what i'm up to: my fashion's night out itinerary

If you're a fashion nerd like myself, you've definitely noticed that NYC's Fashion's Night Out (Sept. 10!!) is literally taking over the fashion world at this moment. Luckily, I'm going home to New York that day to help out at the rag & bone show on the 11th and will be one of the lucky (and most likely, overwhelmed) attendees of the fashion retail phenomenon! It's really tough to decide which stores to go to on the evening of the 10th, considering nearly every participating MAJOR store will be featuring celebrity/fashion celebrity appearances, free cocktails, and sweet giveaways...so what's a fashionista to do?

Every blog is posting it's recommendations for the evening: Racked has its Top Ten Lists, The Cut breaks down how to do FNO on a budget, Vogue provides a $100 and under shopping guide, and Style.com's beauty blog outlines where to go if you prefer make-up to clothing, not to mention the countless tweets from FNO's official Twitter that keeps myself and the rest of the fashion set up-to-date on the evening's latest developments. After careful consideration and rigorous prioritization, I have narrowed down the options and created a MUST-DO list for myself for the BIG night:

• Start the night of right at Bergdorf & Barney's- lot's of designers and Vogue editors partaking in funny, entertaining antics, plus MK and Ash bartending... Duhh I'll be there!!!
• Make my way downtown to the Chanel store in SoHo to pick up a bottle of the limited edition Jade nail polish from the FW09 show, and HOPEFULLY get a free manicure in the hue if the line isn't too tremendous!
• Stop by Bleecker and Perry Streets to check out the Teen Vogue block party and pop into the rag & bone stores for a few to say hi to my former/semi-current co-workers.
• Check out the Opening Ceremony block party to witness some fave designers selling their goods out of the trunks of awesome old school cars.

No doubt that I'll swing by a bunch of random yet exciting stores along the way, but these are my TOP priority! I hope my friend Rebecca agrees with what I've picked out for us!!

Look out for major postage following this weekend of major fashion life!! Eeeee!!

Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa

time out: happy birthday cheffrey!

Create your own FACEinHOLE

I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to someone I've owed a NTP post for a long time: Jeff "Cheffrey" Khasin!! Jeff is probably the world's GREATEST Neon Tea Party fan, and I would like to show him my appreciation by making this post especially for him! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the funniest, tallest, smartest, greatest man in the world! I hope that this year brings you much happiness, success and chefability!

Peace, Love and CHEFFREY,
Marisa

time out: midnight movie madness

Just got home from the midnight showing of The September Issue. FABULOUS! Aside from the documentary's fashion context, I really enjoyed seeing all of the energy and creativity that goes into the development of each issue. Grace Coddington is my new hero! Anyway, if you love fashion and/or magazines, or are just interested to see what Anna Wintour (the real devil in Prada) is actually like, definitely check out the movie. If you're free and in NYC tomorrow evening, head to the film's 7:40 PM showing at the City Cinema 1 2 & 3 on 3rd Ave between 59th and 60th (across from Bloomies) where director RJ Cutler and American Vogue's flamboyant editor-at-large André Leon Talley are holding a post-screening Q&A session. I'm soo bummed that I'm missing it!!



A lovely surprise in my little midnight movie outing was the trailer for New York, I Love You -- you know, the New York version of Paris, Je T'aime !! I'm expecting this movie to make my heart melt, as I LOVE New York and I LOVE love. What could be better??

(Another side note, a small popcorn at the movies tonight cost $6!! What is this city coming to?!)

Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa

summer '0neon: a very merry un-birthday to you!

If you remember my Summer '0Neon to-do list from May, you'd know that #1 on the list was tea time at Alice's Tea Cup. Go figure that I wouldn't make it to Alice's for an un-birthday party until my last week at home in New York, but nevertheless, #1 has been checked off the list. The list, by the way, is about 80% complete!! (Never did get to play soccer this summer.) My oldest friend Shiran and her friend Sam joined me yesterday afternoon to munch on scones and sandwiches, wear fun accessories and take lots of silly photos. I CANNOT wait to go back there with a big group of friends!! (22nd birthday in NYC perhaps??)






Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa

what i'm up to: cali excursion

{photos by the talented alexandra ivy black}

Needless to say, California was amazing. Biking across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausilito, watching a meteor shower from the top of a hill, becoming one with the hippies on Haight Street, soaking up the sun in Santa Monica and Venice Beach, and eating the BEST sundaes at the Ghirardelli ice cream parlor are just some of the highlights of our memorable end-of-summer excursion. Traveling at this age is the most incredible experience, especially when it's done Neon Tea Party-style: only partaking in the most fun activities available, jam-packing your days, and EATING LOTS OF YUMMY FOOD. Oh yea, and going in ANY and ALL cute stores that you pass!

I'd like to give a shout out to everyone that let us crash at their homes during our week as wandering tourists: Uncle Joe, Aunt Shelly, Brianna and Jamie, Aaron, Amanda, Deeba's grandparents, and Francine; as well as those who acted as our trusty chauffeurs: Alexia and Ilyssa!! We would have been lost (or ultra broke) without your generosity!!







Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa

...be sure to wear flowers in your hair

Off to San Francisco with Alex tomorrow to meet up with Allison and discover our hippie roots... then LA on Thursday!!

Majorly wonderful blog posts to come post-Cali excursion. Yay!!

Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa

love these girls: olsen obsession

Hello. My name is Marisa and I am addicted to MKA.

If you were to ask me who my greatest fashion influence is, in a heartbeat I would say Mary-Kate and Ashley. For the past 10 years of my life, I have been following their fashion choices in awe and adapting them (consciously and unconsciously) into my own way of dress. At 10, it was twin sets, capris and butterfly clips. At 16, it was band t-shirts, ripped jeans, oversized sunglasses and bright-colored flats. Now, at 20, I wear millions of bracelets, Ray-Ban aviators, large rhinestone jewelry and liquid leggings--just like MKA. A couple weeks ago, I attended a showcase for the band The Sleepy Rebels with Amy and the rest of the crew from entertainment PR firm Susan Blond (Amy's place of internship). There, I met a friend of another intern who told me about this MKA blog, Olsens Anonymous. I quickly forgot the name of the site, but luckily stumbled upon it yesterday. Needless to say, I don't know that I'll ever get anything done again. I sat the site for a good two hours last night, scanning over the images of my beloved style icons as I did everyday after class in high school on another random German MKA fan site. I hope you all enjoy this blog as much as I do. It is BEYOND fabulous.

Above is a collage of inspirational photos of the twins and their impeccably cool style.

Okay, back to manning the front desk on my last day as a rag & bone intern. Tear.

Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa

what i'm up to: adios rag & bone

Tomorrow is my last day of the summer interning for rag & bone...didn't i JUST start working here yesterday?? Summer '0Neon is officially on its way out. Here's a photo of the interns at our intern appreciation/goodbye party. It's been so sad saying goodbye to everyone. Working here has been so great and the interns are all really awesome--at least most of us will be reunited at the show next month! CANNOT wait for that!!!

Alex and I jet off to San Fran on Monday to meet up with our little China girl, Allison, making her way back from the big HK, then we go to LA on Thursday. Definite California dreaming at this point!! Please leave recommendations of things to do in those two cities--we've gotta make it amazing! Thanks yo.

Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa

apw's renegade craft fair

What's better than a music festival showcasing all of your favorite bands? A music festival showcasing all of your favorite bands AND providing you with some great shopping to go along with it!


As I mentioned in my last post, one of the features of All Points West was the Renegade Craft Fair, a tent filled with booths of recycled vintage jewelry, screenprinted t-shirts, unique guitar straps, original jewelry designs, and so much more. Amy and I obviously had a ball in the tent between shows and bought ourselves some beautiful souvenirs.


Amy's first purchase was this mother-of-pearl teardrop necklace from designer Vivi Sun. I'm surprised she was even able to decide on one necklace because she wanted everything!



