Self-differentiation

Self-differentiate. [self-dif-uh-ren-shee-eyt]. 

verb (used only with first person pronouns)

1. to form or mark differently from other such things [in terms of the self]; to distinguish [oneself from other human beings].

2. to make a distinction.

 

Source: Dictionary of Naomi's Invented Vocabulary, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved. 

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Every person likes to feel as though he or she fits in; as human beings we crave a sense of belonging. 

Towards the end of my time at school I no longer felt this sense of belonging. Don't get me wrong, I adored my time at UW. But I was ready to move on from the college life before I was able to get out. It was definitely a hard feeling to deal with and I felt as though my mood was scrawled across my face; I was upset to say the least. Yet, I knew from my previous summer experience that I'd feel a sense of belonging once I was back in NYC.  I am not exaggerating when I say this was the only thought keeping me going - the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

 

And I was right - I belong here. 

But now that I feel as though I belong, I find myself looking for ways to be different. Ironic, no?  I have a strong distaste for being just one in a million (or 8+ million, in the case of NYC). Even though I can relate better to people here than I can in other places, I don't want to totally blend in. So I'm on a (potentially never-ending) search to find ways to stand out. Not obnoxiously, of course (don't worry, you won't see me sporting a mohawk and/or creepy spikes any time soon...) but, in a weird not-hipster kind of way, being different is (and always has been) important to me.

In order to be different, to "self-differentiate" as I defined above, and stand out in the masses, I am on a mission to continuously:

1. Be mindful of others. I'm not saying that New Yorkers are mean-spirited people, but they definitely do, at times, seem to live up to the pushy, snobbish stereotype that the rest of the world gives them. I have recently started  to catch (and stop) myself swearing under my breath when people get too close to me on the subway or sidewalks. I've always been a stickler for having my own personal space, but in a city as big as the Big Apple, I have realized I'm not going to get much of it. So I've decided to revel in the rare moments in which I have more than a two-foot circumference around me on the train, and otherwise just get used to the intimate proximity I usually have with pretty much everyone around me. Trust me, it takes a conscious and constant effort to do this.

2. NOT smoke cigarettes. This has not been a hard mission for me to accomplish. In my long 21.75(ish) years of life, I have not once touched a cigarette, let alone smoked one. And I plan to keep it that way. Sometimes I feel as though I might be the only person alive in this city that doesn't smoke. It's pretty easy to think this way when the "oxygen" I'm breathing is most likely composed of (approximately) 89% cigarette smoke, 11% other fumes/city emissions (if I'm lucky a little O2 might be thrown in there somewhere...). 

 

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So there you have it. Pretty anti-climactic, I know. These are not life changing differences, but they are differences non-the-less, and I will continue my search for ways to stand out in a non-material manner. 

 

I'll update this post when more self-differenting thoughts arise, so keep a look out! :)

xo

#FashionInternProblems

If you're wondering what it's like to be an intern in the fashion industry, here's an interesting article for you:

#fashioninternproblems

My favorite quote: "You have to be willing to get your nails dirty, even if the dirt is at a Proenza Schouler fashion show during New York Fashion Week." -- truer words have never been spoken.

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It really is unfortunate, though, that some people have had such negative experiences because, as I'm sure you've noticed from my previous blog posts, Twitter updates, and Facebook statuses, I am completely head-over-heals in love with my internship. 100% - couldn't be happier. I feel bad that I'm having such a great time and learning so much, while other people are doing the most disgusting jobs imaginable. 

But hopefully the industry will get it's shit together ASAP and everyone will feel the same way I do about our internships :)

xo

NYFW Fall 2012

Keep your eyes peeled in front of the Lincoln Center during NYFW! You can be sure to spot a celeb or two ;)

It is officially NYFW. For those of you who might not be as fashionably savvy as others, "NYFW" stands for "New York Fashion Week" and it is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the fashion industry. Every aspiring designer would die to have their clothing shown in one (or all) of the four major fashion hubs of the world: New York, London, Milan, or Paris.

I have had the amazing opportunity to witness the process of preparing for the show unfold while interning for the artist also known as Nicole Miller. Let me just say, it definitely is as crazy, fast-paced, and high stressed as you might have heard. Monday through Wednesday of last week I spent all day with the design team and Nicole herself - guest appearances by Joe Zee (creative director of ELLE Magazine and stylist). I was called in to help with model casting and preparing outfits that would be appearing in the show. I literally spent 8 hours standing 2 out of 3 of the days with very little down time. But I'm not complaining.

