Weddings.

I love weddings. They bring the biggest smile to face. On my visit to New York, my favourite moment was stepping onto the engagement ring floor of Tiffanys. I love how the concept of completely and utterly giving yourself to someone, weddings are absolutely beautiful and I want to immerse myself in them to keep a constant smile on my face. I love how in these pictures, everyone looks so happy, it makes the world believe in true love.
xoxo

I love Elie Saab.

Absolutely love the designs by Elie Saab, always my favourites on the red carpet...
xoxo

Fairytales...

If you know me then you know that I love fairytales. I'm a constant dreamer and spend most my life daydreaming about all sorts...my imagination is endless and if I'm not daydreaming, I'm watching movies, programmes or looking at photos of all things I wish for...hence my love for fairytale fashion! Here are a few gorgeous photos which I hope you'll enjoy!
xoxo

New York Knicks!!!

By the time we had got back to the hotel after our extreeeeemely busy day touring the city, we had very little time to get any food before the Knicks game, so instead we all got ready and headed off to the game and decided to eat there. We were so unbelievably excited and couldn't wait to experience this typical American past-time. As we entered Madison Sq. Gardens, we were bubbling over with excitement and when we got the merchandise table, between us we bought jerseys and large foam fingers! We were completely ready for the game! Despite the fact I hadn't eaten much that day, after I'd bought the jersey I had absolutely noooo money left so food was out of the question...little did I know when I would return to the hotel I would find out my bank card had been blocked and I'd have no money!! That wasn't going to upset me now, I was just too excited! We climbed what seemed like thousands of stairs to get to the seats and once we up there, we were so happy!

The stadium was absolutely incredible!! I can't even find the words how amazing this was! It was just like on the movies and I loved it.

As the game started we all got really into it, we were sat right at the back but that didn't dampen our spirits at all! We were just loving the atmosphere! But then the most incredible thing happened. This man came up to Abby and Me and offered us two tickets with better seats work $240! We couldn't believe they were real but amazingly enough they were!! We sprinted back down the thousands and thousands of steps till we reached our almost front row seats! We were beaming from ear to ear! Must have been our amazing Knicks jerseys that gave us the good luck! We loved these jerseys and as they said Lee on the back, David Lee, Number 42, was our Number 1!!

DAVID LEE!


This night was absolutely unreal and most definately one of the highlights of my trip, possibly one of the greatest nights I've ever had. I absolutely loved it!!
New York Knicks=Amazing!

The End of the First Day

As we had walked as far down the city as we possibly could, once we had finished our trip round that Statue of Liberty, we began to head back up to the hotel for the New York Knicks game which we completely buzzing about! As we headed back, we stopped off at Rockefeller Centre and saw one of the most beautiful stores ever...Anthropologie. The shop window was stunning and inside was a complete dream. Every inch of the shop was covered with some exciting product which made the shop so interesting. I definately think this store should be bought to more UK cities apart from London as it really is a perfect store.

These were the store windows which were absolutely stunning.

Once we had seen this gorgeous store. We went to see the Rockefeller Ice Rink with the iconic Christmas tree. It was so mindblowing how stunning it was, and it felt just like the movies. Oh how I love this city!

The Statue of Liberty

One of the most iconic features of New York is quite simply the Statue of Liberty and no way were we going to home without seeing this. Whilst still on our first day, we headed down to where the Staten Island Ferry departed so that we could take a trip across the Houston River to see the infamous statue. As we all filed down the streets of NYC to get there, we passed a group of street entertainers in this park. A few girls stopped to watch however, Jess, a worldy girl, knew that if we stopped there, we'd be made to pay for our entertainment, so as the others watched on, Jess, Sophie and I headed off for a wander around, it was so sunny ( despite being so cold!) and we wanted to have a nosy around. When the others realised the men were going try and get them to pay they ran on over and we all cosied up on a bench, saw the fattest pidgeon ever and took a photo to remember the day. We all then headed off to the ferry to have a little journey. Whilst waiting for the ferry to arrive, we all grabbed a bite to eat and perched on a couple of seats and on the floor. This action caused quite a stir with an odd woman walking around the place who immediately came over and starting getting angry "You want rats in your purse be my guest!!" None of us were quite sure what quite sure what she meant, we thought it was quite funny and by the time we started laughing, she was off bothering someone else. As it was announced the ferry had arrived, we all headed onto the boat and went straight to the front and out onto the deck so we could see everything, though as the boat set off, the cold air was almost unbearble, though we did stick it out for the whole trip there. When setting eyes on the Statue of Liberty for the first time, a burst of excitement bubbled all the way from my toes to my nose and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. It was always my dream to visit New York, and here I was, on Staten Island Ferry, looking at the Statue of Liberty. It was absolutely amazing and I love every second of it...even the cold!

