When All Else Fails: Go to the Zoo

What are these things called lines?

The great thing about living in a metropolitan city is always having somewhere to go, something to see. New Yorkers walk at breakneck speeds to their destinations – even when getting lost. However sometimes your itinerary for the day is the exact same as ten thousands others. Leaving you with the following options: A) Wait in an incredible long line (Lines? Who are you kidding.), B) Come up with another plan, or C) Turn around and go home and back to sleep.

This is partially inspired by my plans for the holiday weekend. The other half had July 4th weekend spectacular plan:

Friday – Movie at home
Sunday – New York Hall of Science (Thanks to Bank of America’s Museums on Us) or the Queens Zoo (if the Hall of Science was too preschool for our taste), then food of some sort.

Monday – Off to the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum of New York to check out the Van Cleef & Arpels exhibit, and having lunch at Alice’s Tea Cup.

What actually happened was:


Friday – Shake Shack had a special Independence Day menu that included their Blueberry Pie Oh-My concrete (complete with slice of blueberry pie) that the boy had to try. As a bonus he also wanted a corn dog. I went with the corn dog and Last Jelly’s Donut concrete (complete with one Doughnut Plant donut). The result, Shake Shack never disappoints and two Conretes is a good reason to kill any other plans.

Sunday – A friend wanted to join us in our holiday adventures, overslept, and delayed our Hall of Science trip by a few hours.

Monday – There was a line to get into the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum that spanned a block and a half. The museum was at capacity thanks to free admission. Our next objective was to check out the Ai WeiWei exhibit at Asia Society (closed). Then we just decided to throw our hands up in the air and headed to the Central Park Zoo (which never fails in entertainment).

What have you learned from my mistakes? While you can have a solid, fail-proof Plan A, make sure you also have plans B – F in place too. Anything can happen.

Here are some tips to remember when your initial plan has to change because you’re not willing to wait (you are a New Yorker after all):

  • Always have a back-plan – and a back-up to your back-up.
  • Carry water and wear decent walking shoes for dead-end wandering.
  • Have an umbrella on hand for unpredictable showers.
  • A charged cell-phone. It is always a downer when your phone dies just when you receive a text from the host of that Lolita meet-up to tell you it’s cancelled.
  • Spare change/cash for a taxi or public telephone or for the woman selling $1 water out of a cooler
  • Change of clothes if you’re in Lolita and it’s late or if a meet has unexpectedly been cancelled or postponed.
  • And lastly never give up and go home from having and adventure.

Finally here are pictures from our adventure (what you’ve probably been waiting for).

Independence Day Weekend’s Friday Dinner
Are they waiting for food or their master(s)?

Hot summers means a crowded penguin house.

Can you spot the ducklings?
Jack rabbit
Bunnies may be larger than they appear.
Ai WeiWei’s Zodiac statues
Burritos and quesadillas at Blockheads

Have you ever had a day not go as planned? Did you give up or try to find something else to do?

You Can’t Fake Fashion

via Racked (National)

Replicas, knockoffs, bootlegs, whatever you call them they are not the real thing. In the Lolita world this is a big debate, and in the fashion industry it is a slap in the face to designers who have worked hard to define their brand and product as uniquely theirs.

NYC’s Chinatown is known as the mecca to find counterfeit goods — men and women come from all over just to find a cheaper version of the real thing. And everyone is sick of it and taking action.

Lolitas tend to go one way or another. On one hand it’s affordable and bespoked for more fuller figured girls. On the other hand it lowers the value of an actual brand item, and the quality is not as good as the real thing.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CDFA) have been constantly taking a stand against counterfeit goods. More active than ever, designers have become more active in contributing.

eBay and the CDFA have collaborate to create one-of-a-kind bags made by designers such as Donna Karan, Betsey Johnson, Badgley Mischka, etc.

For the most part each designer worked with a plain canvas tote bag emblazoned with the phrase “You Can’t Fake Fashion.” Naturally, these bags quickly sold out (at $150), but there are plain ones ($35) available for people to decorate, create, and, most-of-all, make a statement.

I would love to know what indie Lolita Designers would do to this bag. Fuzzy stars and pop-kei charms for Pretty Pop? Embroidered macarons and sweets from Little Macaron? A screen-printed skeletal outline by Morrigan?

Vive la Revolution – Bastille Day on 60th St 7/10!

Was July 4th boring for you? All that American BBQ and parades getting a bit bland? Or are you just aching for crepes and game of pétanque?

The French were so inspired by Americans fight for independence, they revolted against their own monarchy a mere ten days later – July 14th marks the storming of the Bastille.

To honor our French comrades who assisted us with our own revolution, New York is holding their own celebrations as part of Bastille Week, starting with Bastille Day on 60th.  

On Sunday, July 10th from 12 – 5PM, you can experience performances, food, games, and a wide selection of French culture. So brush up on your French and get your taste buds ready for some serious wine tastings.

You can also enter an all day raffle for a chance to win a trip to Paris for two! 

July 10th, 2011
12 – 5PM
60th Street (between 5th Avenue and Lexington Ave)

Pomp and Circumstance – Where to see Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks!

via cherriesandvodka

Finally, a legitimate excuse to wear Baby’s marine hat!

