1. Friday was epic. I went to the Morris-Jumel Mansion for The Loves of Aaron Burr: Portraits in Corsetry and Binding; the Metropolitan Museum of Art for Punk: Chaos to Couture and Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity (I liked the latter more than the former); AND to the Prada SoHo store to see costumes from the Great Gatsby on display. I also got lost in Central Park and walked 14 blocks south instead of walking a few blocks east.

2. Saturday I went to one of my favorite spots in all of New York City – the Highline! I love the concept – how they turned an old, elevated railway into a beautiful, elevated park. It’s so elegantly and expertly landscaped, and provides a beautiful way to observe the city. This statue is from a series called “Busted”, and was used with “modern printing processes” including 3D scanning!

3. The whole reason I came to New York – for a friend’s wedding! I love getting together with my college friends, and what better excuse than a wedding?!

Outfit #1: Skirt – Stella Jean // Top – American Apparel // Espadrilles – J. Crew // Necklace – Mira Mira // Bracelet – Stella & Dot
Outfit #2: Dress – Ace & Jig (via Mira Mira) (similar) // Shoes – TOMS (similar) // Necklace – Mira Mira
Outfit #3: Dress – Anthropologie (only available in petite online, but check your local store!) // Shoes – Diane Von Furstenberg // Lipstick – Givenchy Le Rouge

This outfit is an unexpected study in contrasts: I’m WILD about this dress. The shoes however, I’m pretty lukewarm about. I love how they look – and I worked hard to get them – but I’ve never loved how they look on me – or with any of the things I own. I think their days in my wardrobe are numbered.

Dress – J. Crew (also available as a top) // Belt – J. Crew (similar) // Sandals – Surface to Air // Bracelet – Stella & Dot // Bangle – Kate Spade (similar) // Rings – vintage, Oscar de la Renta, Rocks Box // Lipstick – Givenchy Le Rouge in #307 Grenat Initié

In San Francisco you can really never have too many jackets, and this army-green, cotton parka is the latest addition to my stable of outerwear. A few of my friends have this exact jacket, and several of my friends have something similar. It’s the perfect mid-lightweight jacket that layers well and looks cool with everything. Speaking of new things, did you notice the white pumps? I ended up not going with any of these, but with a pair from Zara that a friend spotted. With a heel height just over 3 inches and coming in at $40, that might be the quickest buying decision I’ve ever made.

Dress – Tracy Reese // Jacket – Aritzia // Pumps – Zara // Wing Ring – Anton Heunis via Moda Operandi

 TOP: with the women who made it happen, Karen of Barefoot Tess and Ricki Fairely-Brown; on air; backstage outfit shot; rehearsal on set.
BOTTOM: backstage shoe close-up; Judge Mathis just happened to be walking by!

Soooo guess what I did last week? I flew to Chicago and taped an episode of the Steve Harvey Show! I’ll back up a little: most people may not know this about me, but I have big feet. Sometimes I wear a size 10 – even bigger in some international sizes. Enter Barefoot Tess: a website that caters to women wearing shoes sizes 10-15. And Steve Harvey: a guy who’s all about ALL women looking as stylish as can be, regardless of size (he has a clothing line, too). Steve Harvey invited Barefoot Tess to be on his show, and Barefoot Tess invited me! Along with eight other women, I modeled a pair of fabulous shoes that women with any size feet can wear.

A car service shuttled me from the airport to the hotel to the set, and it was so fun going through make-up and wardrobe. Plus, taping a talk show was such a cool experience! So much goes on behind the scenes that you never see when an episode airs. If you ever have the chance to be part of the studio audience – do it! It’s TBD when the episode will air, but rest assured I will post when I know it!