It was a learning experience that I'll never forget, and I'm so happy I get to say I helped! By the time Friday rolled around (the day of our show), Nicole and her team had undoubtedly spent many long nights preparing last minute garments and drinking ungodly amounts of caffeinated soda. Yet, as I'm sure this happens ever Fashion Week she's had since she first started almost 30 years ago (!!), the hard work obviously paid off.

[Check out the NM blog to get more behind the "seam" details and pics!]

Since I had experience working with the models in the days leading up to the show, I got to help backstage while the show was happening. Volunteers were assigned to certain models, making sure they were wearing the correct outfits, etc. I can't even believe how fast it went! The moment the model reappeared behind stage after walking in her first look, we frantically dressed her in her second outfit and got her back in line. So much preparation for a final product of about 10 minutes! If you blinked, you missed it.

After the show, VIPs were allowed backstage to speak with Nicole and to enjoy some champagne. High-profile bloggers, socialites, and celebs like Tinsley Mortimer and Mia Moretti were invited to the meet-and-greet. And just like that it was over.

The adorable model I prepped!

Backstage - all models lined up

My fabulous boss, surrounded by press, friends, and fans

This shirt looks oddly familiar...

[see "Random." blog post for reason why I will never wash this shirt...]

To some it may seem as though so much work went into such a small event, but it was not small by any means to the people working it. When all the models were back from the finale, there was a sigh of relief and a definite sense of pride exuding from every person in the room. What an absolutely fantastic experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I really hope I get that chance!

xo

Nail Art 2

Tried a super new style recently. Backwards French, maybe? 

Steps:

1. Clear strengthening bottom coat

2. One layer of Xtreme white - cover entire nail [wait to dry]

3. Paint rest of nail in an "X" design. Fill in tip of nail [wait to dry]

4. Clear strengthening top coat

5. Clear 30 second dry top coat for shine

Very different. It took me a while to get used to. Probably won't use the same combination of colors, but might try the design again!

xo

Random.

What I should be doing right now: sleeping. What I'm doing instead: blogging. 


It's unlike me to sacrifice a good night's sleep for something as seemingly unimportant as blogging. But I just have to type this memory out while it's still fresh in my mind.

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How would I describe today in one word? RANDOM. Random is the only way to describe it. Perfectly random. Random in the sense that today is an excellent example of why I fall in love with NYC over and over again.


I'm not going to lie, today started on an awful note. I woke up at 5, like usual, ready for my routine and ready to go for my morning run. I made the mistake, though, of glancing over at the maintenance request form that is hanging up in the lobby of my building as I was walking out the door. Who would ever need maintenance done on a building as wonderful as the one I live in?! [note: sarcasm, if you couldn't tell by the italicized word 'ever'] Well, apparently this building, being as old as it is, is infested with...ready for it...cockroaches and mice.


COCKROACHES AND MICE.


COCKROACHES.AND.MICE.


I FEEL GROSS JUST TYPING THE WORDS OUT. PLEASE SOMEONE COME FIND ME AND SHOOT ME IN THE FACE RIGHT NOW. 


Upon seeing that FOUR DIFFERENT ROOMS in the building had requested an exterminator for these creatures that don't deserve to exist on this planet, I headed out the door for my run with the absolute most disgusted look on my face. And there was no way for me to hide it. I couldn't help but notice that several people seemed to stare at me as I ran past them...when it comes to expressions like those, I tend to be an open book.


Anyways, I got back from my run and started crying. Yes, I'm a baby. But, NO, I have never had to deal with either of these nasty disgusting hideous things before in my life. Thank you suburbia. Welcome to the city, Naomi. And the thing is I haven't even seen either creature in my apartment [yet], but I wouldn't doubt that they're here, hiding in the cracks in the walls, watching my every move, waiting for me to go to bed so they can come out and make my apartment even more unsanitary than it already is. Yes, I'm bitter. 


At 7am, what else could I do but e-mail my parents to complain? The e-mail went something like this:

Hi,

I just wanted to let you know, I HAVE to look into getting someone to clean the apartment (one time thing, I promise). When I was on my way out for my run this morning I happened to look at the maintenance sheet that's hanging up in the lobby of the building and 4 people have written on it for exterminators to come get rid of COCKROACHES AND MICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LITERALLY ALMOST THREW UP RIGHT THERE - THAT IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION. IF I EVER SAW EITHER OF THOSE THINGS, I WOULD (1) START CRYING (already am), and (2) THROW UP (not helping the dirtiness issue in the apartment). 

