It’s one thing to bundle up for the winter, it’s a whole other thing to bundle up for an arctic blast. While I realize there are certainly much colder parts of the country (I don’t know how they do it!) I imagine most people spend less time outside than city dwellers. Unless you have the means to jump in and out of cabs, you’re going to spend a lot of time walking back and forth and waiting for transit. And trust me, the first time you get blasted with icy wind when you hit the next avenue, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. 

So what’s the key to surviving New York when it turns into Antarctica? Which, just in case you’re keeping track.. the city is actually currently colder than most of Antarctica right now. Yes, really.

• Vests: Vests are your friend when the wind chills head south on the mercury. Bonus if they are puffy vests or faux fur lined. You may look like a snowman but fashion goes out the door for me (clearly I’m not at fashion week this week) when it’s this cold and vests really make the difference.
• Layer it up: I’ve talked about how I’m a fan of fleece-lined tights before and these are perfect for surviving arctic blasts. I wear a lot of dresses and skirts so wearing these are essential when it’s this cold. They can be great to layer under jeans too if your workplace is casual. The wind bites right through your clothes, so the more layers the better in my opinion.

• Sunglasses: This may sound a little strange, talking about the sun when I’m talking about it being frigid outside… but it’s the coldest on clear days without any clouds to warm up the air! Not only will your shades protect your eyes but if you wear the over-sized style like I do, they also cover a decent amount of your face, protecting it from the wind.
• Hand Warmers: These guys are amazing when you’re waiting for the bus (which I do often). Shake, shake, shake and have a toasty little haven for your hands during your commute! 
• MTA Bus Time: It’s not an app yet, but definitely bookmark this website if you plan on taking the bus. The website tracks the buses based upon the stops, so it’s a great way to plan when you head to the stop because let’s be honest, the time schedule isn’t that reliable. It’s gotten much better over the last 6 months too so I definitely recommend it.

Stay warm out there everyone! And if you’re looking for some more winter tips for the city, check out my past post How to Survive a NY Winter.

Time for some of my favorite links of the week, Friday the 13th edition. Anyone else superstitious like me?! Needless to say, I think I’ll be keeping it low-key today! ;-)

1. First things first, one of my favorite things of the week is this faux fur hat from Soho Girl because we’re supposed to hit a nice wind chill of -10 to -20 today… Ohh NYC in the winter. So if you live here.. are visiting.. or are just dreaming about the city, put one of these babies on!
3. Personally I don’t actually know a ton of people that actually have New York accents, but this NPR article suggests that the accent might be on its way out. While I’m no linguist I can certainly see how this could happen in a city so diverse with transplants from all over the world.
4. Something alluring to me about the city is the amount of history it holds. There’s so many stories, change and yet preservation that has taken place in many New York buildings and apartments and I’ve always found it fascinating. Which is why I thought this article From Thrillist on buildings that have been converted into New York apartments was pretty awesome. The apartments aren’t too shabby either!
5. THIS donut. A seriously awesome NYC Instagram account I follow, EatingNYC posted this maple waffle donut from Underwest Donuts and I kind of need to have it in my mouth ASAP. Maple, waffle, and donuts..?? 3 of my favorites combined. Done.
6. And finally… it’s a busy weekend in NYC. It’s the NBA All Star Week, New York Toy Fair (where I’ll be working all weekend), and most notable Fashion Week. My last point is on the latter. I’m not huge into fashion week.. but the story about Jamie Brewer being the first model with Down Syndrome to walk in fashion week struck me. Mad props to Carrie Hammer for continuing to pick her models based on the theme “Role Models, Not Runway Models”. I think it’s pretty phenomenal that she’s used her platform to highlight people who might not fit the typical catwalk model.

I know I already had a studio update post for you earlier in the week.. but I’m too excited about another update to not share! Plus, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day this weekend! Necessary ;-)

I’ve been really into the marquee light look for awhile. Every time Joanna on HGTV’s Fixer Upper uses old letters in her designs… I just want that look a little bit more! So when my boss emailed me a photo from Home Goods over the weekend of some really cool marquee words, I immediately started looking around my apartment for where I could maybe put some. A minute later I was texting Chris to ask him if he wanted to go to Home Goods. His answer, “no”.. followed by a.. “Well, weren’t you just saying you still needed to get me a Valentine’s Day present…” from me. Lucky for me, that’s all it took to sell him on the idea ;-)

So please welcome the latest addition to my apartment! Thanks Chris!

And with that, my studio is officially full. I have one more project in mind, but it’s something that I need the snow on my balcony to melt for so I think I’m good for awhile!