Our trip to NYC during Fashion Week was super last minute, so we still feel like we’re catching up on everything. This post’s at least a month overdue. Better late than never is what they say.

Now, let’s not have there be any confusion about what we were at. When we say we were at New York Fashion Week, we mean we were invited by a specific brand to attend their runway show.  We were most definitely not brunching with the Hadids or taking front-row selfies with Anna Wintour. Ms. Wintour probably doesn’t even take selfies. And September’s probably not a good month for Gigi & Bella to do brunch, anyways. Especially the way Jess and I like to brunch, which looks more like a dessert buffet than anything else, tbh. (This gets Whipped Cream! This gets Whipped Cream! EVERYTHING GETS WHIPPED CREAMMMMM!)

I’ll tell you what, though. Manhattan is never NOT exciting. The city that never sleeps always got something on the go. Find yourself in Times Square at midnight and you’d swear it was noon. (We’ve tested the lighting late at night. There’s enough light in Times Square to get a decent selfie at midnight–just in case you find yourself in Times Square at midnight and your make-up’s on point. Go ahead, take that flash-free selfie!) What were Jess and Jana doing in Times Square at midnight, you ask? Getting a slice of cheesecake to bring back to the hostel, naturally.

Speaking of hostels, those things ain’t cheap in Manhattan. We’re pretty sure Mom’s kitchen table is bigger than the room we stayed in. (Okay, okay, Mom’s kitchen table is huge. Still.) But, we booked at the last minute and wanted a semi-decent location near a train station, so we had to “splurge” a little. We were right across the street from a Dunkin’ Donuts and a great little thrift shop, so all was well. I just die inside a little when anyone asks how much our room was per night, haha.

We showed up during NYFW as our colourful selves. Jess, naturally, also showed up in an assortment of glitter. Not a day went by when we weren’t asked, “Which show are you going to see?” or “Is there a festival going on?” or “Where’s the party at? Can I come?” In their defense, Jess was looking pretty festival-esque once or twice. Could have been all that glitter. I vote we start replying with, “The Jess Fest!”, but that might be a bit much, haha.

Photoshooting in natural light is our favourite. That sentence is a little misleading, since it’s the only kind of photoshooting we do, haha. It can still be our favourite!!! Shooting downtown in large cities is so stress-free for me. No matter how bright and sunny it is, I’m bound to find some decent shade around the corner somewhere. What you maybe won’t find, though, are backgrounds of really specific colours. New York City skyscrapers are NOT St. John’s rowhouses. Such was our dilemma when Jess wanted a colourful background to match her floral dress and we walked aimlessly around Chelsea in search of a pink or purple wall, haha. We settled on some street-corner flowers. In Chelsea’s defence, the neighbourhood is probably full of colourful walls and alleys, and we just weren’t on the right streets.

Thanks again, NYC, for the grand time. Thanks for being full of sights and sounds (but also some smells). For being so scenic and camera-friendly. For creating delicious cheesecake. And for making sure one is never very far from an iced coffee.