Frosty in Central Park

Manhattan was graced with two visitors this weekend: Winter Storm Hercules and Miss Lizzi Weasler (of Lizzibeth). One minute they were here, the next they were gone, leaving just enough time to capture their visit in some pictures…

On a snowy Saturday afternoon, Lizzi and I ventured to Central Park for a photo shoot. Bundled up and frosted in gems … we sipped on coffee and explored the winter playground.

We were troopers, and lasted all of about 30 minutes before our toes went numb and the novelty wore off. The Plaza Hotel lobby offered us warmth and refuge, where we took a few more pictures in Lizzibeth frosting and called it a day.

A big thank you to Lizzi for letting me dip into her jewelry box once again…!! And let this be a lesson to all of you, that just beacuse its cold, doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous.

xoxo,

 

 

Featuring Lizzibeth necklaces:  The Big Kahuna and Twist Tie  //  Coat: Zara  //  Shirt: Banana Republic (love these)  //  Pants: Zara (similar)  //  Boots: Coach (sold out, similar here)  //  Liners: Macys (cute alternative) // Hat: old (similar)

~Linking up with Shanna today~

New Year’s Eve Glam

New Years Eve in New York. The most fabulous night of the year. It’s hard enough to decide what to wear on a normal day, so you can imagine the pressure of getting dressed for the most glamorous of nights.

Visions of sparkles and sequins danced my head … but I looked in my closet and found nothing.

When I’m at a loss for what to wear around the holidays, I find myself reaching for black. Whether its a little black dress, or a chic black top, you can’t really go wrong! Black is timeless, and can be the perfect backdrop for some bolder jewelry choices.

It’s settled. Taking a classic outfit and jazzing it up with some gems is my plan this NYE. So I turned to my dear friend Lizzi, of Lizzibeth for some help styling! I had a blast browsing her showroom … playing dress up while sipping on some bubbly. A fashionista’s dream.

Here are some of my fab finds:

Shirts #1 and #2  //  Necklaces #1 (brand new — stay tuned!), #2, #3 and #4  //  Bracelets #1, #2, #3 and #4

A major thank you to Lizzi, for letting me play in the Lizzibeth closet for an afternoon. I had so much fun, left with a bag full of goodies, and feel ready to take on my second New York New Year’s!

(Yes I know what you’re thinking. “Elena, you bought jewelry?!? But the shopping ban…!” Well let’s just say I’ve broken that ban at least a dozen times already. No need to remind me of my failures.)

All of these gems and more can be found on www.shoplizzibeth.com. And for a sneak peek at her Milwaukee showroom, here’s a few more pics:

Happy New Year everyone!

Cheers,

A New Yorker’s Fairy Godmother

When you’re living in a New York City apartment, closet space is a luxury. Spacious walk-in closets filled with glamorous dresses, rows of high heels, and a sit-down vanity, are far from most people’s realities. More often than not, your closet was the architect’s afterthought, built with enough space for one season’s worth of clothes … leaving you to find creative storage for the rest.

For those of us who love to shop … this is a mild form of torture. Living in one of the fashion capitals of the world, surrounded by designers’ finest works, when there’s no room for your purchases … what a cruel joke.

The solution, to me, is simple. Buy the staples, the everyday wear, and rent the rest. Fill your tiny wardrobe with the most practical choices, and borrow the fancy dresses from Rent the Runway‘s much more spacious closet. At least until you can afford a ‘big girl’ closet of your own.

Earlier this month my friend Kelly and I got a glimpse of all RTR has to offer, at their Girl’s Night Out event in the 5th Avenue showroom. We sipped on champagne and browsed the racks, swooning over gowns we couldn’t afford ourselves. Not yet anyway…

The showroom was BEAUTIFUL … and filled with dresses (and jewelry) for every occassion. Designer looks for holiday parties and new year’s soirees … or wedding celebrations and black-tie galas. Dresses few twenty-somethings could rationalize buying, can easily be rented for the weekend. Saving $$ and space, while still looking fabulous! How practical!

