i like my money where i can see it, hanging in my closet

Last week, I was so lucky to join a group of amazing bloggers for a whirlwind 24 hours with Payless, meeting with Christian Siriano, Lela Rose, and Patricia Field!

I flew back to Manhattan on Wednesday night, and went straight to a cocktail party with Christian, who I'd actually met through Payless when he visited Houston in October! We got to hear a little bit about what's coming up for him (including some super-high platforms that I cannot *wait* for), and spend some quality time with each other! I'd really missed Keiko, Kim and Jessica, and it was so fun to meet Kendi, Andrea and Helena for the first time! If you guys don't already follow their blogs, you should definitely check them out!

On Thursday, we went for a tour of Lela Rose's amazing home -- and she cooked us breakfast! It was basically my dream home -- and who knows, in Texas we might actually be able to create something like it in our budget! (In Tribeca, not so much!) Lela was so down to earth, and after seeing her Fashion Week shows for the past few seasons, it was nice to actually spend some time with the woman behind the creations! We also got to preview her Spring collection for Payless, which are coming out soon, and I can tell you already that there's a pair of wedges you'll be seeing on me in the next few months!

But the highlight of my trip (and quite possibly of my year) was getting to meet Pat Field, the genius costume designer who changed fashion forever with Sex and the City. How many of you guys fell in love with fashion for the first time on that show? I feel like it was one of the first times that the clothing on a television show was as important as the acting or the story -- and as high a caliber. We each brought a few items of clothing to swap with each other, and Pat helped us pull together the final looks with Payless shoes and accessories! We all audibly gasped when she took a headband and turned it into a necklace for Kendi's collared shirt -- seriously inspiring.

For my post-swap look, I wore a dress from Helena and a sweater from Andrea, both of which I'm now seriously obsessed with. (It's funny how we all have such different styles, but even wearing each other's clothing, we all managed to look totally like ourselves!) I paired them with a pair of blue suede Payless heels (similar to these) and totally loved how the outfit turned out.

Such an incredibly fun trip, and so great to be back in New York quickly! Although, I have to say, it was tough to put on a jacket for the first time this season -- I'm clearly getting spoiled by Texas weather!