Fashion Friday: What I Wore in NYC

{By the way, this post contains affiliate links for Madewell and other fashion merchandisers.  Because I love them.}

Most of you know that I was a little {ok, a lot} stressed out about what to wear on my New Voices of Beauty trip to NYC, especially for the day we filmed the video!  It was a pretty high-pressure situation; I mean, we were going to be on camera and working with beauty and style experts from Lucky Magazine and P&G Beauty!  You may remember that I asked for your feedback about some of the potential outfits I had put together, and I used that feedback to help me choose my outfit for shopping day…look familiar?

Coat: NY&Co // Boyfriend Jeans: Old Navy // Boots: Target // Scarf: made by my friend Clem Catapano

But as of Sunday morning, I still hadn’t decided for sure what to wear for Monday’s filming.  I actually packed ALL of the options plus some more so I could decide at the last minute if necessary.  We had a delicious brunch {I got waffles with warm blueberries and whipped cream!!} at Mercer’s Kitchen, then hit Soho to go shopping!

{I forgot to snap a pic of mine before it was all gone, so I borrowed Nikki’s since she got the same thing.  If you love fashion, you really should follow her @mystylediaries on Instagram; she’s got great style AND great taste in breakfast foods!}

Lucky generously provided each of us with a gift card to put toward our purchases, so we were all incredibly excited to shop!  First on the agenda was TopShop.  I found a comfy oversize top and a flared leather skirt to try on, but wasn’t in love with either of them.  That’s when Dina, who’s on staff at Lucky, looked at me and said, “You need to go to Madewell.  You’re a Madewell girl.  You’ll see.” I’d never heard of it, but when someone who works for Lucky Magazine says to go, you go.  We walked in the door and I fell in love.  With everything I saw.  Especially this silk dress in night orchid, which was on a mannequin front and center.  I asked Dina if the store runs large, small, or true to size, and she said it’s usually pretty true.  So, I grabbed the size I normally wear.  It fit perfectly.

Seriously, could this be any more “me?” It’s super fun and flirty, great for dancing, and works for any season.  It’s cute but still modest with a high neckline and a length I’m comfortable with.  The price was a little high compared to what I usually pay, $160.  A few of my Stitch Fix dresses have run me between $80-90, but the last dress I paid more than $100 for was my wedding gown.  Honestly.  But, I had several things going for me.  First of all, I had a gift card from Lucky…and trust me, it’s much MUCH easier to spend Lucky’s money than mine.  Second, when I stepped out, Dina, Naty, Nikki, and the sales girl all immediately started going on about how perfect it was on me.  When a handful of fashion bloggers and a Lucky staffer tell you that and insist that you should wear a certain thing in the video, how can you say no?  So I didn’t.  I splurged.  How often am I going to be shopping in Soho on the trip of a lifetime?  I also grabbed this dress, which was on sale for an extra 40% off the already marked down price…it ended up being $30.  Yes, please!  I’ll post more about this one and how I plan to style it later!

So, in the end, my outfit choice for the indoor parts of the video was this:

Dress: Madewell // Cardigan: H&M // Belt: NY&Co // Ankle Boots: Target // Necklace and Earrings: Kendra Phillip // Bracelet: Made by me with supplies from Plaid Crafts // Ring: Charming Charlies

When it was time for our outdoor scenes {and boy was it freezing!} I added my coat, a warm grey scarf, my sunglasses, and my favorite messenger bag, which I got from Galian at Lucky FABB.  By the way, in this photo, I was putting my hands back down after I had put my sunglasses on…I’m not busting a move, contrary to what it looks like…

Coat: NY&Co // Blake Messenger Bag: Galian // Scarf and Sunglasses: Target

A number of you have left comments about the bag, so I thought I’d give you the specific link to it so you can check it out for yourself; the Blake Messenger Bag available on Galian’s website.

So there you have it, the outfit that will be appearing in the New Voices of Beauty video {which I can’t wait to show you right here on the blog as soon as it’s ready}!  What do you think?  How’d I do?  I have to say, one of the absolute highlights for me was when we were getting ready to do the interview with Beauty Editor Maura Lynch and she looked at us and said, “I just love all your outfits!”  What a compliment!  I’m going to think of that every time I wear this outfit for sure!

L-R: Katie, me, Naty, and Nikki

Hugs & Glitter,