Fashion’s Night Out at New York & Company

I still have mixed feelings about Fashion’s Night Out, if I am being completely honest with y’all … it seems like the weather is always terrible, the crowds are always heinous, the deals & goodies aren’t as great as they should be and that it’s always over-hyped.

But yesterday, after my day of shopping with Lucky editors, I got my second wind around 5:30 p.m. and made a last minute decision to walk over to New York & Company‘s flagship store on 58th and Lexington. Stacy London from What Not To Wear was going to be there signing advance copies of her latest book – The Truth About Style – for the first 100 people on line.

As I got closer to the store, I counted the number of ladies on the line and realized there were only about 65 people on it, so I jumped on it 🙂





And while I was inching closer to the front entrance, I started to check out their window displays … trouble!

Loving all of the green!





As we made our way into the store, we were given a copy of the book which looks very interesting – I am very much looking forward to reading it. It comes out in October if you are interested in picking it up!



(Image courtesy of Barnes and Noble)

Anyway, by the time I made my way over to where Stacy was, I realized she already had a crowd of fans around her – a crowd that was hanging on her every word as she doled out style advice to a girl in attendance.

And this is exactly what I love about her … she’s just so darn approachable and friendly. She gets right in there to really show people what she’s talking about. And because she’s so passionate about what she does, it really shines through whether she’s talking burgundy-is-so-hot-for-fall or this-necklace-goes-best-with-this-dress.

The line for meet & greets and book signing was a little long, but worth it. They served champagnes and macaroons (in every color of the rainbow!) which were quickly scarfed down each time a fresh tray appeared from the back room.

By the time I made my way up to the front, I only had a few minutes to quickly chat with her while she signed my book and tell her how much I admire her work with the American Cancer Society’s Pink & Black Tie Gala, where I met her for the first time back in 2011.

And in this picture – she’s actually about to high-five me for my purchases (see below). She also gave me props for my purple cropped pants, which was awesome.

(Images courtesy of NYC Recessionista)

And again – here’s what I was wearing:
Alexis Bittar earrings / LOFT blouse & belt / J. Crew Minnie pants and purse (similar) / Born sandals

I ended up taking advantage of their buy one, get one 50% off sale (going on now, both in stores and online) and even got a free pair of earrings with my purchase.  I couldn’t take my eyes off these emerald green patterned cropped pants, and I wasn’t alone. Stacy insisted this one girl try them on after she’d confessed to being intimidated by them. And of course, Stacy was right – the pants have an amazing fit and I can already think of about five or six other items already in my closet that I can experiment and pair them with.




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I also had a fashion first for myself last night. I’ve never before had the guts to buy a pleated mini skirt, but when I saw this one, I just had to have it.

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And I picked out these sparklers as my free pair of earrings. They come in green, too.



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Compared to last year’s FNO which was a huge letdown for me, I had a much better time this year. It was a lot of fun!  Takeaways from listening to her:

1) Bold colors are still in fashion, so embrace them and have fun;
2) The classic silhouettes (like the ones at NY & Co.) like sheath dresses, pencil skirts, etc. aren’t going anywhere anytime soon;
3) Statement necklaces are still hot – so throw them on;
4) Experiment with what she calls pseudo-neutrals – pale pink included; and
5) You CAN wear two shades of the same color together – really!  She showed us an outfit with pale pink, red and burgundy and it totally worked!

Oh and be sure to check out Stacy’s fall checklist, too, for even more outfit inspiration.