I have talked a lot about my love of Sex and the City and Carrie Bradshaw over the years. I've talked about what the character means to me and all these years later, I still love her dearly. I even love her and the much-discussed reboot, "And Just Like That..." I am one of the few people who is actually enjoying the show and the reason is, I would love anything that brought me back to Carrie Bradshaw. I don't even care that people can't stand her and think she's the worst. She is everything to me.

I've realized people like to hate on things that aren't up to their weird standards and I don't care what anyone says about "And Just Like That"... except for the Steve/Miranda storyline. I do not like what they are doing to Steve Brady. That's another post though.

Over the years, I've made my fair share of purchases that symbolize my love of Carrie Bradshaw and her iconic brownstone. I love being able to look at these items to symbolize and remind me of my dreams and my favorite main character. 

This is the store of a love affair a girl has had with a pair of shoes, get ready.

One of the first blog posts I ever wrote on Royally Pink was about Sex and the City and Carrie Bradshaw. From that moment on, I've written countless times about my love for New York's favorite fashionista and today, in 2019, my love of the fictional character remains and has probably grown.

My life is spent trying to emulate Carrie Bradshaw, in my fashion, decor, and writing. A few months ago I rearranged my room and my desk ended up by my window so whenever I'm writing, I just feel like Carrie.



With my love of Carrie comes my love of Sarah Jessica Parker and a while ago, I started following her new shoe brand on Instagram. The page posted a while ago that they had a new pair of shoes, the Fawn, exclusive to Bloomingdales and I screamed when I saw them. They are a newspaper print and in my mind, are intended to pay homage to the famous newspaper dress that Carrie wore in Sex and the City.



For months I lusted after them and tried to justify a $400 pair of shoes. Yes, I buy that much in handbags but shoes are not my thing, and especially heels. I don't own a real pair of heels and try to get away with wearing flats whenever I can. I also destroy shoes; I will wear a pair for just one season and by the end of it, they have holes in them and are just in horrible condition. I am very hard on my feet and harder on my shoes.

However, I couldn't get the shoes out of my head. I went back and forth and finally decided I wasn't going to get them. Then, as soon as that happened, I went onto Bloomingdale's website on a whim and saw that the shoes were nearly 60% off. At that moment, I knew it was meant to be. I also knew exactly where I would wear them; I had a few parties coming up like my cousin's Christening and an engagement party. I knew that they would match pretty much anything and everything because they're black and white.

I bought the shoes and when they arrived on my doorstep, I nearly cried. These are by far the most gorgeous shoes I have ever owned in my entire life. I don't think I've ever been so happy with a pair of shoes or purchase in general. I couldn't wait to wear them for the first time.



Now, as I mentioned before I am not a heels girl. I look like Bambi when I walk in them and my feet are pretty much bleeding by the end of the night. I've worn heels and my legs hurt for at least three days after that. It's never a pretty sight.

I walked around a little bit in my house to break them in and found that they were pretty comfortable. The heels are around 4 inches so I wobbled a little but nothing I couldn't handle.

I wore them for the first time in February to my cousin's Christening and they were perfectly comfortable. I did a lot of standing and walking at the party but my feet weren't burning. They also looked so beautiful.

This past weekend was the 2nd time I wore them, this time to my friend's engagement party and it was a success. My feet were killing me by the end of the night and I walked out of the party with said heels in hand, but truthfully that would happen with any pair of heels. What was special about these were that I was able to dance in them comfortably, I was able to walk and didn't want to rip them off my feet during the night.

Once again, they looked beautiful with my plain black dress and even the men at the party complimented them.



I think if you're someone who loves heels, you'll find these shoes to be really comfortable and practical. I'm someone who hates heels and I love these shoes... and kind of want another pair of SJP Collection heels. I feel like SJP knows what she likes when it comes to shoes and if I'm going to trust anyone's opinions on heels, it's Carrie Bradshaw.

The newspaper print is not available in a ton of sizes right now but the SJP Collection does have the Fawn style in other colors and patterns! Also, make sure to keep an eye on Bloomingdales' website because the newspaper print shoe has gone in and out of stock a lot over the past year and a half.


I'm excited to continue my love affair with the SJP Collection!

xoxo
B

I couldn't help but wonder, would I ever stop loving Sex and the City? Or am I just destined to chase my Carrie Bradshaw dream forever?

I sit here and write this as I'm watching Sex and the City, and just finished the book "Sex and the City and Us". I saw it a few months ago on NetGalley and immediately requested to have early access to it.

*The full title is "Sex and the City and Us: How Four Single Women Changed the Way We Think, Live, and Love.



The book is set for release on June 5th and if you are a fan of the cult favorite show, you need to read it. Pre-order it, write it down on your calendar -- do whatever you have to do to remember June 5th.

