Varsity Inspired Photoshoot

Last weekend, my amazing team and I embarked on a trip to Central Park at the crack of dawn in below freezing temperatures to capture the final shots for our Styling for Visual Presentation class. We'd finally made it to the last group project of the semester and were given the opportunity to shoot on location, something I was so excited to do. You can't beat natural light!

The aim of this project was to take a garment, in our case the cheerleader jumper (or 'sweater') featured below, and choose a location inspired by the outfit. Immediately we knew we wanted to capture the typical American varsity feel, and where better to do it than on the chain fences and bleachers of a ball park. These particular fields we found in Central Park. We were initially reluctant to use this famous location as we didn't want our shoot to look at all touristy or too 'green'; we wanted to achieve a moodier shot and I think we managed it!

We used the same model from our previous project and also collaborated with a photographer for the first time ever. We could not have achieved shots like these without both of them! This shoot was a great insight in to styling and location scouting for fashion editorials, and we are so happy with the outcome. 

We met at 7am which meant when we were leaving our rooms the sun hadn't even risen and the temperatures were literally freezing cold. Personally, my toes felt like they were about to drop off, so I can't even imagine how Andrea managed to rock some of the skimpy outfits. She was absolutely amazing; you wouldn't even know we were in the depths of winter in New York from the outcome. We celebrated the wrap of our photoshoot with a trip to Levain bakery on the Upper West Side to try their famous cookies - delicious!

Check out the rest of the shots below.

Aderyn x 

Photo Credit: Ellen Marszalkowski 

Maman Tribeca

This little cafe came to the rescue today after my weeks long hunt for granola. After visiting multiple places that claimed to stock my favourite breakfast meal, and being told they were out of stock on a countless number of occasions, the fact that I couldn't find any granola anywhere in New York City became a bit of a running joke. I'd often wake up early specifically to get to places before they switched between their breakfast and lunch menus in the hope that I'd get some, but of course that didn't happen.

Today, I was about to hit an (overly-dramataic) breaking point. We sat down in a cafe that claimed to serve breakfast until 4pm, but were then told by the waiter that they weren't serving anything off the breakfast menu at all. Aside from an $18 burger that I really didn't fancy, I didn't like anything on the menu, and in my frustrated granola-deprived state, I opted to leave the cafe as I couldn't face watching my friends eat with an empty stomach. I quickly paced to another one of the same cafe's locations, sure that they would be offering breakfast, but approached the building the find a sign on the door saying they were closed for the day. I could not believe my luck.

After a quick Google search of the best granola in NYC, I decided to head to a small cafe chain called Maman. I had been to their Soho location before for a quick coffee stop with my friends, but the menu at Soho was very limited so I didn't hold my hopes too high for the Tribeca location I was heading to. 

As soon as I walked in I cut right to the chase. I wasn't about to sit down and be told they weren't serving breakfast again, so before the poor waiter even had a chance to seat me, I asked if they still had the granola. The waiter must have thought I was so weird with the way I reacted to him telling me they did have it, or maybe he found it strangely endearing. Let's hope for the latter.

You'll all be glad to know that within 10 minutes I was sat down, granola and yoghurt in front of me and a glass of grapefruit juice in my hand. If you wanted to read about this cute little cafe spot then this is the bit you probably wish you could've cut to...

The interior of this place is absolutely delightful and the staff are so friendly! The menu was pretty extensive, offering lots of gluten-free and vegetarian friendly options within their all-day brunch. At the front was a seating area for those coming in for a quick coffee and slice of cake, and at the back was a quieter room offering full table service if you fancy sitting around and taking in the beautiful interior a little more. I was a little nervous having never dined on my own before (unless you count fast food restaurants) but it was lovely to have a bit of peace and quiet when New York can be so hectic. Had I known I'd be dining on my own that day I would've brought a book as it's not often I get the chance to read completely undistracted. Maybe this will become a regular occurrence for me - we'll see!

This is definitely one of the prettiest coffee shops/cafes you'll ever visit, so it's definitely worth popping in to one of their locations if you're ever in the downtown area. You can find a Maman in Soho, Tribeca and Greenpoint in Brooklyn. 