Not that I've seen any in my apartment (yet), but I would NOT be surprised if we have both of those disgusting creatures, seeing as my disgusting roommate leaves disgusting food out EVERY SINGLE DAY (again, this is NOT an exaggeration - I wish it was). I hardly see her, so I wrote a note and left it in the kitchen this morning, but I can't live like this. I feel so dirty. I'm sorry to complain, but I've never had to live in such a gross place before (or at least with such a gross person). The thing is, the apartment itself is decent, so I don't want to complain about that, but I can't stand this girl. She's a nice person but just SO unsanitary. I'm literally nauseous typing this. I'm sorry.

I'll look for the cheapest people I can find to clean, but it will make me feel a little better if I can get rid of some of the dirt around this place (I tried sweeping, the dust is literally CAKED onto the floor), ESPECIALLY the kitchen. I've already seen bugs in the kitchen, but if I see anything else, I'm not staying here anymore. I can't.  

Again, I'm sorry to complain, and other than the cleanliness issue I'm still SO happy to be here, but I can't deal with someone this gross. 

I'll talk to you later. Hope you have a good day.

xo

Naomi

Reading that over again, I'm almost embarrassed at how much I sound like a brat, but seriously. Just...no. Absolutely not happening for me. And you can't blame me, right? I mean, it was 7am, and the first thing I see is that there are cockroaches and mice in my building. Not the best way to start my day. You have to understand, and if you know me, then you do. 


To top it off, I was so distracted by the disgustingness of the situation, that I was not at all pleased with my outfit. This in itself had potential to ruin my day (#fashiongirlproblems). I had taken time to write the e-mail to my parents and dwell on how grossed out I was, that I didn't put enough thought (or so I assumed) into what I was wearing. So I didn't take a picture. 


In retrospect, I really wish I did. 


I got to the office and was complimented on my shirt by a few of the girls that work there: a cutoff, fringed gray shirt with a deep crochet-over-cutout V-neckline [I'll post a picture tomorrow - keep reading for the reason why]. I paired this shirt with a skin-tight red and black floral skirt, black tights, and my Steve Madden army boots. It was a decent outfit for not putting much time into it, but I wasn't thrilled by any means.  


But compliments always make me happy, so the day was already off to a better start. I did some work down in my usual office space, and then was called up to the design conference room, where I've been for the last two days, helping Nicole Miller herself (and the main people of the design team) prepare for our New York Fashion Week show on that will be held on Friday at 6pm [shameless self-promoting...WATCH IT]. Joe Zee (fashion editor of Elle Magazine) was also there today and yesterday helping us finalize looks. 

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"Oh my god, Naomi, you're so styled today" - Nicole. 


Yes, that is a real quote. And yes, I almost died a peaceful death right then and there. My day was made right after the words came out of her mouth. Apparently Nicole liked my shirt...and wanted to try it on for a look for one of the models! Before I left, I literally took the shirt off my back (it's ok, I had a cami on under), gave it to Nicole so she could take it overnight and put a similar shirt together for the show, walked out with one of the extra NM shirts in the room, and commenced my search for a friendly yellow car to take me home.


After 20 minutes of walking around the block unsuccessfully hailing for cabs, my prayers (if I believed in that) were answered...tenfold...

Yes, [I think] this is real life

Flashin' lights and bumpin' music

So, this little baby pulled up. The driver rolled down his window and beckoned me over. He claimed he could take me, but I wasn't about to dish out the $100+ that I assumed it would cost. But no. Mr creepy-potentially-hitting-on-me-old-limo-driver gave me quite the deal: the same price it would cost me to take a taxi. Forget creepy, hell YES I would take that deal. Although at one point I thought he might kidnap me (this was after he had asked for my number, I assured him I'd call him since he had given me his card and all...oh and discounts on 10+ people for an hour or two!). 


I pulled up to my local grocery store to pick up my dinner looking like a celeb and amazed and happy beyond belief. After assuring him that it was unnecessary for him to take a picture of me in the stretch since I had already taken plenty on my phone, I thanked him profusely and walked away. How crazy random.