"A Pool of Tears"

Once we'd finished in the museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology in New York) we headed to a very sacred place, a must go to in New York...Starbucks!! No day here was complete without a Starbucks! Must say though, the drink I bought was very confusing...coffee, with chocolate and cream...hmmm not the best! But Oh well, now we were set for the rest of the day. As soon as we stepped out, Roxy&Jess stopped for cigs and a natter with the man in the cart, though it was Abbys squeaking that confused the me her constant "Oooo's" made us all look up for our first celebrity spotting. Matt Dillon! "There's Something About Mary's" baddy! (Always seem to need this explanation when telling others, so wasn't the biggest spotting but I was excited!!) Once this mini excitement was over we decided to head down to Ground Zero. This was something that we were all quite keen to see as it's a big part of New Yorks history. Little did we know how far the walk would be. The weather was absolutely freezing but nothing was going to stop us on our little exbidition down to the bottom of the city. We walked streets and streets, gossiping all the way down, looking at all the sites and it was so exciting. Although we had a specific destination, it didn't stop us sneaking into Urban Outfitters for a quick peek! We carried on down to the spot. On the way we saw a fence covered in plaques designed to remember all those lost on Sept 11th. They were so beautiful and so touching, it made us think about where we were heading and what we were about to see.

Seeing Ground Zero was surreal. It was just this big space surrounded by barriers while a memorial was being built inside. The lives that were lost there and the hurt that that day caused was not seen. Although a memorial was being built in rememberance of those that suffered that day, I felt that what happened could never be explained and that nothing could ever truly represent it. When going into the museum by the actual site, I didn't expect to see things I saw. The images of all the people that were missing or whose lives were lost, were heartbreaking, looking into the eyes of all these people was so emotional. The thing I found the most shocking of all and quite contraversial, was the part of the plane that was recovered. Looking at the object that caused this disaster was devastating. I felt almost an angry feeling towards it. I wondered whether it should have been there, but then again, there was also the people on the plane that suffered that day, and in a way, it gave rememberance to them. This museum was so small but the intensity of how it made you feel was unreal. I found this part of the day quite upsetting, but I felt it was a place that needed to be seen.

Muffins and FIT

One of the hardest things coming to terms with over in New York was the immense jet lag!! I was continuously waking up at ridiculous hours of the morning as were Jess and Mimi, and we were becoming very fidgety having to wait till breakfast! The beds were very comfy and the room was quite nice, despite some weird mouldings on the ceiling which looked slighty dodgy! However to entertain ourselves through the morning, we found old school programmes on the tv such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Saved by the Bell...absolute classics. We'd watch these as each one of us took turns to have showers. Oh the showers. The one thing that I hated on my trip. We couldn't for the life of us figure out how to use them, so between the 3 of us, we were either frozen cold or scolding hot! Not the greatest start to the day. Though once breakfast arrived (free muffins and tea!) We'd forgotton about the awful showers and Jess and I spent the time trying to sneak lots of muffins back to the table! Cranberry, Blueberry and Oats....mmmm they were yummy! This morning we knew we had somewhere that we had to go...the FIT museum, where we would be seeing two exhibitons...'American Beauty' and 'Day and Night.' As we all worked our way down to FIT separately, you could see Fashion students everywhere! It was like a mob of them! As we all gathered into the entrance hall, with Starbucks in our hand, we waited patiently to be taken down to the exhibits. My favourite definately was American Beauty. Some of the dresses we saw there...In particular the red number shown here, were absolutely beautiful and were made with absolute precision. It was so calm and peaceful underneath in the exhibit however the lights and surroundings made it seem a bit dull and I felt it didn't make the clothes stand out as well as the could have. Although this would probably be to help preserve the clothes. It was nice to see these exhibits though we were still excited for the next part of our day, we had lots and lots of plans and places to see.

Times Square

Ooo got a lot of love for Times Square! The atmosphere here was amazing and the lights were phenominal! Just puts a smile on my face looking back at it ...

"Our First Night in Heaven"

