Manhattan and My Man

Alan took this, "a half lit city," from one of the higher floors of his office building...

He's been at work almost 24/7 since the hurricane hit and has been walking there everyday just one avenue away from this...

...I've been worried sick but I'm also so proud of him for being a part of the team that is working around the clock to put NYC back together. For all those without power, don't you worry, Alan is coming. ;) Meanwhile, sending lots of good vibes and prayers to all my NYC peeps and all those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

My Hype Girls

Yesterday was straight silly. I don't want to talk about it too much in fear of jinxing the whole thing annnnd isn't it extremely obnoxious when people half share? Please forgive me. Getting to the point...are y'all familiar with Rosie and Sophia Grace? Clearly Rosie is her sidekick, her hype girl, someone who helps her bring it. I don't have a real life Rosie attached to me at the hip so Alicia kicked off the day. She's been keeping me lots of company lately. I pretend, maybe too much, that I'm the girl in this song and like Red Bull, Alicia totally gives me wings.
At the end of the day, just about ready to wrap, I was almost ready to collapse (okay, that is extremely dramatic), and like the Holy Spirit, Madonna swooped in. I might as well have been speaking in tongues considering the energy that came over me. Thanks for having my back, Madge! (said in my faux British accent)


Do you have a Rosie? A hype girl? Lyrical courage? I would love to add to my playlist!

p.s. Thanks for dealing with my annoying half-sharing!
p.s.s. I also played this song. I think they enjoyed it??? Oops.

Today!

The next few days I'm working with a talented team responsible for the above covers. It's a dream come true and I'm so very excited to share more soon! Happy Monday y'all!

Red Lace Peplum

As a late twenty-something I like to think I've grown into and become comfortable with my personal style, but I do have to admit that it doesn't hurt the confidence level to see a recent purchase, post purchase on some of my favorite fashionistas! Would you style this red lace peplum top like Chiara or Olivia?

pssst! Want to see my version? Follow me on instagram @societysocial :)

Weekend Picture Book

Better late than never, right?... We only have two weekends together in October so Alan planned a special date night, all by himself :) We ended it like all sexy date nights, hanging art that arrived earlier in the week. We then turned up the heat with a Homeland marathon to which we ended up falling asleep by approx 10pm. 

When the weather is gorgeous what else is there to do but to be outside eating and drinking, right? To Smorgasburg we went on the most perfectly sunny and breezy Saturday. The view...

Speed Decorate NYC, Day 2

"It's not about the label, it's about the look." What I said to Alan when he made fun of me for buying this Kathy Ireland lamp.

"Um, that's a lot of pink." What Alan said to me when I put this Matisse print in our "shopping cart."

"But there are boats in it and blue and green. You like blue and green. How about you get to pick the next one regardless of what I think?" Don Quixote, c. 1955 by Pablo Picasso. (insert sigh of relief... for both of us)

"Can I be the zebra because I'm mixed? Well, that makes me the elephant. Are you saying I'm fat? Fine, I guess will be the elephant, but can we pretend it's like Madagascar? I love that movie."

"Sorry. I have to do this. At least there are two that you really really like." 

"Are we done? Yep, done." 

Thanks to art.com, allposters.com, madebygirl.com, and lampsplus.com for getting our marriage through art and lamp shopping relatively painlessly. Did you miss Day 1? Click here! More soon!

Happy Weekending!

I've posted this quote before, but it seems so fitting to share again after such a week. So many people took a stand with us. I'm almost in disbelief from the outpouring of support. You've all left me and my entire family speechless with your kind words and fervent backing. With every tweet, comment, post, we've read them all, you've reminded us that they are people who can be so compassionate as to extend their hearts to even a virtual acquaintance and that makes up a million times over for the hate we experienced this week. With a full and again light heart, we thank you and are sending big hugs from our family to yours :)

p.s. Negativity is for the birds. Don't you think? Back to regular programming next week. Promise!

{Print at Exlibiris Journals}

Dear Made Goods, Your Racist Behavior at High Point Market is insufferable..

My sweet brother and father

ra·cial pro·fil·ing Noun: The practice of substituting skin color for evidence as grounds for suspicion.

This morning my brother and my father visited High Point Furniture Market to shop for additions to my online retail shop, Society Social. Unable to attend due to obligations in NYC, I had emailed them earlier in the week with a list of lines that I would love to support and carry, MADE GOODS being one of them. Their mirrors are unique and I thought would be a beautiful addition to my shop. Upon entering the showroom, my brother is given a mere 10 seconds. It went like this:

Introducing Pepperologie!

Have you ever wished that the pages of your favorite glossy magazines or lifestyle blogs could come to life?

The brainchild of Jessie Artigue of the famous lifestyle blog, Style & Pepper, Pepperologie - an innovative lifestyle workshop and the first of it's kind - offers the chance to do just that by experiencing the most exclusive style, beauty & health tips within a social and hands-on setting. I was blown away when Jessie asked me along with two other extremely intelligent and let's not forget stylish women, Donna and Grace, to help lead the day long event as a style expert in the area of entertaining!

Attendees will experience practical and creative lessons on how to add flavor and spice to every part of their lives. What can you expect? A robust Saturday filled with experts teaching courses about what they know and love, and an interactive classroom full of women who all share one very common bond: The desire to be the best versions of themselves possible, and to have fun learning how at the same time.