So there you have it. Maybe one day, minor daily details like these won't matter. They'll be insignificant. Maybe Hopefully one day, riding in a stretch limo will be my main form of transportation (haha), and hopefully famous fashion designers will consider me to be their friends (Stac, I'm lookin at you)...But for now, it's a treat. Perfectly random and fabulous. 


Oh New York City, how I adore you.


xo

Photogenic city love.

From now on, I'm going to dedicate this section to pictures of NYC I've found online that I love...I follow a lot of New York twitter accounts, so be ready for tons of pics!

Nail Art

Something you might not know about me:  I am legitimately OCD about my nails. 

The history: This personality quirk manifested itself my senior year of high school around prom time. It was somewhat of a tradition for me to get my nails done around the time of school dances. So senior year I decided to go all-out and get gel nails, French manicure style.  For those of you who aren't quite up to speed on your nail knowledge, gel nails are just that: (fake) nails made of gel. They are thick, shiny, and unchippable. They end up growing out, though, and that is one way nail salons make a lot of money off of customers like me. People like me just need to return time and time again to get them filled so our nails can continue to look fabulous. 

And so started my obsession. A monthly trip to the nail salon was always incorporated into my schedule, however busy I might have been at the time. I continued to get my nails done after I moved up to school, and I spent a good deal of money doing it. The gel nails stayed on for 3 years. 

However, at one of my appointments junior year of college, I realized it was necessary that this habit come to an end. To refill gel nails, the manicurist has to shave down the gel that is already there to put on another layer, otherwise the nails get too bulky and look awkward. So as the woman was prepping to apply a new layer to my nails, I looked down to see my nail bed bleeding. I had gone so many times and had the gel shaved down so much, that my real nails were thin enough to bleed. This disturbing fact, coupled with the sudden awareness that I had spent close to $2000 over the course of 3 years solely on my nails forced the sad sad decision that I had to stop pampering myself with gel manicures for good. 

But I had gone 3 years without seeing my real nails, and when I took the gel nails off for the last time, I was thoroughly disgusted with what I saw. There was NO way I would allow myself to go out in public with my hands looking so unkempt. 

So I became my own manicurist, and got pretty good at it, might I add. After trying out many different polish colors and brands, I finally found what I was looking for - polish that would give me the "gel nail look".  French style, of course.

Here's the routine: 

-1 coat of Sally Hansen clear nail strengthener as a bottom coat (I realized that in order to get my nails back to their natural strength and thickness after abusing them for so long, I needed a bottom coat at the very least);
-1 coat of Sally Hansen "X-treme" white polish, applied to just the tips;
-1 more coat of Sally Hansen nail strengthener as a top coat;
-and 1 coat of Sally Hansen instant-dry top coat to give the nails strength, smoothness, and shine.

The result: 

Not bad for doing it myself, right? People have even asked me if they were gel on several occasions. 

Mission accomplished. The only downside to my new found talent? My obsessive compulsion got to the point where I had to take off all the polish in the middle of the day over the summer because it had been on for too long, and I was legitimately uncomfortable riding the subway home without my nails painted. I felt as though everyone was looking at my hands. I felt naked. Sad, I know.  To this day I haven't gone more than 24 hours without nail polish on, all thanks to that fateful day senior year when I got my first gels put on.

I maintain my nails about once a week, sometimes I can go two without repainting. Since the nail art trend has been picking up recently (beauty blogs are seriously all over it!), I've decided to get creative, break out of my comfort zone, and try some different styles. 

Long story short, this novel of a post will act as a precursor to colors/designs/etc that I'm going to try.

Look nouveau #1:

Deep wine red (sorry, hard to tell) + ring fingers with red stripe and white tip

It's definitely been hard to get used to such a dark color after having the French manicure look going on for so long, but it's finally starting to grow on me. More designs to come :)

xo

January Outings

My first full weekend in the City was pretty low-key. Coming back, I knew a few people who I met over the summer, but not many. 

Because of that, I am so thankful that one of my good friends from camp introduced me to some of her school friends staying in the City. Lisa and Evie have been so great and have invited me to many of the events and outings that they had planned. 


My first night out with the girls started with a dinner to celebrate Lisa's recent landing of an interview to work for one of the top companies on her lists of desirables. We went to a place called the Hi-Life on the Upper East Side. In two words, the best way to describe this somewhat eclectic restaurant is sushi and burgers - Asian food with American staples thrown in (why not, right?). Although their menu was interesting, to say the least, I decided to play it safe and go for a cocktail. It was a hard choice...

