Ingredients: 1. carrots 2. zucchini 3. daikon leaves 4. onion 5. leeks 6. daikon chicken heavy creme crushed tomatoes curry paste jasmine rice

Enjoy!

Chrissy Kim is ... Read More »]]> Here in New York City, the temperature dropped dramatically over the weekend and left me no choice but to stay in and watch movies every night. With cold weather calls for hot, hearty food and so I decided to cook up a spicy curry dish to warm us up in this frosty winter night. I loaded the dish with lots of vegetables to add a rich variety of flavors and served it over steamed jasmine rice.

Ingredients:
1. carrots
2. zucchini
3. daikon leaves
4. onion
5. leeks
6. daikon
chicken
heavy creme
crushed tomatoes
curry paste
jasmine rice

Enjoy!

Chrissy Kim is a business coordinator at Cosmopolitan Magazine and Chic Galleria’s Marketing Director. Prior to joining Cosmo, Chrissy interned at Marie Claire and Siwy Denim, Inc. Follow on her personal blog Needle and Fork & Twitter.

Now, ... Read More »]]> December is the season for sample sales in New York City and many New Yorkers like myself can get almost any designers’ clothing, handbangs, shoes at a major discount off the retail price! There are different ways to find out about these sales but most of the time, they are very hush-hush. While most people were on their way to work this morning, I hurried over to Fifth Avenue to check out Diane Von Furstenberg’s sample sale. Luckily, the line was manageable and the crowd was less intense because today was opened exclusively to DVF’s friends and family.

Now, if you’ve never been to a NYC sample sale, you might be slightly intimidated. I’ve seen people get pushy and rowdy after waiting in line for hours, but  you will almost always walk out with a smile on your face. In order to help you experience fun, successful sample sales – here are some tips and advices:

1. Do your research. The best source for me is by word of mouth since I am surrounded by many fashionistas at work. I also rely on free resources from websites like New York Magazine, Racked NY, and Madison Avenue Sample Sale. Twitter and Facebook can come in very handy too, as long as you are following the right people.

2. Know your location.  Most of the time, these sample sales are held at warehouses or offices… somewhere you would least expect. It’s important to have the exact address and floor/suite on you in case you get lost.

3. Dress Smart. This is crucial because sample sale shopping requires lots of energy and time on your feet. I recommend that you wear comfortable shoes and put on something that you won’t need to take off to try on clothes. My go-to outfit for sample sales is leggings and tank top. Of course, you can have a sweater on and your jacket too but my point is the less, the better. Remember, most (if not all) sample sales do not have dressing rooms and you are most likely shoved in a room with 20 other girls with one big mirror. You want to dress as convenient as possible for you to just slip on your dresses, pants, skirts, and/or shirts.

4. Be Smart. If the sale is calm, take your time and look for things that you’ve always wanted. If it is out of control and things are flying across the room… just grab anything that pops up and don’t think about the prices. No one is going to look at you weird for carrying tons of clothes nor ask you if you are going to actually buy them. Whatever’s in your hands are yours for the time being so the more options you have at the end, the more you will walk out with.

Hopefully these tips will help you with your next planed sample sale. And for those who are in New York, it’s still not too late to attend DVF’s sample sale at 260 Fifth Ave between 28th and 29th Sts. It officially starts tomorrow on Tuesday, December 13 through Saturday, December 17th. Don’t miss out on up to 75% off DVF’s famous wrap dresses and more.

Chrissy Kim is a business coordinator at Cosmopolitan Magazine and Chic Galleria’s Marketing Director. Prior to joining Cosmo, Chrissy interned at Marie Claire and Siwy Denim, Inc. She now studies at Parsons The New School for Fashion Design at night. Tweet her @ChicGalleria and follow on her personal Blog & Twitter.

Bulky clothes make it difficult to find that sweet spot for your jewelry – especially when it comes to bracelets. You don’t want ... Read More »]]> With colder weather approaching, it is time to bring out long sleeve shirts and sweaters. In the winter time, dressing up can be a long fussy process… and when you are too busy layering your clothes, most people tend to skip jewelry. There are plenty of other accessories to play with in the winter – necklaces get replaced with scarves; bracelets get replaced with gloves, earrings get replaced with ear muffs, and head pieces get replaced with hats.

Bulky clothes make it difficult to find that sweet spot for your jewelry – especially when it comes to bracelets. You don’t want to wear them over your clothes because they can temper your fabric and the shape of your sweater .. but you also don’t want to tuck them under so all you see are bulky shapes around your wrist. So it’s time to say bye -bye to your bulky, chunky bracelets and time to let the little pieces shine.

Thin and/or small bracelets can accentuate your outfit in a subtle manner, which is exactly what you need for the winter time. I prefer a bracelet to be a light presence, a conforming second skin. I recently received cuff bracelets from MyMela and they snug around my wrist perfectly.  These engraved cuffs with intricate floral design are perfect jewelry to wear under  a sweater or a blazer; when the sleeves are rolled, they make a presence.

