izzi blog

The official izzibag blog

You know how time flies when you are having fun right… well we have been to the UK and then to Istanbul and back to the US and I have been so caught up in everyday life that I forgot to write my blog post. So here it is, Izzet and I had a great time in Istanbul, it brought back so many great memories for us. We visited the Hamam, which if you have never been you really should try it, you go into a very warm room, full of women (not my favorite bit!) in your bikini and lay on a a warm slab of marble, then a masseuse will wash you down with lots of soapy water and then she scrubs you until your top layer of skin is gone! Now call me mental I know but actually it is a great feeling and i was totally tingling, then you just relax on the marble slab. After which you go into another room where they smoother you in orange oil and then another masseuse gives you a massage. Bliss !

Izzi and I fresh off the boat!

We went to the Asian side too and had to take a ferry across the Bosphorus which is a really fun day out and you can see the whole of Istanbul from the ferry. We went to have fresh fish and believe me it does not come any fresher…

St Sophia

We went to the spice market and if you have never visited one anywhere in the world, you cannot appreciate the smell and atmosphere, it is electric. You can find the most exotic spices, probably even ones you have never heard of, do not know what to do with and some that I would be wary about using! I have to say that I am not a big fan of flavored teas, but in Istanbul I got addicted to the apple tea , so much so I carried a ton of it home!

The Spice Market

Now you know me, when it comes to a bargain, I am your woman! we went to the Grand Bazaar , where there are more than 5000 shops it is claimed. Believe me when i say I think we visited them all…to be honest I didn’t buy too much this trip, or at least not that I am admitting too but the art on some of the bowls and lamps is awesome.

Just look at the colors

If we were able to change the light fittings in our home I would have bought one of these wonderful lamps, but as we are in transit this month of looking for a new New York home, I decided to wait until the next trip, but take a look at the wonderful colors. They made me want to stare at them for ever, I felt really inspired by them and I wanted to get my drawing book out, they gave me great ideas for the new collection.

Colorful lamps

As the week drew to a close I was quite sad to be leaving Istanbul, but happy to be getting back to New York.

The sun setting from our hotel

I love the adventures we have and  I  love always coming back to New York, where nothing surprises me, having said that on Sunday izzi and I went off to the East village to get some provisions. I was longing for a good old English Banger! (Sausage for those Americans reading this) and we went in search of Meyers of Berwick, where they sell everything British. Normally I never feel the need to eat good old English food, but when it come to sausages I am a sucker. But of course you could not leave the shop without buying a pork pie and and a sausage roll now could we! Bang goes the diet again then!

Meyers of Berwick

As we left the shop izzi and I decided to walk home in the lovely sunshine and we passed a shop that had a rather strange sign in the window. I have no idea at all what to say about this, what it was about or what they were in fact selling. Answers on a postcard please!

Answers on a postcard!

I tried to find a pair of shoes to fit, but the assistant told me that these feet were not meant to be in shoes! can you tell me what is actually wrong I ask you! LOL

And then we went into the subway at 14th street and there was a Croc eating a child…WTH ? I have no idea what the artist was thinking or why the City allowed this to be in a subway, but there you have it.

Gottcha!

So you can see why I love living in this crazy town…

Anne Agoren at NYC Fashion Week 2011

As New York Fashion week got underway I was really excited to see what would come out of the collections on the runways. I have been invited to soo many shows that it has been really difficult to decide which, where and when to go. Anyway I wrapped up warm as it was very cold yesterday and scooted off to the Lincoln Center for the first show of the day Nicholas K I was really impressed with the ‘London Look’ created with a lot of bottle green, grey and a kind of caramel warm brown. The Grunge look he created was layers upon layers and more layers, in fact all the clothes in your wardrobe at one time should be worn this autumn. Having said that I loved Nicholas’s collection and I can’t wait for the fall to be able to put my own style stamp on this look.

I then moved on to the Victor De Souza show, which as it happens was in the building next to where I live so convenient to pop home and warm up a little bit. The show was packed and I was glad to be given a front row seat, I felt like royalty as the photographers came along the catwalk and photographed me, so check out the WWD today and see if you can spot me. The collection was really lovely and feminine I so loved his use of different textures and the motives of birds.

Victor De Souza

His two pieces were very pastel in color and the pale green was not what I would have expected for a fall collection but it somehow made me think that when we get to October, we will all be wishing for spring!

Victor De Souza Pistachio!

I rushed back to the Lincoln Center to the Tadashi Shoji which actually did not impress me that much and I was a little disappointed to see very boring day dresses strutting along the cat walk. Then just I was thinking of leaving and catching the end of another show the evening wear came out and boy what a change! The Organza floral detail was really pretty and the pleated silk chiffon moved and swayed so chic. The colors chosen were from Begonia, sun glow through to Navy, black and graphite.

Ramona, Housewife of New York

I spotted House wife of New York, Ramona as I left show as she was posing for pictures.

Eva Minge

My last show of the day was Polish designer, Eva Minge, I was excited to be again sitting in the front row and I brought izzi along to view her wintry style. We were seated opposite Kelly Rowland and her agent, Kelly was looking very glamorous although I wondered how she managed to walk in those 8″ heels. Eva’s main trend was the use of wool with warmth and imagination and her ready to wear collection was a fusion of prints and exquisite softness. Amazingly fluffy wool and handmade mohair woven with fabric really looked stunning. Eva likes to use a lot of black and for sure it will rule the runways this fall but she accentuated it with red prints and linings. I really loved her collection, she really is a perfectionist in both tailoring and bringing life to her vivid imagination. Bravo….

Check out the boots

As we left the Hudson Hotel, one of my favorites in the city (You may remember I lived there when we first moved to New York). izzi and I ran over to Michelin Rated Rouge Tomate for supper with friends. Have you ever been there ? if not make sure next time you are looking for a fabulous restaurant in New York you make it a date. The Executive Chef Jeremy Bearman and Executive Pastry Chef James Distefano have created a twist on Modern-American cuisine. The seasonally inspired culinary offerings rely heavily on locally sourced ingredients and are prepared in consultation with culinary nutritionist Natalia Hancock. The restaurant offers a carefully selected global wine list of over 200 domestic and international varieties, including a large selection of organic and bio dynamic wines and a handful of wines from local estates.I am going to enlighten you more on this place with a review next week, but for now just feast your eyes on this wonderful toast of Mushrooms, sheep’s milk, ricotta, leek and thyme and remember not to tell my diet that I cheated and ate carbs!

I feel hungry again already!