1-on-1 With your favorite designers!

The French Institute Alliance Française presents Fashion Talks with Pamela Golbin . An intimate speaker series with 3 fabulous female designers. Fashion Talks
French haute couture meets New York style during FIAF's Fashion Talks, hosted by Pamela Golbin, Curator in Chief of Twentieth-century and Contemporary Fashion at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris.

Donna Karen 2/9/09
Catherine Malandrino 3/20/09
Diane Von Furstenburg 3/23/09

Did I forget to mention the tickets start at $20!!! You couldn't even get into their Fashion Week Collections with that price. Hurry and get your tickets! You know I have my tickets ready to go. Ooh La La!

Good Deal at Enterprise

Now that it's getting a bit cooler, I bet all the errands you have to run will be so much better if you were behind a wheel versus waiting at a cold bus stop. For those that don't own a car and need to rent once in a while, I found a pretty good deal on retailmenot.com for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Here are the details:

Promotion: 20% off

Code: ETC7HC

Cool factor: This is not limited to airport locations - yes!

I've used this before and even the people that work at enterprise comment on how good a deal it is . You can practically get a Saturday AM to Monday AM rental for a little over $80 - now that is a everywhere-outside-of-NYC price:)

Enjoy!

Free Wine Tasting Tour - 4.12.08

I just got this in from one of my favorite e-newsletters - Thrillist.com (you should definitely sign-up). There is a free wine tasting tour this Saturday - it is the Rioja Wine Tour and it will educate you on some tasty Spanish grapes.

Get more info here

Also, here is the schedule:
2:30: Bottlerocket: 5 West 19th St, between 5th and 6th (serving from 2-5)

3:30: Chelsea Wine Vault: 75 9th Ave, at 16th (serving from 2-5)

4:15: Sea Grape Wine: 512 Hudson St, btw Christopher and W 10th (serving from 4-8:30)

4:45: Le Du Wines: 600 Washington Street, at Leroy (serving from 3-5)

5:15: Golden Rule Wine and Liquor: 457 Hudson St, at Barrow (serving from 5-7)

6:30: Astor Wines and Astor Center: 399 Lafayette St, at E 4th (serving from 6:30-8:30)

Free Light Bulbs = Lowered Electric Bill

Everyone is trying to do their part for the environment, and doing so can also make your bank account happy too.

Make sure to take advantage of ConEd’s Lighting Express Program. They are working with the department of Quality Conservation Services (private contractors) to install energy efficient light bulbs – FOR FREE – in homes of qualified neighborhoods.

To find out if your residence qualifies call 866-364-8269. Simply give them your zip code and street address and in seconds you will know.

Learn more here

Sex and the City...It's finally coming!

I am uber exited about the coming of the Sex and the City movie. I'm saying...we were teased for years over the possibility of the movie being filmed, and now its only a few months away. I will be there with bells on May 30th for the premiere and I hope Carrie and Co. won't disappoint. Who am I kidding, of course they won't!

My girlfriends and I are going to make it a day event including a mani/pedi at Dashing Diva, dinner and other goodies. Me, I'm preparing by ordering my "Carrie" necklace (In my name of course) from Limoges Jewelry. Oh..the excitement!!!

New Year's Eve - Advance Planning

It's time to admit that 2007 is almost over - get ready to say bye bye.

This just means it is soon time to party, bringing in 2008.

Good friend Judy sent along this great link listing all the NYE party venues with details, photos, tickets prices and much more.

http://judynycevents.com/

Enjoy and have a very safe NYE.

Travel Savings - Add to Favorites

Before you ever buy anything online always google the company code with key words like "discount codes"; "promotion codes"; "coupons" just to check to see if there are any online codes you can add to your purchase to make that almost perfect purchase.

If you travel by Amtrak, a good link for codes is: http://www.retailmenot.com/view/amtrak.com

You can also use that site to search for other travel related codes such as Orbitz or your basic everyday retailer like Old Navy.

I just saved 20% on a ticket and you can do the same.

Enjoy,
KC

A Stylish Must-Do Happy Hour

Who leaves work these days at 5PM to attend a 4-7PM Happy Hour? By the time you rush over to whatever bar it is you are just happy you made it time to make an order.

A favorite place for happy hour with style is Verlaine. I've been there about 4-5 times and it never lets me down.

Highlights:

• It has a decent soothing ambiance to take away from the day's craziness


• Happy hour is from 4-10PM - yes 10:00PM, 7 days a week!


• Drink specials: Their delicious $4 Lychee Martinis; Sangrias, Vietnamese Bloody Marys; House red & white wines; Basic cocktails. Also 2 for 1 Bavaria Blond Lager


• The food is also tasty and inexpensive - I recommend the dumplings, shrimp and their fried ginger chicken wings - yummy and a nice portion.

So chop chop and get there. It can be cool for a non-stuffy date; catch up time with the girls or one of many bar-hopping stops.

Location: 110 Rivington Street (bet. Essex a& Ludlow); F train to Second Avenue or the FJMZ to Delancey Street.

Oh and if after a couple of drinks you get those munchies... the pizza around there is delicious.

Farewell Mimosa....Hello Free Sangria!!!

