show scheduled for Tuesday July 21. It was game time and Dave began was even more intent on checking up on tickets. 

nykeiko shops: Calypso St. Barth Sample Sale [August 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

OH hello. It's me.

I checked out the Calypso St. Barth sample sale last night. Here's my report for Racked NY. Although I was underwhelmed with the selection, I walked away with a silky long wrap skirt and a short sleeve sweater. I was hoping to snatch up some furniture but everything was picked over by the time I got there. Oh well!

Nykeiko plays: Update! Life in snapshots...

Let's address the elephant in the room... 

Woah I have not been very good at writing something up in here. What's new with you? What's new with me? Well, I have been focusing on different things lately. Since it's Summer, I have been more motivated in keeping healthy by eating well and exercising often. Swimming has become my best friend again and I try to go at least twice a week. I feel oh so grateful when it's super hot out and I can to take a dip in the ozone purified pool at the 92Y in the Upper East side. I'm so grateful that I catch myself smiling while doing my strokes up and down the lanes...even when an old lady or man is slow and in my way. I applaud them for coming out and staying in shape!

On a weekly basis, I also try to attend at least one Vixen Workout class and usually on a Friday evening. It's been harder on Fridays though since at the end of a long week, you just want to go home and put your feet up and do absolutely nothing.

Work has also been keeping me quite busy and trapped in front of my computer a lot. This means that I have less time to cover sample sales. Yup, that's why there is lack of reports. I have been good with covering at least four sales every month but this month alone, nada! I haven't seen any interesting sales anyway but hopefully Fall will bring back the hot sales.

In pictures:

When Janet Jones was in town, we dance! 

More pics after jump..

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 travels and eats: Toups' Meatery [New Orleans]

What was left of our meal at Toup's meatery...nothing!

Oh yes, we did a whole lot of eating in New Orleans as you have seen here and here and I'm not done writing about it. Maybe I'll talk about stuff we saw or what we did for fun but FOOD was the main drive of our itinerary in N.O.L.A. so I won't deny it of a spotlight. Dinner on our second night in New Orleans was at Toups' meatery. You guessed right if you thought that there was a lot of meat consumed during the meal. The guys really loved this meal when I was hoping there would be some greens to pair. The food is mighty salty as mentioned before so we did order an additional side of white rice (not the dirty rice which was salty too!). The boys also loved the cornbread so much they ordered extras on the side to finish the meal strong. We were no doubt very full. Only good things to say about this meal and would highly recommend it even though it's a bit out of the way.

To start....

nykeiko eats: A nice quiet dinner at Adler [NYC] + meeting Wylie Dufresne!

The idea of a romantic dinner for two in New York means taking your loved one to an old stomping ground where you know the food is always good orrrr you take them somewhere new and hope for the best (but know it's good food because all the food critics and food bloggers gave it a thumbs up). 

For our wedding anniversary dinner, Dave made reservations to Wylie Dufresne's Alder in the Lower East Side. "We celebrated our engagement at WD-50 so I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate at another of Wylie's restaurant". The chef's highly praised WD-50 closed its doors in 2013 and Alder is Wylie's "new" baby. Dave mentioned Mr. Dufresne is helping his dad open a sandwich place so maybe we can celebrate year 3 over there! I don't need fancy, I just need gooood food! But Wylie made it clear that this is his dad's project and not his!

It was not difficult to get reservations for Alder which made Dave worry a bit. Maybe it's not good anymore??  Could be since restaurants in New York are generally hard to book at decent times if they are exceptionally delicious. It's okay. We can't knock it until we try it right? Right. So, verdict? 

Happy 2

Um..I love my husband more and more every single day which is a good sign that things are going pretty well so far. This marriage thing is not hard work for us... yet. Maybe when we have kids and it's going to be chaotic. But right now, he's my favorite person in the World and I miss him even when I am with him (I'm just needy like that.)

nykeiko eats: La Contenta [Lower East Side, NYC]

It has been a while since I have been out to play. When the city starts to get super hot, I like to shelter myself indoors with the AC on full blast. But, from time to time when a friend is in town, you just have to get your lazy butt off the couch and conquer the blistering heat wave (why are the subways so goddamn hot?).

