Twinkle By Wenlan

By Christine

Nothing makes our office smile quicker than cupcakes and Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea is definitely one of our favorites.  It has an old-fashioned and vintage feel, but no long lines at this little neighborhood gem (not to mention any names!)   We adore the cupcakes but don’t forget to try the variety of scrumptious cakes and pies.  How about a Red Velvet Cake for your special Christmas party? Or why not simply select an array of delicious cupcakes and let the guests find their own favorite?    Anyone who lives in Chelsea will tell you that this is his or her go-to destination for a little sweet indulgence.  But don’t worry; they’ll deliver their decadence right to your doorstep.
www.billysbakerynyc.com

Delicious Cupcakes from Billy’s Bakery

By Christine

If we do say so ourselves, our gift bags this year were quite terrific.  Not only were they in Etoile, our favorite print du jour, but they were also reversible and were the perfect accessory for our runway show.  Inside was an abundance of goodies.  First there was Redken Real Control shampoo and conditioner which were perfect for some rehabilitation for post-Fashion Week hair.  Then we had Paul Robinett candles which are flawlessly fragranced with only the purest essential oils and guaranteed to relax any fashionista.  Lush provided their Dream Cream which were in the cutest little jars and perfect for our dry winter weather ahead.  Creative Nail not only did our models’ nails, but also provided glamorous polish for all of our guests.  And let’s not forget the scrumptious and fashionable MarieBelle chocolates in their adorable little boxes.  A great thank you to all our guests for arriving to Bryant Park at 9AM on a Monday

Our bag of goodies!

I am not sure who’s to blame, but we were under construction during fashion week.  Here’s a picture of the building manager, Budd (I think that’s his real name), painting while everyone races around trying to get ready for the show.  I think he’s smiling because young, gorgeous models keep traipsing in.  He never loved his job this much before.

Budd Smiles as the Fashion Week Frenzy Kicks In

New York fashion show is in three days. It’s time to be ready for the perfect show, but we realized that some gift bags have a problem. Today, I am a bag inspector. I have to check 6 boxes of bags. I spend all morning to inspect and take out ugly bags. In case you find any mistakes on the bag, please forgive me generously.
I’m sure you’d love the bag specially offered by twinkle by wenlan. I’ll see your smile in the show.

Gift Bags in a row- just for you!

After the Twinkle show ended and we were all packed up, a few of the other interns and I thought we would try to talk our way into some other shows, with our all important backstage passes still swinging round our necks from  how hard could it be, right?

After an hour of hanging around by the ‘standing room only’ line, trying to come up with good excuses to why we weren’t on the ‘list’, being bluntly refused to two shows, and generally getting in everyone’s way, we admitted defeat. Tired and starving, with tails between our legs we wandered off to find brunch and then catch up on sleep.
Oh well there’s always next year!

the spring 2009 strut

This was my first fashion week, a learning and amazing experience. I got to see what the big deal was. It’ kind of surprised me, not exactly what I was expecting. The glamour, jazz and fashion does take some heavy preparation. Fifteen minutes of walking can equal five hours of groundwork before the show. Not to mention the months of foundation-work towards getting everything in place.  Over everything, I had fun and met interesting and fun people.

the-controlled-chaos-of-backstage

Fashion week chaos is not just about seeing 300 models in 1 week, or the crazy schedules for booking, fitting, and product delivery of gift bags. On top of that, when i was drinking my Starbucks today, the lid was not closed properly, and half of the cup spilled all over my shirt and jeans. But you know what? I wasn’t upset at all, instead,i crazy laughed at myself. You know those crazy and funny moments that hits you when you are so busy concentrating on finishing the million things thats on your “TO DO LIST OF THE DAY”? That’s right! Lately everyone at Twinkle are busy running around trying to reduce that 1 item from our list of millions. Okay, exagerated a little too much, but you get the point. I really enjoy this up beat lifestyle(good thing its only twice a year), afterall, only “KooKoo” people can resist this lifestyle in fashion. After spending 15 minutes in the bathroom sweating out to clean out the stain, immediately when i stepped out the door, Joanna started to burst out laughing. Wenlan looked at us curiously, with a huge question mark on her face. Yes, I had a huge water stain on my jeans, in the worst spot it can be. Well, its just one of those laugh it off thing during the crazy busy fashion week. Let’s see if i can get the stain off my favorite pair of jeans.

