The Macy's side trip had put us behind schedule. We had a confirmed date with Kara Janx at her apartment/studio in Chinatown. We struggled to stay within sight of The Mustard Coat as we jostled our way through the crowded streets. We reached the vicinity of her apartment and were unsure of where exactly to go when suddenly we heard a voice from above. It was none other than Red Man, the object of Kara's chalkboard love.
Before we knew it, there was Kara herself at the apartment building doorway, arms wide open, smiling from ear to ear. "Hello all you lovely people", she said. She seemed as happy to see us as we were to see her. On the crowded street several passers-by recognized Kara and pointed. She waved back. They looked at us with jealousy, wondering who all of these people were to be granted such an audience.
Kara gave each of us a big hug as we enetered the building (I got two!) We walked up what seemed like 50 flights of stairs and enetered her small apartment, breathless from the climb. We were humbled by her generosity to let all of these internet strangers into her home.
Kara was radiant. Her apartment is almost completely taken over by her work space.
She had t-shirts, panties and (gasp) a few of her signature kimono dresses out for us to see and buy. (LK's stunning daughter Kaitlin scored big time on this front) She excitedly explained her thought process in designing her OFW collection. She even had one of her knit hats there for us to see! She answered all of our questions. She showed off her new engagement ring (cheers!). And she completely won over our hearts.We could have stayed at Kara's all day, but we had another date with Emmett McCarthy at his new EMC2 boutique in NoLIta. We followed The Mustard Coat one last time and piled into Emmett's place. As we've reported several times before, EMC2 is spectacular. Beautifully designed, tasteful and chic. It matches Emmett's personality perfectly.
We were warmly greeted by Emmett, his gorgeous sister and former model Katherine, and their Mom, Peggy. He really pulled out all the stops for us. He even invited Zulema Griffin over, but she ended up being a no show. (We would have loved to see you Zu!) My eye was drawn immediately upon entering his store to some glass shamrocks hanging on the front door. They seemed so out of place, yet so appropriate. We soon learned that was his mothers one decorating touch.
We were treated like honored company. His Mom had baked a loaf of delicious Irish Soda Bread just for us and spent the entire time circulating the room offering up pieces, making sure everyone was served. Emmett had a small Project Runway display set up for us to see and was also featuring some of Diana Eng's super-cool jewelry. Emmett was as gracious and as charming as you could imagine.Too soon, it was time to part ways. A small, crazy contingent led by Jan and Milton set off for Macy's in what I thought for sure would be a fruitless effort to snag a peek at Daniel and Tim. Thankfully I was wrong! Many heartful hugs and farewells were shared as we bid goodbye to our new found friends. We shared an incredible experience together that we soon won't forget.
But for Laura, Scarlett and I the day wasn't quite over yet. Laura had a plan. Laura always has a plan. This time it was a secret plan.
Coming up in the 6th and final installment: The Blog Producers' Meeting
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