Aderyn x

Whitney Museum of American Art

The Met or the MoMA probably come to mind when you think of galleries in New York, but the Whitney Museum of American Art is definitely one of my favourites! The space which features five floors of modern art work is situated right next to the waterfront, providing beautiful views from the rooftop area. We were lucky enough to time our visit in the evening so we caught a glimpse of the amazing skyline lit up at night. 

We were advised to start from the very top floor and work our way down. The top floor is home to the work of Carmen Herrera, a minimal, abstract painter and sculptor. It was interesting the see the change in her work as she moved from living in Paris to New York. My favourite floor was definitely the Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art exhibition. The floor was separated in to many small rooms which featured different film experiences. One area had floor to ceiling black walls with cobalt blue strips of neon light running across the room to form a giant grid, while another was scattered with piles of film which crunched as you walked across them. It was way more exciting than your typical gallery! 

The Whitney offers a pay what you wish night every Friday from 7-10pm if you don't fancy paying the full admission price. The line is very long but it goes down really quickly. I'd recommend getting there for 7pm because there's so much to see, you'll want the whole time to get around!

Aderyn x

New Women Print & Zine Festival

New Women Space opened up in Brooklyn around two months ago, creating a hub for women to come together and share their knowledge, creativity and support. This weekend I attended their Print & Zine Festival to hear from some of these amazing women.

They had a variety of talks and workshops on throughout the day. One in particular that caught my eye was a talk from social media expert Jess Schreibstein about how you can use your social platforms to grow your business. As a blogger trying to grow my personal brand, and someone interested in online marketing, this talk was really useful and gave me a great insight in to the responsibilities involved in managing social media accounts. Jess was super friendly and her Instagram is a dream! Check her out here.

Once the talk was over I walked around the venue to look at all the amazing work. I got talking to a few of the women behind the zines and artwork being sold and it was so inspiring to see them putting their ideas out there for everyone else to read. I'd definitely recommend checking out a collective called The Bettys who were selling a small publication with a collection of short submissions about girls 'first times', and Tom Tom magazine which is dedicated to celebrating female drummers. 

I picked up a copy of Math magazine which is essentially a porno, but unlike the ones you might pick up at your local newsagents, this publication seriously pushes the boundaries; it celebrates women and diversity, and has loads of great content about sexuality and body image. 

I hope I get to go to a few more events at the New Women Space before I leave New York for good! It was crazy to look around a see a venue jam-packed with opinionated and passionate women who were speaking out about what they believed in. I'll definitely be back there soon! If anyone is in New York, it's definitely worth checking out their Facebook page to see what events they have on if you're in the mood to feel empowered - who isn't!? 

Aderyn x

Late Night with Seth Meyers

On Wednesday afternoon, myself and two of the girls attended a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers at NBC studios in Rockefeller Centre. Watching a show being recorded was one of the things I was dying to do while in New York, in particular Late Night, The Tonight Show or Saturday Night Live, so I was thrilled to get tickets. These shows don't cost anything to go and watch! You just have to apply for tickets through websites like 1iota, and if you're lucky enough you'll get given some. It's definitely worth looking in to if you're ever in New York. They tend to go up at the beginning of each month for the following month.

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any pictures once we were actually in the studio. It was crazy to see how much smaller the sets look in real life compared to on television. Another thing that shocked me was how fast they managed to film the show. I expected there to be a few slips ups and lots of takes, but you could tell it was very well rehearsed, and Seth Meyers is such a pro! He was super friendly the entire time of the filming, but as soon as he got on camera he just switched it on. He suddenly became fast and witty, reeling of lines and lines of script from the cue cards without batting an eyelid. It was so entertaining to watch! One particular bit from the show that amazed me was a segment about the election. He compared the reasons why people didn't like either of the candidates, suggesting just one reason for Hilary, but then going on a hilarious two minute rampage of the multiple reasons why people may not like Trump. He was spurting out the lines so fast, cue cards were flying, and he didn't stumble once! I have a new found admiration for TV show hosts. 

If anyone fancies keeping an eye out for my face in the audience then you can watch the 2nd November episode on nbc.com. I'm yet to check it out myself so fingers crossed I make a quick appearance. Our seats were right near the front so we may have been just out of the frame of the camera which was right next to us. 

