The Cat's Pajamas: 31 Days in PJ's

First and foremost you all need the backstory to this lovely little challenge. It all started because I’m demanding. Being that I’m sweetly cursed with a birthday that falls on Valentine’s day, I have always forced my girlfriends to ditch their prospective and/or current boyfriends to honor the day of my birth rather than a day of cheap chocolates, and forced attention due to a hallmark-contrived holiday. 

So to anyone that knows me, it should come as no surprise that I wanted to celebrate my day of birth somewhere amazing and exotic… Only problem? All my girlfriends have big girl jobs and PTO is not only a sacred commodity, but is typically saved for one personal trip, and then long weekends here and there. Being completely oblivious to this common dilemma, I informed my best friends that this years destination would be Maderas Village in Nicaragua. 

My girlfriends didn’t miss a beat. Almost instantly, flights were being booked, deposits paid, and time was being requested off. You also have to realize the gravity of the situation… not only am I asking them all for a week of their precious PTO, but I’m also asking them to leave their respective fashion jobs right in the middle of New York Fashion Week… a cardinal sin. 

My best friend Cat was struggling to find ways to stretch her vacation days and decided to get creative. She is a Digital Copy Writer at a large lingerie and sleepwear manufacturing company called Komar and in a relentless effort to come on my birthday trip, struck up a bet that would change her life.

The Bet:  

She made a bet with her boss that she could pull off wearing pajamas (from Komar) everyday for the entire month of January. Not just to the office, but to industry events, happy hours, and dinner parties alike. She had to look business appropriate, fashion forward, and flawless everyday… in PAJAMAS!

The Stakes: 

If Cat can successfully pull off wearing pj’s for the entire month of January, she gets an EXTRA week of PTO… more valuable then gold in the corporate world (or so I’ve heard hehe). If she looks sloppy, not appropriate or gets called out for “noticeably wearing PJ’s” the bet is off. If she loses… it’s no extra paid time off AND she has to plan and host her bosses two year old's birthday party. A total drag for any busy 25 year old New Yorker.

Starting at midnight on New Years Eve, Cat has been SLAYING every single day. She’s been styling pajamas like a boss, from slips with turtlenecks, to silk pajama tops with skinny jeans… she is making this look not only effortless, but incredibly chic. 

To bring awareness and support to her #31daysinPJs challenge she cohosted a brunch (images above) at the incredible farm-to-table restaurant Dig Inn on the Upper East Side. Her best friends ranging from bloggers, tattoo artists, photographers, and models were invited on a snowy Saturday afternoon to sip, dine, chat, and cheer her on at her halfway point. The only catch? We all had to wear PJ’s! We donned corsets and furs, kimonos and bra tops, full length robes and nighties… all emulating the same style and confidence radiating from the creator herself. 

I am so beyond proud of my best friend for absolutely everything she has done and accomplished so far this year. Everyday I look forward to seeing just how she styles yet another chic-to-death pajama outfit for this challenge. Be sure to follow her journey as she comes one step closer to not only her prized PTO but also proving pj’s can actually be so much more then sleepwear. 

When Date Night Turns into Girls Night Out

As a single girl in New York City, Friday nights are typically filled with long club lines, outrageously high heels, hand-crafted “mixology” cocktails, too little men, and not enough real conversation. After countless epic fails, I decided to make this past Friday night… a little more savory. 

One cooking class for two please… 

My best friend and I uncorked one of my fanciest bottles of red wine (acquired on my birthday last year in Napa Valley) listened to jazz and got ready for our date night together. We slipped into festive holiday dresses, touched up our red lipstick, and marched hand-in-hand into an “Italy in Autumn” cooking class at Sur la Table. 

While we were quite literally crashing everyone else’s actual date night, my best friend and I zested, chopped, seared, laughed, and learned all the simple tips needed to create a cozy fall meal at home. To start, we stuffed fresh dates with creamy gorgonzola, then wrapped them in savory prosciutto. We then seared the pork loin (which we had patted dry to then smother in olive oil, salt and pepper) and baked it off to create a juicy and tender main that we dressed with a tart apple-cranberry chutney. Then for the vegetable, we crafted a garlic and lemon zested broccolini (which is interestingly enough, a hybrid between broccoli and kale) that we topped with sharp parmesan cheese. 

The combination of the rustic meat with the acidic chutney, hearty greens, and sweet and savory prosciutto wrapped dates left us in a pure gastronomic state of bliss. 

So the next time you are rolling your eyes at the thought of another wasted Friday night… take a leap of faith, learn something new, and get into the kitchen.