The next morning came early. The energy level was high as we were all buzzed off the anticipation of the day. 
I’m very lucky to be surrounded by so many good people in my life. They all inspire & support me to keep pushing forward. I live for the memories that are made with this great group of friends.
Tomorrow would be the first time i would debut anything from my new collection to the public. The venue is TriState Tuners former “Sonic Meet”, that is no longer held at a Sonic and would now be called the TST Spring Meet. I could careless what it was called, and honestly wasn’t too keen on doing the event at all, but my friend Mike talked me into it and i figured why not… i’d use it as a litmus test as which pieces of my collection attracted the most attention.
Since i hadn’t initially planned to show at this event, it was kind of last minute for me, but in the end me & Blondie pulled it altogether and was ready for the next day’s show.
Vibe out to the new mix by Sammy Slice
Last weekend I finally had my sleeve started by the legendary Thomas Hooper at Saved Tattoo in Brooklyn. 
The 2.5 hour session flew by quickly, considering the amount of detail that went into the outline. I return next month for more pain and ink 
Our trip in pictures, i’ll explain later…enjoy.
au revoir Paris, we’ll miss you dearly….
Since the cost of flying straight to France was the same of flying to Heathrow and taking the Eurostar to Paris, we decided to take a few days to wander London before making our way over to Paris.
Our visit to The Camden Market was “interesting” to say the least… 
Blondie never experienced Harrods and i wanted her to get the whole experience, so i took her on the entire tour of the seven story luxury department store.
If you can eat it, it’s here…
In the market for a $60k Fendi chandler? You’re in luck.
We ended our visit with a stop at Harrods own Ice Cream Parlour.
Across the street from Harrods is McLaren’s very own dealership…. 
They sell one car…. but if you’re McLaren, you can do that.
St Pancras International was our last stop in the UK before leaving for Paris…
2 hours later we’d be in an entirely different world…
Gathering up all my essentials for Europe…5 days till we leave 
At one time, the Williamsburg we know and love was once part of the town of Bushwick or at the time”Bosjick”. What was once founded by the Dutch was taken over by the British and Williamsburg was annexed from the town of Bushwick. It was then called New Village and was so heavily populated by immigrated Germans that the name at one time was changed to “Dutch Town”. 
This brings us to present day Williamsburg where the area has a very strong Polish population by Green point. 
Me and Blondie stumbled upon a very unique vintage store called “Junk”.
After exploring Williamsburg’s hidden treasures, we decided to make a visit to our favorite sushi spot. Without a reservation, you sit at the sushi bar and watch these master chiefs wield there craft right in front of you. 
On the way home, i took advantage of having a sun roof and a wide lens to capture the beautiful Williamsburg bridge and Holland Tunnel…
Next, we get ready to leave for Europe…
When it comes to Brooklyn, you have to refer to it as a separate entity from NYC. Brooklyn just has its own vibe that is all of its own, even from its inception…
The Village of Breuckelen,named from Breukelen in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands,and became the first municipality in what is now New York State. At the time, Breuckelen was part of New Netherland. Over time, the name evolved from Breuckelen, to Brockland, to Brocklin, to Brookline, to Brookland and eventually, to Brooklyn. The Dutch also purchased land during the 1630s from the Mohawk indians that is now present-day Red Hook…
After an early morning business meeting in RH, me and Blondie had lunch at Fort Defiance.
Fort Defiance is named after a fort built during the revolutionary war only miles away from where the Battle of Brooklyn was fought. The staff at FD has a very inviting feel and the food is amazing.
After going over my options with our server, she recommended a sandwich that actually isn’t on the menu….
To say the least, I now make a trip over to Red Hook when i’m in Brooklyn just for this sandwich. Btw, do yourself a favor and order an americano while your there. It’s the best i ever had.
After breakfast, we explored Red Hook’s rich industrial landscape…the cobblestone streets felt as authentic as the people there. Americans that believe we can still make & create. Brooklyn is home for the term D.I.Y.
Red Hook is just one shade of what makes up Brooklyn, each part has its own code, vibe and feel. As the sun set on our Lady of Liberty sitting off in the east bay, we made our way over to Williamsburg…
Me and Blondie raced down the turnpike to get into the city to beat friday rush hour traffic. To make matters worse, it’s Fashion Week in New York so it was even more chaotic in the city than usual…
Tonight we were attending Ivana Helsinki F/W 12/13 show at the Metropolitan Pavilion. I took advantage of this all white hallway to shoot Blondie in her limited edition Rodarte Cheetah Dress.
His & hers.
Paola Suhonen is the designer for Ivana Helsinki and most notably the only Finnish designer to ever show at NYFW. Paola’s Fall/Winter Collection drew on her childhood memories from growing up in Tapiola & Kauniaine during the 60′s & 70′s. Paola wanted to bring that era to life with burnt orange and deep turquoise accents, but more then anything she wanted to highlight the close community feeling that these towns are known for in Finland.
The Ivana Helsinki show was inspiring and motivational as always. I’d also like to note how Paola’s family is always near by, both at the show and the after party to show their support. It reminds me much of my own family.
Check out the video showing the inspiration for this collection here.
The after party was held at the new Ivana Helsinki pop-up shop on 251 Elizabeth Street, right in soho.
Blondie was in love with this piece from the Indian Summer Collection. 
The rest is a visual recap of the remainder of our night…
#NYFW is upon us, Brooklyn will have to wait…