Aderyn x

My Styling Classes

I take quite a range of classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology - everything from advertising to computing and styling - all of which come together to build the perfect curriculum to teach me everything I want to know. Two of the classes I am enrolled on involve styling; Photographic Styling focuses on small-scale, tabletop styling, and Styling for Visual Presentation involves photographing fashion and furniture. I wanted to share an insight in to the kind of work I do in these classes for anyone considering studying here themselves, or those of you who may just be curious as to what goes on in the classes.

These two images were taken in the Styling for Visual Presentation class. The brief for this project was to select a large scale object, then taking inspiration from its characteristics, create a set to place and photograph the object in. We came across this pink chair and thought it felt a little bit sixties. The pink screamed romance/lust, so we responded to this by creating a scene from a motel where a 'hookup' may have taken place.

We designed and printed our own paper for the walls, and found some old linoleum for the flooring. The bed was fashioned from a blanket thrown over a table. We decided to add in a few props such as the makeup and lingerie to suggest a story behind the object. It was really difficult working so large scale and having to create a set so large with minimal resources, but I always like a challenge!

This photoshoot was done in my Photographic Styling class. I find this class a little easier due to the set being much smaller in scale, which I prefer to work with. These images were part of our food styling brief. My group were given the subject of cocktails to photograph, so we all brought in props and food items and set this up on a table in order to create something that looked like it could have been taken in a bar.

The surface and backdrop tend to be the hardest thing to master, as it can be tricky to recreate a realistic looking environment for the subject. Working with food was much harder than our previous still-life shoots, as food is always changing. As soon as we poured the ice in to the glass it began to melt, so we had to work fast. The same occurred with the mint leaves. Shortly after we had chopped them up and placed them on set, they started wilting. This shoot definitely taught me to come prepared and organised, as you don't always have very long to get the perfect frame.

While I'm not sure if styling is something I will definitely pursue, it has been really helpful to gain an insight in to all the different aspects that go in to capturing a shot. I have learnt to consider how differently a set comes across on camera rather than to the eye, and lots of different tricks to help create a more visually pleasing shot.

Aderyn x

Smorgasburg Markets: Williamsburg

One of the best things about New York is definitely the food! All of our plans seem to revolve around where we want to eat that day. Yesterday we decided to try the Smorgasburg food market in Williamsburg. I had already been to the one in Prospect Park so fancied checking this one out to see how it compared.

Smorgasburg is on every Saturday and Sunday. It takes place outdoors during the summer, then moves to an indoor location in the winter months, which means you can visit any time of the year. It would definitely be one of the things I'd recommend to someone if they were only here for a week. And with so much to choose from, it's perfect even if you've got a few fussy eaters in your group. I treated myself to a beef brisket sandwich and gooey butter cake. Both were amazing! 

I personally preferred the Williamsburg location because of the amazing Manhattan views by the waterfront. Despite it being a bit chilly, we couldn't resist sitting on the rocks and tucking in to our food with the view of the skyline behind us. I'm amazed I didn't spill any food on my white trousers!

While you're in the area it's also worth checking out the Artist & Fleas market just up the road which stocks loads of amazing, independent creations like handmade jewellery, phone cases and candles. Another one of our favourite food places, Vinnie's, is just around the corner. This pizza take out place has fast become one of our favourites because of the huge selection of flavours and also the option for vegan cheese (one of the girls is lactose intolerant). If only there were more meals in a day! 

Aderyn x

Photo credit: smorgasburg.com & myself

OOTD: Lunch In Brooklyn

I recently got this amazing jumpsuit as a birthday gift from my sister. I love how baggy it is and it's perfect for layering! The weather was surprisingly nice this weekend so I opted just for a t-shirt and Converse, but with winter round the corner I know this will look just as fabulous with a turtleneck jumper and a pair of boots.

What was meant to be brunch, turned in to lunch (we're never on time for things). We headed to a bar/restaurant in Greenpoint that we stumbled across in our first couple of weeks of being in NYC but were yet to try called Northern Territory. Having been blessed with a bit of sunshine we headed upstairs to enjoy the amazing views from the rooftop area, along with some catchy old school tunes blasting out of the speakers. You wouldn't have thought we were in the depths of October. The french toast was definitely tempting, but I couldn't turn down a juicy steak with PROPER chips!

