No Sleep Till Brooklyn!

The title of this post should really be, "No Sleep Till WendyB & I Finally Made It Back To Manhattan From Brooklyn In One Piece After Going To A Concert During A Nor'easter" but that didn't fit in the space provided!  Anyway, the shorter title works and it fits right into the theme of this post since we went to a rap concert and the artist actually did a mini medley/tribute to the Beastie Boys.  However, one song he did not cover was, ironically, the Boys' No Sleep Till Brooklyn!  But, I digress...

since this was overlooked, here's my own tribute to the Beasties

Okay, most of you who know me are still stuck on the "I went to a rap concert" concept and haven't yet begun to grasp that I went to a rap concert IN BROOKLYN DURING A WILD WINTER STORM!  I must be crazy!  Well, I blame Wendy Brandes!  Wendy, who is a huge Eminem fan, had tickets to see his protege Yelawolf back in March, but apparently the concert was canceled and rescheduled for November 7th.  So, when I got a sweet email from my good friend that simply said, "Will you please go to a rap concert with me tomorrow night?" I had no choice but to reply, "Okay.  Only for you."

Yelawolf -- this is what I said yes to people!

Wendy is a super supportive friend and a loyal client -- the least I can do is go to a concert with her.  With that in mind, I dressed for the occasion.  How does one dress for a rap concert?  I wasn't sure!  I decided to dress for the weather instead.  Anyway, I finally had an excuse to pull out my reversible "puffer" jacket that I made for my Fall 2012 "Modern World" Collection!  Yay!  And damn, that thing is warm.  On one side, I used a woolly cream and black "popcorn" knit from my favorite Italian mill and on the reverse side I quilted lofty polyfill to a black Italian cire' nylon and created a fully reversible, stylish, functional little cozy jacket.  A stylish puffer - perfect for a rap concert.

STACY LOMMAN : Fall 2012

reversible puffer coat

I knew that it was not going to be an evening for cute shoes, so I opted for boots.  I almost broke out my snow boots, but I think I was in denial.  Instead, I wore my trusty old black work boots because I thought they suited the occasion better.  Jeans (goes without saying) and a tee shirt completed the outfit.  The question was, "Which tee shirt?"  I felt compelled to wear a concert tee and almost selected my DEVO shirt just to annoy people, but I decided that might not be a good idea.  Hmmm... Chris Isaak?  Nah, that would be even worse with a rap crowd.  My new Adam Ant tee from his recent concert was burning a hole in my drawer waiting to come out, but I felt that was not the way to go either.  Joy Division?  Blondie?  Nope.  Finally, I grabbed one of my (many) Sex Pistols tees and was almost ready.  I topped everything off with a couple of key accessories -- my black rib knit arm warmers (which I've been selling quite a lot!) and a pair of quirky knee socks.  Oh, and I can't forget the hat, scarf and umbrella -- though the umbrella met its demise quite quickly when it turned inside out and actually bent from the wind on my way to the subway station!  Yes, in one block the wind was strong enough to bend metal and my umbrella surrendered.  This should give you an idea of the journey that Wendy and I were about to embark on.

close up of my argyle/skull knee sock purchased from a street vendor in London

And speaking of Wendy, she couldn't have looked cuter (per usual).  As I descended the subway stairs making my way down to the platform, I saw a pair of bright yellow rubber booties with a heel and knew in an instant that was Wendy waiting for me!  So, we swiped our metro cards and we were on our way!  Now, the two of us are serious Manhattanites and very rarely leave our island (if even our neighborhood!  LOL), so this was uncharted territory. 

Things started off pretty well, but when we hit our first transfer point we were informed that the #7 train wasn't functioning. Bummer. We had to figure out an alternate route. We headed down the escalators to catch a different connection and I made a big mistake. Wendy took off running for the train already waiting on the platform and I grabbed her like a mother does a child -- from the back of a collar or hood. "No! That's going to Jamaica. And not the good Jamaica," I said. Wendy was glad I caught her before we went off in the wrong direction. "We don't wanna go to Queens," I said. But, apparently we did! Ooops. Normally I would take a downtown train if I want to get to Brooklyn, but in this case we needed to go through Queens first. Who knew? So, after getting on the wrong train and going several stops downtown, we had to backtrack and start over!

Underground somewhere in Brooklyn.  I don't know what's up with my "jazz hands!"

rap concert outfit

Coat - STACY LOMMAN : Fall 2012

Jeans - AG Adriano Goldschmied

Boots - Frye

Messenger Bag - Perlina

Rib Knit Beret - Sin Sin showroom in Hong Kong

Tee shirt - Sex Pistols (shown in photo below)

Rib Knit Arm Warmers - STACY LOMMAN : NEW YORK (shown in photo below)

Knee Socks - street vendor in London (shown in photo above)

  

We spent an hour and a half navigating subways and stations that we, as long time New Yorkers, had never set foot in before.  Finally, we arrived at our stop.  When we made it to ground level outside, the snow had picked up and there was several inches of powder and slush on the streets and sidewalks.  And wind.  Lots of wind.  We stopped in a cozy bar/restaurant, situated ourselves by a fire and pulled up a map app to see where the hell we were.  Somewhere in the middle of Williamsburg -- that's the only thing we could say for sure. 

wearing my arm warmers and Johnny Rotten

Once we got our bearings, we bundled up again and headed out slipping and sloshing through the mess. "Eeew, I got water in my boot.  My heel is all wet and cold," I griped.  We laughed as we walked along pressing onward into the wind.  "I swear, I wouldn't even do this for a band I LOVED, let alone one I kind of dislike," I said cracking up at our absurdness. "Me either!" Wendy agreed.  Wendy was convinced that we had to go on this wild goose chase so that we could laugh about it later and, besides, it's always good to get out of our neighborhood once in a while. So, the moral of this long and drawn-out story is: Don't be stagnant.  Be adventurous, step outside of your comfort zone and try new things -- and do them with great friends!

PS - I survived the concert.  Perhaps my most favorite moment was when Yelawolf very sincerely thanked the crowd for being there and supporting his journey throughout the years.  "You guys are the ones who really count," he said.  "Each one of you."  I resisted the urge to raise my hand like a high schooler to say, "Excuse me, uh, Mr. Wolf? Or is it Mr. Yela?  Well, either way I don't feel like I can take any credit here..."  LOL.  Okay, all kidding aside, his style and type of music may not exactly be "my bag baby," but the guy is freaking great at what he does.  I give him serious props for his chops.  No joke.