As we all gather together in the lobby, we try and group together to find the best place to go to celebrate our arrival. As previously discussed, we all knew the first place we wanted to go was Madison Square Gardens as we were desperate to watch a New Yorks Knicks Basketball Game! As a major fan of One Tree Hill as well, once I found out they were playing the Charlotte Bobcats, I was extremely excited! It felt like us girls were a group just out of a popular American series! And so onto our first stop! When walking into Madison Square Gardens, the feeling was unreal, almost dream like. Immediately we all stood out like a sore thumb! About 8 blonde girls walking into an arena full of angry Rangers fans for the events that were on that night, we looked like we were in completely the wrong place, but the grins on our faces and the bubbling excitement meant we didn't mind. We got the tickets and despite learning they were pretty far back we didn't mind, it was the experience we went for not the intensity of court side! So after this we all decided to venture into Times Square, something a few of us just couldn't wait for! As we turned the corner into Times Square, my whole body felt like it was smiling. I was happy. I felt like I immediately belonged. The buildings were incredible and the lights shone like no other! It definately felt like a "concrete jungle were dreams are made of!" As we walked through my mind completely left food, I was too busy staring at everything around me, billboards galore, people everywhere. Things that particularly stood out was the the American Eagle billboard, I thought this was a great piece of advertising as it immediately captured your eye through its movement and bright daylight colours. The Calvin Klein billboard stood out also but for slightly different reasons. I massive poster of Jamie Doran in not a lot of clothing was enough to keep me occupied! But as the night carried on, we did realise we hadn't eaten for a long time, it was getting late and we were extremely exhausted from the travelling. We all went into Planet Hollywood and collapsed into the chairs, ( After having our photo taken of course! Though after the journey we'd had, and the extreme low temperatures we were experiencing outside-none of us looked top notch!) we all sat down and ordered our food.


After dinner we all headed back and headed straight off to bed. We were completely knackered and needed to save our energy for the following day...

"The Hotel"

Once arriving to the hotel, it becomes obvious that everyone is raring to go out and start exploring this wonderful city. We all grab our bags off the coaches and head on into the hotel (and the warmth!) Once arriving to the hotel, it becomes so obvious that everyone's raring to go out and start exploring this wonderful city. Inside the Wolcott hotel, a mass of over excited girls squeal and babble about the beautiful hotel and whats instore for the next few days. The ceilings and walls are all decorated with elaborate and intricate calvings and the lobby is filled with large comfy seats, dramatic ornamental mirrors and fantastical chandeliers sparkling brightly. As we all gather together and get given room keys, us girlies make plans for the evening and cram into the lift to head on up. As Jess, Mimi and I reach the 10th floor, we file into the room, dump the bags on the floor and collapse on the beds. We were exhausted! However, the excitement of being in the big city is bubbling up and we can't contain the excitement! We begin exploring the room looking at all the little bits and bobs, we all gather together, open the large window, so big we could crawl straight on out, the 3 of us all stick our heads out and take in the sounds of the city and the view right in front of ours. There, right in front of us, all a glow, the Empire State Building towers infront of us. One word for this...amazing.

"Down the Rabbit Hole"

When the day of my trip to wonderland arrived, it didn't get off to the best start. Getting up at 4 oclock in the morning is not the most glamourous start, by the time I'd showered and dressed my eyes were still blurry and I couldn't quite see properly due to lack of sleep, however the extreme exitement of where I would be waking up the next morning was still there despite at this time of the morning! I walked to the coach by myself, and the cold hit me like a brick wall. Little did I know, compared to New York, this would feel like the height of summer! Silly me, I'd packed a bag with no wheels. This for someone small with a severe lack of muscle was clearly not the best idea. However I had packed super light to make sure I had plenty of room to fit in all the shopping that I knew I would be bringing home with me! The coach ride there went quite slow though I did use the time to catch up on my sleep, most my friends would be meeting me at the airport so a sneaky snooze now was ideal. Once I'd met up with everyone and got through all the technical business of signing in, we were through to the other side to wait around. At this point I just couldn't WAIT to get there! Going through the tunnel to get onto the plane was like the moment in 'Alice in Wonderland' going through the rabbit hole and travelling through to this wonderland I had dreamt of. Despite the tears of always having to go through extreme pain when flying due to my sensitive ears, the flight was quite enjoyable, Virgin do know how to treat a passenger!! Ice cream, brownies, movies and lots of Diet Coke, what more could you want. After a hefty flight, we start to land and despite the pain in my ears, I am so excited about the adventure ahead, down we go until finally, we land in JFK airport.

Going through the passport checks was easy enough, and the people behind the desks were particularly friendly, a typical American trait, though there was one particular women that scared me off into another queue!! Stepping outside into the bitter cold weather, I just ignored it the ice cold breeze against my whole body, I was 45 minutes away from my dream destination and nothing could bring me down. We got onto the coach, Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind" hit the speakers creating the soundtrack for our visit, I was mezmerised. Looking out the windows as we travelled down to New York we spotted typical schools buses, and these small, grey stereotytpical houses you see from the movies. Everything just appeared so surreal! The moment that will stay with me forever, was our first sighting of Brooklyn Bridge and the New York skyline. Its the most amazing view I have ever seen and it's something I will never forget, finally we were here in my wonderland.

"Introduction"

January 2010, the month I'd waited years and years for. Being a major geek for fashion, perfection, celebrities, "Sex and the City", "FRIENDS" and all around fabulousness, New York has always been an obsession. I've always been a huge dreamer and New York, the place where dreams are supposed to come alive, seemed the perfect wonderland for me.

This blog is written for my course 'Fashion Communication & Promotion' here I can share all the stories and moments from my wonderland...