Last week I attended a gala at the brand new Nordstrom located within Westfield UTC. The gala benefited two  local charities, Promises 2 Kids and Voices for Children and raised over $150,000 for children in foster care. We were among the first to step foot (and shop!) in the brand new 145,000 sq ft, two level store. It was an evening of fashion, cocktails, food, mingling and of course shopping! The new store features a ton of new brands (including 8 designer boutiques…I’m talking Chloe, Gucci, Valentino and more!), a beauty concierge for customer questions & booking appointments (new brands include Tom Ford, Charlotte Tilbury & more!) and two in-house dining options: Bazille, a full-service restaurant and bar; and Ebar which is more of an on-the-go menu/espresso bar. Some new shopping features are the option to reserve items online and try on in-store as well as the option to buy online with curbside pickup! YES, please!

About five minutes after arriving though, I realized I had made a horrible mistake in wearing one of my most uncomfortable pair of heels I own. Which turned into a good thing because I convinced my hubby I needed these Schutz heels (the pair I’m wearing in all of the pics) that I quickly purchased and changed into. He enjoyed a shoe shine at the shoe shine stand while I made the quick change! I think the mannequin in the pic above (left) had the right idea by pairing a dress with Vans!

One thing that also stood out to me was how AMAZING the lighting was! I don’t know about you, but I am MUCH more likely to make a purchase if the lighting is flattering! And the dressing rooms have the coolest little lounge areas.

While we were there, I ran into a few of my fellow Westfield UTC blogging buddies (Danielle from City Girl Gone Mom & Jennifer of Style Your Life) so of course we did a photo shoot right in front of the “live” models. And a few (ok, like ten) boomerangs as well!

Be sure and stop by the new Nordstrom at Westfield UTC. You are going to LOVE it…pinky promise.

Outfit Details: BB Dakota Dress c/o Shopbop (more sizes available here), BlankNYC Faux Leather Moto Jacket (sold out in black but available in other colors here, super similar option in black here), Schutz Heels, Bracelet & Ring c/o LAGOS

Thank you kindly to Westfield UTC for sponsoring my blog & to Nordstrom for providing the tickets to attend the gala. As always, all opinions are my own.