I am proud, in some ways, to be one of the first to do model casting in the New York.
I must say, all the models are very very pretty, however, my job is to select the few that best fit with Twinkle’s image to represent our new collection.
Thanks to all my friends at Ford, IMG, Next, NY Models, Elite, MC2, Trump, ONE, Marilyn, and Major, with all their great help at the casting. That is, calling their cell phone at 11pm to inform them about changes.
The model’s cards have recently turned into a source of competition. Whether if it is the special kinds of paper/cards used, illustrations, packaging, or the special photography techniques, there are definitely something to attract your eyes.
Everytime when it comes close to fashion week, my work surrounding area automatically turn into what i call-”world of models”
on the floor, on the wall, desks, windows, drawers, and anywhere there’s a surface to place something.
Its rare with someone like me who work with models all the time, not dream about them at night. Good thing? Bad Thing? I don’t know.
 
Wish all those models the best of luck during fashion week.
PLEASE….PLEASE don’t sleep in for our show. Or else that would really be a nightmare for me.

I can never get enough of fireworks. On July 4^th, I spent the night watching the fireworks from downtown’s piers on the FDR Drive. I’ve always enjoyed these sorts of events. But, I would leave out the crowds if I could. Maybe it was the bad weather that brought less people than I expected. I remember the time when I was in Tokyo there were 700,000 people surrounding Tokyo bay area, watching the annual fireworks festival. Like a true publicist, I thought about how more publicity was needed to expose this event to attract more people.

After a 10-minute delay and 30 minutes of standing in the rain, the show finally started. The fireworks did not live up to my anticipation and I left before the show finished. Nevertheless, it would turn out to be a splendid half an hour show, but in comparison to all the other fireworks I’ve seen, it wasn’t all that spectacular. At the other shows, there were star-lit skies, light breezes, wonderful orchestra music, and easy access public transportation home immediately after the shows. New York’s Independence Day fireworks show was clearly not the best of what I’ve seen, but definitely not the worst either. Perhaps, this is the reason why I didn’t see a lot of people outside. Most of them might have already experienced it at some time in their life and decided to stay home. Watch from their 50 inches flat screen TV instead without having to move from their couches. After all, life in America is all about having all the luxuries without the necessary worries.

Early Sunday morning, there’s nothing like playing with your kids in the newly renovated playground in central park. Enjoy the endless fun in the sprinkle pool and swing. Explore the architectural artworks in the sandpit, while relaxing under the sun.

Make sure to bring sun block for kids, a spacious, waterproof picnic mat, different sized buckets, and plenty of beach towels.

I love spending an early afternoon at the kid-friendly Landmarc restaurant, located in the Time Warner Center. Children’s meals are all served with a healthy side of carrot sticks. Parents can enjoy the spacious dining area and spend some quality time with their loved ones. In the City, it’s not that easy to find quality food that’s affordable. Landmarc’s got it all covered. All you need is a big appetite.

The cotton candy is delicious! After the meal, be sure to order some for you and your kids!

I like to get my weekly grocery shopping out of the way at Whole Foods Market. You can get organic, homemade baby foods. Browse through the rows of organic baby’s products that can help protect your kids’ delicate skin and hair from the harsh sun.

Keep a baby carrier or stroller by your side, in case your kid decides that he’s too tired to walk. Make sure the stroller’s thin enough so that you have enough room to pass the crowded aisles.

With a refreshing cup of Pinkberry’s original yogurt and fresh fruit, I like to end my day with a nice walk. Who can resist the City’s beautiful sunset?

Go home and prepare a fresh organic dinner for your family.

Tuck the kids into bed. Then, for some downtime, go out and enjoy a movie. All you need is a peaceful mind.