A friend of ours organized a little get-together at his friend's bar 'La Contenta' in the lower east side. La Contenta serves up authentic Mexican cuisine with French accents and specialize in Agave-based cocktails and spirits. Having never heard of this place before, I was not very enthused. Just another neighborhood bar I thought. I demanded food to be served upon my arrival (as a half-joke) since I get super hungry after work and the only way to cheer me up is food. To my delight, my friend had some happy hour appetizers and drinks ready upon our arrival. Maybe I was hungry but the food was very, very delicious. 

nykeiko shops: Fivestory Off-site sample sale [July 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Fivestory sample sale: Balmain crop top $604

I always look forward to the Fivestory sample sale. Although I never ever walk out with anything, I just like to cover the sale to see what kind of clothes cool rich people like to buy and I would never have the chance to wear. I also get to see all these clothes from international brands I might have never heard of. Some of the clothes and shoes that are 80% can be affordable but most pieces are still priced pretty high even after the generous 80% off. Here's my report for Racked.

nykeiko travels and eats: District Donut [New Orleans]

When in New Orleans and in need of a java fix, stop by District Donut in the Garden district. Of course, if you have a little hunger to tend to, there is very tasty food to satisfy your needs.

When we dropped in, we were interested in trying out the donuts but then the sliders and savories menu caught our eye. And there was also an interesting section called 'Croquenuts' which are griddled donut sandwiches. Yes, sandwiches with donuts as the bun. It might sound weird at first but my cousin was the adventurous one and ordered the Dulce Cubano which turned out to be one of our favorite.

After all that eating, I don't really remember if the coffee is any good but I'm sure it wasn't bad!

nykeiko shops: Proenza Schouler sample sale...bags bags bags..whoops all gone [July 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Proenza schouler sample sale $399 PS13 handbags

I stopped by the Proenza Schouler sample sale this morning before work to check out what I have been missing. I skipped the last two sample sales simply because it was never publicly announced and only lasted one day. This time, the sale being is hosted at C21 Edition for the first time and last for three days. This means a couple of things. 

Nykeiko travels: we are in New Orleans!

Here is a glimpse at our first meal in the city. These are just starters! This is going to be a very dangerous (but good) eating trip! 

X 

nykeiko plays: Bye bye Jon Stewart..almost :(

Last week, we scored tickets to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week. Some of you may know, getting a reservation for the show does not guaranteed entry. For the third time (first time, second time), we took our chance and luckily got in and saw Dave's beloved Jon Stewart again! (I like Jon but Dave loooves him.) There are only 20 more shows left. His last show is on August 6.

nykeiko shops: Madewell Sample Sale [June 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Madewell's first ever standalone sample sale happened and I checked out the friends and family portion last night. Here's my sale report on Racked NY. Prices were fair on some items while others made me question the discount. I'm well aware that J.Crew and Madewell sometimes have these extra discounts on their sale items (like, happening right now with additional 30% off sale for three days!) and I did find some of the items at the sample sale that are cheaper online (like accessories, shoes, coats and sweaters). Nonetheless, I still thought I did pretty okay with this super stretchy and comfy red true sample jersey dress with pockets for $30 and a pair of earphones for $10 (because I go through about one earphone a year).

nykeiko plays: Saturday in the Burg [Williamsburg, NYC]

J train shananigans

This past Saturday, we celebrated Father's Day at Dave's parents with some hot pot. We would love to say that we prepared the feast but the truth is, we didn't do anything at all except bring a cantaloupe as dessert. I mean, the father doesn't like to eat out and likes to cook so Dave says it's not really "abuse" when we're allowing him to do what he loves. All we needed to do was show up hungry. There was more than enough food for a party of ten. We had pork, chicken, beef, shrimps, fish balls, tofu, liver and kidney from an animal and finally, a ton of veggies. We were ready for a nap but the best way to digest was to go for a walk so we hopped on a bus and went to Smorgasburg and the annual Renegade Craft Fair which we try to not miss every year. This year, it's running for 4-weekend straight! We bought a "silly idea" drawing from Lauren Simkin Berke and a super vanilla bean milkshake from Milk Truck. And of course, our Renegade Craft Fair tradition is to take a complimentary photo inside Magnolia Photobooth.

