Weekend Review: Bon Voyage, H!

We love summers in NY for a number of reasons - rooftop movies, concerts in the park, summer Fridays. But our favorite thing about summers in New York are the weekends when the city empties out as people head out to the Hamptons or upstate, leaving the city at half capacity & comfortable for maximum enjoyment of lazy NY summer weekends.

We spent Friday night hanging out in midtown enjoying our cocktails with views from the 30th floor overlooking the city all lit up at night. H flew off to California the next day for a week-long cruise of the Cali coast & Mexico! J spent a lazy Saturday afternoon at the Met checking out the views of Central Park & the city from the rooftop garden and seeing "American Woman," the current fashion exhibit. The rest of the weekend brought catching up with friends in the east village, a delicious Sunday brunch out in the back garden at Sweetwater in Williamsburg and working on the carol marie Spring 2011 collection. A great lazy summer weekend, just the way we like it.

Giving this weekend 3.5 out of 5 apples on the big apple weekend review radar.
xx H&J

J enjoying the view from the rooftop of the Met!

Weekend Review: Summer Kick Off!!!

Memorial day had us splitting up for the long weekend. J jetted off to Chicago for a weekend with high school friends while H stayed in NY to hold down the fort. H spent a relaxing weekend catching up with friends & enjoying the warm weather at our fave spot along the West Side Highway catching some rays & watching kayakers in the river. Topped off with a dinner at the Boat Basin overlooking the Hudson, it was the quintessential NY weekend.

J spent her Chi-town weekend falling in love with the Windy City! Hanging out at the "beach" (aka the LAKE. This So Cal native refuses to call anything that isn't attached to the ocean a beach), exploring Millenium Park, taking the architecture river cruise on the Chicago river (just like in "My Best Friend's Wedding"), and window shopping at all of the fab stores along Michigan Avenue. Chicago wouldn't be Chicago without taking advantage of all of the food & drinks the city has to offer! Chicago hot dogs, deep dish pizza, drinks at the top of the Hancock Building overlooking the entire city, partying at the "beach"... Perfection.

H rates her NY weekend a 3 out of 5 apples on the big apple weekend review radar.
J rates her Chi-town weekend a 5 out of 5 apples.
xx H&J

Kayakers in the Hudson river!

J with friends along the lakeshore in Chicago.

Millenium Park

The Chicago River!!!!

Wrigley field. Go Cubs!!

End of an Era

Last night we gathered at Bua, a favorite spot of ours in the east village, an upscale Irish bar with hot bartenders, a porch out front and reasonably priced drinks. While Bua is always one of our favorite happy go-to's, last night was a more somber occasion as we were gathering for a goodbye to one of our close friends, P. She's off to teach English in Italy for the summer & then to Istanbul in the fall.

While it's typical of New Yorkers to come and go, we all started in the fashion closet at W magazine together & spent our formative years right out of college going to drunken brunches that turned into 15-hour binge fests, throwing summer parties on P's roof on the lower east side, spending work nights out partying until 2 am when one of us was having boy problems (which, let's face it, was most of the time), meeting together for dinners to discuss life, work & men. Typical New York activities with your girlfriends that get you through the tumultuous years of your twenties. As we grow older and all move in different directions with our lives, we'll always remember these years & hopefully still have the friendships to fall back on. Even so, as we go to see SATC2, our usual foursome will be a threesome, which is just not the same.

We'll miss you P, but you'd better believe that we'll be visiting you in Istanbul and bringing along all of our New York shenanigans.

xx H&J

H & P

J & R

The usual crew.

One last photo of our foursome in NY. We'll miss you P!

Weekend Review

Friday took us out to Brooklyn for the 30th birthday party of a dear friend. The venue for the evening was Weather Up in Prospect Heights, a mixology bar sans the uppity attitude and Manhattan prices. Cute ambiance, a large outdoor patio & a bartender who makes a mean gin & cucumber drink made for a fun & relaxing way to end the week. Coupled with catching up with close friends, we couldn't ask for more of a Friday night. Sunday we had a rooftop house-cooling party for another close friend. Wine & good company on the roof in the east village is the best way to spend a late spring Sunday evening fighting off the Monday blues. Along with working on the spring 2011 carol marie collection this weekend & making some custom pieces for editorial, it was all in all a productive & fun weekend. Super chill & great for face time with good friends, we rate this weekend 3.5 out of 5 apples on the big apple weekend review radar.
xx H&J

Outside on the patio at Weather Up!

Obsession: The Olsens. And their shoes.

I'll admit it, I'm obsessed with the Olsens. I have been ever since Full House was a primetime weekly fixture on the TGIF line-up. So, of course, when their clothing line, Elizabeth & James, launched footwear a few season ago, I was interested. But it was the chic design, clever detailing & semi-affordable price that made me obsessed. I'm currently pining over their Swoon woven wedge booties. So sleek & yet chunky, casual & yet dressy, sophisticated & yet fun - the perfect balance of everything a girl could ask for in a shoe. Dare I say, they even look comfortable. I can just see myself sporting them with everything in my wardrobe. I might not take them off all summer. I think MK & Ashley would approve.
xx J

We've been blessed in so many ways in our lives that we like to give back whenever we can & help out with causes that we believe in. This morning we did the AIDS walk New York with a few of our friends. The 10 kilometers walk through Central Park & along Riverside Park took us about 3 hours but the weather was fantastic & we were in good company. Enjoying a beautiful spring NY day & supporting a good cause? Sign us up any day of the week!
xx H&J

Marrakech, Morocco - day 4

10:00 AM
A delicious breakfast of Moroccan crepes with butter and honey (and coffee of course) at our favorite café along Jemaa el Fna to start the day off right!

12:00 PM
We stop for creative inspiration at the Musee Dar si Said. As a 19th century mansion that’s been turned into a museum for Morocco’s master craftsmen, Dar Si Said is home to collections of traditional Moroccan carpets, ancient Berber jewelry, hand-carved doors, ornate knives and embroidered caftans. The mansion itself was home to a “great man” and his large harem of concubines who lived in the beautiful courtyard with beautiful mosaic tile work, carved stucco walls and painted ceilings. Our unofficial tour guide tries to steal H into his harem ;)

4:00 PM
It wouldn’t be our last day in Marrakech without a final trip into the souks for a few last Moroccan goods. More insulting of families ensues as we bargain away our last Dirham for perfume bottles to fill with rose water, ancient beads, ornate pendants that function as mini Koran holders and vintage rings.

7:00 PM
Our routine of watching the sunset from the roof is followed by dinner (pastilla - our favorite Moroccan dish by far!) and wine at the Riad. We say goodbye to Morocco and prepare to head back to NY in the morning. We’re grateful for the hospitality and inspiration that this vibrant country has given us. We wish everyone in Marrakech (and their families and donkeys) a long and happy life. We hope to return soon!

xx H&J

In the harem courtyard at Musee Dar Si Said.

H & her new boyfriend.

Jewelry in the Souks.

Saying goodbye to Morocco!