Welcome To New York (The Time I Met Jenna Lyons)

I have been going to New York City since I was a kid. My entire family is from New York, so each summer we would go and visit them and for me, spending time in the city was the best part of the trip. I loved taking the train into grand central, hopping into the cab and watching the city speed by as we drove around. (I once counted how many McDonald's I saw in one cab drive, I believe I counted 62.) I loved the fast-paced feel of city, the fabulous people, the lively history. A day in New York City is never the same, and that is the most exhilarating part. My first memory of the subway was seeing two girls, each with long, spiked purple and pink hair; my first memory from the Met was an elevator door almost closing on me, distracted by a painting hung above the elevator, and my nonnie grabbing my arm and pulling me in. There was nothing more exciting than all the museums, the art, the culture, and of course, the shopping. Once my mom told me at the age of six that New York had all the best shopping, I was hooked. During this, the shortest of trips (40 hours at best) to see a friend, the one thing I insisted on doing in my short time there was to go shopping. (And eat some sushi.) 

So on Saturday we headed to soho. Though it's congested on a Saturday, it's still really pretty- the facades of the buildings, the cobblestone streets, fashionable people walking by. As we passed a Sephora, we decided to go in just for a minute to grab something. When we walked in, I saw a woman with an uncanny resemblance to Jenna Lyons, the creative director at J.Crew. I am a huge fan of Jenna Lyons, I think the work she does is incredible. I love her sense of style- fresh, modern, inspired- and I look up to her career path as something that I'd like to model my own after. As I mentioned this to my friend, she too believed it was her, and after ten full minutes of pretending to look at lipstick I worked up my nerve and went up to her and very quietly asked if she was Jenna Lyons. And very quietly, she said yes. 

At this moment, she was with her children, and not there for any sort of public event, so I made it quick, telling her how much I loved her work, thought greatly of her career. I was wearing my beloved J.Crew coat at the time, and said how much I loved it, to which she replied, "I saw you wearing it, it looks fabulous on you." At this point I was trying not to lose my mind. She quickly introduced her very polite children, and then I said it was very nice to meet her and she said the same. She was incredible nice, energetic and full of life, and effortlessly stylish. 

How's that for exhilarating? We weren't even going to go into the store, and there was a woman whose career I deeply admired, who I managed to have a conversation with. After that we made a quick exit, and once outside I was literally shaking. I still can't believe it happened! 

We celebrated with lunch at Nobu, more shopping, and in honor of meeting Jenna Lyons while wearing my J.Crew coat, we did a quick shoot in the outfit I had on. I wanted to feel a little dressed up for my day in the city, but still comfortable. I opted for my black skinny jeans, suede boots, a black sweater over a white button-down blouse, and my trusty PS1. This black floppy hat tied the entire look together, and it was under $30! 

This is one of those beyond incredible moments that I will hold close to my heart, and one of the reasons I love New York so much- anything can happen.