Brunch has pretty much been the same ole "pretend" meal of the day ever since the clever little title was coined: Traditional breakfast option, traditional lunch option paired with a chilled mimosa. It's about time someplace remixed it to spark the interest of a new wave of savvy Brunchers and that someplace is Calle Ocho (82nd and Columbus). Their Sunday Brunch with a Cuban twist comes with an assortment of unique breads and spreads, a one-of-a-kind delish menu and (you're going to love me for this) FREE AND UNLIMITED SANGRIAS!!! They have 8 different barrels, 4 white & 4 red, of fruit infused goodness- you'll never want to touch a mimosa again. If I didn't sell you on the sangria then you'll love that it averages to only $15 person. Its lovely atmosphere would be perfect for get togethers and celebrations. Personally, I'm hooked and I will be there every Sunday I get a chance. Hope to see you there!

The Sangria Bar

Huevos Divorciados

Classic Cuban

Thanks Ash ;-)

The More Resources...The Better

Everyone say thank you Katie for sharing the info:)

So we all go to Citysearch.com, Timeoutny.com and NewYorkMag.com for info on the latest happenings in the city.

Here is a new site for you to add to your favorites: http://newyork.metromix.com/

It is always good to have several sources. This one has a better guide to events and music happenings.

Now go out and have fun!

I'm Not A Plastic Bag...But I Do Own One!

Today I stood on super long line at the wee hours of the morning in torrential rain for 2 1/2 hours for a $15 bag. Crazy? You bet! Was is worth it? Absolutely! I got Anya Hindmarch eco-conscious bag and turned a sweet profit with the extra 2 bags on Craigslist.

Fellow AFM-ers

I am definitely a fan of affordable fashion mania (AFM). Everyone wants designer goods at modest prices and NYC is the best city to make it happen. Yes, you will need to wait on line for a certain amount of time, but you will be standing and chatting with the savviest of New Yorkers. You'll be the first and one of the few to have the highly conveted goods and as an added bonus, you can sell you extras eBay or Craigslist for a 3x the selling price!

So, my lovelies, I invite you to join me for the next edition of AFM in NYC!

Roberto Cavalli + H&M...you've been warned.

You remember the massacre at H&M when the Stella McCartney line debuted. Of course you recall the mayhem when Karl Lagerfeld debuted there as well. And if you happened to miss the last super-high-low-end line raid when Proenza Schouler previewed their Target line at Opening Ceremony(SOHO), then you do not want to miss Roberto Cavalli for H&M!!!

Perhaps you'll never use a whole months pay for a true Cavalli Gown like Beyonce, but I have confidence he'll have something as sexy for you to wear and all under $100 for each piece! I must tell you important bit here....get closer... this is very important. Not only is this a budget fashionista's dream, this is also a huge moneymaker on eBay. The past door-busters, on average, resale on eBay between 2-4 times thier retail value (more cash to buy clothes!!) I will follow-up with our plan of attack as there will ONLY be 200 stores featuring Cavalli for H&M, coming Winter 2007. Stay Tuned!

Free Admission to beauty Expo!!! Go register!

The smarter you are when it comes to the beauty biz the better the chances you get what you want.

Go to www.hbaexpo.com and register for the HBA Global Expo that takes place September 18-20th.

Registration Page

There are complimentary passes. Once you begin to register the option for free admission is at the bottom.

Why not take a lunch break with a friend and head over to get the beauty scoop – it is or even better than ice cream – get it?..lol.

Now chop chop and go register. Worst case scenario you don’t go – so what it’s free!

Any questions drop an email at tellmekc@gmail.com

The Perfect Fit

The first sign of a well dressed person is and will always be how well their clothes fit them. A proper fit accentuates and hides in all the right places. This applies to men, woman, tall, short, big and small and everything in between. So if you are blessed in certain areas than most or vertically challenged, then you inevitably have experienced the disappointment of finding clothes in your “size” but not “fit”.

Sign-up for the Make Workshops “Altered States” class by Cal Patch (or "Fashion DIY" with Nicole Smith). She will teach how to alter your clothing to achieve your perfect fit. So bring in that shirt that fits in the chest region but doesn’t in the waist, or those pants that fit and the hip yet boat around your waist, or those jeans that should be an inch or 2 shorter, or …you get the idea.

My suit skirt dilemma
Before: Unflattering high-waist skirt. After: Perfect modern-fit pencil skirt

If you become addicted to perfecting your fit (like I am), here is a good and inexpensive beginner sewing machine. If not, this class will give invaluable knowledge on what to demand from your local tailor/dry cleaner.

Eating Solo, but So Good

How often do you find yourself running errands, shopping or doing something that has you in the city for a few hours and then all of a sudden you have that empty stomach feeling? You are hungry, but alone = no one to eat with. So you start thinking where can I grab a bite all by myself but not look like a loner. You see McDonalds – ughh no; you see Starbucks—ughh tired of that, plus you want food not cookies and coffee. Ahh hum *clearing throat* my recommendation is Marquet Patisserie over on E. 12^th Street and University Place.

I recently was out and about my lonesome self and felt I was about to die if I didn’t eat. I stumbled upon this place near NYU and had a nice brunch right by the window. The price range is about $* to $13 if I remember correctly and the food was good and for once I had a nice cup of hot tea.

It is also a nice spot to have brunch with friends.