W Magazine's Best Dressed in the Hamptons

I was so surprised to find out I was included in W Magazine's Best Dressed of the Hamptons, with style icons like Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwyneth Paltrow. The photo is from the Shark Attack Sounds party in summer 2016. What an honor! 

Chopper Style

Blade launched last summer as a helicopter service between NYC and the Hamptons but I finally tried it for myself for Fourth of July weekend and it didn't disappoint! 

I wanted something comfortable yet chic for the chopper, so I wore my Sachin and Babi Mazal maxi dress (available here). Not only was it beautiful, but it made for a fun photo op in front of the heli with the blades whirring and the breeze blowing.

From the great customer service to the amazing views from above and zero traffic, it was a memorable way to kick off the holiday weekend and it only took about 35 minutes as opposed to the usual 3+ hours by car. Here's a highlight video below from my journey so you get an idea of what it's like (sorry it's not full screen, realized I should have held my phone horizontal instead of the way you'd think):

Note to nervous fliers: it was a super smooth ride and my fellow passengers (including a puppy!) couldn't have been nicer. For more ways to get to Hamptons on any budget, check out my Travel + Leisure story and if you'd like to try Blade for yourself, download the app and enter promo code CristinaG1 to get $100 off your first flight. Happy travels and happy summer to all!

Follow me on Instagram and Snapchat @cristinablairgibson and on Twitter @cristinagibson

Globetrotting and Girl Time

I've been on a major hiatus from the blog due to my crazy work and travel schedule this year, but I'm back with some updates. I've had two destination bachelorette parties in Nicaragua and Santa Barbara, where we rode horses on the beach and went wine tasting in the valley.

I also had work trips to Palm Springs and Miami, so it felt like I hadn't gotten to see some of my friends here in NYC very much. That's why I was psyched when SheKnows hosted a special screening of Hot Pursuit, in theaters today. I gathered some of my NYC girlfriends for a fun movie night.

I always love a night at the movies, but this was especially awesome since they had a popcorn bar, candy bar and an open bar with specialty themed cocktails.

The movie stars Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara as a modern day Thelma and Louise and is the perfect girls' night out for your BFFs.

Thanks to SheKnows for hosting such a great event and my friends for joining me! Next Sunday, May 17, I'll be on Fox & Friends for a fun segment so set your DVR or tune in you're up that early on the weekend.

Follow me on Instagram @cristinablairgibson and Twitter @cristinagibson

Happy Holidays and Shopping!

Happy Hanukkah and almost Christmas! 

If you haven't finished your holiday shopping yet, here are some gift ideas from a Fox & Friends segment I put together last Friday. I usually do segments on the weekends so it was fun getting to go on a weekday  and work with former View host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. 

Here's the segment and links on where to buy the gifts I featured:

Ann Taylor embellished knits: These jewel studded sweaters, hats and gloves will keep you chic and cozy.

Pottery Barn enamel jewelry box and frame: Available in festive colors with free monogramming.

Ann Taylor's Hope Strength Love bracelet trio (displayed inside box): Give back with this gift. Ann Taylor donates 50% of the price to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Estancia Wine-Infused Bakery Box: A fun twist on a traditional bottle of wine are wine infused dessert bars from Silverland Bakery. 

Bella portable slow cooker with searing pot: Cooking and hosting can be a breeze with this all in one device that allows you to brown and sear then slow cook all in one dish. 

Aerie sleepshirt sets: Softest PJs ever! 

And don't forget to look for local small stores and pop ups in your town. I wandered into Creeds Collective holiday pop up on Crosby Street over the weekend and found some really unique gifts, from fun throw pillows to unicorn wall art!

Speaking of unicorns, here's a photo from our Halloween costumes as a cheerleading squad called the Unicorns. 

We wanted to be a group of cheerleaders originally, then we just needed a team name and were inspired by the Crazy Hot Matrix video as well as the Unicorn Club in the Sweet Valley High books. 

Happy shopping and happy holidays to all!

Follow me on Instagram @cristinablairgibson and Twitter @cristinagibson

Happy Halloweekend! Vampires, Supermodels and Unicorns

Happy Halloween! I love how the holiday is finally on a Friday this year because we have all weekend to celebrate. I'll post photos of this year's costume later which involves unicorns, but here's some highlights from Halloweens past. 

Hot nerds, our first Halloween in NYC

Girl Scouts aka Troop Trouble back in our LA days

Dressed as food trucks for E!'s costume contest, which we actually won...thank you, Seacrest

October has gone by in a blur since I've been so busy! I've been working with InStyle a lot and have gotten to cover some fun events and interview great celebrities for them, like Gisele and Karl Lagerfeld for the new Chanel campaign and Vampire Diaries' hottie Ian Somerhalder. For inquring minds who have asked me, yes, both are just as gorgeous in person. 

You can read my coverage on their website but I also have my first story in the December issue so I'm really excited for that! 

 This week, InStyle had their Holiday Blogger event and I gave a presentation on behalf of Gardein, which was serving all of the yummy food at the event. If you haven't tried it, Gardein is a line of delicious food that's all totally meatless. I'm not vegan or vegetarian myself but I tried their products at Sundance a few years back and they're so good. Plus, plant-based proteins have no cholesterol so they're good for you.

My dress is from Tart Collections, a line I love because they have great pieces that can transition from day to night and work to going out...just throw on (or take off) a blazer and you're good to go. Big thank you to Valerie Star at Caravan Stylist Studio for getting me glammed for the evening! 

