Last Thursday, a dream came true. Amidst the spam emails of Z-List celebrities wearing off-brand clothing and SEO offers from India was a gem of an email from Mercedes-Benz USA’s PR Director. She was wondering if I might like to ride around street-style hunting with a chauffeur in the brand-new, redesigned 2013 G550. Better known as the “G Wagon,” it stopped in Chicago last Saturday on its way to New York Fashion Week from Los Angeles. I pulled an Elaine and promptly shot off an email with 1,000 exclamation points (I’m exaggerating, there were maybe like 20) saying YES!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!
I brought my intern Chloé along since I knew we’d attract attention riding around the Gold Coast in such a sweet ride, which makes street-style photography more difficult. People were drawn to the G550 like moths to the flame. Since I was jumping out of the SUV photographing strangers, it gave me the opportunity to explain street-style photography AND the features of the G550 to people. Getting attention from bystanders while I’m photographing people makes my subjects feel awkward, plus I work really hard to make sure there are as few people in the background of my photos as possible. Bringing Chloé along was crucial to set up shots. She also spotted a few people for me (Darius and Katrina), whose photos will be posted in the next few days. To fuel up (bad joke, I know) the G550 stopped by my favorite cafe for burgers and salads. We had a blast!
The G550 is the kind of vehicle I dream about someday owning. It’s beyond luxurious. This is the automotive equivalent of owning a Rodarte dress. Sure, it’s functional and immaculately designed, but it’s also the experience of owning a piece of art. You know, art that rolls around on wheels and costs as much as a house. Mercedes-Benz as a brand isn’t superficially aspirational like many fashion brands, since its value is rooted in a deep appreciation of German engineering and quality.
The magic of Mercedes is in the marriage of quality and prestige – you get what you pay for. I’m biased because I drove a baby blue Mercedes-Benz E320 all throughout college. My dad drives an SL500 convertible, so Mercedes is also a family brand for me. When I’m ready to buy a car, I already know it’ll be a Mercedes (probably vintage).
This was my car all throughout college, and I sold it a few months after I moved to Chicago:
Needless to say, doing a project with my favorite car company was one of my most exciting projects yet! Yeah, and I couldn’t resist taking completely gratuitous photos of myself with the G-Wagon. Come on, I’m only human.
Outfit Credits
Missoni x Target dress; FindersKeepers sheer duster;
Creatures of the Wind x J.Crew oxfords; Dethrose Vintage necklace;
c/o Rachel Lynn Chicago bracelets; c/o Ray-Ban Wayfarers
Most bloggers will tell you that they spend an inordinate amount of time on the internet. Posting, reading favorite blogs, researching trends, and staying up-to-date with the latest news is an important part of being a successful blogger. As a result I often feel like I spend most of my life staring at a 15 inch screen. Manicures quickly became my go-to method of centering myself and restraining my internet use. The more skilled I got at painting my own nails, the more I upped the ante in terms of nail designs. I even bought these special nail art pens from Japan… I sense an upcoming post!
Photo taken by Alexis Nido-Russo at my TopShop party with CS Magazine
My latest nail creation – perfect for summer – are the fruit nails above. This is a small way in which I reward myself for a job well done, or a hard day street-style hunting. Its a form of relaxation and reward. I went to Sally Beauty Supply and purchased these fruit nail designs. They’re not stickers, they’re little pieces of papers, and need to be glued to the nail. I then used a bonding top coat to secure the decal. For the base color I used Deborah Lippman’s “Lara’s Theme,” a fantastic tangerine that reminds me of orange creamsicles.
It takes a lot of time for the polish and bonding to dry, so I can’t type or goof around on the internet. That’s on purpose! For me, painting my nails is almost like sitting za-zen, a time where I am intently focused on practicing one thing – making my nails perfect. It’s a form of relaxation. Total Rewards is another great way to reward yourself, because it enables you to win prizes and points for spending money on all the things you love like great restaurants and shopping.
Lately I’ve been asking you about where you like to escape, but now I want to know how you reward yourself! Are there any small things you do to treat yourself throughout the day?
FCC DIsclosure: This post is sponsored by Caesars Entertainment Group
For this installment of the Total Rewards blog series I thought it’d be cool to show some building street-style. Chicago undoubtedly has the worlds best architecture, both in terms of diversity and in quality, so I try very hard to incorporate it into all of my street-style photos. Since Total Rewards is all about helping you escape from your day-to-day lives with amazing experiences, I thought it would be cool to photograph three awesome ‘escapes’ around Chicago. See if you can identify what building each door is from, and leave your guesses in the comments!
