Yesterday I had the opportunity to travel to New York City to attend a swanky launch party for the new Kate Young for Target collection. This invitation came at the last minute and sent me into a frenzy of what-do-I-wear and what-should-I-bring and how-do-I-manage-it-all-on-the-train?

In other words, just the typical feminine quandaries surrounding such an event. Men have it so easy, don’t they??

I’ve attended enough NYC events to know two fashion truths to be self-evident:

1. You’re probably safe if you’re wearing black.
2. When in doubt, wear a pair of sassy shoes.

But the Kate Young collection is specifically for prom and spring weddings, and the event was a prom theme, which threw me for a loop.

Would I look out of place in my typical dark jeans and fancy top?

But I don’t want to wear a cocktail dress on the train.

And round and round I went. Driving myself and anyone in a 30-mile radius willing to listen bat-crap-crazy.

Finally I decided with the help of a good friend that if I was going to be underdressed, my best bet was to keep the look as edgy as possible. Fortunately I had just picked up a really fun top at a local shop that was perfect for my purposes. It’s edgy enough but also comfortable enough to wear on the train and not too over-the-top for hanging out in the city for a few hours before the event. 

I was tempted to run to the mall and buy faux leather pants, but I wasn’t sure I could wear them all day, so I settled for my favorite PAIGE dark wash skinny jeans. You might recognize this outfit from my Daily Mom Style post earlier today! I wore it on a date night last weekend.

I wanted to ramp up the look a bit for NYC nightlife, so I decided that this was the perfect occasion to break out the caged pumps that I got at a Target Inner Circle event last winter. They were my one #targetstyle piece, which seemed fitting. Plus, they gave the outfit the edgy vibe that I wanted.

If I’d had more time, I would have stopped into Target to add some super fab accessories to my look, but I decided to save myself the hassle and make do with a few pieces I had here at home.

Since I was traveling up and back in the same day, I had to trade in my clutch for a tote. This is the Carlos Falchi tote that I won at the BTS Headquarters event at BlogHer. I managed to fit everything I needed in here, including my heels and makeup for last minute touch-ups. I’m planning to do a quick video post about how I packed my bag for this all day trip and managed to have everything I needed – even a clutch for evening if I’d had a chance to check my bag at the door.

Instead of a last minute shopping excursion for accessories, I used my time to get a mani/pedi instead — My Vampire is Buff by OPI!

So here is the entire look, all put together. I wasn’t sure if I’d get the chance to have a full-length photo in NYC so I grabbed this before I left the house. Then I switched out my high heels for flats so I wouldn’t look like a street walker all day.

I was able to bring along a good friend, which made the entire excursion that much more fun.

My iPhone photos leave a bit to be desired, but I decided I didn’t want to juggle two cameras and live coverage was my primary objective so the iPhone had to suffice.

When we got to New York, we took a cab directly to the venue for the event, even though we were about three hours early. We drove through the Upper West Side into the trendy, up-and-coming Nolita (North Of Little Italy — get it??) neighborhood where people live in buildings that look like this.

It was the perfect hangout spot, and we were so fortunate to have amazing weather yesterday. It was almost 75 degrees and sunny, which is a far cry from the weather we’ve been having this spring.

We wandered in and out of a few shops, tried on some vintage Manolo Blahniks, ooohed and ahhhed over handmade silver jewelry that I was dying to borrow for the evening, and finally hunkered down on a cafe table outside of a Latin restaurant for drinks and appetizers.

It was the perfect way to start our evening. After some people watching and perusing of shops, we discovered a new tapas restaurant that just opened two weeks ago — Plan B.

This turned out to be a serendipitous find! We were there on the early side, so we were the only ones in the restaurant for much of our time, and the manager was incredibly attentive and sociable. We chatted about his vision for the restaurant and admired the decor as we feasted on delicacies such as bull testicles and python sausage.

Okay so we weren’t QUITE that adventurous. But we did enjoy the oxtail, pig skin and rabbit meatballs; and the cheese plate was especially lovely. The wine pairings were excellent, and the atmosphere was both upscale and low-key. If I lived nearby, this would surely become one of my favorite haunts.

Once we finished dinner, it was time to head on over to the Kate Young for Target launch party.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .