Rainy ☂ Tuesday

As if we haven't been blessed enough by the gorgeous weather in New York lately, it is raining again and according to weather reports...again tomorrow. Fabulous. As much as I would love to blame the rain for ruining my day, it hasn't. I am happy to inform the world that I am having a great day, and I really hope my peers are too.

The day started with a two hour bus ride due to weather traffic. Fashionaunta and I arrived at work a little later than usual, but Sing had a project waiting for me right as I entered the office and threw my bag onto my desk. Our job was to sort clips (articles that mention any of Iconix's brands) by dates, and insert them into slip covers, followed by putting them in their individual brand binders for 2009 press. By doing this, it allows PR to go back and see the press we've received in 2009 for our brands. Sing and I rocked out to my MJ playlist in the conference room, and finished a lot faster than we thought we would have. When we proudly went to Tara with multiple completed binders, Tara told us there were ten more buckets of the exact same thing that we thought we were finished with. LOVELY.

Me, Sing, and Coco went downstairs to Café Duke for lunch. I finally ordered the perfect salad and enjoyed it very much! Our three senses of humor combined was refreshing and entertaining. We then walked to the Verizon store up the block so I could get information about getting a new phone. Fashionieceta l♡ves her new technology.

After our time was up, Sing and I ran to drop off returns to the Danskin showroom, and then went to the Bongo showroom on our way back to the office. We flew up in the elevator to the 30th floor. I have a few issues; one of them being heights. My legs felt like they were made of steel and were extremely heavy, and I started to have a hot flash like a menopausal woman and sat down on the closest chair. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I am aware that I have problems. When we got to the ground floor, I felt like I weighed five pounds compared to the way I felt on the 30th floor.

Fashionaunta just treated everyone to Starbucks!! I love her, and that is one of the many reasons why.

If you haven't seen the new Charisma ads with Jason Lewis, check it out. Fuego.

JEALOUS that Fashionaunta got to climb into that bed with him.

Spending the night at our favorite cousin, Geri's place in the city tonight! Love her.

XXO- Fashionieceta

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Fashionieceta Falls Behind.

It's been way too long!! My fault, I know. However, the past week was filled with events, and a special holiday. On Wednesday, there was a major brawl between Igor and Fashionaunta. Fashionaunta decided that she wanted to park on the side of the parking lot that had smooth gravel, and when Igor told her she couldn't, her response was "Yeah, I can." From that point forward, Igor lost his temper and disrespected her in front of several other bus riders. When Aunta asked Igor to please agree to stop, he kept going. This caused Fashionaunta to yell the loudest I have ever witnessed in my life. This was extremely shocking, especially because I was at the back of the bus with my friend, Alex aka A. This was a huge mistake on Igor's behalf.

At night, the family surprised Fashionaunta with a tiny birthday celebration because her birthday was the next day!

Thursday morning, we had a new bus driver. This was most likely due to the several calls our bus company received after Wednesday's occurance. Nonetheless, it was releaving for Fashionaunta because she could enjoy her birthday morning with no problems.

When I got to the office, I started to work on little tasks that needed to be completed. I was interrupted by Pants, who came over to my desk and suggested that we fetch Fashionaunta caviar to serve to her during her lunch break. After researching the different places we could go, we wound up choosing The Russian Tea Room. I made sure that Fashionaunta's caviar was prepared with crem fresh, egg whites, onions, and whole wheat toast points. At around 12:30, I left the office to run to The Russian Tea Room. To my surprise as I was bbming Datty Fatty, none other than A and his business partner come walking out of the subway entrance. After a very flattering introduction to A's business partner, I was off to pick up the caviar. This big city is truly not as big as one would fathom.

Fashionaunta died over her caviar set up and was very grateful. At 3p.m., everyone met in the conference room for cake that Abby made. One was funfetti with vanilla frosting, and the other was white cake with chocolate frosting, which happens to be my personal favorite. After two pieces of cake, I had a falafel. After the falafel, I had more caviar. Pants had to tell me to stop eating. Sad.

Friday, A and I had a brand new driver that we had never seen before. I don't know if this means that Igor got switched to another bus schedule, or if he was booted. Either way, Fashionaunta no longer has to deal with Igor's craziness. And as for the rest of us, we wont get morning bus sickness from the way he drives. If he had known better, Igor would have shut his trap the second Aunta suggested he did, because you never know what she can bring to the table.

For the first weekend in a while, I decided to stay on the island! I slept in Saturday morning after a subtle night at home, which felt very refreshing. It was raining, but it didn't stop my cousin Carly's soccer game. Carly is in fourth grade and a great defense player, and I can honestly say that I haven't been that into a soccer game since my ex and his team were playing for the title of State Champions in his senior year. Watching her play and getting worked up got me thinking of joining a sport myself! Following the intense game, the whole family went to lunch. These are the moments that I miss out on when I'm lounging in the city! I needed the relaxation and family time more than I had realized. Family and sleep played a huge factor in my weekend, and I loved every second of it, and being able to nap in the middle of the day was ideal. The weather, not so much.

Today is PANTS' BIRTHDAY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PANTS WE ALL LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Until next time.

XXO- Fashionieceta.

PS! Follow me now on Twitter. www.twitter.com/fashionieceta

Fashioniece Freekend: 10

Friday was my busiest day at work last week, and I loved every second of it. After clearing up my Bryant scenario, I had much to take care of. I picked out 60 guys shirts, 60 womens shirts, and another 60 boy shorts and tank tops to send to LA for the VIP lounge at the Op Presents concert on October 27th. After I purged the Op closet of 180 items, I helped Tara with the seating chart for the Badgley Mischka Spring 2010 Bridal Show that was being held in their showroom on Sunday. Amongst the guests, there were two attendants with the last name "Poon". I personally got quite the kick out of it. Following this, 225 packets needed to be printed out and stapled together for our BM show guests. This four-page packet consisted of the names of the models and the name of the dresses, in order of which they were to be presented. Once this was done, I had time to waste and went into the PR closet, where I saw the most amount of returns I have yet to see in my time here at Iconix. (When Sing sees those today, she will most likely have a panic attack.)

After work, it was off to Tessa's, where we ate a full box of Kraft mac and cheese to ourselves... each. We then went up to our friend from home, Chris' room, and hung out with the dudes. After about an hour and a half, Tessa and I returned to her room where we got ready for the night out. The night ended earlier than usual for us, around 3a.m., and the next morning left me drained and ill. I made it back home Saturday night where I received much needed TLC from Bubbie.

The next morning was Sunday, and luckily enough, Bubbie's apartment building was holding their annual brunch where everyone in the building is welcomed to come down and get to know each other and eat. I had to leave early from the brunch to head to the train station and into the city for the BM Spring 2010 Bridal Show.

I arrived at the showroom at 1p.m. I hadn't seen Mark and James in a while and I was genuinely happy to be in their presence again and working for them. Sing and I placed names on seats for one side of the room while Jess and a temp from the fourth floor did the other side. When we were just about done setting up, we watched the models do their run through of the show. After the run through, camera crew started filling in and Sing was sent downstairs to be the bad guy and tell people that came before 2:30 that they would need to come back, or wait to take the elevator up to the 22nd floor. When I looked around the room, I saw a familiar face. Remember the ORIGINAL Fashionieceta Freekend? The striving director that my cousin and I befriended was setting up right inside the BM showroom. What a small world! I had not seen him since that one crazy weekend, but was pleasantly surprised to reunite. Who knew, ten weeks later, he and I would be working at the same event? Crazy. Once everyone was ready, the showroom got uncomfortably crowded. People came out of the elevators, right behind the camera crews, which left the front of the showroom with everyone packed like sardines. People started to mingle, but in the wrong place. Eventually, time got crammed and everyone needed to be seated. Ironically, I sat the Poon's.

As Sing and I watched the models and the dresses go by, I turned to her and said "This is our life". Sometimes it occurs to me how fortunate my normal has become, and I appreciate it all over again. The last dress happened to be my absolute favorite, and when I told Sing, she mentioned that she could totally see me in it.

When the show was over, I went back stage, and Sing and I discovered food in the room where the models had been prepped. Obviously, it wasn't gone, so we helped ourselves. After the show, I said goodbye to the boys, and fled to the upper west side to retrieve my debit card that I had left behind accidentally the day before. Before I knew it, I was home watching Desperate Housewives and catching up on 90210.

