California Style in the Big Apple
June 1, 2007
Marie Green is a fashion stylist and writer from San Diego California. She is the Fashion Editor of FINE Homes and Living Magazine and her column, “Fashion Focus” has appeared in FINE Magazine as well as LaJolla Light, The Del Mar Times, Del Mar Ink, The Carmel Valley Leader, Rancho Santa Fe Record, and The Solana Beach Sun. Marie is also the co-founder of SheWants.com.
I am still flying high after a whirlwind trip to New York for power shopping -- I mean research.
The most daunting part about visiting New York is not the five-hour flight but packing for the trip. I was a flight attendant for 10 years, so I should be a pro, but New York is our national fashion capital and I didn't want my style there to scream California girl. I wanted to look like I belonged in New York, albeit with a light tan and sunny disposition. Whether you get it in Southern California or the Hamptons, the glow of a light tan paired with a smile can be one of the best (and cheapest) accessories.
They say variety is the spice of life, and when traveling you definitely have to live by this code -- especially when it comes to packing. For this trip, I carefully planned out what to wear to dinner at Tavern on the Green (delicious for the eyes and the appetite) and "Wicked" on Broadway (so wickedly good), as well as shopping excursions. Keeping in mind the size of my rolling suitcase, and the fact that I would need room for my purchases, I had to be strategic.
For my theatre night, I chose a cute wrap dress from The Rare Earth because it packed well and wouldn't need ironing. I paired it with amazing Jimmy Choo shoes keeping it simple and city chic. For shopping, it was all about ease of dressing. It's no fun to be in the fitting rooms all day with an outfit that's hard to get in and out of. For this, I packed two pairs of Bermuda shorts -- black and white -- to wear with wedges, because they're stylish yet comfortable, as well as jeans for the evenings and the plane ride home. To top it off, I brought four tops and a coordinating jacket that could go with all the bottoms. Making sure my purse and jewelry matched everything was a sure way to keep the contents of my bag to a minimum.
Whenever I'm in New York, it's all about the B's: Bergdorf's, Bendels, Bloomingdales and Barney's. Since I had Vanessa and Zachary with me, the B's had to wait until Dennis could lend a hand, since he was a man with a mission of his own. While I planned my days with the fashionistas, he was cruising the Hudson River and the New York Bay casting his line in full view of the Statue of Liberty for an upcoming fishing show. Never fear though, the Big Apple offers lots of kid size fun.
We spent hours in FAO Schwartz and the Apple store, which was accessed only by a glass elevator or glass stairs -- very cool. Central Park offered plenty of entertainment, as did the NBA store on Fifth Avenue which ensured a good time was had by all.
In New York, people watching is the greatest form of entertainment, in fact some would say it's a spectator sport. This summer, the trendsetting New Yorkers are embracing the white-hot look. I saw appealing color combinations such as white with different shades of blue, yellow, orange and dark brown, as well as hot pink with khaki, and pink with light green. At Barney's, I felt right at home in the yellow top I just bought from Safarlou with my white Twill 22 jeans from The Back Room. In addition to gorgeous, trendy clothing and accessories, Barney's has one of the best shoe departments in the city. In fact, I ended up buying a pair with their own "Barney's New York Co-Op" label which looked vaguely familiar, and no wonder, for while visiting with shoe designer Michael Kaufman, I discovered he sells his famous Diego di Lucca shoes to Barney's for their private label. No wonder I loved them.
Surprisingly, I ended up not needing much extra space in my suitcase because everywhere I shopped, there were versions of what I had recently bought in Del Mar and Solana Beach proving that here in sunny southern California we're right on trend.