It is written by Jennifer Armstrong, who wrote Seinfielida, a book all about how Seinfeld changed the landscape of television.

However, this time around she tackles our favorite foursome, the ladies of Sex and the City.

Armstrong takes you from start to finish; how the story formed itself from Candance Bushnell's newspaper columns about being single in New York. We see how the producer, Darren Starr, linked up with Bushnell and how they chased SJP for the title role.

We find out about the storylines came about, from the real-life writers on the show. We find out all the ins and outs of our favorite HBO show, and Armstrong reveals all the secrets.

You would think that this would ruin the show for us, but on the flip side, it makes me appreciate it that much more.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the behind the scenes of SATC and how it impacted the world back in 1999, this book tells it all.

It took me a few weeks to read this but I just finished it in its entirety and I did so while watching Sex and the City. As I finished the book, I had tears in my eyes because the show isn't just about sex, it's not just about New York or about friendship or love. It's about finding yourself and being yourself, with no judgment.

The last line in the book is:

"You are not alone. Whether you're on the bus tour, watching Sex and the City on Amazon Prime while nursing your latest heartbreak, or toasting girl's night unapologetically with pink drinks, Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samatha are with you. So are the writers, and producers of Sex and the City. ANd so are all of us, the fans whose lives changed a little or a lot because of this groundbreaking, imperfect, revolutionary show."

It hit me right in the feels.

This show has given me so much; it's my inspiration, my aspiration, my everything. It made me realize I want to be a journalist, it made me see how much I love fashion, it made me understand love. It is everything to me and so many more out there.

This book was amazing -- one of my favorites I've ever read because it gave me something more of Sex and the City. It itched the scratch I have for more stories from my favorite New York City ladies.

June 5th, don't forget it!

xoxo
B

Whenever a trend or a new company comes on the scene, the blogosphere is buzzing. The blog and this entire world is how I've discovered a lot of my favorite companies and products, but isn't that the point right now?

Social media, bloggers, and influencers are how we find out about everything now and it's only normal that a lot of companies are dubbed "social media companies" because that's how the word is being spread and how they're gaining customers.

Sorry for the social media rant, I've been on this knowledge kick because of my job and just researching more about the industry.

Anyways... by the title of this post you know that I'm talking about Bow and Drape; a company that lets you customize fun & punny sweatshirts, t-shirts, jackets, makeup bags, and even clothes for your dog.

They got their start a few years ago and have since made a huge splash with their high quality sweatshirts & sparkly appliqués. They do come with a hefty price tag -- around $65 for a customized sweatshirt but there is nothing more adorable than a sparkly, punny sweatshirt.

If you've never been on the website, I highly recommend heading over there now and playing around with some customization. From taxi cabs to hearts to pizza, and gold or black sparkly letters, the possibilities are truly endless.

I have 4 pieces from Bow and Drape; my first was an oatmeal colored sweatshirt that says Namaste in Bed; I can't tell you how many compliments I've gotten on it when I'm running errands or with my friends.



The thing about Bow and Drape is that their products are not meant to put into the washing machine or dry cleaned; just soak the item in your sink with some gentle detergent and viola -- it's clean! Because of this, it's stayed in great shape and is well worth the money.

For my 2nd sweatshirt I got a charcoal grey that says "I Can't Adult Today"; I like this one better than the Namaste because it's darker and is just slightly more comfortable but that could just be me and how I wear my sweatshirts.

I just bought my 3rd and 4th pieces this year; one from the NY Post Collection (the Sensational Sweatshirt) and a t-shirt that says "What Would Carrie Do?" as a homage to my idol Carrie Bradshaw.




As for sizing, the sweatshirts are true to size, maybe slightly smaller than normal but the t-shirts are VERY SMALL. Size up basically as much as you can -- that's my opinion.

I have so many designs saved in my profile on Bow & Drape  and I just want them all.

Graphic t-shirts are definitely back on trend and I couldn't be happier about it -- Bow and Drape plays right into that. I highly recommend grabbing a sweatshirt or something from them & trying them out! You won't regret it :)

xoxo
B

When was the last time I wrote one of these posts? Now that I work on Fridays (or have summer Fridays and pass out at 9pm on a Thursday night), I forget to write them.

I've been forgetting a lot of things lately--is that a sign of old age? Do I just have too many things going on? I have forgotten so much stuff in the past few weeks, I feel like I should be alarmed.

Also, the days and weeks have been flying by, yet going so slow. I feel like Monday comes, the week passes by, and then by the time it's Friday, I'm so tired I actually forget it's Friday! I forget to hang out with my friends, to enjoy the weekend to the fullest... I just don't even realize what's happening. It's very odd.

I've been dealing with so much stuff in my personal life, so many back and forth feelings about my life (not to mention big things happening in my family, etc), so it's been an odd few months.

