Runway Anthems

Have you been watching fashion week? Ashley has been glued to it on her computer. She keeps saying that it's her version of the World Cup. All of the shows have been so fun to watch and it's already getting us excited for Spring Fashion (we know a little premature, but whatever)

Image via Getty Images via CNN

In honor of NYFW we put together a list of the songs that we would strut our stuff down the runway to, with perfect lighting, flawless clothes, and our faves sitting front row...

Ashley's Picks 

"I Just Came To Say Hello" Dragonette
Okay, this beat just makes me want to put on a pair of high heels and strut. I was actually at a fashion show and they used this song and it was used so well.

"Bulletproof" La Roux
I love this song for multiple reasons, well one- it's great and two- it reminds be of being in New York City when I was 19 and this song was my song that trip, ever since then it reminds me of fashion and bad bitches.

"Flashing Lights" Kanye West
The beginning of this song makes me think of what fashion will be like in the future; dark and mysterious(for you Kanye fans to there - you know I'm obvi channeling my inner Kanye) but once the beat drops it feels sexy and glamorous.

Kira's Picks

"Boom Boom Pow Remix" Black Eyed Peas ft. Kid Cudi
I would not normally support the Black Eyed Peas but I do love Kid Cudi and this remix goes hard, especially the opening lines. The line "sexy fuckin killer" could easily get me out on the runway.

"Summer Love/Set The Mood"  Justin Timberlake
I always liked the beat of this song. I always picture myself cruisin down the street windows down loving the beat, or in my alternate model life, I'd be working the runway stomping to the beat.

"Upgrade U" Beyonce ft. Jay Z
The Queen B can always get you pumped but this song in particular has always been one of my faves. Fierce female empowerment leads to a fierce runway walk.

What song would give you that extra pow! to walk down the runway?

-A&K

Fashion Fridays: Foreign Exchange Show!

Happy Friday! This weekend I am going to see one of my fave groups, Foreign Exchange! I am so excited to get to see them again and to spend some quality time with my brother (he's moving to NYC soon)!

 For concerts I good for a cool and comfy vibe. I wanna look put together but feel like I can stand and dance for hours if need be, here's what I put together to wear to the show.

The best part of this outfit is easily the pants. They are amazing. Love the color, love the zebras, another great Buffalo Exchange find!

The Shirt is long and has pockets! It can really go with anything and be easily dressed up or down. I originally bought it to wear to Kanye's show last year but ended up wearing something else. It's a great basic and was a great price at Marshall's. 

The shoes were another steal at Payless. My other black flats died on my trip to NOLA earlier this year and I was able to quickly replace them with this pair. Not quite as great as the last pair but they will do for now.

And my jacket is from Old Navy

Me pretending to be a model, I'm actually incredibly awkward in front of the camera but Ash and I are working on it! Fake it til you make it right!

Have an amazing Friday and a great weekend!

-K

Nashville: Night

Hello and welcome to my second installment of Nashville fun. The first was last week and it highlighted all the fun to do during the day. You can read all about that here. This week however will highlight all the after hours fun to be had in Nashville, Enjoy!

My dad and I with The King!

When in town you must walk around Downtown Nashville. I think it's fun day and night. At night it is lit up from end to end and packed with people. Bar after bar and country music blasting out of every door.

Depending on what your looking for, you will find it. While they are all country there is quite a range from mellow to over the top. My suggestions are as follows...

Honky Tonk Central: Huge bar on Broadway, 3 floors of food, drinks and music. It's loud and crazy busy but has a fun vibe. The band was great, they played top 40 music with a country twist. I'm not such a country fan so it was nice to actually know the music. They also have great balconies on the third floor, from here you can see all of Broadway.

View from Honky Tonk's balcony

Wild Horse Saloon:  Unassuming from the outside but this place is huge and doubles as a music venue. When it is not hosting shows its a great place to grab dinner and pick up some line dancing skills. I had never line danced before but it was fun to try it out and don't worry they instruct you between live music sets. Dancing here was the only time I ever wanted to wear cowboy boots.

The Pharmacy: Burger Parlor & Beer Garden: This place is a little off the beaten path but not too far from downtown. The food and ambiance makes this place great. I loved eating outside in their spacious back porch. In addition to great burgers and beers they have shakes and malts and phosphates! I had never had a phosphate before but they were delish, go for the ginger strawberry!

With the extended fam at The Pharmacy's beautiful back patio

Pinewood Social: This place is super interesting and super hipster. It is open all day long; breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. They also have a coffee bar, full bar, bowling alley, karaoke and a living room to kick it in. Its a lot and they will be adding more in the future. It is beautifully constructed and curated, but I found the food underwhelming, esp for the price. I'd say go for a drink and bowling. They have beautiful vintage lanes.

