Saturday October 15th – Day 1
9:30 AM – Lindsay and Stacey board the Amtrak to NYC! A few episodes of Glee on our computers and we’re there!
1:30 PM – Struggle to catch a cab at Penn Station and Lindsay’s watch goes missing…not a good start…
2:00 – We check into the fabulous Omni Berkshire Hotel in Midtown, thanks to our friends at the Omni in Boston. Seriously, if there is an Omni wherever you are traveling, STAY THERE! They are all so classy and gorgeous, we were in heaven!
3:00 – Explore Midtown a little…we search for a Starbucks that the concierge told us was a block away, but never find it (more on that later) and end up getting sandwiches nearby.
4:00 – Make ourselves pretty and presentable (takes longer than you’d think).
4:30 – Wind ruins our hair as we wait for a cab outside of the hotel…Stacey and Lindsay are NOT happy.
5:00 – Check into Pier 94 (where bridal market is held) and have our first meeting with Anna Elyse, yay! We don’t want to give too much away but let’s just say we are SO excited about her new bridal line. We absolutely fell in love with one gown with a textured skirt…stay tuned! She is expanding and growing her bridesmaids’ line as well and added two new fabrics, chiffon and charmuese. Go Annie!
6:30 – Lindsay and Stacey struggle to figure out where to go to dinner. They end up at the hotel restaurant (Fireside) like major losers. The salad in the parmesan bowl was fab though!
7:30 – Conference call with Flair’s owner Christine to discuss what we’ve seen so far. We are so excited already!
8:30 – Asleep…not kidding. The beds at the Omni were too amazing to resist for too long and poor Stacey is under the weather. Such a trooper!
Sunday October 16th – Day 2
6:00 AM – Time to wake up and get ready! We are sure to use ample Rave hairspray to avoid yesterday’s windy fiasco. P.S. Stacey confirms that the Omni has the best hotel shower EVER. Bonus!
7:30 – We’re out the door and immediately go looking for Starbucks…which we again did not find. Eventually we stumbled across one several blocks away (with the help of our smart phones – seriously, what did we do before those things?!). A fabulous man in a morning coat compliments Lindsay’s trench and sunglasses (the glasses are forever 21, he thought Tom Ford). Her day is made. Then, a turn for the worse: our lovely cab driver starts to drive away with Stacey still half way out the door. She swung her way in though, crisis averted.
9:00 – Appointment to see a potential new bridal designer, Junko Yoshioka. Such nice guys and gorgeous dresses! We have the best job ever!
10:00 – Time to meet with the Jenny Yoo ladies! We love them! Let us start by saying that Jenny has such a good idea for a bridesmaid’s dress that she is in the process of patenting it. Yes, you heard us, a patent. Can’t wait to show you ladies when the samples come in!
11:00 – Meeting with Coren Moore and her team. They are THE sweetest ever and we love hanging out with them, and of course seeing their new styles! We love their new chiffon pieces, which we’ll have in the store in the coming WEEKS! Eeek, so excited!! Plus, later in the season we’ll have a gorgeous bridesmaid’s dress with a ruffle detail and you know how we love us a ruffle!
12:00 PM – Quick trip to see our accessories designer, A.B. Ellie. Ashley is a true genius when it comes to bridal and bridesmaids’ belts. They really add SO much detail to our dresses. We added a few new pieces for the store and we know our girls are going to L-O-V-E them! Plus, we love seeing Ashley and her sister, they are so down to earth and fabulous!
12:30 – Off to Nicole Miller! Her dresses are so much fun, we love seeing them on the gorgeous models. Plus, she has A-MAZING party dresses that are really well priced!
1:30 – MUCH needed lunch break! Stacey and Lindsay wander the waterfront area for awhile and stumble upon a cute little pub. Slow service but great food, just the pick me up we needed!
3:00 – Lynn Lugo time! We are SOSO excited about Lynn’s new styles! In particular, there are three new tops with ruffle details that we fell in LOVE with. They are super cute and wearable, trust us! Plus, she came out with some great soft colors that we think will be very popular this year. Lynn and her husband Pete are the cutest couple ever, so we just love to chat and catch up with them. Plus, they gave us these amazing cups with her logo on them which we now use every day!
4:00 – Definitely time to grab a coffee in the buyer’s lounge area. We are starting to fade!
4:30 – Quick stop at Dessy. Theirs is always an easy one, we know we’re getting everything! We figured out what colors we wanted and were on our way!
5:00 – Our last meeting of the day is with 57 Grand. We love these ladies, definitely be on the lookout for them. They get the best magazine exposure ever and landed another Martha Stewart editorial just recently! They have a super cool bridal style with a removeable tulle skirt, so cool!
6:00 – Headed back to the Omni!
6:30 – Hour and a half conference call with Christine, we have SO much to discuss!
8:00 – Stacey and Lindsay get brave and venture out for dinner! Watch out NYC here we come! We went to this adorable Italian restaurant with THE fastest service ever. The entrees were there literally 2 minutes after we ordered, crazy! Plus, our waiter had a crush on us and gave us a glass of wine on the house. Not gonna lie, we needed it!
9:00 – Back to the Omni, we laugh and watch The Proposal and fall asleep by 11:00 (such rebels after last night).
Monday October 17th – Day 3
6:30 AM – Wake up time! We were ready super early yesterday so we slept a little later.
7:45 – Out the door, we try yet again to find the “close” Starbucks but again end up at the farther one we went to yesterday. Whatever, we’d travel miles and miles for the bucks.
9:00 – Meeting another new designer, Amy Kuschel. She is THE perfect fit for Flair! Her bridal gowns are definitely going to be a step up for us and we KNOW our girls are going to love them! Plus, former Flair girl Leah works with them at her new bridal boutique so we got to catch up with her there. We miss her! Ladies, you are going to DIE over these dresses, we are counting down the days until we can start showing them to you!!
10:00 – Travel to the Intercontinental Hotel where Siri is showing. She got the presidential suite there, go Siri!!
11:00 – Meeting with Siri. She has an absolutely adorable rouched sweetheart style that we know will KILL at Flair.
12:00 PM – Last stop of the trip, Badgley Mischka in Times Square! No new styles but it was still so nice to see their showroom, it’s gorgeous!
12:30 – Quick change into scrubby, train clothes in the Omni bathroom. We ask the concierge yet again where the closer Starbucks is…and still don’t find it. We are convinced it doesn’t exist.
1:00 – Quick lunch in Midtown. We get to eat outside because it is so gorgeous out!
2:00 – Amtrak home! A man and woman behind us refuse to stop talking even though the train is supposed to be quiet. We give a few mean glances, to no avail. On the brighter side, Stacey meets a new man (in the form of an adorable 7 month old baby, who was a major flirt).
Tuesday October 18th – Back to Flair!!! We only wish we had all of those new styles with us, but we should have a lot of them soon after the new year! Stay tuned brides and maids!
We had the best time at Bridal Market this year and we are so excited to share all the new gems!
Here’s to a happy, successful, beautifully dressed and healthy 2012!
XOXO
Lindsay & Stacey