MyMela’s gold bracelet reign supreme for fall and you can’t go wrong with a classic cuff like this. If you are no so keen on gold, there are other colors availble. Check out more bangles and bracelets from Mymela – they are wallet friendly and perfect for the office.

Chrissy Kim is a graduate from Penn State University and she currently works for Cosmopolitan Magazine as a business coordinator. She studied abroad in Paris for a semester to become trilingual in English, Korean, and French. Prior to joining Cosmo, Chrissy interned at Marie Claire and Siwy Denim, Inc. She now studies at Parsons The New School for Fashion Design at night. Tweet her @ChicGalleria and follow on her personal Blog & Twitter.

To my surprise, a lot of actresses showed up in solid colors in black, blue, green, purple and red – all looking stunning as ever. I was glad to see a handful of simple ... Read More »]]> For those who forgot to watch it on Sunday night, Mad Men and Modern Family took over the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. But let’s be honest, what’s more important is the Red Carpet Arrivals. It’s no Academy Awards but we were graced with plenty of elegant dresses that were designed by Oscar de la Renta, Elie Saab, Marchesa, Peter Som, and Emilio Pucci to name a few.

To my surprise, a lot of actresses showed up in solid colors in black, blue, green, purple and red – all looking stunning as ever. I was glad to see a handful of simple and classic gowns this year… it’s about time we give beading, embroidery, and complicated prints a little break (until the next academy awards in 2012). The trend at 2011 Emmy Awards was all about simple lines and Minimalism. Didn’t you know, Less Is More!? So if you are one who prefers simplicity when it comes to fashion, the red carpet had it covered.

Obviously, the color red was the most popular… but I thought the other colors popped up more on the red carpet. What do you think?

Emmy Black

Emmy Blue

Emmy Purple

And lastly…

Emmy Red

Photo Credit: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

Disclaimer: I do not take credit for these photos. I’ve included them purely for reference purposes.

Chrissy Kim is a recent graduate from Penn State University, where she studied Marketing and International Business. She studied abroad in Paris for a semester to improve her French and become trilingual in English, Korean, and French. She is now a Business Coordinator at Cosmopolitan Magazine and is enjoying her city life to the max. Prior to joining Cosmo, Chrissy interned at Marie Claire and Siwy Denim, Inc. She now studies at Parsons The New School for Fashion Design at night. Tweet her @ChicGalleria and follow on her personal Tumblr & Twitter.

Black and White

Yes, the black and white trend will probably never go out of style. Many top designers mixed in their black and white creations, and some used it throughout their entire collection. Here are some of my favorites.

Polka Dots

Of course, we are no strangers to polka dots by now. ... Read More »]]> The first week of New York Fashion Week has officially ended, but there are still more designers waiting to show their work of art.  As more and more fashion blogs and magazines write up their show reviews, I felt inspired to share some of the trends that I’ve noticed so far.

Black and White

Yes, the black and white trend will probably never go out of style. Many top designers mixed in their black and white creations, and some used it throughout their entire collection. Here are some of my favorites.

Polka Dots

Of course, we are no strangers to polka dots by now. It’s been the up and coming stripes. For the spring ’12 collections, many designers used polka dot patterns gently but effectively.

Splatter-Paint Pattern

After seeing Cynthia Rowley’s white dress with the watercolor/splatter-paint pattern… I immediately thought of Desigual’s logo. The dress could have been a walking advertisement for Desigual. Anyway, Cynthia wasn’t the only one who felt inspired by these paint splashes… designers like Monique Lhuillier, Alturzarra, and Prabal Gurung also shared similar patterns in their collections.

Mustard Yellow

I’m not a huge fan of the color ‘mustard-yellow’. The only time I liked something in that color was Rachel Zoe’s velvet dress that she wore to the Met Gala back in 2010. Though I still believe that it’s not a flattering color (on most people),  some of the models looked great in their mustard colored pieces.

Floral Prints

April showers bring May flowers – and it wouldn’t be complete without seeing some floral prints in spring collections. Floral print trend comes and goes, but it looks like it is staying for next year’s spring season.  As for Peter Som, there is certainly no sign of his flowers going anywhere but in his collection.

Let us know what you think about the Spring Collections and the trends that you’ve seen so far!

Photo Credit: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/

Disclaimer: I do not take credit for these photos. I’ve included them purely for reference purposes.

Chrissy Kim is a recent graduate from Penn State University, where she studied Marketing and International Business. She studied abroad in Paris for a semester to improve her French and become trilingual in English, Korean, and French. She is now a Business Coordinator at Cosmopolitan Magazine and is enjoying her city life to the max. Prior to joining Cosmo, Chrissy interned at Marie Claire and Siwy Denim, Inc. She now studies at Parsons The New School for Fashion Design at night. Tweet her @ChicGalleria and follow on her personal Tumblr & Twitter.