Yesterday I left work early and went to bed at 6p.m.

Until next time..

XXO-Fashionieceta.

Fashionieceta Finds a Flyer

Yesterday, while running a morning magazine errand with Sing, we were walking up 40th street, just above 6th Avenue right next to Bryant Park, when I stopped her from walking and screamed. I saw a little green bird on the sidewalk, stuck in a crack between sidewalk squares. A man picked it up and handed it to me, starting to talk about how it was a domestic bird and probably flew out of a window of somebody's. I brought the little birdie into the magazine store with me, holding onto it in my hands making sure he was warm...assuming it's a he. As we were walking back, I realized that Sing and I had to name him! A man walked up to us and said "If you want to name your bird, you have the perfect name, Bryant." Genius! I decided to bring him up to the office since he was so content in my hands.

The first stop we made was the 4th floor to show Keryn, our brilliant receptionist, our new little Bryant. Keryn, and everyone who saw Bryant fell in love. I brought him upstairs and showed everyone. Some people thought he was cute and some asked me "wtf" I was doing. Eventually, Bryant was held by CoCo Cruton and Rebecca and seemed fine. Someone gave me a box for Bryant, and when I tried to put him in, he flew! I was able to pick him back up, and after that, he stood and hung out on my pointer finger as I walked around the office and came back to my desk. When I tried to switch him onto my left hand in order to have my right available to type, he flew away again, but this time higher up onto the ceiling. He landed on a piece that is holding our office vent onto the ceiling, and fell asleep.

After a few minutes, I climbed on a desk... and a box, and gently snagged him off and decided to go ask Keryn downstairs for help. She set up a big box with a bunch of holes, and put a scarf that was being donated on the bottom of the box, and cut a cup which I soon after filled with water. I monitored Bryant for the rest of the day, and made sure that he got back into his box after flying out of it once around 6 p.m.

My Datty Fatty is the best father in the world, and supports my hockey obsession like no other in my life. With that said, he surprised me with two Ranger vs. Kings ticket's for last night at Madison Square Garden. I was so excited to finally see my Kings play, and this was my first time seeing them play away from home! It was also my first time attending any event in Madison Square Garden. I was accompanied by my friend Davis, who is a long term friend that I know from back home in LA. He came wearing his Lakers beanie and I came with my LA pride. When the Kings scored a goal, I stood up and screamed as loud as I do when we're at home. I was the only person who stood up in my section, leaving the rest of the section to turn their heads, look at me, and say "Are you serious?". It added a little bit of fun to the game with playful rivals and intoxicated hockey fans surrounding me. Sadly, my boys lost. However, I had an amazing time and am truly grateful that I had the opportunity to go.

As I was leaving MSG, it was 9:40p.m. The next train back to the island was at 9:45 and Bryant was still in his box at the office. I had the option of running back to the office and getting Bryant, which would leave me taking the 11:14p.m. train and arriving back to the island around 12:30a.m. So, after a call to Bubbie, I decided to leave Bryant in the office for the night, where he would be safer than outside on the sidewalk where I found him.

This morning as I was on Igor's bus, I received a Facebook notification from Justine aka Meme in our office saying that Bryant was loose. When I arrived at the office, Bryant was back in his box on somebody else's desk. I took him back to mine, and made sure that he was okay. He sat in my hand completely content as I worked and I was falling in love with him by the second. I put him back in his box so I could finish a task for the VP of Marketing. I took Bryant into the bathroom to see if he wanted to get a little bit of flying out of his system. He flew for a few seconds and I watched him like a nervous mother. Bryant landed in the trash can. I held him before I went to lunch, and then put him back.

Sing and I went to Forever 21 so she could pick out a cute outfit for a special occasion this weekend. We grabbed lunch, and on the way back parted ways while she went to the Danskin showroom and I headed back to the office. The first thing I did when I got to my desk was put my lunch down and go to check on Bryant- but his box was not where I left it. I asked around and heard someone in the back playfully say "We freed him!". I was really hoping that this was a joke, but as I kept asking around, no one would crack. I went to Keryn on the fourth floor and asked if she had taken Bryant and she looked at me and asked if I was kidding. Bryant is gone.

