Best 34th Street Gifts, Day Two: Macy's Herald Square

Call me commercial, but there is nothing like being in a busy department store the week before Christmas. And while there are endless gift possibilities to be found in Macy's Herald Square, today I'm focusing on one particular department: the new Alternative Apparel boutique on my beloved 2nd floor.

Wrap! I wore this upside down all day yesterday and that was cute too.

I want a stocking full of rolled up Alternative burnout T-tunics. They are long, they are soft, sexy (it's the cut and fit), and they are the perfect for layering. And did I say they are long? I can't abide a T that rides up when I sit down. I also can't abide yanking my T-shirt down all day long. Below are more perfectly cut, soft-cottoned, well-cut Alternative items: a cowl neck top, striped shirt, and the striated wrap.

Did I mention the sleeves in these are long? Love a long sleeve.Yes, I'm into long.

Look closely at the rings....

This dress, above, is fantastic. I've been wearing just about anything on top of it with leggings and boots. And in the summer I'll let it all hang. No, not really because the top of the dress is sheer, so do one of Alternative's really soft tank tops underneath. That are, yes, really long.

But definitely get her (or him, or yourself) one of Alternative's zip-up sweatshirts, because they're so comfortable you're going to want to loll around in one all Christmas Day. I consider mine "dressy" gym gear, but I'd wear it to the office with a dress, too.

And click! Don't hate on me, just go get some of your own. NYC is not currently available, (Update:  NYC is currently available! Email wendy at wbjewelry at hotmail.com for more info) but you can get the F@#! or OMG rings, and donate to a good cause, too.

And a perfect Alternative accessory? The Wendy Brandes NYC rings bought during her Kickstarter campaign. I tried really hard to pose sans "fist in face," but I'll have to work on that. When one's husband begrudgingly takes photos for you while watching football on the couch and the lighting sucks, one must be happy with the above.

Many thanks to Jarod from Alternative who sent me along these items after I worked with them at their Macy's boutique opening. Really, he has just made an Alternative fan for life.


Macy's Herald Square, 151 W. 34th Street btwn Broadway & 7th

Help Raise a Roof, Buy a Little Woolf

I have a hard time pronouncing "wolf" and "roof" and I'm not sure why. Is it my Midwest upbringing, or just me being stubborn? Instead of "wolf" I always say "woof," but hey, I'm not so far off. I mean wolves do bark/howl like dogs but in a much more impressive manner, them being the masters of the dog universe and all. I have the same problem pronouncing Virginia Woolf's last name, and my "roof" usually sounds like "ruff," which is also a lot like a barking dog. Hmm, I need to ask La Belette if my subconscious needs a puppy for Christmas. In the meantime, I'm going to be mispronouncing this entire Sister Wolf fundraiser.

Please support your fellow blogger in her time of need, and get a really fabulous little necklace at the same time. $35 of the $50 purchase price goes to help Sister Wolf repair her roof. I have a Little Woolf and I'm getting another for Arm Baby, aka Baby Herald (one must always call her Arm Baby in the presence of WendyB). I get compliments on my Little Woolf all the time.

To loosely quote KOS, Sister Wolf has been having a dreadful time of it, and now her roof is falling in. So please go to Wendy's jewelry site, buy a Little "Woof" and help out one of our own this holiday season. And thanks to gorgeous bloggers WendyB, Kate at MakeDoStyle, and Kingdom of Style for organizing this fundraiser.

Final Countdown!

There's not much time left to click and buy some Wendy Brandes on Kickstarter:

So you could get the NYC knuckle-busting rings, pictured above on Wendy, for $315, or this Twinkle by Wenlan dress at Macy's Herald Square for $315. Guess which one I got?

This dress is so cleverly designed, I loved it, and I don't normally go for this short length.
























Here's a hint: I'm the born and bred shallow Midwest girl who had a ridiculously joyous moment when she got her daughter's birth certificate and, under city born, it said "Manhattan." When you grow up in Iowa, Manhattan kids are pretty much the epitome of cool.


Macy's Herald Square, 151 W. 34th Street between Broadway & 7th Avenue

Accessories Yes: Afaze in Manhattan Mall

For me, accessorizing extends to an occasional hat (particularly when I've got 2-inch roots), a Wendy Brandes necklace, my engagement and wedding rings, and sometimes a scarf. I even try to eliminate the purse when possible. Yes, I don't care for bags. But whenever I wander into the small but well-culled Afaze at Manhattan Mall, I find something to buy. The other day it was this straw hat (I'm very fair-skinned so big straw hats are all I buy in the summer):

Last season it was this headband:

I get compliments on this every time I remember to wear it (it's a little too much accessorizing for me). Afaze also has another favorite thing of mine: a standing rack full of Braza girl remedies. I could browse this for an hour, I swear. I'm fascinated by clever Braza products. Whispers, tape, petals, Afaze has a great representation of this line...
















