The Empire State Building

We walked all the way back along fifth avenue and found our way to the Empire State building. Strangely, we hadn't known it was so close to our hotel, supposedly because we didn't think to be looking up as we walked around.

It seemed to take a long time to reach the top, we walked a series of escalators and got our photo taken as a big group before reaching the first lift. I could feel the changing pressure in my ears as we began to climb higher and higher to the top. When the lift reached the final stop, I was surprised to get out and then into another lift that was further along a corridor. It didn't feel like we could possibly get any higher but we did. As we reached the top, we ventured outside and towards the edge to gaze out at the beautiful city, lit up by millions of lights. The view was breath taking but as I got closer I suddenly remembered my crippling fear of heights.

The wind was so intense and bitterly cold that I felt that at any moment I was going to be picked up in a particularly powerful gust and be blown over the side. I took as many photographs as I could with my hands shaking from both the cold and the terror of being so high up. Before long, I started to get the strange sensation that I needed to be lower down and so ran back to the inside, which felt like a safety net.

I ventured out a few more times after that when I began to feel a little braver and to save face with the rest of the girls, but I was desperate to be back on solid ground and so happy when the others had had enough. No one said anything to me about how stupid I look, I think it was probably out of politeness.

Ellen's Stardust Diner

After returning to the hotel for what felt like a few minutes and donning my new purchases, we headed out for dinner at Ellen's Stardust diner in Times Square. As soon as we walked in we were greeted by the singing waiter who directed us to our table whilst singing 'Angels'. We were smiling despite being incredibly exhausted. The mood was uplifting and before long we really got into it. The waiters and waitresses came and sat with us, singing right into our faces, loving our English accents and the fact that we had travelled to New York as fashion students.

We ordered food that was about as American as it could get and really enjoyed the atmosphere. We even managed to surprise Claire with a 'Happy Birthday' song from the waiter who brought a free dessert for her. There was a couple there celebrating 50 years of marriage who were invited to get up and dance together on the dancefloor. It was a brilliant end to the day and put us in such a good mood that we didnt want the night to end. We somehow found a burst of new energy and set out on the walk back to the hotel, preparing to venture up the Empire State Building.

American H&M

I wanted to see next if there would be a difference between the way the H&M was set out in New York compared to the way it was set out in England. I was surprised at just how many H&M's that we saw, there seemed to be one on every street. They weren't little shops either but all seemed to occupy a huge amount of space.

As soon as I entered the shop I realised that it was exactly the same as any other H&M that I had been in. It was slightly tidier, and the sheer size of the building meant that it was much more spacious. There was more room for the clothes to be spread out which meant that it had lost the jumble sale feel that it has in England.

Personally, I preferred the more organized and spacious feeling of the shop and found it much easier to find clothes that I actually liked without having to ferret around through racks of garments.

I couldn't be dragged away from the underwear department, and though I tried not to, I ended up buying a gorgeous nude set, a delicate bra and pantie set with a waspie that matched. I certainly don't need any more underwear but the H&M prices were very difficult to resist.

I also bought a black waistcoat embellished with gold sequins. It may look odd on it's own, but when styled with a plain black dress and opaque tights, I think it will make a dull outfit look much more appealing.

Can't Resist Victoria's Secret

I headed over the road shortly after the visit to Forever 21 and couldn't resist going inside Victoria's Secret, fully intending not to come out empty handed.

I loved the in store environment and the cleanliness of the store, although due to there being the January Sale, it wasn't as organised as perhaps it usually is. I made my way up the escalator and up to the first floor, admiring how they were also selling make up and lounge wear in an underwear shop.

When I got to the second floor there was much more space to move around and there were less people in there looking for a sale. Here was where the new stock was and that was what I was interested in. I scanned the mannequins and found a bra that was stunning in nude pink, very delicately embroidered and beautifully finished. I found my size in the corresponding drawer and then searched to find some underwear to match but there was nothing. This surprised me as one of my key rules is that I always match my underwear and I think a shop specialising in underwear should be offering matching sets, if only for the purpose of making more money. I scoured the drawers but couldn't find any colours that matched the beautiful nude pink of the bra I had found.

Reluctantly I put it back and settled instead for a coral pink set. The Victoria's Secret is embroidered very discreetly in the middle and it fits beautifully.

Back to Work: Forever 21

After some lunch we headed back down Fifth Avenue and tried to visit the High Street side of things. We had been recommended to go and look at Forever 21 as they were supposed to have a lot of throwaway fashion at low prices.

We went through the doors and were greeted with a shop that looked like a cross between New Look and Primark. There were clothes absolutely everywhere leaving very little space to walk around and to hinder us even more the shop was packed with people. We had to edge our way through everybody to look at the clothes on the racks. The floor was set out in a similar way to New Look, with some circular racks dotted around the centre at waist height and then a veriety of bars at the sides with some other items. However, I did feel like you had to hunt to find items that would work together, which reminded me more of Primark.

I did eventually manage to find a boyfriend style shirt that was pin striped blue and white, it had roll up sleeves and I bought in a larger size than I needed so that I could wear it over more fitted items for a layered look.

My best buy in forever 21 was a sheer pink top with black and pearl embellishment on the neckline. I bought a pink strap top to wear underneath and will wear with black leggings and boots for a smart/casual night out.

I found Forever 21 quite a stressful shopping environment.

A Quick Break for a Horse and Carriage Ride

Before we knew what had happened it was getting on for midday and we had managed to walk the entire length of Fifth Avenue. We found ourselves up by Central Park and couldn't resist having a quick break from retail research and hopping on board a horse and carriage for a tour round the park.

We paid a few dollars each and the four of us climbed into a carriage and covered ourselves with a warm red blanket. We were then taken round the outskirts of the park with the driver describing various sights and locations that had been used in films.

The park was still covered in a thin layer of snow from a few days previously and looked picturesque as we drove by. It was peaceful and quiet with only a few people walking their dogs or ice skating in the rink in the middle of the park.

The driver was really polite and interested in our visit to the city and gave us some information on the best places to eat and drink out. Before long, we found ourselves back at the point we had left off at and said goodbye before heading back to do some more research.

Up Fifth Avenue to Abercrombie and Fitch

We continued waking up Fifth Avenue and our attention was caught by a model standing in the doorway wearing an open black shirt and having his photo taken with some exciteable girls. We realised we were at Abercrombie and Fitch and decided to have a look what the visual merchandising was like in this store.

The music was thumping through the speakers so loudly that the base line made my bones feel like they were shaking. The loud music and the lack of lighting made the environment feel more like a night club than a shop. I had the feeling that I should be on the look out for guys to hook up with rather than looking at the clothes themselves.

There were four stories of this sort of thing and an abundance of scantily clad male models that seemed to guard all of the stairs and the female staff were not exactly dressed for a cold January day either. The lighting was so dark that I was finding it really difficult to actually see any of the clothes that were stacked in neat little colour coordinated shelving compartments. I wanted to find some blue jeggings but gave up after a few failed attempts at picking out black instead of blue from the pile. I had to pick them up and physically move closer to a light in order to see what I was holding.

The changing rooom lighting wasn't much better, I still felt like I was in a nightclub and trying to talk to any of the staff was nearly impossible due to the loud music. I began to feel quite intimidated by the women dancing on the stairs and the topless male models made me feel decidedly uneasy. In the end I had to get out, running into a Father with a look of dread on his face as he followed his daughter inside.