Roberts Western World: This was one of my favorite bars that I visited downtown. It is on the smaller side but had a great vibe and a great Elvis inspired band playing. It's a nice contrast to some of the larger bars because here you can sit and talk easily or just chill, drink and listen to the music.

Like I said there are bars and bars and tons of restaurants, try some out and enjoy your travels!

-K

NOLA: MUSIC

As you may have read last week I recently took a trip to New Orleans. I was only there for 6 days but I packed in a lot. Last week I wrote all about the amazing food  NOLA is famous for and this week I'll be featuring the other star of New Orleans; the music!

Rebirth Brass Band killing it at The Maple Leaf

New Orleans is a city that has something to offer every night. Any day of the week can easily turn into a party and it does. NOLA is literally filled with amazing bands. Just walk around and hop into bars and you will find great local music. Another great thing about the music scene in NOLA is that there are huge bands, I'm talking Grammy winning folks that still play smaller local bars for small local prices.

I wasn't able to make it to all the music on my own list but you should definitely hit up a few of these spots on your visit.

Tuesday: Rebirth Brass Band at The Maple Leaf

Wednesday: Treme Brass Band at The Candlelight Lounge

Thursday: Kermit Ruffins at Kermit's Treme Mother- In-Law Lounge
The Soul Rebels at Le Bon Temps Roule

These band usually play these nights but they do play other events and go on tour often so be sure to look them up in advance!

Maison on Frenchmen

Another great way to check out music is to stroll down Frenchmen Street. It offers a few blocks jam packed with great bars and venues. Some with cover some without. You can find some of the big bands playing there that I mentioned above plus local stars and the great unknowns as well. Just pick a spot you like, grab a drink and take a listen. If it's not your style, take your drink to go (open containers are awesome and legal here) and wander into the next spot. Frenchmen also has street musicians, great food, and a really cool art market.

The quality of music out there is insane you really can't go wrong. I was able to see both the Rebirth Brass Band and the Treme Brass Band, both shows were incredibly fun and different from my typical nights out in the bay. I highly recommend them both, The Maple Leaf is an iconic bar with a lot of history and the folks that work at the Candlelight Lounge are amazing. Shout out to Gladys, the most incredible host and the most honest person I've ever met.

Stay tuned next week for my third and final post on NOLA!

Check out our Twitter and Instagram to see other photos from the trip and don't forget to follow!

Great mural on Frenchmen

-K

Amazing Apps: Music

Ashley and I love music, it is a staple of our friendship, and we always have some on while we work. Apps have made it even easier for us to love music, play music, share music, and find new music.

Here are our go to apps when it comes to music.

Songza: Most amazing playlist app! You can put in an activity, mood or genre and it will offer up multiple professionally assembled playlists; everything from sweaty dance party to somber songs to fall asleep to. It is both expansive and specific in the types of music it offers. I have never been let down by their playlists. If none of that has sold you, there are also no ads or commercials that interrupt your music! I LOVE this app.

Shazam: One of my first and most used apps that I’ve downloaded. I can never remember the names of songs and I’m always trying to discover new music and Shazam helps greatly with both of those tasks. I have no idea how the app works but I’m constantly amazed at how quickly and accurately it works, it’s basically magic. I also use it to tag songs that I already know but want to download. This way I always have a running list on my phone.

Soundcloud: This is the newest music app I’ve been using and so far so good. I’m still figuring out how to make the most of it for my needs but I really like being able to follow friends as well as musicians. This way you can see what your friends are listening to as well as your favorite musicians. It’s great for finding and checking out new music and great for finding remixes of your favorite songs. You can also create your own playlists from the app. This app allows you to like, follow and creat different playlists so it is one if the more personal, customizable music apps. Enjoy!

-K

HAPPY Holidays!

The holidays are great! They can also be extremely stressful. While it is not possible for me to eliminate your stress I can offer you a place of refuge.

Source: Google

Enter Pharrell Williams. Not only is he one of my fave people he is also gorgeous,  an incredible musician, walking fashion inspiration and now instant smile provider. He recently released a 24 hour music video entitled "Happy" and while I have not watched it all I am working on it.

In short it is amazing.

So when the holiday stress or anytime stress seems to be bringing you down watch a few minutes of the video or a few hours and I promise you will feel better. Oh and there are amazing celebrity cameos and Pharrell dances through every hour, aka he's in it 24 times!

Happy Holidays and enjoy!

-K