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Bon Weekend: 5 April 2019

by habituallychic

04 . 05 . 19

After my press preview at Hermès yesterday, I decided to walk the entire length of the High Line to check out the first phase of the new Hudson Yards shopping and event complex. I had delayed visiting when it first opened due to the crowds and location. I wish it was more conveniently located because I would definitely visit more often.

Hudson Yards sits just south of the Javitz Center on what was the Westside Yard train depot for the Hudson River Railroad. It was a bit of a no man’s land but since space is scarce on Manhattan, it became valuable open real estate to be developed by many different companies. This rendering from The New York Times shows the buildings that have been completed in white and phase two buildings in yellow. This also shows that the views enjoyed by the current open buildings and the Vessel will seriously be diminished once the phase two is completed.

The Vessel is an “extraordinary centerpiece of Hudson Yards is its spiral staircase, a soaring new landmark meant to be climbed. This interactive design piece was imagined by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio as a focal point where people can enjoy new perspectives of the city and one another from different heights, angles and vantage points.” It is free but you must have a ticket which can be obtained online. It also has an elevator in case you don’t want to walk up all the stairs or are physically unable to do so.

The view of the Vessel from inside the Hudson Yards shopping mall. I was chatting with my architect friend Carlos Garciavelez last night and he informed me that the architect was the same one who designed The Shops at Columbus Circle which is why they look so similar. They even used the same exact glass curtain wall.

It’s exciting to now have a Neiman Marcus and other great stores in New York now.

I was most excited to visit Forty Five Ten, the iconic store from Dallas. I am sad to say that it didn’t live up to the hype. The colorful clothing was all mixed together which made the store look like it was filled with sale racks. It was also comprised of a few different stores which felt disconnected.

I saw a lot of accessory brands I already know but I did love the color block flats from Andrea Gomez on the top row. One of my Instagram followers mentioned that they are padded and very comfortable too.

The green velvet seating was pretty chic in Forty Five Ten.

I was surprised to learn that The Conservatory, another hot spot in Hudson Yards, was founded by Brian Bolke, a co-founder of Forty Five Ten. The two stores could not be more different. The Conservatory is a fresh approach to shopping filled with minimal and classic fashion, accessories, beauty, and flowers. It also includes an attached cafe called Teak Tearoom. Some items are available to take with you but others have to be ordered on their website. I’m not a huge fan of this concept but I’ll let it slide since I loved their edit of merchandise.

While at The Conservatory, I finally tried on a pair of Le Monde Beryl velvet slides. I’ve seen these shoes all over Instagram and wasn’t sure they were going to be comfortable but I can attest that they are padded and very comfortable, as well as chic. They offer more colors online but this is one of the fashions that needs to be ordered online.

I had already been looking for these shoes online and remembered seeing them on sale so I bought the Venetian backless velvet slipper shoes in navy. You can find other colors and styles on sale here and new styles here.

The one restaurant getting at lot of buzz at Hudson Yards in TAK Room by chef Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame. It has a view of the Vessel and a chic interior but good luck getting a reservation.

I didn’t eat at Queensyard but the casual take out kitchen and more elegant dining room from this London group looked lovely.

I’m very excited to watch the premier of season two of Killing Eve on Sunday night. If you didn’t see season one, you can should definitely binge it over the weekend. Sandra Oh got all the accolades for season one but it was really actress Jodie Comer and the fashions of her character Villanelle who stole the show. I hope she receives more recognition this year. Season two airs at 8:00pm on Sunday, April 7th on AMC and also in the UK on the same day.

Have you watched season three of Queer Eye on Netflix yet? It’s their best yet. I always think that if everyone watched this heartwarming show, the world would be a better place.

I’ve been wanting to link to this The New York Times fascinating article Rembrandt in the Blood: An Obsessive Aristocrat, Rediscovered Paintings and an Art-World Feud for a while. It highlights the discovery of a new Rembrandt painting and the players who are feuding about the find. I can’t wait to read the book when it’s released in the US.

And lastly, WordPress has updated to a new blocks format that is causing big problems with my blog template. It was created by the old media team I was working with who is no longer in business. If anyone has a web designer who can help me fix this issue or quickly create a new template for me, please let me know.

Bon week-end !

XOXO,

HC