After our lovely lunch we headed back in to Manhattan for a Sprinkles cupcake and a spot of shopping. I decided it was time for me to invest in some proper underwear so went to get fitted at Victoria Secrets with the intention of treating myself. After spending about two hours in the store I still walked out empty handed, however, I do intend to go back this weekend and finally make my purchase. I just needed some time to think about spending $100 on two bras, although I've been convinced that it'll be totally worth it! My opinion of Victoria Secrets has definitely changed; I originally had it pinned it down as a tad 'basic'. I am not the kind of girl to walk around wearing a hot pink push up bra and that's all I thought Victoria Secret's had to offer, but I was wrong! I had such a lovely experience with the amazing staff and actually found a bunch of more subtle, sophisticated underwear that I can certainly see myself in. I can't wait to go and spend my birthday money!

Jumpsuit - ASOS
T-shirt - Urban Outfitters
Shoes - Converse
Sunglasses - Primark

Aderyn x

My Birthday Weekend in New York

Last weekend I became a 'proper' adult; I turned 21! I wanted to share with all of you what I got up to on my birthday as it was certainly a weekend I'll never forget.

My birthday was on the Sunday, so to kick off the weekend we went to the cinema to watch Girl On The Train on Friday night. I hadn't read the book so I had no idea what to expect from the film which I think made it even better. This film is right up there with Gone Girl and Before I Go To Sleep - all amazing! I'd never seen Emily Blunt (who I love) portray a role like this before which made it all the more interesting to watch. I love a film that keeps me on the edge of my seat!

On Saturday we took a trip to the Cooper Hewitt museum, my favourite museum in New York! I find the work here to be much more interesting and meaningful than a lot of other places, and there are always some interactive elements. It turned out to be free on the day we went, so if you don't want to spend a lot of money, definitely try and head there on a Saturday. We finished the evening with a trip to our favourite cupcake place, Sprinkles! I treated myself to my usual triple cinnamon cupcake as it is one of my few favourites that is still available at that time of night - I'm lucky that a lot of people hate cinnamon.

For my actual birthday on Sunday I managed to convince the girls to go rock climbing with me at Dumbo boulders. Some of the walls were very hard and sloped back on themselves which is something my amount of upper body strength cannot handle! I still did pretty well at the easier climbs. To reward our hard work on the boulders, we popped over the road to check out the Brooklyn Flea Market which luckily was in Dumbo that day. I picked a super messy salted caramel doughnut for my 'lunch'. It was definitely worth the chocolate marks all over my chin. 

Finally the evening came around and it was time for what we'd all been waiting for - a meal at the swanky Beauty & Essex! We spent ages getting ready together and dancing to some cheesy tunes. Just before we left the girls surprised me with lots of balloons and presents, as they sang happy birthday to me holding a tub of ice cream with big two one candles in. They'd obviously caught on to my frozen obsession! Of course this resulted in many happy tears from myself as I was so touched they'd gone to all this effort for me. We opted to take a taxi to the restaurant because we didn't fancy tackling the subway in heels. Best decision ever! Driving over the bridge in to Manhattan and seeing the skyline all lit up made me feel like I was in a movie. 

The restaurant itself was amazing. You enter through a normal looking door in to a room disguised as a pawn shop. At the back of the entrance was another door that led you in to the actual restaurant. The place was full of people and the atmosphere was incredible. We sat down and got straight in to ordering lots of food and cocktails. We were in there for a good four hours, drinking and chatting away. We racked up quite a large bill but it was definitely worth it! The evening turned out to be just as amazing as I'd hoped and will definitely remain as one of my highlights of my time here. 

We finished the night back home in a big giggly mess, dreading another week of classes ahead of us. I think we all just wanted to stay at Beauty & Essex forever! It was definitely the best 21st I could have asked for.

Aderyn x

Coping With Homesickness

Being away from home has never really caused me any problems. Aside from the odd fuss when I was younger, homesickness isn't an issue for me.