I narrowed down my selection to the 4 champagne cocktails and finally decided on the Champagne Continental. Such a good decision. Honestly wish I could have tried them all, but that would have gotten a bit pricey. After a good time at the Hi-Life, we walked down the street to the "Stumble Inn". We stayed at the sports bar for about half an hour, chatted with two guys - one trying to get into the NFL draft (uh huh) and the other the NBA (of course) - then headed out and split ways. 


For our next outing, we decided to start at the Soho Grand Hotel [see post: Touchdown in NYC], and later made our way to a Brooklyn apartment birthday party. It was a lot of fun meeting some of Lisa's friends, and it was really interesting for me to see what Brooklyn is like, since that was the first time I've ever been there.

Delicious cocktail at the Soho Grand: $16. Typical.

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Side note: One thing I absolutely love about NYC is the infinite opportunities available to do something spontaneous. You never know where you'll end up, or what you'll end up doing. It's both an amazing and scary feeling to me. 

What I would call my next "outing" was definitely spontaneous: an after work field trip to the Soho Apple store to meet the one and only (drop dead gorgeous) Matt Bomer, an actor in one of my favorite TV shows, White Collar.

Meet my future husband, Matt Bomer.

If you've never heard me obsess about Twitter, you'll be hearing a lot about it from now on. So what does Twitter have anything to do with this last adventure? Well, I follow many NYC Twitter accounts, ranging from those that specialize in posting pictures of the skyline, to free open bars/events, to news accounts, etc. It is because of Twitter that I found out that Matt Bomer was in town and would be speaking in Soho, a short subway ride away from my office. So after work, I jumped on the next train going downtown, and made it to the Apple store with 20 minutes to spare. So random, but such a great way to start my week.

My next notable evening out was Thursday, January 19th. Evie and Lisa had RSVP'd to an art gallery event and said they would put my name on the list as well. We had all gotten an e-mail from the coordinator saying we should dress colorful and fashionable. So I chose one of my favorite red dresses from Pitaya, and my favorite Steve Madden black wedges:

(Pardon the mess)

 

I thought this outfit would be appropriate. I mean, it's certainly colorful and at least somewhat fashionable, right? Well...wrong. Very very wrong. As my cab pulled up to the venue, I couldn't help but notice that almost every single person in the gallery was dressed in typical New York garb: black on black on black. On black. Luckily both Evie and Lisa were brightly clothed as well, so we all stuck out in the monotonous crowed together. And you know what? Who cares. We might have been getting looks from girls who thought they were better than us - "oh my gaud why is she wearing that", blah blah blah - but we didn't care. We were there to have a good time and enjoy the event, and that's exactly what we did. The photographer seemed to realize this and found his way to whichever corner we were huddled in, snapping pictures as we pointed and pretended to be interested in the "art" that paid homage to pendulums (yes, you read that right). I could not have asked for a more entertaining way to spend a Thursday night.

Saturday of that same week I was sure I was going to spend a relaxing time at my apartment, catching up on TV shows and getting to bed early. Yeah... that didn't happen. Lisa, Evie and I went out to dinner at a seemingly hidden restaurant named Buddakan. Although I walked past it several times before finally realizing that the entrance was a glass door on a plain brick building, when we walked in we were in awe of the vast size yet intimate ambiance. The menu consisted of many artistic Asian-inspired foods and it was surprisingly reasonably priced. 

In the middle of dinner, Evie received a text from a friend, informing her that we had been invited to the Aspen Social Club, bottle service included. Within minutes, my plans for a restful night disintegrated, and I was in for a long night of dancing.

Mmm Champagne...

Cheers

I just want to note that the great thing about that particular night is not just that bottled service was involved (this was obviously a bonus, though), but the fact that it was not planned. It was exciting and spontaneous. I heart New York.

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Finally, the last night that I should mention was a dinner with the lovely Stacy and Katie at an adorable French restaurant named Tartinery in Nolita. Not only was it authentic French cuisine (Fois Gras, anyone?), but the people who worked there were authentically French, too! Quelle Surprise! And so much fun! Yet another restaurant I'll have to revisit, if only to make sure that the many years of French I've taken don't go to waste. Practice makes perfect anyways, right? And I don't know about you, but I think perfection goes hand-in-hand with a nice glass of white wine.


So, that was my January in a nutshell - awesome restaurants, art gallerias, bottled service, and friends. Such a great first month in the City. I could not be more excited to see what February has to offer!


xo