I'm off to get ready for the festivities but hope everyone has an amazing Halloween! Have fun, be safe, eat candy and post plenty of pics of your costumes which you should definitely wear all weekend...bonus points if you do it in different cities, like I am!

Follow me on Instagram @cristinablairgibson and Twitter @cristinagibson

Fashion Week Highlights

So long, summer! 

Labor Day Weekend and Fashion Week came and went so quickly and now it officially feels like fall back in the Big Apple. 

Over the past two weeks, I've been running all over town covering shows and parties, doing interviews and even trying my hand at StreetStyle photography. 

One of the coolest parties I covered was the Versus Versace show after party. From Rihanna to Naomi Campbell and Nicki Minaj, all of the big names came out to see the latest collection from Donatella herself and Anthony Vaccarello. St. Vincent performed and guests enjoyed custom Versace chocolate bars, dessert pops and of course, endless flutes of champagne. 

I was there on behalf of InStyle and got to speak with Nicki, Naomi, Jennifer Hudson and Allegra Versace.

I also covered the Diesel Black Gold runway show last week, where Rita Ora sat front row and wearable tech was a trend.

On the very same day Apple announced their new smart watch, in addition to the embellished pants and star spangled dresses on the runway, many models sported customized, curved Gear S smart watches by Samsung.

The 2-inch device, which was making it's debut on the Diesel runway, can make calls, send texts and take photos all from your wrist.

I'm not sure if smart watches will be new black, but it's interesting to see how fashion and tech are colliding these days.

In between catching shows and covering parties, I was hanging at the tents at Lincoln Center on StreetStyle duty for SheKnows. Instead of chatting up celebs, I was on the hunt for well-dressed attendees to the fashion shows and found a ton of stylish girls to shoot. You can see all of my StreetStyle series here, here and here but I think Xenia Tchoumitcheva's look, blogger at ChicOverdose, was one of my favorites. I like how she dressed up her casual tee by adding the skirt and heels.

On Tuesday, Juicy launched their latest perfume, Viva la Juicy Gold Couture, during NYFW with a glamorous #CoutureOverdose fete at Gold Bar, which was the perfect venue to celebrate their new fragrance. Guests enjoyed a spritz bar where they could try the new scent, an ice cream sundae bar and gift bags full of Juicy beauty products.

 My roommate Lindsay and I had fun in the photo fun booth and it was great to catch up with the other SheKnows experts and staffers who were all there. That same evening, Mexican designer PinkMAGNOLIA presented their SS15 collection and threw an afterparty with DJ David Katz and artist Jeremy Penn.

I always like learning about new designers in addition to ones I already love during Fashion Week. Now that  NYFW is over, I'm ready to go shopping and update my fall wardrobe. What trends are you looking forward to trying this season? Until next time, have a fashionable fall!

Follow me on Twitter @cristinagibson and Instagram @cristinablairgibson

Montauk to Mexico: My Summer So Far

I can't believe we're more than halfway through summer and it's already August, but I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. Last weekend, our Montauk house officially ended. We had a great time with an amazing crew at 64 Grant Drive. Here are some highlights from my summer so far:

Beautiful beach days

Family dinners...and having the blondest house in the Hamptons, hands down

Our housemate and resident deejay Kyle doing ridiculous living room workouts

Sundays at Surf Lodge. Surf is fun any night but Sundays have the best crowd and best performers and you can even bring your dog. I'm proud to say I didn't miss a Surf Lodge Sunday all season! 

Trying yoga on a paddleboard for the first time. It was such a fun workout! We did it at PaddleDiva in East Hampton and I wrote a story about it for SheKnows.

Getting to borrow a Jaguar F-Type for 4th of July weekend...such a sweet ride!

Seeing so many stunning sunsets

Getting to spend quality time with friends, both new and old

Going boating and being out on the water...nothing like it

Although our Montauk house is over, luckily, the boating adventures continue. Katie and I are off to Mexico in two weeks to take a Sunseeker on the Sea of Cortez. The Hamptons have been a blast but I'm looking forward to exploring some new places.

Despite what it may look like on Instagram, I've actually worked a lot this summer on things other than my tan. In addition to my daily articles for Cambio and weekly stories for SheKnows, I did a Fourth of July segment for Fox News featuring festive cocktails, snacks and games to play at your celebration.

You can see the whole segment here and I even got a shout out from Diddy himself since I used his Ciroc vodka in the cocktails, which I was pretty excited about!

@foxandfriends and @cristinagibson share @ciroc sangria cocktails for July 4th. Check it out at: http://t.co/1S7Wejsfw9
— Diddy (@iamdiddy) July 2, 2014

 I also wrote my first story for Hamptons magazine about the renovation of Gurney's Inn. The property is so beautiful and the new restaurant, Seawater Grille, serves delicious food. It's the perfect place to stay if you're visiting Montauk.

I also started writing for Yahoo! Travel, which has been really fun since I've always been a huge travel enthusiast. One of my stories for them was even picked up by the New York Post, and it was a big thrill to see my byline there unexpectedly. 

It's been such an amazing summer so far but I have the feeling the best is yet to come. I hope that your summer is going spectacular as well and that you're making the most of the season. Enjoy the great weather, take some time to relax and make lots of magical memories. Until next time, cheers!

Follow me on Twitter @cristinagibson and Instagram @cristinablairgibson