If any of this sounds like you and you want to learn more, check out the website for all the info. I would be so tickled to see you there and personally invite you to join in on a memorable and fun event- Pepperologie: A Five-course Study of Style! 

p.s. There will most definitely be cocktails involved during the length of my course, I promise. ;)
p.s.s. Big shout out to Channeling Contessa and Miss Sarah for helping to execute in style!

Weekend Picture Book

Society Social x Thibaut Design at High Point Market

Thi-bauuut! It's opening day at High Point Market and I'm so excited to share that one of my Society Social bar carts is being showcased in Thibaut's fine showroom.

I've written about Thibaut here, showcased it in the previous Manifesto Magalog, and if you couldn't tell am such a fan of their beautiful line of wallpapers, fabrics, and now furniture. Thibaut can be spotted in many fabulous rooms which you most likely already recognize here, here, and here. Smashing, right?

If you're attending High Point Market, please stop by to say hi to Miss Madison and the entire Thibaut team! They will be hosting cocktail socials all weekend! 315 Historic Market Square!

Weekend Playlist: October 12, 2012

Another set of three from my brother the Society Social DJ! Just click the image or here. Hope you enjoy :) Happy Weekending Y'all!

My NYC Apartment by Design Manifest

There's a long story behind why this never happened. It all started in November 2011 and includes a lying, cheating slumlord, a lying, cheating doctor, a mental breakdown, thousands of dollars (think about 5 digits. vom.) unexpectedly lost in custom made furniture, moving costs, and medical bills. I hope karma has kicked both their asses by now. In the aftermath of the incident, we couldn't afford to decorate for a very long time, or even buy new furniture at that, thus none of the above ever came to fruition. I think it broke both our hearts, both as in Naomi and I, because it was so fun working together. The good news is I'm finally back and ready to play. Thanks to the talented (and sweet!) Naomi I have quite the game plan, which originally stemmed off the words boho and eclectic. We discovered this after the initial plans were done so it's going to change a bit, but Orangerie stays, I will never be able to throwout the Duchess!

Speed Decorate NYC, Day 1

I have about two weeks to get my NYC apartment presentable for company. Join me as I speed decorate like a maniac. This is what happened on Day 1...

Chinese hardware. Yes, I will join the legions of Rast hackers. I was smitten with Overlays but since I have three Rasts to makeover, versus one or two, I thought it would get a little visually cray. Alan made the ultimate decision when he proclaimed, "I like the fishes."

It took me a few minutes to decide what type of bulb I wanted for the new sputnik.  I've never owned a star type light bulb before so I decided to head into uncharted territory because decorating should be adventurous, right?

Ginger jars remind me of my mom. She loves Chinese antiques and they're scattered all over my childhood home in the form of chairs, garden stools, art, and these of course. I remember when we went to "Ming Village" on a trip to Singapore, we returned with suitcases full of incredible reproductions from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. I'll be collecting Double Happiness from now on ;)

Every proper tufted ottoman calls for a tray. This little cutie will hold everything from remote controls to small bud-filled vases, and my brimming glasses of wine!

I originally owned the Madison Mixer, but she lives at my girl Tam's in Soho now, and upon re-ordering I found stock to be really low. I don't want to take any of the new intros from potential customers either so I settled for my Sedgewick, the actual first prototype to go through production! I've always planned on keeping the firsts so this will be perfect. I plan on stealing a Madison tray eventually to make the switch. What do you think so far? Tomorrow I'll be sharing the project Naomi and I started last winter!! Finally!

The Bar Cart is Back

See more bar cart beautiful here and here, of course ;)

{Kyle Dewoody's Home | vogue.com}

NYC Apartment Update

Can you believe we're still talking about this a year later? I wish I could say I was done but (insert 1 million excuses) I am not. After gawking and obsessing over a bajil images like this...

this...

this...and we can't forget the image that started it all here...

...I finally found one of my own that is gorgeous and ("and" being the operative word) affordable. I've looked for months but that X, 000+ price tag was not even in the same universe as my real life budget. The sputniks that were affordable (barely) were too modern and not enough mid-century. The vintage ones I found were in horrific shape. Then I found Tom.

The dear retiree who builds chandeliers because he simply enjoys it, which makes my little find that much more special! Tom and I have had the most amiable correspondence via phone and email and I highly suggest you visit his shop. In fact, if you're in the market, you must. Tom loves what he does and you will be able to tell :) This little sputnik baby will be hanging over our bed very soon! 

New Arrivals at Society Social

.....

Just a few of my excuses for being a very bad blogger.

Lately...

A few things that have been catching my eye lately...

Olivia in leather Dior. 

Kelly Wearstler.

Those minty walls, that spiral staircase, the bookcases and brass accents!

My new kicks. 19.99 (!)

A new clutch, the Brooklyn foldover,  in my signature color (!!)

And this insane spread- Autumn Grilled Cheese, 3 ways. Hello, fall.

It's been a little crazy around here with travel and work so please pardon my absence! Back to regular programming soon :)

My Brother, The DJ

All the shoots my brother and I go on, aside from his camera, he must have his playlist. It's ever-changing and always consists of artists I am way too lame to discover. Over the last few months, he's grown quite the following in people requesting his mixes...so voila! Consider this a weekly dance date ;) Don't worry. It's only three songs so you won't lose your marbles trying to download a whole cd. We hope you enjoy!