I'm Alive

So, I just realized yesterday that it's officially been a month since I got back from Tampa. It's also been almost a month since I've posted on Stellar Piece. It's a travesty, I know. I feel like I'm one of those horrible parents who leaves their kids in the car on accident because they're too busy worrying about other things. Yes, I did just compare my blog to a human child, but whatever.

I have been so busy lately. I've never been happier. The first week that I came back to Brooklyn was kind of the worst week of my life. Although I was excited about the thought of being here, I knew that I had to find one of those things called a J-O-B before I would let myself get too comfortable. But everything feels like it's falling into place.

Right now I'm currently working with CollegeFashionista HQ, Bib + Tuck & a marketing company called Liz Theresa. If everything goes as planned, CollegeFashionista will become my full-time gig & you have no idea how happy that makes me. It's just where I want to be everyday.

Now that I have a little bit more stability & a structured schedule going on, I've been trying to spend my free time wisely. I had a pretty fun day yesterday with my godmother, Auntie Anne. She took me to brunch at the coolest little place called Edi and the Wolf in East Village. Brunching is taken very seriously here in New York, so I went all out & had a the wild mushroom frittata. I ate a frittata, guys. Who am I? Then we had a little photo shoot, hung out while it rained, watched Charlie's Angels + went for dinner & drinks at Blaue Gans.


Speaking of Auntie Anne, she is pretty much the coolest. She designs her own clothes with fabric that she picks out from India & sells them in her store, Anne Kothari. If I'm lucky, sometimes she lets me test out some of her lovely pieces. So, I decided put my own twist on her Lineage pants + Girl Next Door skirt. 

I loved styling these because they aren't pieces that I typically go for, so it was fun to get out of my comfort zone a little bit. Her clothes are all super well made, fit beautifully & have the greatest prints. I love the '50s vibe of the Girl Next Door skirt + I kind of want to live in the Lineage pants because they are softer than an actual pile of kittens.

Check out Anne Kothari, buy her super cool printed pieces + make sure to enter STELLAR PIECE at checkout for 25% off your entire purchase.

Love,

A

Dim Sum Adventures

So, as you know by now, I live in Chinatown. As you also know by now, I'm in love with it. I feel right at home here because I grew up in Asia. Walking by fruit stands full of mangoes, lychees & rambutans makes my heart flutter. One of the best parts about living in this part of town are all the yummy little places to eat. Some of my favorite spots are a Thai place called Pongsri, The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory & Nom Wah Tea Parlor. 

My first trip to Nom Wah was a very drunk one but I've been daydreaming about their huge steamed pork buns. I started thinking about them so much on Friday night that actually found myself looking up their menu at 2 am (gross, I know), so something obviously needed to be done. I texted Kali & Emily, asked them if they wanted to go for dim sum & quickly found out that neither of them had ever had it before. One of my secret pleasures in life is introducing people to things they've never had or done before.

They met me on Canal St. on Saturday afternoon & we walked to Nom Wah, which was the perfect opportunity to take photos of everything. There's always so much going on around here. I'm so used to taking street style photos so it's always fun for me to play with other subjects.

None of us had eaten anything all day, so we were literal savages by the time we got there. I was honestly tempted to order one of everything off the menu. We ate dumplings, buns, rice & spring rolls. We also doused everything in 10 lbs of soy sauce. It was truly magical. 

After our late lunch, we walked our little food babies to South Street Seaport to catch Mac Demarco at the 4 Knots Music Festival. He was lovely. The stage was right by the water with a perfect view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Sometimes I just look around & I'm like holy shit, I can't believe that I get to do all of this right now. It's honestly been such an amazing summer in more ways than I can even write about.

After the show, we sat on some steps & people watched. We made the mistake of sitting directly across from a candy store called IT'SUGAR. It was three girls against a candy store & the candy store obviously won. I don't even like candy that much, but I walked out looking like I robbed a neighborhood on Halloween. You win again, peer pressure.

Love,

A

*ps: Isn't Vanella's such a silly name for a funeral home....no...just us...?