In the lead up to me moving to university, lots of people were asking me if I'd miss home and how often I would come back for the weekend. No one believed me when I said I'd be fine, saying it would hit me once I'd left. Admittedly, I did feel a little upset when my family eventually left me in my student halls with a bunch of strangers I was about to live with for a year, but any emotion soon vanished when I started getting ready for our first night out. There were times when I struggled with uncertainties about making friends, but time proved I was worried over nothing and now I have a wonderful group of girls that I love being with.

The only time I went home during my first year at university was for the holidays. Even during the two weeks my course had off for 'reading week', I opted to stay while every single one of my friends headed home. I just love the independence of being at uni, I love being in a city and I love being surrounded by friends. One of the worst things about being at home is that my closest friend is at least 15 minute walk away, and every fun thing to do requires some form of transportation. I know that it could be worse, but going from having your best friend living three rooms away from you makes any distance seem like miles. 

Then I decided to come to New York to study for four whole months. While homesickness wasn't a huge concern of mine, anyone who knows me knows I seriously suffer with FOMO (fear of missing out). When I moved to university this wasn't an issue. If anything, staying at home would've caused my FOMO to flair up even more seeing all my friends move to uni and start new lives while I continued doing the same thing. However this situation was different. My friends weren't going anywhere, but I was. They'd continue leading the life I enjoyed so much being a part of, just without me, and this is what I've struggled with.

Everyone thinks I'm crazy. 'But you're in New York!' they say. Yes, New York is amazing and this opportunity is amazing and I am so grateful for those who got me here. But what people don't seem to realise is that you could be anywhere in the world, but if your best friends aren't there to share it with you, you can't help but want to be wherever they are. Even if it is little Nottingham.

One of the toughest things about coming here was being thrown in to a very unfamiliar situation with five strangers. Moving to New York wasn't the same as moving to Nottingham. Everyone there was in the same boat. Here, us Brits are sailing on our own (excuse the pun). What if we didn't get along? It's not like at university at home where if you don't like your flatmates you can just make friends off your course or with the flat next door. To everyone else at FIT, this is where they're going to spend the next four years of their lives. For us, it's just four months. Of course, that's not to say I don't want to make friends with the students here, but knowing they're going to be in a completely different continent to me after Christmas makes me think my efforts would be wasted, putting even more pressure on my shoulders to bond with the girls I came with. Thankfully they've all proved to be super lovely!

A lot of my concerns stemmed from the fear of not making friends and missing out on what was going on at home. I thought I would share with you all three things that made everything a little easier for me.

1. KEEP YOURSELF BUSY

I felt my worst when I wasn't doing much, or I was doing something away from the girls. My FOMO would kick in and convince me they were all rapidly becoming best friends in my absence and I was completely missing out. Being on your own also gives you more time to worry over what your friends are doing at home. I felt much better after my jam packed weekend which you can read about here, because I was having too much fun to worry about anything else. Keeping yourself busy can seriously get rid of a lot of anxieties.

2. EVERYONE IS IN THE SAME BOAT

Anything you're worrying about, another person probably is too. In situations like this it's helpful to remember that you're all in the same position. Just chat to other people about it. I wasn't aware that a lot of the girls felt the exact same way as I did, but now I feel so much better knowing that I'm not on my own. It is difficult doing something as daunting as this with people you have only just met. Coming from a close knit group of friends, it's hard suddenly not having the same level of comfort and support that only comes with long term friendships. But everyone is away from their friends, so they'll probably be very happy to make some new ones.

3. FACETIME YOUR FRIENDS

I thought that this might make me feel worse. What if they had been doing amazing things while I wasn't there? In reality, it just reassured me that things probably aren't as spectacular as they appear to be on social media, and they're having just as many down days as I might be. It also helps having someone you feel comfortable with to chat to about all these things. My friends were great at reassuring me that I was doing the right thing, and anything I felt like I'd missed out on we could just do again once I got back.

A lot of people stress that you need to enjoy yourself because time will fly by, abut this only adds to the pressure. I feel like I HAVE to be enjoying myself at ALL times just because I'm in New York. This goes the same for university. I always felt guilty for having down days because apparently these are 'the best years of my life' and if I'm not enjoying myself all the time then it's a waste of an experience. But having down days and learning to deal with them only adds to the experience and makes you come out of it a more matured person than when you started.

Aderyn x

A Wonderful Weekend

This past week has been tough for me. I spent my previous two weekends volunteering at different events, and while I did come to New York to enhance my CV, I was beginning to feel like I was missing out on what this amazing city has to offer. This was also met with feelings of homesickness as the reality of how far away I was from my family and friends was really beginning to kick in. I finally had a whole weekend free to myself so I took the opportunity to start ticking things off the long list of things I want to do while in New York.

FRIDAY

Friday was a late start. Sleep seriously needed to be caught up on, so I stayed in late and didn't rush to get ready like I feel I've been doing for the past two weeks. Lucy and I headed out to collect Grace from FIT as she had classes that day, then travelled downtown to the West Village to grab a bite to eat at By Chloe. This small chain boasts a delicious selection of vegan meals and treats. I'm not vegan myself, but I was more than happy to sample from the wide selection, and honestly, it was just as delicious as anything else I've eaten here! I had the 'meatball' sandwich from the cafe, then nipped next door to where they sold all the sweet treats and enjoyed a vegan peanut butter cookie. 

Next we headed uptown a little to the Chelsea area to watch improv at the UCB theatre. This theatre caught my eye as it was mentioned in Amy Poehler's book Yes Please, which she set up with some of her colleagues to give up and coming comedians a stage to practice on. Tickets were only $10 (and even cheaper on Mon-Thurs) and we got to enjoy an hour of hilarious sketches by two different groups of comedians. The first focused on some of the everyday experiences of travelling on the subway, something which I can definitely relate to having lived in New York for over a month now (I can't believe it's gone so fast!). The second performance was from a group of women dressed as men, making light of some of the infuriating things men do. I can already tell I'll be visiting this place a few times while I'm here, and it seems like the kind of place I could comfortably go on my own if no one else fancied joining me.

SATURDAY

On Saturday we opted to explore the uptown area, particularly Central Park. We were going to check out the Guggenheim Museum but a lot of the rooms were closed, so we figured it would be more worthwhile coming another time. It was a beautiful day so we took a stroll round Central Park. Parts of the park were fenced off and we could see long lines of people weaving around the park. It turns out there was a festival on that day. If we listened close enough we could hear Kings of Leon playing in the background. 

For dinner, we travelled down to Penn Station to a Mexican restaurant called Lucy's Cantina Royale which we had passed a few times but never had the chance to try. I was so impressed with the selection of food and the prices were amazing for somewhere in central Manhattan! The restaurant has a lovely rooftop area where we chose to sit, offering views of the street down below and the Empire State building. It was so nice to have a proper sit down meal and the chance chat to each other without any distractions. 

We finished the evening by rushing back to Brooklyn to watch Suicide Squad at a cinema close to our accommodation. Unfortunately we did miss a bit at the beginning, but it didn't hinder the experience. I'd heard a lot of bad things about the film, saying there was a lack of plot and that it wasn't very good, but I personally really enjoyed it. You could tell there was a lot of footage that had to be taken as the film felt quite fast paced, jumping from scene to scene, and the joker hardly featured in it as much as I had expected. Still, I was impressed. 

SUNDAY

Having missed the Smorgasburg food market last weekend due to volunteer work, the girls went again on Sunday to give us a chance to check it out. Sunday's market is located in the beautiful Prospect Park, which we wandered around for ages before eventually arriving in the right area. I treated myself to a pork baguette, an ice cream sandwich, and a much needed ice cold, homemade lemonade. I walked around and eyed up all the stands before making my final decision, and I noticed some other cool food like the viral sensations raindrop cake, rolled ice cream and ramen burgers.

We headed home and relaxed for a little bit before going back out to visit the Photoville exhibition which was just round the corner from where we are living. We were a little late so had to rush round it before it closed, as Sunday was the last night. Photoville featured a variety of photography projects and displays that were each presented in their own shipment container. There was an exhibition on Bill Cunningham which was lovely to go and see, and there was also a lot of work on gun crime and Black Lives Matter which as very moving. 

We finished the evening with yet another Shake Shack (honestly, we are ALWAYS there) then headed home ready to start another week of studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology! 

I felt this weekend was a well deserved break for me, and I hope that all weekends are just as jam packed as this one.

Until next time,

Aderyn x