Why am I not still in New York?

I am home, to be honest I would rather be back in the big city than sat in my cold uni room trying to keep warm with my little candles and mini radiator ( which I'm certain I've blown by trying to get it to work faster). Yes New York was cold, -4 to be precise but atleast I was wrapped up and surrounded by the bubbly atmosphere of happy Americans and fabulous shops.

I did all the touristy things of New York, Rockefeller was my absolute favourite. The Views were incredible and reached out as far as the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. I also visited the Empire State and walked round the outside at the 86th floor, freezinggggg I could hardly take photos by the end of it but it was 100% worth it. The Flatiron Building was around the corner from our hotel and we had to take a trip to Grand Central station due to being a fan of Gossip Girl! Soho was very cool, it was the image of New York I had prior to my trip. Streets of boutiques and high end shops on one end and then the spaced out vintage area on the other. Times Square was full of selfie sticks and bright lights.

We went to the FIT Museum that had an exhibition on Denim and Fairy Tale fashion. I will be doing a separate blog for this as it was amazing and I have lots of photos to show on this!! Think Snow White, Alice In Wonderland and Little Red Riding Hood interpreted through dresses, gowns and shoes.

I didn't go too extreme on the shopping, but then again its fair to say I shopped. Victoria's Secret was huge and had a fabulous sale on so that lead to

a little bit of

money spending. Sephora became our new obsession, I  blame the beautiful interior and monochrome colour palette, if we saw a store we would go in and even when we promised each other we would not buy anymore...of course we came out with something. Urban outfitters, a favourite of mine caused a little temptation and i did splurge a little on my new cropped grey hooded Calvin Klein jumper.

I learnt a lot about the American Fashion industry and their methods of promotion and style. I loved the customer service in every shop, people were generally happy to help and chat to you about your day...something i feel England could take note on.  You had staff come up to you and compliment your outfit or make up and ask where we were from and what were studying etc, generally happy people! Inspiration was everywhere, the long never-ending streets were packed with creativity and energy for you to grab ideas from. Generally experiencing such a huge city and hearing so much about NY before i came beat my expectations and I learnt a lot purely due to the comparison of London and NY.

Here are some of my favourite moments of New York, i will be blogging about the Fashion Institute of Technology exhibition, Sephora purchases and my favourite store interior that I came across in ' & other stories'.

Have a look at my Instagram for more New York reminiscing// niamhryan.x

Christmas Spirit in NYC

As my countdown to the big apple trip is in full swing ( 34 days to be exact) i thought today i would blog about the best of the best window displays that consist in New York this Christmas. From Macy's to Bloomingdales there is no hiding that this year its all about the bigger the better 3D designs, strong and contemporary themes.

Traditional wintry themes of icicles and snowscapes run throughout, with Barney's taking it to the next level by transforming windows into ice lockers featuring live ice sculpting and continually growing ice caverns. Department stores partner with world-renowned sculptors, florists, luxury brands and childrens’ television shows to create striking Holiday windows

Lets have a look at the best...

Barney's

An overarching theme of Chillin’ Out, which is taken very literally in these 2 displays. Barney's brought in ice formation company Ice Castles to create a fully operational ice locker to continually grow an ice cavern throughout the duration( image on the right) The second display, In the live performance, raw blocks of ice are carved into sculptures using chainsaws, chisels and drills to celebrate and glorify the craft.(image on the left)

Saks Fifth Avenue

Adopting a cold, icy feel in its Winter Palace-themed windows. More than 225,000 lights have been used on the facade, transforming the store into a winter palace complete with crystal spires, towering icicles and snow-covered magnolia arches. The windows represent some of the world’s greatest wonders, reimagined in subzero temperatures.

Bloomingdales

Bloomingdale’s partnered with world-renowned florist Jeff Leatham for this year’s windows, entitled Holiday Through the Senses. The displays reference each of the five senses through floral assemblages, faceted sculptures and props. Best collaboration I've seen!

Macy's

Inspired by Charles Schulz’s Peanuts gang, and are a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The windows are 3D representations of six iconic scenes from the animated television special, featuring characters Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and Schroeder among others.