#TBT=#MyThrowbackTravels #43: Taroko gorge in Hua-Lien, Taiwan

nykeiko eats: Hawaiian-inspired cuisine at Noreetuh in the East Village [NYC]

Hawaii! The ocean, the beaches, the turtles, the sand in my butt and the food! I love it all but I'm not there at the moment...

nykeiko shops: Moleskine Sample Sale! $3 pocketbooks! [June 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Moleskine Sample Sale NYC 2015

I dropped by the Moleskine sample sale today to stock up on pocket notebooks.  Here's my report on Racked which has more pictures and price deets. 

Notebooks start at $3 (orig. $15 after taxes). I'm old school and still write with pen and paper but I know I'm not the only one because when I told Laurie I picked up a notebook for her too, she was happy as it can be! I also picked up a black photo album for $5. And on your way out, you can pick up a free notebook with purchase (these have corporate logos on them) but I picked up a medium notebook with a very subtle logo so it's as good as new. Total of my purchase: $13 - for 4 notebooks and 1 photo album.

nykeiko eats, plays, shops....May was cray!

Well hello there! May has come and gone and I cannot believe that it is already June! It has been a while since I've posted something properly. My last few posts were about shopping so you must think that all I do is shop, shop, shop, but tis not (fully) true! I have been pretty occupied and simply have not found the time to sit down and write. I must admit though, when I do have time on the weekend, I choose to nap. Work has been draining for me lately.

 Here are some snapshots from May which some of them may have already appeared on my Instagram!

We welcomed May with another beautiful hike. This time we were at Harriman State Park. 

nykeiko shops: Rebecca Taylor Sample Sale [June 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

I checked out Rebecca Taylor's sample sale last night. I try not to miss this one because of the good deals on samples and jewelry. Last time I got this solid rose gold necklace for $30 + 20% off (vip night)! I was hoping to find great deals on jewelry again for a gift but there were no necklaces spotted. Sometimes, previews don't always get you the special deals. I tried on a top and jumpsuit but decided not to purchase. Here's my report for Racked.

nykeiko shops: Scotch & Soda Sample Sale [May 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Scotch and Soda Sample Sale

Oops...Forgot to post about this sale I checked on during Memorial Day! Here's my review for Racked NY. I never heard of the Dutch brand Scotch & Soda before until they made an appearance in the sample sale scene in NY. When I read the sale is filled with true samples, I was intrigued. I'm not really a fan of the brand though but this brand offers a lot of variety and you can find something to dress up or down with. Lots of street style appropriate gear. I tend to stick with their 'mademoiselle' collection which is more age-appropriate ;p I can't believe I just wrote that. And what I mean by age appropriate is that it has to be comfortable.

I purchased two gray tops (I keep telling myself to stay away from gray but it is what I am attracted to!) I usually would wait for markdowns but because most pieces at the sale are one-off samples, once they are gone, they are gone. Click after the jump to see my little haul...

nykeiko shops: My new m0851 bag!