So next time I find myself pining after Kate Spade, Vera Wang, or Diane von Ferstenberg, with no money in my wallet or room in my wardrobe … I will be turning to Rent the Runway … my new fairy godmother with one killer closet!!

xoxo

PS — shout out to Miss Brittany Townsley, of the F-Bombs, for introducing me to RTR. She looked fabulous for every wedding she went to this year! Ladies, you can too!!! XO.

Giveaway Winner!!

Congrats to Lindsey Townsley … you are the lucky new owner of this fabulous Lizzibeth necklace (so jealous)!!

Thank you to everyone that entered! And an even bigger thank you to Lizzibeth for sharing her beautiful collection with us!! I encourage you all to browse her store (if you haven’t already) and fill up those shopping carts!!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo

Lizzibeth Giveaway!

Today I’m excited to team up with one of my favorite online boutiques, Lizzibeth. Extra excited, because the owner, Miss Lizzi Weasler, happens to be a close friend from high school! She is a fellow fashionista, with a great wardrobe and an even more fabulous collection online. Lizzi is one of the sweetest gals you’ll ever meet, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her and this new business venture.

Lizzibeth offers affordable fashion with a twist including an online store, personal shopping and private shopping parties. All merchandise is under $100 and is selected with affordable, quality and stylish satisfaction in mind. Lizzibeth caters to all ages with an array of clothing, jewelry, handbags and scarves. Lizzibeth knows that all women can be uniquely stylish and the handpicked pieces reflect that level where fun meets versatility.”

 

Today Lizzibeth is giving away one of my favorites from her collection:

The Sapphire Rhinestone Necklace

It’s a versatile piece that can be worn as a bold addition to an already bright outfit, or a touch of color on a more neutral look. I love love love this necklace. If I wasn’t running the contest, I’d enter myself!!

So how can you win? 

In order to enter this giveaway, you must:

     1)  Like A New York Love Affair and Lizzibeth on Facebook, and

     2)  Comment on the post: How would you style this necklace? With brights or a neutral?

Two additional entries can be earned if you:

     3)  Follow @elenamichelle88 and @shoplizzibeth on Instagram

     4)  Share this giveaway on facebook, twitter, instagram or pinterest! (use hastag #NYlovesLizzi)

The giveaway closes on Thursday, October 31st at 11:59 pm EST.

Good luck!!

xoxo

A Bradshaw Inspiration

Whether she is the reason you fell in love with fashion in the first place, or just the inspiration you needed to push the envelope, it is indisputable that Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City has left her mark on women’s closets everywhere. For better or worse, she has inspired us to experiment with our wardrobes. She taught us that you can make anything work, if you own it. Even a tutu…

via Instyle

Although many of Ms. Bradshaw’s wardrobe items may seem dated today…there is one accessory of hers that I believe is timeless.

The “Carrie” Necklace

via Modern Cotton

Carrie made wearing your name cool. And whether people realize it or not, I really think she inspired this most recent trend of monogrammed necklaces. I, too, have jumped on the bandwagon and purchased initials to proudly wear around my neck!

Now there are a couple things you should know before you start monogramming.

Monograms with three initials are generally in the Victorian format of first initial, large last initial, middle initial. Joint monograms for married couples usually consist of the bride’s first initial on the left, the groom’s first initial on the right, and the joint last name initial larger in the center. And finally, a married woman would use her first name initial on the left, maiden initial on the right, then new last initial larger in the center. But the choice is truly yours!

There are countless options out there, so make sure you look at everything before you pick the style and size that suit you.

Here is a sampling of the options floating around:

Once you’ve decided, make sure you can see a proof or sketch beforehand. Cursive letters pair together very differently and can make for an aesthetically different piece than the examples you first look at.

Whether you decide to buy one for yourself, or gift one to a friend…remember Carrie inspired you to wear it…so own it!

xoxo

Monograms (clockwise from the top left):

Etsy: pjkdesign  //  Pinterest: onenecklace  //  Max&Chloe  //  Etsy: PersonalizedNecklace  //  Etsy: magichandjewelry

I REALLY recommend working with Arthur David of magichandjewelry on Etsy. That’s where I got mine, and he was great to work with!