abaete sample sale

The Abaete sample sale started on Thursday at 11am and I was in the studio trying on my first dress by 11:02am. This is by far my favorite sample sale that is held about twice a year, and every time I leave with about two absolutely gorgeous dresses. If you don't know much about this brand, it started in Soho (the design studio is one floor above my office) and they are best known for their flirty and well-crafted cocktail dresses. Many of the designs incorporate geometric shapes in bold solid colored fabrics with details like silver exposed zippers. This year in addition to the silky cocktail dresses and retro-inspired swimwear, they also had beautiful cashmere knits and wool day dresses.

I left with three dresses: an argyle cashmere 3/4 length sleeve sweater mini dress (pictured), a navy and black scoop neck sleeveless sheath dress, and the famous strapless Rita dress (worn by Rachel Bilson!) also in black and navy. I think the black and navy combination is divine.

the beginning of hello kelli

I work as an architect in the heart of Soho on bustling Broadway and everyday I escape for a few moments to wander into stores and observe the fashions of the searching-for-work models (or just very tall and fashionably dressed normal people) milling about. I keep track of all of the stores in the area and when they start sales and how good the merchandise is that they have on their sale racks. I constantly visit all of the stores as soon as they release their newest season's items to get a good idea of which stores have great finds and which are not worth spending time in. I notice what each store has that is noteworthy and dismiss all that they have that should be forgotten.

I developed this blog so that I could share this constant tracking, observing, and inventorying of my favorite retail stores in the downtown area so others could hit the sales and stores that have just what they are looking for. We all know that shopping in New York is a sport all its own with the competitive spirit involved in sales and a massive tourist industry...good finds are only available for moments a time! I also want to share some of my own ideas about the things that I love: (and a little about myself as well!) architecture, fashion, watercolor painting, knitting, pop culture, celebrity style, shopping rules, and my "need-not-want-to-have" picks for the upcoming season.

I realize that some people reading my blog don't live in New York or don't have the time to fit shopping into their schedule, so I think it's important that l offer an online option for buying all of my "picks" on my site. In this way I feel like I am doing the research (visiting stores, seeing products in real life, trying items on, etc.) and I am presenting it to you so that you can make the decision to order online.

I get a lot of questions about where to buy certain items and what to pair with specific pieces to create an outfit, so please feel free to post any questions that you might have...any comments are appreciated! Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy!