{PFW} images from Louis Vuitton...

I was lucky enough to have my parents finally come visit me out here this past weekend. It was a trip almost two years coming - and I can't express how excited I was to show them around my New York and see them for the first time since Christmas.

We had a great weekend - a perfect balance of their uptown, upscale Manhattan of past visits, and my downtown day-to-day life. All the things we did piece together like a pretty great guide to wining and dining with a dash of culture and shopping from Soho to the Upper East Side:


{We dined.}

• Gotham Grill: White table clothes, amazing seafood and a very 90s New York vibe, like Gramercy Tavern and totally delicious (the seafood salad is unreal)
• The Modern: minimalist, fancy and contemporary - just like the museum (amazing duck confit)
• db Bistro Moderne: fancy and delicious
  
• The Standard Grill: great spot for an early breakfast al fresco
  
• Public: trendy, brunch-y, delicious lentil salad and great drinks
• La Piscine: on the roof of Hotel Americano; lots of delicious fried seafood with a side of DJ
  
• Brasserie Julienne: cute little french joint on 2nd Ave in the 80s, live jazz with your moules frites
  
• Morandi: loud, busy and seriously great Italian fare on Waverly and 7th Ave
  

{We drank.}

• La Piscine: Before dinner every night we had cocktails on the roof with an amazing view of the city
  
• Kingswood: After dinner at db, I brought my parents to meet up with friends and see one of my favorite West Village bars
  
• Public: a dirty martini for Mom, a bourbon iced tea for me and the Bloody Maria for Dad
  

{We saw.}

• The MoMA:the Cindy Sherman exhibit was cool and creepy, but the permanent exhibits are always refreshing and unmissable
  
• The East River Ferry: A fun and unique way to get between Manhattan and Brooklyn - especially on a warm day; we took it to and from 34th street to the flea market 
• Brooklyn Flea (Williamsburg): people watching, antique-ing and artisianal everything - of course
  
• The Met: My favorite museum in Manhattan, and the Steins Collection and Shiaparelli and Prada exhibit were crowded but truly wonderful (unfortunately the Cloud City exhibit on the roof was closed for weather)

{We shopped.}

• Uniqlo @ 53rd & 5th: picked up 4 shirts for my dad, but the crazy atmosphere and sheer amount of clothes is a little too much
  
• Treasure & Bond: cool, well-curated jewelry, gifts and apparel on lower West Broadway in Soho
  
• MoMA Design Store: so many unique and useful knick-knacks, and perfectly sized art prints for $10

Louis Vuitton: my beautiful, dark, twisted bellhop

Marc Jacobs showed his F/W 2011 collection for Louis Vuitton in a two-story tent in Paris this morning. He was inspired by the hotel lifestyle, clearly, and his models arrived on the runway in cage-like elevators. It was a spectacle to be sure, featuring supermodels Jessica Stam, Carmen Kass, Amber Valetta and a smoking finale by Kate Moss. Apparently Naomi Campbell walked the show as well, but her face was obscured by a cap. Check out the video of the runway show below, via Styleite:

For a look-by-look slideshow, do like I do and go straight to style.com or The Cut.

outfit lust: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

There's so much here that I like that it's a little bit hard for me to talk about.

Ballet flats.

Olive skinnies.

Chunky neutral knit.

Sofia Coppola for Louis Vuitton bag (I think).

Felt wide-brim hat.

It's casual, it's chic, it's all I want to be this spring.

Huh, guess it wasn't really that hard for me to talk about.

(Image via Who What Wear blog.)

just a little SAG awards style...

Oh, award season, it's in full swing. Sunday night we had the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which brought a few delicious printed and textured looks, and a lot of forgettable yards of monochromatic tulle, crepe, and silk. So lets just cut to the chase, shall we? I'll kick things off with my personal favorite, constant style star Claire Danes:

I am crazy about this Louis Vuitton look on her. The belt adds a cool, casual element to a very formal shape and great print. Prints are always an interesting choice for the red carpet, and almost always go awry, so I really appreciate her success. The red nails and pink lips, plus her sleek-but-loose hair are also great finishing touches.

Ok, so I haven't seen True Grit yet. People, movies in New York are too expensive. It's on my to-do list, but on this budget, $12.50 is an amount I am usually inclined to spend on a few cocktails instead of a few hours in a theater. Anyway, look at this girl in Prada SS11! Lovely, chic, perfect.

Mila Kunis would probably look stunning in anything, and she is really rocking this Alexander McQueen gown. She, like Danes, is an example of prints done right. And the belt! Now that I look at it, hers and Danes' dress are pretty similar. The point is though, so gorgeous.

I'm definitely not digging January Jones' hair here, but I love this Carolina Herrera dress. The cut is so flattering and sophisticated, and I am a huge advocate of lace in t-shirt shapes, like the top of this gown. Jones can really work a high fashion look, and I always look forward to seeing her red carpet choices.

{outfit post} Sun Valley, then & now...

Sometimes, I'm really thankful I didn't have a blog four years ago. Strange to think, but there are some sartorial choices I made then that I just absolutely wouldn't make now. That's just a product of the ebb and flow of fashion, but it's interesting to look back at from time to time. In this glorious winter wonderland of Sun Valley, there are certain pairings that have stood the test of time and trends; down jackets and designer sunglasses being one of them. So how different could my look really be this time around?

Roll with me on this, and lets just take a little stroll down memory lane (thanks, Facebook) and see what's changed from 2007 to 2010:

2007: no label vintage hat; Christian Dior sunglasses; Cashmere Wrappings pashmina; The North Face jacket; American Apparel deep V; Abercrombie & Fitch cardigan; J Brand black jeans; Ugg Ausralia boots; Louis Vuitton bag; Betsey Johnson scarf; faux pearls.

2010: Slouchy hat and infinity scarf c/o D&Y Accessories; Ray Ban aviators; Gap turtleneck sweater; American Apparel deep V; ski leggings; Kristen Blake down jacket; Ugg Austraila boots; Zoe the dog.

Oh hey 2007  girl, aren't you trendy! The thing that strikes me right away about look number one here is that I am actively trying to wear as many noticable labels at one time as I can. From the uber-trendy Uggs to my classic but obvious Louis Vuitton Speedy to the comically huge Dior shades, It's just too, too, you know? I still own all these things; I love them and I wear them. But my style now, comparitively, is like going from being a gluttonous eater to a normal, healthy person: it's all about moderation.

So at the core, my Sun Valley style hasn't really changed that much. Those are the same Ugg boots. I also know I'm wearing an American Apparel deep V in both outfits, and a sweater I bought on sale from (wince) Abercrombie and Gap, respectively. Clearly, I still really love layering and black skinny pants, as well as a good contrasting scarf-and-hat combo with my designer shades. In my outfit from yesterday though, the only brand that's easily distinguishable is - drum roll please - my new, polarized Ray Ban aviators.

Editor's note: I know, I know, the Ugg boots. I spoke so judgily of them here, and posted alternative options here. Yet I am there, wearing the darn things. With toasty warm and comfy feat, I hang my head in shame. I'm still planning on getting these, but bare with me (and my budget).