Sweet Sixteen

        Somehow a huge list of homework, the PSAT, and my birthday party all managed to fall on the same weekend. I was pretty confident my Saturday would be a mix of stress and exhaustion, but thankfully was I wrong. Fun and excitement are more like it. Once I got the PSAT out the way, I was free to spend the afternoon finalizing my outfit, getting my makeup done, and prepping for a night in the city with my friends.

        Cakes and presents are great, but to me the best thing about birthdays is the excuse to get glammed up. Michael Kors seemed like an obvious choice for my dress since he's pretty much the king of modern hollywood glamour. I paired it with metallic heels, also by Michael Kors, and simple leather accessories that wouldn't overpower the dress. I think it's best to keep it minimal when wearing sequins since they're such an attention-getting fabric. 

        People aren't really big on those "super sweet sixteens" in my town. I guess you could say the "thing" is to go out to dinner in the city. I'm not one to follow the crowd, so rather than just do the same old dinner I turned my birthday into a night out in SoHo. My friends and I walked around exploring the the different shops and taking in the New York night scene. The restaurant I picked was Imperial no. 9 in the Mondrian Hotel. I chose it mostly because the atmosphere. The ceiling mimics a greenhouse with transparent windows, and the main table is topped with an assortment of illuminated glassware. 

        Strangely I feel a lot older now that I've turned 16. There are perks, like getting my driver's permit, but there's also a lot of pressure. I'm starting to think about where exactly I want to go in life and how I'm going to get there. Fashionwise, I've been thinking a lot about how I want to define my personal style. My 15-year-old self would just dress in whatever way she felt like, but now I want to try and establish a real signature style that reflects who I am. I think my sequin dress was a good start.