Macy’s July 4th Fireworks are on going to be on the Hudson River this year, and like every independence day it’s going to be crowded, hot, and definitely worth seeing. Here are some idea locations to scope out for your personal viewing:

  • Along 59th and 11th Avenue
  • Piers 54 and Pier 84 (West St. and 13th St. / West St. and 44th St.)
  • Aboard a Water Taxi as part of their Fourth of July Cruise
  • For those who have old-fashioned taste, sale aboard the Clipper City.
  • Wine and dine among the stars (or what you can see) at the Press Lounge at Ink48 or the Sky Room at the Marriott Times Square
  • And for those adventurous ones, you can venture to Hoboken for a NYC skyline view.
  • Or if you prefer the comforts of A/C and your TV you can watch on NBC
Like any big event in NYC it’s best to stake our your spot early (those cane/chairs are mighty handy). Also keep in mind that there will be random bag searches at official viewing spots – so keep it clean and safe. 
Oh and buy your glow-in-the-dark light saber (Fourth of July version) in advance. 

via New York Magazine

Cannonball into Summer with Betsey – Sample Sale 6/23 – 6/25

It’s almost officially summer (officially June 21st) and tis’ the season to wear bright colors and swishy dresses. Which gives you any excuse to wear Betsey Johnson. 

Don’t own anything (yet)? Get your wallets out for Betsey’s summer sale. Time for her summer sample sale where everything is 70-80% off retail – everything from day dresses to bags to shoes to jewelry. 
Black out Thursday, June 23rd until Saturday, June 25th for a major shopping spree at the 6th floor of the Millennium Broadway Hotel. 
Betsey Johnson Sample Sale
June 23rd – June 25th, 2011
Millenium Broadway Hotel
145 W. 44th Street
6th Floor
New York, NY 10036
212-993-9251
Hours:
Thursday 10AM – 9PM
Friday 10AM – 9PM
Saturday 10AM – 7PM

Unique Uniqlooks Summer Contest

Think you have a fashionable sense of style that the world should see? Uniqlo is holding a contest for this year’s summer most unique and stylish look.

Uniqlooks is a fashion online community (a photo version of Facebook) where people can upload their own looks to be “liked” by their peers.

Uniqlo’s Uniqlooks Summer Contest will have three winners chosen for a four days and three nights trip for two to one of Uniqlo’s flagship stores (London, New York, Paris, Shanghai or Tokyo). Although the contest started earlier this month, it’s not to late for you to whip up a couple of coordinates perfect for a stroll along 5th Avenue. Contest ends July 18, 2011.

Oh and one more thing, the judging will be fierce as winners will be chosen by Uniqlo and Lady Gaga’s stylist, Nicola Formachetti.

Anyone can enter, but only three will win. Check out your competition and enter today!

Uniqlooks 2011 Summer Contest
Tuesday, June 7th – Monday, July 18th, 2011

So Jelly – Melissa Shoes Sample Sale 6/15- 6/18!

Remember when you were a kid and had plastic jellie shoes? Wish they made them for adults (Crocs don’t count)?

Melissa is the eco-friendly chic brand of footwear made of plastic. Vivienne Westwood, John Paul Gaultier, Lovefoxxx are just a few names that have collaborated together to create stylish and vibrant shoes that go with any outfit.

And starting tomorrow, Wednesday, June 15th to Saturday, June 18th there will be Melissa sample sale. Everything will be marked down from 75% retail.

So grab those wallets and check your shoe size!

Melissa Shoe Sample Sale
June 15th – June 17th, 2011
520 W. 27th Street
Suite 802
New York, NY 10001
Hours: Wednesday – Friday 12PM – 8PM
Saturday 11AM – 5PM

Fashion in the Middle Ages 5/20 – 9/4

Lolitas are in general fascinated by fashion. That’s a given. But while the majority of the community is enamored by Rococo periods, there’s no harm in studying further into the past.

Starting on May 20, the Morgan Library and Museum presents “Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands.” The exhibit covers over 200 years of fashion before the French Renaissance, and features full-size replicas of clothing illustrated in the manuscripts.

The exhibit aims at those interested in the fashion aspect of medival dress — how it was worn, by whom, what was used for everyday, what was worn for special occasions, etc.

The Morgan has a whole line up of events in honor of the exhibit.

  • The Morgan’s Spring Family Fair
. Sing and dance like the French and English did 500 years ago. Workshops include making your own chaperons and hats, fabric dying using traditional methods, and even try on costumes inspired by the exhibit’s own manuscripts. Or if you prefer, come in your own costume.
    Saturday, May 21, 2-5PM
  • Becket (1964). Watch the famous friendship of King Henry II and Thomas Becket on screen.
    Friday, June 10, 7PM
  • From the Set to the Runway. Deborah Nadoolman Landis and Valerie Steele discuss the difference between costume and fashion. Very good opportunity to those to who want to learn the best way to explain Lolita fashion to others.
    Wednesday, June 15, 6:30PM
  • Gallery Talk Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands
. Roger S. Wieck, the curator behind the exhibit, takes museum goers through the exhibit.
    Friday, June 24, 7PM
  • Restoration (1995). A biopic on Robert Merivel, King Charles II’s favored physician from his journey serving the king to tending the sick during the Great Plague of London.
    Friday, July 8, 7PM
  • The Leopard (1963). Based on the Italian bestseller by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Prince of Salina deals with Italian unification and family issues during the 1860s.
    Friday, July 22, 7PM

Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands
.
May 20 – September 9, 2011
The Morgan Library and Museum
225 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-685-0008

Warhol in Union Square

Most of the people who past this statue recognized it was Andy Warhol, but not his reference to Campbell Soup.

As a mini art lesson, Warhol took a common but iconic household item (i.e. Campbell Soup) and perceived it as art. Hence pop art, as in art that is derived from popular culture.

The statue will be around until October 2nd, and was a creation of Rob Pruitt and sponsored by the NY Public Art Fund. Made of chrome, atop of a concrete pedestal, Warhol is remembered in a way that is shiny and blindingly glowing.

And if you notice it has slowly become a small shrine to the artist who used work, live, and breath abstract expressionism. (Note: Make sure your Campbell Soup cans are empty. Best to use Tomato Soup)

Andy Warhol Statue
Union Square
17th and Broadway