New York in the Spring

This season, I decided to forgo my usual coverage of Montreal Fashion Week for a spring trip to NYC instead. The goal: acquisition of my first pair of Christian Louboutins. And, I'm very proud to report, this mission was accomplished three days in after a productive (yet financially crushing) trip to Sak's.

There are many adventures to report on before the monumental Louboutin purchase, which I will fill you in on over the next few days.

The Awkward Hanger-On

Upon our arrival at La Guardia, we met up with a very chatty stranger from our flight named Raffi who proceeded to share our taxi into the city. He gave us his cell number and did all he could to get in on our plans for the weekend, but we didn't bite. This was a girls' weekend, and there was no breaking the rules.

Not-So-Discount Shopping

After getting the evening off to a tipsy start with a bottle of champagne, we headed off to Filene's Basement and the Discount Show Warehouse (DSW) near Union Square. I've never had any luck with Filene's but I was pleasantly surprised with this particular location. Turns out that it's the best location in the city, according to my friend Danica, my co-shopper who doubles as a New York ex-pat and lover of designer deals. 

I found a pair of python Calvin Klein strappy heels for less than $100 (yay me!), and then headed on to DSW, where I hemmed and hawed over a pair of Marc Jacobs patent leather flats for over an hour.

I finally decided to wait it out, and am I ever glad I did. I found the exact same shoes at the Marc Jacobs store in Greenwich Village for $50 cheaper than they were at the "Discount" Shoe Warehouse, but by then, I decided to hold out for something even cheaper. While I'm willing to eat rice for a month to pay for my Louboutins, I just can't justify spending $250 for a pair of flats. Maybe a little irrational, but it makes sense in my head. 

The Celebrity Crush

After a marathon shopping sesh, we headed out to SOHO for our first dinner in the city. We ended up at a little Italian restaurant which also just so happens to be a celebrity hotspot. With paparrazi waiting outside we took our seats, and not long after, discovered Colin Farrell sitting at the table in front of us. Looking just like you'd expect:

As a matter of fact, he was the Colin Farrell we've read about in the tabloids too. His dinner date was a Playboy Playmate, and when he wasn't texting on his phone or making regular trips to the powder room, he was outside smoking. The grubby chic look was pretty hot though, I gotta say. We spent the whole night staring at him over our pasta, and I can honestly say that he looked over many a time, but it could have just been over fear for his safety around the stalker Canadian chicks...

The Trend

There were so many beautiful people in SOHO that night, and we discovered a uniform among the most beautiful of the beautiful:

4-inch stilettos (most often in a mini-boot or strappy heel)

shiny black leather leggings

oversized shirt

shrunken blazer

black quilted Chanel handbag

Anne Hathaway features a more conservative take on the trend below:

While one of the Olsen twins rocks the look to the maximum:

This look is delicious. I seriously contemplated picking up a pair of said leggings, but I really don't think they would fly in Ottawa. What do you think? Should we make this the Spring/Summer '09 trend here?