Concrete Jungle

So I am back from New York. Returning to San Francisco is always refreshing no matter where I have traveled to, but I feel that the energy in New York keeps calling me back every time I have to leave. This last trip was quite the experience. New York fashion week is quite the marathon of air kissing and taxi hailing, meal forgetting and picture taking, door girls and all-nighters. My past experiences with Milan fashion week prepared me for almost nothing in NYC, or the people and cities themselves are quite different. I also did not have certain advantages that I did in Milan - Asian American Bloggers with cameras and current season runway pieces are apparently not so special in Manhattan. Soon to follow (once I find time away from work to unpack) will be coverage of the shows that I saw during NYFW. For now, enjoy some pictures of my friends at Le Bain at The Standard Hotel on our first night. It has been a while since I watched the sun come up with my best friends in one place.


Going out to clubs in NYC is a little obnoxious. There is always a line to bypass with the usual methods of name dropping, texting, and rolling with the right people. Personally, if I have to wait for more than 20 minutes to get into a party, it is not worth going to. Wasting my time in a line that seems to grow longer in front of me while knowing at the end there is still a power-drunk door bitch waiting to laugh at my RSVP is not my idea of a good time. Fashion week is packed with these kinds of parties. Did I mention I paid $100 for 6 cocktails? It was a little sad to see Brian Lichtenberg physically pushed back by a security guard as he, and other people invited to events, were denied for no reason. The fangirl in me totally freaked out at the sight of fashion celebs, and of course it is fun to be around them. However, I had the most fun roaming the streets and getting drinks with my friends (and friends of friends) at bars where the door girl is only there to check IDs. My biggest gripe is that people in New York (ESPECIALLY THE QUEENS) do not care about being nice. I am too much of a Filipino/California Girl to give a shit about getting in to be seen anywhere, and I hope I never lose that.

- jerome