New York International Gift Fair

My first buying show! I was beyond excited to head off to NYC this past weekend to check out the International Gift Fair for some lines to carry in my upcoming showroom. I was drooling over so many of the booths at Pier 94, but was too nervous to take pics since there were signs everywhere telling me I could not do so. Believe me, it was very tempting to casually take out my phone and pretend I was making a call...

Anyway, first I wanted to share with you the awesome hotel we stayed in on East 57th Street called Renaissance 57. It was designed by Jordan Mozer who describes the design as "American Couture". I won't bore you with the history of the hotel, but ok maybe I will.

The building was owned by East Side fashion designer Morris Blum in 1875 and it was later sold to developers to turn it into a hotel for fashionable women in 1923. Mozer wanted to keep that initial design concept for the new design. One way he did it was by commissioning a light design in the foyer. It was modeled after pearls worn by Coco Chanel, shown in the second image. If it would have fit in my suitcase/not made a huge scene, I would have stole it...

I love those wingback chairs! We also ate at a favorite restaurant of mine, Fig & Olive. If you love olive oil, this is the place for you. The design of the restaurant is really pretty, with a touch of contemporary rustic. There are a few locations in New York all with a little different look to them:

Food was pretty much the other theme of the trip besides the gift show. I scarfed down my favorite pizza from Lombardi's and washed it down with tiramisu rice pudding from Rice to Riches. It is my guilty pleasure. With espresso crumbs on top, mmmmmm!! I also hit up the Macaron Cafe and snagged some macarons and french press coffee for the ride home:

All in all, it was a very successful trip, but you'll have to wait to see which lines I end up carrying! If you're local, you'll have to come in on opening day ;)

(P.S. Have you heard Bravo is going to have a show premiering in April called Million Dollar Decorators!!?? I'm so excited, especially since one of my favs, Mary McDonald, will be on it.)