Someone in my office, on the eigth floor decided to take it upon themselves to take my bird and let it outside while I was out for lunch. The bird that I was planning on taking home and finding a home for. I am in utter shock and dissapointment that someone I work with would betray my trust, invade my personal space, and take Bryant and "set him free". He was a domestic, beautiful bird, and I was very excited to take him home and let him fly around in my room tonight. No one will tell me who took it upon themselves to act on such poor judgment, and the person who did it had the courage to take what belonged to me, but not come to me and tell me that they were the ones who did it and at least humor me with a minor explanation. Disappointment is an understatement for the way I feel right now, and I'm going to miss Bryant a lot. I can only hope that someone rescued him the way I did and he finds a proper home.

Until tomorrow.

XXO- Fashionieceta.

Fashionieceta Friday: 9

Yesterday, we had a Candie's Spring 2010 meeting where everyone presented slides of possible Candie's ad ideas for the upcoming shoot. When we walked into the conference room, there was assorted candy spread out in a straight line across the table on white plastic plates. There were red hots, cherry o's, gummy bears, huge Double Bubble gum balls, spiraled Twizzlers, bubble gum Pop Rocks, and an unknown candy that looked like contraceptives in pastel colors. This candy tasted like styrofoam and had strange tiny colored balls inside of it. No one in the conferece room could finish one to tell you what it was. However, the bubble gum Pop Rocks seemed to have been the biggest hit. I still have a pack sitting in my purse and still remain curious to how they will work.

Amongst the slides were very fun ideas. While someone was presenting, there was an idea of having the same bedroom with four different scenarios in four consecutive nights in one picture. In one of the pictures, there was a trashy Christmas celebration going on. Someone then pointed out the black santa and the majority of the room couldn't spot him. We then noticed that he was slumped in a chair in the corner, with a bottle of liquor in his hands, resting on his big belly. "Now that's a real black Santa," said Ev, the Senior Marketing Manager. The entire room had a great laugh, and that just goes to show one of the many reasons why I love Iconix. And Ev.

TGIFF!! (Thank God It's Fashionieceta Friday). I'll be returning to the island tonight to keep it easy and have some family time at the Fashionaunta Zoo, aka home. I'm very much looking forward to a relaxing night, and sleeping in tomorrow morning.

Until next time..

XXO- Fashionieceta.

Fashionieceta + (Op)portunities.

As of a few days ago, Igor, our very passionate morning bus driver has seemed to have his briefs in a twist. I hopped on the bus at the last stop on Monday morning, only to find Fashionaunta informing me that she had been reamed out of the blue for her hot food in the morning. No one had complained, but he told her that people may in the future and that she needs to stop bringing it on. What's great is that no one has bothered him to tell him that he reaks of cigarettes and body odor every morning, and quite frankly, that's a little better than a bagel or oatmeal. He then drove to the city like a maniac, causing me to be unable to walk straight immediately after exiting the bus. Tuesday, Igor was our driver on the way home. This was my first experience being driven by Igor in the evening. He was a few minutes early, but everyone who usually hops on the 5:37p.m. bus seemed to be at the stop, so I didn't think anything of it. At the next stop, I noticed people starting to run and people on the bus were telling Igor that people were running to catch their ride home. He raised his voice and exclaimed "I cannot stop for them. I am on a strict schedule and I have times to meet." Then, I had to speak up. I told him he was early, and had several people agree. Four minutes later, Igor yelled at the bus and said that "he is a dispatcher and he knows the schedule." Clearly, he didn't know the evening schedule all too well. He then pulled over, pulled out a schedule, and moped in his seat for five minutes due to the fact that he had been proven wrong. Once we were "on schedule", we headed home. Once again, a crazy ride that left me nauseous. I'm really not sure what could be going on with Igor, because in over two months, this is the most uptight I have ever witnessed him being and it's very disappointing. It makes everything stressful when really, it's so light and easy. I am hoping the man does not lose his mind.