One day is good, the other is bad -- I can't decide how I feel about any situation, sometimes I actually feel like I'm going insane.

I'm stressed and anxious and angry and sad and frustrated, all at once. I just feel so many things about everything, it's incredibly overwhelming. Work, my friends, a social life, my family -- ugh when does it end!

For once though, I'm actually doing something FUN this weekend! I'll be heading to Boston with one of my college friends to go visit another friend who lives there. Visiting Boston has been on my bucket list FOREVER and I'm so happy to finally be taking the plunge.

My friend, Marissa, asked me on a whim to go with her and I agreed with no hesitation. She was thoroughly confused (as was I, my mom, and my other friends) as to why she didn't have to convince me to go with her, and I think she just caught me in a good mood, and because she asked me far enough in advance, and is driving, and I had no other plans... also, I've just been wanting to do more THINGS. I don't just want to lay around and go out to eat, I want to travel and do fun things like this.

It was just too good to pass up.

I'm sure I'll be taking a bunch of photos (I plan on bringing a GASP, digital camera!) and maybe snapping some fun photos!

For now though, here are some links I couldn't get enough of!

This is pretty much me in a nutshell...

So now I have to worry about Venus being in retrograde too? GREAT

Ugh, being in your twenties <<< 

Candance Bushnell is selling her apartment and yes, I'd like to move in. 

The top 50 outfits from Friends... yes! 

Lilly Pulitzer really does have a grasp on social media -- this was so fun to read!

It's almost Pumpkin Spice season!!

A was REVEALED and I wasn't disappointed at all! There are still some questions I'd like the Answers too, though

Millennials get REAL about what post grad life is really like ... 

Have a good weekend everyone :) 

Credit

"Don't laugh at me, but maybe we could be each other's soul mates. Then we could let men be just these great, nice guys to have fun with."

All girls need that one "role model" or person that they look up too. We all have that one person who just gets us and who we aspire to be like.

A lot of teenage girls would say their mother, their aunt, or their grandmother are their role models and idols. I definitely agree but my idols and role models always were out of reach, fictional characters or actresses or singers...someone famous.

I have found a new phrase to not sound so corny when it comes to role models and idols; I like to say "spiritual animal".

I have a few spiritual animals but my favorite one, the one I love more than anything is...Miss. Carrie Bradshaw.

WHO DOESN'T LOVE HER?

Sex and the City was definitely a little before my time; I was too young when it first came out on HBO and for years after that, I never really caught on. Then, one day I took my mom's DVDs and sat on the couch for two weeks watching all six seasons.

I immediately fell in love and identified with Carrie Bradshaw.

I mean really, we all know who we are, we are either a Carrie, a Samantha, a Charlotte, or a Miranda. I am the biggest "Carrie" you will ever meet.

I've lived in NYC all my life, love boys, love fashion, and am studying to be a journalist. I have insanely curly hair, fall in love too quickly, enjoy a nice drink, and my friends mean the world to me.

There are so many reasons why I feel like I am destined to be Carrie Bradshaw. She is just amazing. She is a normal woman, living in New York, making her dreams come true, and just living life the way she wants too. Carrie makes mistakes...dam she's made a lot of them but she never lets them define her.

Bradshaw goes after what she wants and even if she trips along the way, she puts those heels back on and doesn't give up.

Her relationship with Mr. Big was so complicated but such a lesson for her and women everywhere. In the beginning it was so fun, so wild, she was head over heels and didn't know which way was up,

Then it got the best of her, she let a man define who she was and how she acted. That's how in love Carrie was with Big.

I think it taught me that you could love a man beyond words but that doesn't mean he's good for you. He can say the sweetest things in the world and sweep you off your first but it could all mean shit.

He broke her heart more times than I could count and she kept giving him second chances and in the end, it did pay off.

It wasn't the perfect relationship but it was perfect for her, in the end.

Carrie always has the best advice, her words have kept me going. I'm the type of person that needs a quote or  a saying to get through the day. I have many life mottos and Carrie Bradshaw has given me plenty of mottos to live by.

This is silly I guess but I have really curly hair and I always straightened it. I hated my curly locks, they were too unruly, too frizzy, not pretty enough. Then after discovering SATC and Carrie Bradshaw, I saw that she had unruly hair, her curls were wild and it gave me a little boost of confidence to wear my hair naturally.

It might sound stupid but it's just something that really sticks out to me.

Not to mention, she has the most insane fashion sense and makes everything look good. A pink tutu? A newspaper dress? That gorgeous green dress she wore in Paris?

Carrie is a fashion icon.

I don't really care if she's fictional...Carrie Bradshaw is amazing in my eyes. She symbolizes a sense of hope for me. She says things and does things that I'm afraid to say or do.

Carrie Bradshaw is someone I model myself after.. I am myself, my own person, but Carrie has gotten me there.