NYFW: Nina Athanasiou SS15

NYFW: Sheena Trivedi SS15

NYFW featuring Sheena Trivedi SS15 at The Designer's Loft NYC

NYFW: Meira Lavin of vente-privee

NYFW: Meira Lavin of vente-privee

I used to be of the mind, "If I'm going to buy it, then I need to wear and feel it in person."  Well that was until the whole flash-sale craze occurred.  What used to be a tactile style of shopping gave way to convenience and in a way, laziness.  Now I can sit at a coffee shop or lounge on my sofa scrolling through pages and pages of brands and styles.  No longer am I pounding the pavement so to speak, rummaging through isles of clothes, or waiting for a fitting room.  From the comfort of my house, I can shop until--well I guess I've already dropped since I'm reclining on my sofa but you get the point.

If you've ever shopped at Gilt, My Habit, or Hautelook to name a few, then you have vente-privee to thank for that.  I had the pleasure to meet Meira Lavin (Merchandising Director and Senior Exec for vente-privee) at the American Skybox during MBFW.  She held a personal Q&A for the skybox but I had the opportunity to chat with her afterwards.  She explained the history of vente-privee and how they changed the way we thought of shopping.  But as a consumer and an avid online shopper, I wanted to know the details (here's a recap of our converation).

COG: Tell us a little about vente-privee.

ML: vente-privee is a French company that started the flash-sale concept.  We provide big designers and name brands at great prices (She went on to talk about the outfit and the brands she was wearing.  All of which were deeply discounted.)

COG: Do you reach out to brands or do they reach out to you?

ML: It's a little bit of both.  We reach out to brands we like but also they reach out to us.

COG: Are the items usually old stock from previous seasons or current?

ML: For the most part they are current.  We obtain items that are overstocked at retailers or from the brands themselves.

COG: Thank you for chatting with me and enjoy the rest of NYFW.

NYFW: Sherman and Preston

Sherman and Preston

Beyond friends, Sherman and Preston are a design team that I've supported since day one.  For their Spring/Summer 2015 collection it was about showing how five or six pieces could be mixed and matched to build an entire wardrobe.  Houndstooth was a common pattern throughout, but paired in various ways to create dressed-up and casual looks.  Like Sherman told me, "It's all about Manssentials."

NYFW Outfit #3

Wardrobe
Suit: ASOS
Shirt: Zara
Shoes: Gucci
Watch: TOKYObay

NYFW Day 2

Great running into old faces and meeting new ones outside MBFW.

G Star x Pharell Williams at Wall Street
     RAW FOR THE OCEANS: Denim from recycled ocean plastic. #rawfortheoceans

NYFW Outfit #2

It's been a grind jumping from one show to the next.  I've racked up the subway miles and my feet have seen better days (wholesale on blister pads).  Still wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

Wardrobe
Pants: John Varvatos Star USA
Shirt: Original Penguin
Shoes: Too Boot New York
Watch: Cuervo y Sobrinos
Bandanna: Old Navy

NYFW Day 1

Jack Spade at IAC

Birchbox x Bonobos