In other news, I finally have another exciting experience to share. Yesterday was kind of a big day for me. I modeled for the Spring 2010 Op look book. This time it wasn't in the conference room, it was in a real studio with real photographers. There was a white back drop, lights, and tons of clothes. (I will definitely be rocking tons of Op this upcoming season.) I was photographed jeans, t-shirts, dresses, more t-shirts, more dresses, tank tops, etc. And then, I noticed there was an entire rack of bathing suits. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I did not know that I would be getting in bathing suits and seeing this made me nothing but nervous. I knew I would have to get it together somehow, and convinced myself that this was all part of the opportunity and experience. Due to a last minute snafu, we needed a different male model. At 1:30p.m., none other than Model Jon arrived at the studio and modeled for the Op look book as well. Fashionieceta and Model Jon in a photo shoot together? Who knew? Being in a bathing suit in front of a camera and several other people was nerve wracking, but having a close friend that I'm comfortable with made the situation a little lighter. Model Jon was quick and fast, but my shots lasted for four hours. By the time we were on my last five outfits, I could feel myself fading. However, the experience in itself was so much fun and I would gladly do it again.

Another fun fact that Coco Cruton pointed out to me this morning was Joel Madden's Twitter background picture. Not only is it extremely cool that he is wearing an Op flannel, but that flannel happens to be the one that I gifted to him on set of the "Back to School" shoot in June this year, where I worked as a stylist assistant. I vividly remember our conversation about that exact shirt, and Joel then later coming to the wardrobe truck asking if he could have another in a different color. I sarcastically replied that he was bothering me, but brought him the black and blue flannel minutes later. We were bff by the end of the day.

Today it is back to the office. There is a Candie's Spring 2010 brainstorming meeting that I will be sitting in on along with everyone else on the 8th floor. If there is any juicy gossip, I will make sure to share. But, everyone must keep their mouths zipped up tight.

The weather widgit on my computer AND online said that it was going to be 70 degrees today. However, I am freezing when I step outside! I am praying endlessly for the 70th degree to rise on everyones thermometer. If not, Fashionaunta will kill me because I assured her that it would be a nice day. But I wasn't playing games, I dressed for the nice weather too. Eek!

Until next time..

XXO-Fashionieceta.

Fashionieceta Freekend: 8

On Thursday, there was a buzz in the office around 4:45p.m. that Jay-Z was downstairs on the fourth floor with The Big Man. The man who's newest album sold 476,000 copies in its first week, put him No.1 on the Billboard album chart, with this being his 11th No. 1 album, was a four floor elevator ride away from me. Given that it was the end of the day, I was granted permission to go down to the fourth floor and lurk around until I saw The Jiggaman himself. I walked in through the glass doors of the fourth floor, and walked straight up to our impeccable receptionist, Keryn. Before I informed her of what I was really doing on the fourth floor, I checked my surroundings. (I've learned from being in New York that checking your surroundings before you speak is equivalently important to thinking before you speak because you never know who is standing within earshot around you.) Luckily enough, I spotted a very tall, white, older man sitting on the waiting couch. Instantly, I knew this was The Jiggaman's personal body guard. Fortunately enough, Keryn allowed me to man the desk for a short while. Eventually, I heard The Big Man's voice, and slowly turned around. There was Jay-Z, right in front of me. We made eye contact, smiled, and he kept walking while I kept staring. He wasn't short, but he was smaller than someone would think. He was sporting a greyish jacket, similar to the American Apparel signature hoodies, with dark blue jeans, and Timberland boots. I was muted while I observed the "Godlike", extremely well-known, and successful man only feet away from me. Once he was gone, I darted out of the office to spend the night with the Fashionieceta's favorite cousin Geri.

Friday was just simply a great day. I slept in an hour and a half later than I usually would due to the fact that I was in the city, and arrived to work at my usual time. I felt refreshed and ready to work. Pants swung by my desk and told me that I would be working on a project that I am not permitted to speak of freely at this time. At 10a.m., Pants and I left our office, and headed to another building eight blocks away from our office. Immediately, I got to work. I unraveled five cases of vitamin water, and relabeled every single one with a new label that was specially designed for the meeting that we were setting up for, and helped set up mannequins. Before I knew it, I was starving and ran out to grab some lunch. At 1:45p.m., my two best friends here on the east coast Tessa and Hannah skipped class and joined me in a look book photo shoot for this very special meeting. The shoot was outstanding and fun, and we started to get really creative with our outfits. The clothes we were wearing made me hate my current wardrobe, but hopefully soon I'll be able to snag a few of the pieces from this line! Like they say, whoever "they" are, "Time flies when you're having fun," and before I knew it, it was time for me to head back to the island for the night.