We then moved on to the P Charming booth where you could purchase little charm bracelets and necklaces on ball-chains and even customize your charms. Amy chose a silver ball-chain necklace and added two colored stones, a silver flower and an "E" as a birthday gift for our friend Emira. My favorites were the black ball-chain bracelets and gold ball-chain necklaces with funny little gold charms, like dinosaurs, cupcakes, and handcuffs.

Amy's final purchase was a simple silver necklace with a chain tassel pendant from the Species by the Thousands booth. Check out this designer's nature-inspired jewelry, especially this double-finger twig ring. Big fan!



I, myself, was searching for something inspired by Paris to be my good luck charm in being accepted to the Paris Internship Program. After scanning through all of the antique charm necklaces and original metal work, I found this necklace, a tiny map of the City of Lights encased in a small glass dome. The company that makes it is called The Weekend Store and also sell jewelry made from vintage typewriter keys and pieces of broken watches. I added a strand of neon yellow thread to my map necklace (go figure!) and it looks awesome!! Let's just hope that the good luck charm really works.


Another jewelry designer from the craft fair worth mentioning is Ornamental Things, another recycled vintage jewelry designer who crafts necklaces, earrings, rings and pins from vintage charms, buttons, metal and other nick nacks.


I also must give a shout-out to the Choonimals guys who so generously tattooed Amy and myself with the cartoon animals featured on their kitschy t-shirts. Their line, whose name is based off of the name of an Applebee's waitress that once served the guys, is a collection of random animal doodles that have now been screen printed onto shirts, underwear and even baby onesies.

Although I would have been perfectly satisfied with the music alone, the craft fair added that extra special something and made the weekend that much more enjoyable! Hope you all like these designers!!

Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa

for the love of the music

Although All Points West consisted of neither heart-shaped sunglass wearing nor Gala Darling spotting, it was so much better than Amy or I could have ever imagined.



You've gotta figure that your weekend is starting out right when the first thing that happens on Friday morning is your stumbling upon a major motion picture movie set, spotting Gerard Butler and getting free lunch from the set's food tent. Yep, that happened, and that wasn't even CLOSE to the highlight of the weekend.




The weekend proceeded with epic performances by the Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, Jay-Z, the Arctic Monkeys, the Ting Tings, the Black Keys, MGMT, and Coldplay, among tons of others, as well as massive dance parties lead by some killer DJs, a craft fair filled with original (and affordable) jewelry and other tchotchkes, surprisingly delicious food (Amy and I were a fan of the veggie quesadillas, arepas and corn-on-the-cob) and trippy sculptural structures reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and Across the Universe.





Have I mentioned that all of this took place in pure mud? The rain from Friday evening and Sunday morning caused Liberty State Park to turn into one giant field of muck and made the weekend all that more memorable and amazing.



Saturday also consisted of two exciting celeb spottings! First was Adrian Grenier walking on the side of the stage where the Postelles were performing. Amy and I ran after him to politely ask for a picture, when he told us that his band the Honey Brothers was performing next and asked if we were going to stay to watch them play with a photo-op following the performance. Although we had planned to watch the Arctic Monkeys' entire set, we compromised and left their show in time to catch the second half of the Honey Brothers and get our picture with our gorgey boyfriend Adrian. The other spotting was English über-model (and personal model fave) Lily Donaldson. She was on our ferry back to NYC and was getting off the boat at the same time as us, as in, standing RIGHT NEXT TO US. She was with two other model friends and some groovy boys, and she looked absolutely stunning in her M.O.D. loose white tee, black cut-off jean shorts, black lace-up boots, oversized fringe bag and black beanie. Yet another model added to this summer's model spotting list!



Aside from the performances by some of my fave bands and amazingly lucky celeb spottings, the ultimate moment of the weekend was my experience sprinting through the mud from the Coldplay performance to catch MGMT end their set with "Kids," only to turn around and sprint back for Coldplay's encore. Did I care that I was covered in smelly mud, sweaty, out of breath, pushing through hundreds of people? Absolutely not. It was all for the love of the music, and I can't imagine a better reason than that.



Peace, Love and Neon,
Marisa