Every December our dear friend Matt hosts a swanky black-tie party in a penthouse in the city with epic views of the Empire State Building. When we were in Stamford it was an easy trek in for the night but now we live too far to a quick trip in. Because we'd never miss an excuse to catch up with Matt, his partner Ron and our dear friend Kerry (fun fact: she was the stylist on the holiday shoot a few years ago that featured Chris and all of our close friends!), I watched Hotel Tonight like a hawk. Much to my delight a room popped up at the Lotte New York Palace on the Thursday before and I jumped on it! I've always wanted to stay there.
We got all dressed up for a night on the town - New York City is pure magic at Christmastime and it was just the right trip to get us into the holiday spirit for the season! I took the black-tie dresscode to heart and paired a classic tuxedo shirt with a satin bow tie and this crisp plaid skirt from JCrew. My exact bowtie (actually C's wedding bow tie that I borrowed!) is sold out but you can buy basically the exact same one from JCrew factory for $18. I impulse-purchased this fur stole from one of my favorite instagram discoveries and it was SUCH a good buy! I've worn it almost every weekend to dress up a party look, but it also doubles as a very practical stole as there is a hidden slit on one end that allows you to tuck one end in. I didn't get any good photos of C and I together, sadly, but he looked VERY dapper in a classic tuxedo with a skinny blackwatch plaid tie.
It was already dark when we headed out to the party so we actually woke up early the next morning (hence my tired eyes ;) to take these photos when we had the entire tree + courtyard to ourselves. It was even more magical to take in all of the decor in the quiet of the early morning! Totally worth getting up for.
This little trip to the city has become a sort of tradition for us and I hope it continues for years come.