Happy Monday! New blog post featuring this fun romper and my NYC trip!
KAILEY’S OUTFIT: TOPSHOP ROMPER | TORY BURCH PURSE | STEVE MADDEN HEELS | DAVID YURMAN RING | LOREN HOPE CUFF | KATE SPADE WATCH | DAVID YURMAN RING
SHOP THIS LOOK:
Happy Monday, loves! I’m back from a little hiatus! From my trip to New York to helping plan Hailey’s wedding, it’s been quite the two weeks! I also took a little Texas Hill Country getaway with Lukas, his parents, and my grandparents over the weekend! We stayed at the Hoffman Haus in Fredericksburg and I HIGHLY recommend it! The rooms/houses were so charming and the staff is so delightful to book and check in with! Not to mention that I took over the master bathroom because it had the biggest tub EVER…with jets…and bubbles. It. Was. Amazing.
On another note, New York City was BANANAS! I will never forget this trip and all that I got to experience with the Sunkissed & Made Up girls! Even with the temps being in the high 40’s-low 50’s, we didn’t let the cold weather get us down in our light leather jackets and ballet flats! NOTE TO SELF: be prepared for the weather to plummet in NYC! I wanted to give my top 7 highlights from the trip and reminisce a little on my time in the Big Apple!
WELCOME TO NEW YORK!
{Now sing it in your best Taylor Swift rendition!}
1. When we first arrived in NYC, we went straight to our house that Taylor found on HomeAway! The street that we stayed on was between 5th and Madison, and if you’re not familiar where that is, it dead ends to Central Park, a couple blocks down from The Met, and just so happens to be RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO KELLY RIPA. Um, what? Live with Kelly & Michael is my show and I always tell Lukas that we are going to be like her and Mark when we get older, LOL! And that’s how we started our trip, finding our way through the neighborhood!
2. On our plane ride there, I was flipping through my Vogue and came across a page that said “The First Monday of May” and had the Met Gala information on the bottom. Well, hello! It’s the first Monday of May and we are going to New York City during the Met Gala! Holy moly! I’m sure you already know that I completely freaked knowing this and I’m also sure that I highly annoyed the rest of the people on our flight with my excitement! I would say that I’m sorry buuuuuuutttttt… One can’t hide that sort of emotion! This highlight is pretty important for the rest of the trip!
3. On Monday, we went to The Make Up Show and this was one of the main reasons for our company trip! After the show we went to a little restaurant in Chelsea and we had come to the conclusion that our upcoming shoots with Hayley Paige and Lauren Conrad were possibly not going to happen as planned because of the weather. We had put so much time and effort in pulling these shoots together that we were starting to panic knowing that the rain and wind would delay our shoot times. After about 15 minute brainstorm session, we decided that Chelsea and I would model the Hayley Paige gowns. THAT. DAY. We pulled our “you know what” together real quick! One of the things that is so amazing about Sunkissed & Made Up is our ability to execute a vision in small amounts of time. Even with all of us having different personalities and styles, our work is so cohesive that when we all put our talents together, magic happens. And sure enough, sparks flew as we raced back to our Upper East Side apartment and got ready in under 30 minutes flat! Now we’re ready to shoot with Jess Hoffman Photography!
4. May I remind you that the Met Gala is going on two blocks away. We start shooting on our stoop (pictures to come soon!) and the hustle and bustle of NYC is happening all around us. People start taking pictures of us because I’m pretty sure they think we are celebrities that are going to the Gala. Kelly Ripa and her son walk out of their home and tell us that we look beautiful. We die/pass out. Moments later, Alex Rodriquez and his model girlfriend walk past us to go inside The Surry Hotel, which is on the same street. Then, a blacked out Escalade is turning around the corner and a striking Jonas Brother is hanging out of the window. Nick Jonas literally stares into my soul, hops out, walks across the street on his phone, and goes inside Kelly Ripa’s home. Die again. We start to finish up our last shots on our stoop and we suddenly hear a roaring crowd coming from the hotel. Kendall Jenner, Joan Smalls, and Lena Dunham walk out of The Surry and into their Mercedes van to take them to the Gala. This all happened within 20 minutes. My head was spinning and I was in shock by what was happening around us. Again, major props to Taylor for finding this place! This was an absolute dream! It was a definite Carrie Bradshaw moment for me and it was such an exciting/emotional moment for all of us. A. Because we pulled it off. B. Because the hair and make up was on point. C. The Hayley Paige dresses were stunning. D. Jess did an amazing job capturing this moment. and E. That this was a moment in SKMU history that we will never forget. Here are a few iPhone pics from that night!
5. Tuesday we shot all of our Lauren Conrad looks + my shoot with Jess! We will definitely share more looks on Sunkissed! All of the looks came together so beautifully and we couldn’t have asked for better models! Another successful day of shoots for the books! We celebrated the day at this awesome burger place (I can’t remember the name but I’ll try to look it up) and talked about what’s next for the company! We wrapped up our convos and Candice (blogger behind Lots of Lovely) and I left the group and we went on a New York Minute adventure! We took a cab to Grand Central Station and she gave me the most incredible tour. I was in awe of the gorgeous building and had flashbacks of iconic movies and scenes that have been shot there. No doubt about it, I felt like Serena van der Woodsen. We then hopped on the subway and went to Times Square. Everyone had told me that the subway is uber scary but I thought it was totally fine! Yes, I was definitely aware of my surroundings but I didn’t think my safety was at risk! Besides, you can’t go to NY without riding the subway. We walked around Times Square for a little bit and then walked a few blocks to Rockefeller Plaza. So pretty! We then walked around 5th Avenue and saw Tiffany & Co. and I had my Audrey Hepburn moment. We did all of this between 12:00-1:30 and I can’t thank Candice enough for giving me to the best tour ever! If you’re planning a trip, contact her and she will give you a list of must-do’s or go over to her blog! I think she gave a run down of her favorite spots in the city!
6. Our last full day in NYC was dedicated to brunch at Mondrian SOHO Isola Trattoria & Crudo Bar. This restaurant was in the last scene of The Other Women and I was so excited that everyone loved my recommendation! Candice and I also went to Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment (it’s on Perry Street in SoHo) and while we were all shooting our headshot, Bradley Cooper walked past us. SWOON!
7. That night we went to The Polo Bar, which is under the Ralph Lauren flagship store! So basically, this place is a major hot spot for celebrities! When we arrived, the doorman had to call us in to the hostess and we were then seated downstairs where the walls are lined with polo gear and portraits of horses. I mean, you can’t get fancier than that! It was an amazing experience and everything to the dinner, drinks, and desserts…an absolute treat! And we saw Ivanka Trump there. I couldn’t leave that out!
Needless to say, it was an amazing trip and I will remember it forever! I hope when you visit this incredible city, you make unforgettable memories and go with people that you love like I did!
X, K