...including the "Secret Stash." For a girl who hates bags, I can only say "Where have you been my whole life?"





Afaze Manhattan Mall, level one, 32nd & 6th Avenue

Cleopatra Hits the Big Screen

Last night I was one of the guests of gorgeous jewelry designer and blogger Wendy Brandes at her Sex and the City II viewing party, where us lucky girls all wore her silver Cleopatra earrings for the opening night of the film. The same earrings, but in gold, were worn by Kim Cattrall in this scene:

At the Ziegfeld theatre (which also had a cameo in the movie):

From Wendy's website:












Real-time earring closeups:

Me wearing H&M FAA dress I bought that day, left. This picture helps illustrate why Jeffrey told me, as I was walking out the door, "Don't bend over." I swear I don't know where my dress went in this photo! Midtown Girl looking gorgeous in the Cleopatras.











Yes, these earrings are that beautiful in real life (have you seen Wendy's jewelry? Hello, Marie Antoinette and swear rings). And they aren't a bit heavy on the ear. I also think they look a little different on everyone, am I crazy?

Left, gorgeous bloggers Midtown Girl and Stacy of Taffeta Darlings. Wendy and Stacy are wearing the gold Cleopatras.

















There were several other fabulous bloggers in attendance, so check out Wendy's blog for more photos. Many, many thanks to Wendy for a memorable and fun evening!

Now for the 34th Street H&M tie-in: On the left is a full-length of the Fashion Against Aids H&M dress I wore last night. And below are some others I considered:

This felt a little too much for a city movie night.
















I really wanted to wear this.
Oh, how I love this fringe dress/top. It's sitting in a bag on my office door, unworn as it was too clingy so I need to go up a size. A warning, this is one of those H&M dresses that I wish was made of better material. The design is perfect, but it's a challenge finding a dress on the rack that doesn't already have a snag in it. So you know you'll wear it once and come home with snags and threads hanging everywhere. Too bad, because I was willing to buy it for one event anyway as I thought the design was such fun. More H&M FAA pictures to follow after the holiday, but don't wait for me, shop it this weekend. And please try on every sequin piece that you normally wouldn't look twice at, they are fantastic. I am very impressed with the cut and design of this collection.


H&M, FAA collection available on 34th St only at the 7th Ave store

Wendy Brandes Two-Day Pop-Up

While you're out shopping this weekend, take a detour and visit the fabulous Wendy Brandes' pop-up store! (Yes, the very same Wendy Brandes whose design was recently seen on Liv Tyler's finger.)

Fashion Herald, far far away in new mommy land, says:

A must-visit this week is Wendy Brandes’ pop-up shop, the most irresistible pop-up event this holiday season.

If you haven't been to her website, go now! I'm in love with the Tie Breaker Bow Tie Ring (sterling silver, $150) and the vibrant color of the classic Lady Jane Necklace (18k gold with genuine rubies, $6250). Seriously, there's something for every style and budget. Love it!

Wendy has collaborated with Christian Francis Roth to create some of her one-of-a-kind wares. Look for Francis the next time you're at Macy's Herald Square.

Wendy Brandes Pop-Up Shop, 48 Greenwich Avenue Macy's Herald Square, 151 W. 34th Street at Broadway

Lela Rose, Skulls, and Ping Pong

By my man, for the man.

And the first one in the family to get photographed in the tents for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week? My husband. Yes, last Sunday he went to the 10am Lela Rose show with me and wore his skull tweed coat. The coat was found on the street in DC with a bag of ties, and he promptly painted them all. Update: This post of WendyB's today must be linked, as fabulous skulls should be united whenever possible. And her Juana skull necklace (bottom right) is on sale: total bargain! Perfect gift for husbands who paint skulls to give new moms! Ahem!









Anyway, we were enjoying a Rouge Tomate drink (from the drinks alone I can tell you to book at meal at this restaurant, fantastic) when a woman approached and asked if she could photograph his coat. Then, as we were walking out of the tents, several cameras went a-flashing. I, with my crack reporting skills, completely forgot to take a picture of him in it. This is the same brain that keeps forgetting to tweet from shows. I blame it all on the pregnancy.

We then played Ping Pong in Bryant Park, and the artist took unfair advantage of my inability to lunge for the ball because of enormous belly. I'll get my revenge later. I highly recommend a game of Ping Pong to all show attendees, it's a great break from the tents.

