The Pursuit of Techyness.

Techyness’ Guide to NYC Sample Sales

Rent the Runway NYC Sample Sale Truck Unloading (via 260SS)

If you’re a frequenter of sites like Gilt, RueLaLa and any other numerous online sample sale sites, chances are you’ll flip for the in-person variety, where you can usually grab better deals (plus you get to try things on too, well most of the time).

I usually find my nyc sample sale information from two sources – Racked & Stylish City.

NYC Racked - Great for sample sale recaps, price lists, and reviews. A way to find out if it’s “worth it.” But be wary as countless other people are doing the same thing.

Stylish City - My daily go-to for what’s happening today, tomorrow, and planning for the future. You can also sign up for a daily email digest.

260 Sample Sale – Probably my favorite location in NYC that ALMOST ALWAYS has a sale going on. Home of J.Crew and Rent the Runway sample sales. They run two locations, both in the flatiron district and always have great sales.

NYC Rent the Runway Sample Sale – It can get crazy!

You should always have a strategy and plan when visiting a sample sale. This is not a “browse with your purse dog and a cup of coffee while listening to that new album” type of experience. It’s more like, hair up, game face on, clutching your wallet since you had to check everything else at the door – type experience.

Come with an idea of what you want and how much you’re willing to spend, keeping in mind that there are no returns and everything is final sale. Always fully inspect your merchandise! Keep in mind that you may have to wait in line to get in, the early bird gets the worm when it comes to sample sales in new york city!

Ask me your questions about sample sale shopping in new york city and i’ll answer them below!

May 14, 2013 ame Permalink Leave a response The Pursuit of Techyness., nyc, sample sales, shopping

Why Fancy Headphones are like Sunglasses, and Other Random Thoughts on the Subject

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I’ve been blogging for a long time. And over the past few years, you may have noticed many a blog post dedicated to headphones. Not cheap headphones either. but pretty ones. Expensive ones.

Anyway, you also may have noticed that these headphones don’t seem to have a long life span. Similar to sunglasses, they are phased out either by fashion/style, misuse, or theft.

However, I continue to buy them.

Why aren’t my iPhone earbuds good enough, you may ask? They have their purpose, but sometimes you need a little more elegance in your life.

Enter FRENDS. You may have seen their website filled with california girls, or maybe just the gold ones in your local Apple store. Anyway, after a few months of internal discourse, I decided to take the plunge – the “Layla” in rose gold.

And I know what you’re thinking, no. I didn’t just buy them because that is the name of our beloved family chocolate Labrador Retriever.

These are the real deal.

May 7, 2013 ame Permalink Leave a response The Pursuit of Techyness., gadgets, headphones, tech

Maison Laduree Tees at UNIQLO!

Do you love macarons of the french variety? YES

Do you love cute things that reference these fantastic desserts? YES

Enter a collection from laduree + uniqlo that just launched: affordable ($19.90 USD) t-shirts available online and in store. After seeing the high level of cuteness, I just had to pick up these three.

May 1, 2013 ame Permalink Leave a response The Pursuit of Techyness., nyc, shopping

Lexus Design Matters Event – NYC – April 2013

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Last week, George and I were invited to attend an event that I just couldn’t say “no” to – free drinks, appetizers, a live concert by the ROOTS, QuestLove DJ, and cool cars.

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We also caught a few celebrity cameos, including Kristen Chenoweth, Stacy Kiebler, Rosario Dawson, and Juliana Margulies.

It was Lexus’ Design Matters event, where they had some awesome stuff.

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-CAVIAR BAR. ’nuff said.

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- CRAFTED FOR LEXUS: Lexus commissioned Japanese artists to create unique pieces that are inspired by the brand’s philosophy

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- Cameo by Akio Toyoda, Global President & grandson of the founder of Toyota (and some cool looking cars too)

- Design Award: The LEXUS DESIGN AWARD is a competition to inspire the next generation of designers. Entrants demonstrate their creativity and are recognized for their accomplishments. This prestigious award was announced in Tokyo with the top two winners earning the opportunity to work with mentors Sam Hecht and Junya Ishigami.

- Short Films: Lexus collaborated with The Weinstein Company to support emerging directors from around the globe, commissioning them to bring stories to life as short films.

- Amazing in Motion (GIANT PUPPETS) Preview: High-technology 3-D printing was combined with fine craftsmanship to create these crazy puppet-robots.

April 28, 2013 ame Permalink Leave a response The Pursuit of Techyness.,

Announcing: A New Job for Alana!

I wanted to wait a few weeks before posting here on the Techyness for all the world to see, but I have an announcement (queue the trumpets!) do doo do do!

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April 25, 2013 ame Permalink Leave a response The Pursuit of Techyness.,

Hopping Back in Time and My Love for this Flashback App

We’re creatures of habit – talking about how time flies when suddenly, it’s 2013 and you’re 27 (oh wait, what, I’m talking about myself here.)

Anyway, back to the generalization. Right.

So when life moves this quickly, it’s helpful/painful/useful to take a look over the past couple of years and see what you were up to- where you were, what you posted, pictures you took, and think about life.

Maybe you were on a trip, and it’s a reminder to take a break and go somewhere warm.

Or maybe you were spending time with your family or close friends, and you remember that you should give that person a call or send them a text with a photo of a cute dog. Hey, people like that sort of thing, anyway.

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Timehop is a digital solution for this situation that you may find yourself in – if you are active on foursquare, facebook, twitter, your camera on your phone, instagram, etc etc etc.

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Plus you get to see their mascot, Abe,”your typical time hopping dinosaur (a timeosaur?!). He’s your guide through your digital past.” Not bad.

April 2, 2013 ame Permalink Leave a response The Pursuit of Techyness., digital trail, nyc, personal tech

How I Transformed an Ugly Dresser to a Beautiful Swan

We all have that home improvement project that we’ve been meaning to take care of over the past ~~months~~ years. I call that the “ugly duckling.”

Well, in my case, it was a particular pea-1965-esque-green dresser in my bedroom.

So, when George & I decided to renew our lease, I knew it’s time had come. For a makeover.

I hit up my local home depot to pick up the necessary supplies, and decided on French Blue - Behr’s Premium Plus Ultra in Paris – to be exact.

After sanding and cleaning, the painting began.

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As you can see, the transformation had begun. Goodbye green. Hello beautiful blue.

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The finished product.

March 25, 2013 ame Permalink Leave a response The Pursuit of Techyness., diy, nyc

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March 19, 2013 ame Permalink Leave a response The Pursuit of Techyness.,

The Origins of Techyness – Kid Pix Studio

I was reiminscing today about programs I used to use on the mac when in grade school, and I recalled this power-point-like program but for the life of me could not remember the name.

After some hefty googling – there it was – KID PIX – a bitmap drawing program by Craig Hickman.

The program had some classic features, but one really stands out, as we used to make book reports with the software: SLIDE SHOW.

A program allowing the creation of a Slide show of Kid Pix images with transitions and custom recorded sounds. By setting the time delay between slides to the lowest possible setting animations can be created using multiple Kid Pix images acting as each of the frames of animation.

Here’s a gif of OLD SCHOOL kidpix…

kidpixshow