Saturday afternoon, I headed to the city. When I arrived at Tessa's, our roles were reversed. I sat on her computer while she cleaned her room. Yes, I am usually the one who cleans her room due to a minor case of OCD. I decided to video chat with my twelve year old brother, Lucas, since I don't get to see him anymore. Lucas then brought the computer downstairs and I was able to see my entire family. It was a heart-warming feeling that was much needed, and fulfilling.

It was my friend Eleni's birthday, and we had 11:30p.m. reservations at a restaurant called Lips, located in SoHo. It's referred to as the "Ultimate Drag Dining" restaurant. Our waitertress was hysterical and dressed in a black mini dress with a yellow belt, and a purple wig, with sky-rocketed confidence. We all loved it. The food was some of the best food I have had in the past two months and the show that was put on was side splitting. I don't doubt that I'll be returning for another night of fun at Lips. Tessa and I went to bed at a quarter to five.

Sunday morning, Tessa, Gigi (her roommate), and yours truly decided that we wanted a good brunch. It was such a beautiful day in NYC and we didn't mind for one second that we were walking aimlessly to a restaurant because the sun is no longer taken for granted here in The Big Apple. We wound up at Europan, where they had a restaurant set up outside. The service was unfortunately the worst service I believe I have ever experienced in my life. I was so disappointed and bothered that my day was then backed up and rushed. I do not like being rushed.

I caught the train back to Long Island and met up with my amazing Bubbie. We went straight to Fashionaunta's house from the train station where we then had a few minutes to sit and talk with Fashionaunta herself. Bubbie, Fashionaunta, and Fashionieceta- three generations in one room. I value those moments because they don't come very frequently and I always feel so at ease. The whole family attended dinner at a very upscale Italian restaurant in celebration of Bubbie's 71st birthday. Bubbalicious downed her Baybreeze, gladly leaving me as designated driver, and spending the night with her watching Desperate Housewives and then passing out.

Was that really Fashionieceta Freekend Eight?! Wow.

Until next time..

XXO- Fashionieceta.

Frustrated Fashionieceta.

I woke up Fashionieceta frustrated this morning, and I would more than love to share the reasoning behind it. Lauren Conrad just had a book released that wasn't written by her, but that she took credit for. It made New York Times' Best Seller List, and now the rights were just bought to make it into a movie. I give the girl major kudos for making it this big, but I will never understand how she did it. At fourteen, I hung around a Bongo shoot where the cast of Laguna Beach was modeling. LC was lifeless. She didn't say a word, she never made a facial expression. Now, she's a designer, owns her own clothing lines, has a book that she didn't write that is now being turned into a movie, and just quit her reality TV show that was paying her $100,000 per episode. Last September, I worked as a stylist assistant with LC and Lo Bosworth on a Seventeen cover shoot. She was a nice girl, but nobody to gush over. LC seemed to talk more than when she was mute three years prior, and seemed to have amplified confidence. She also rubbed me the wrong way when I heard how belittling she talked towards Lo by calling her names like "Sweetie" and "Honey" and talking to her like she was five years old and slyly making sure that Lo's outfits were not as spectacular as her own. The following February, I was fortunate enough to work as a stylist assistant on the cover shoot for Cosmopolitan with LC again. She was easy to work with, talkative, and this time a little bit more personable. I respect her for making herself somebody out of nobody, but still can't seem to comprehend the big hype on her. Looking at all of this from my personal viewpoint only makes me feel more motivated to make something out of my life, similar to the way she has. However, I will still remain perplexed as to how she got to where she is now.

Yesterday I left work early to be with my youngest cousin, Cammy, while the rest of the family secretly went to the Yankee game. I took her to dinner at a place she had requested to go to on the island. She is six years old, and her plate alone was $25. I have never personally spent quality time with her as I did yesterday, but it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Lately at Iconix, I have been doing a lot of arranging. Yes, it's not the exciting work that usually takes place, but it needs to get done and that is partially why I am here. Undoubtedly, I will have exciting news to write about soon. I would also like to add, that the Big Man informed me a few weeks ago that I could stay longer here at Iconix. Grateful is an understatement for this opportunity, and I am so excited to learn and experience even more.

Until next time...

XXO- Fashionieceta.