Okay, so I am always saying I do not need a new bag but somehow, I always end up with a new bag. Well, this one is courtesy of my sister who shopped the m0851 sample sale for me in Montréal earlier this month. The Weekend bag retails for $530 USD but we got it for $180 USD ($220 CDN) because of the amAzing current exchange rate! My sister picked up a smaller version of the bag in a red/cherry color for $200 CDN (I think the bigger bag is a better deal ;)

nykeiko plays: Free haircut! @Bumble and Bumble University Model project [NYC]

I got a new hair cut (more than a week old to be exact)! It isn't exactly my favorite hair cut but it is a free one! Read after the jump to find out more...

nykeiko shops: James Perse Sample Sale [May 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

James Perse Sample Sale

Um yea..another sample sale post. I hit up two sales in one day. Consequence? I did more than 10,000 steps on my iPhone's health monitor yesterday. After visiting Chloé 's crazy sale in the afternoon, the James Perse VIP preview in the evening was so eerily calm. Did everyone end up at Chloé ? Anyway, here's my review of the James Perse sample sale on Racked NY. I have more than enough basics so I came out empty handed. I did like all the striped tees and dresses though but I really do have enough comfy wear. I was most interested in the accessories and home goods which was no where to be found. There are rumors of another James Perse sample sale next week so I'll keep my fingers crossed for that one!

nykeiko shops: Chloé Sample Sale [May 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Chloe sample sale

So I decided to check out the Chloé sample sale when my husband got an invite to RSVP for the sale via C21 edition's mailing list. I was surprised when he forwarded it to me because I was like, how did you get this and not me? But turns out anyone on the mailing list got it except me cuz I didn't sign up. The sale was originally announced to start on Tuesday May 19th (8 AM to 9 PM) and I thought hmm I could do an 8 AM shopping spree before work no problem. My friend who was visiting from out of town agreed to be my shopping partner and was going to join me. More motivated to wake up at 6 AM for sure. His motivation was getting someone his bf wants. (Pics after the jump...)

#TBT=#MyThrowbackTravels #43: Aruba!

Day after my birthday in 2010.

Though I hate sand in my bikini bottom, I would do anything to get sand in my bikini bottom right now.

nykeiko shops: Elizabeth and James Sample Sale [May 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Elizabeth and James sample sale

I reported (and shopped) the Elizabeth and James sample sale early this week. Here's my report on Racked. I tried on a few sample pieces since I was a fan of the prices. I tried on a sample black feathered slip dress ($50), a sample sweater ($30), textile shorts and a dress. I finally walked out with a long wool vest for $15! It didn't have the label's tag so I'm not 100% it's from E&J but I don't care. Too bad I can't wear this until next Fall!

nykeiko shops: Adriano Goldschmied AG denim sample sale [May 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

AG jeans

Um...late post. I went to the Adriano Goldschmied AG sample sale (see review on Racked) on the last day this past Monday to take advantage of an additional 20% discount off sale prices. Jeans were down to $64 for staple colors like blue and black and $40 for seasonal colors or coated. I picked up three pairs of jeans at an average of ~$56 a pair. Not too bad since the jeans retail between $165-$235 (Although you know very well now that I would never pay that price anyway!)

nykeiko shops: Another French brand..Sandro Sample Sale [May 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

Sandro Sample Sale

I checked out the Sandro sample sale last night and had more fun shopping it than at the Maje sale. Here's my report for Racked. I purchased a pouch for $25 which retailed at $200. It is a good deal but I don't think I'll keep for myself. It's calf leather and suede and tagged 'Made in Italy'.

nykeiko eats: Mountain Bird is back at Tastings NYC [Harlem]

When we heard Mountain Bird was back at a temporary pop-up space in Harlem (at Tastings NYC), we knew we had to make a date of it. Mountain Bird was open for about 8 months until a rent hike forced them to shutter. Well, they are back but only as a pop-up since the owners are still searching for a permanent location in Harlem (yay!) to serve delicious French cuisine.

nykeiko plays: The Woman in Gold at the Neue Galerie NYC

Adele Bloch Baeur at the Neue Galerie

The portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is one of the many masterpieces produced by world-renowned Austrian Art noveau and post impressionist painter Gustav Klimt. To see this beautiful portrait also known as Austria’s Mona Lisa, I was so happy to learn that I did not have to fly myself to Austria to be in the presence of this gold beauty.