Then, while walking down 6th, we ran into the designer herself with her husband and adorable little girl. How cute is her daughter's dress? Finally, I remembered to take a picture:

All in all a great Sunday morning, because, I'm happy to report I liked this show about 80% more than her show last season. These colors were muted but saturated, all inspired by the painter Alex Katz. This is where my husband insists I have to include Mr. Katz's paintings. Fair enough:

Day Lily II, Eleuthera, Dog at Duck Trap.













Lela Rose SS '10 Collection. That's a perfect navy coat.














I don't think Ms. Rose should change her color inspiration season-to-season, because this one suits her perfectly. Her silhouette is familiar (fitted dresses, skirts, swinging coats, pretty gowns), and the style too, hasn't strayed (a kind of casual sophistication that always makes me think beach although there's ostensibly nothing beach-like about it). But this show was cohesive, well-edited, and packed an understated color punch that translated into confident clothing. Go here for shots of the Payless shoes and runway looks. There's always one style of hers I have to have every season, and next spring it will be this:

Join the Nerd Birds

Yeah, I'm officially in the Nerd Bird family, because today I got the Francis New York Nerd Bird vest in the mail! What a great surprise, thanks to WendyB and Christian Francis Roth, who I now must name my baby after. Hey, it is a superlatively awesome vest:

See how happy Nerd Bird makes me? Join the fun, kids!

Again, happy. If you click on the photo, you can see why my husband often asks "will our baby have an enormous mouth and big Midwest teeth?"














Follow the FrancisNewYork Twitter and the Francis blog written by Wendy B to keep up on all the Nerd Bird et al. activity and inspirations. And also to look at really cute photos of CFR. But back to the Nerd Birds: I was so excited I got some of the other gals in the office to try it on:

We're all Nerd Birds.















Here's my annoyed Nerd Bird face because Lindsey just made a bad stork joke.

It's like magic, the Nerd Bird vest makes everyone happy. And it's versatile, see how it works on all three of us, pants-wearing, dress-wearing, or pregnant-bellied? OK, so I can't button it right now but that's not stopping me from wearing it!

Remember, Macy's Herald Square carries the Francis line. Just last week I saw some of it on sale on the second floor. And use this Macy's savings pass through the weekend for even more off selected sale items. Which might mean you can be a Nerd Bird too. The bird is the word, people. And as this post is inspired by WendyB, I can't pass up on the obvious Family Guy connection:



Update: I just showed Kati (one of our Nerd Birds) WendyB's jewelry line, and her first reaction was "Wow, it's beautiful and it doesn't look like all the same stuff you see everywhere." Exactly. Which is why you're going to want one of these.


Macy's Herald Square, 34th between Broadway & 7th

Rock the Boat

Vote for Wendy Brandes Jewelry for the 2008 weblog awards. Why? To help her beat those Fug girls and The Sartorialist. Yawn, they are so last year! And by that I mean 2007.

Besides, Wendy's already won some major awards, so she's very experienced. But go here to fully educate yourself so you make the right choice (Wendy Brandes Jewelry, duh).

Click and vote, kids, just click and vote.
Hesitating? Scared to dis the Fug girls? Well, get this: last week I received in the mail from Wendy B, a really cute pair of tights. Thanks, Wendy! And why did she send them to me? Too small for her, just right for me, thus boom, in the mail. Whoa, see how Wendy looks out for her readers and fellow bloggers? Trust me, The Sart is not now nor ever sending me any of his tights in the mail. So vote, vote, vote Wendy B!

Texting Kira

Kira Plastinina and I are like BFF. I mean, we like text each other all the time. Like just now I texted "Kira" to 79704 and she like totally texted me right back! XOXO, Kira!

Kira giving me 20% off because we're such good friends. And the Charms blow pop I got at her store? Totally free! Kira hearts me.

But, seriously, I have to say thanks to the Kira Plastinina manager on 34th Street because yesterday, when I dropped by to get shopping bags for our new 34th Street brochure cover, she was very lovely and accommodating. And Kira Plastinina has the best bags, I recommend them for everyone's brochure cover photo shoot:


The manager also told me about this texting thing. Naturally, Ancient Blogger Lady recently learned how to text and good thing, as I'm just in time to get 20% off my Kira Plastinina purchase. First up, these adorable black boots ($98) I found on her website:


I don't know if these are in the 34th Street store, I'll check on that later. In the meantime, everyone needs to text Kira like, right now! BFF Forever!






**Sting Sweater contest reminder** Any takers? It's all WendyB's if, by the end of the day, I have zero entries. She is the next degree of separation to the Sting sweater. Remember her scores at the Trudie Styler sale? And speaking of Wendy, don't miss this post. How to choose, I want so many! I think Kira needs a fruit necklace, I'm totally texting her right now.


Kira Plastinina, 22 W. 34th between 5th & 6th