Week 21: Greek. Finding Santorini in NYC.

One of the best things about New York is that it is so multicultural. You can find any part of our world secretly tucked away with love on one of the many streets of the city, or openly blossoming as a miniature version of countries like Italy, China and Russia.

Being a great appreciator of Greek cuisine and culture, I enjoy finding new Greek restaurants or spotting new murals and pieces inspired by the colors of Santorini. One of my favourite "portals" to Greece in NYC is Souvlaki GR (116 Stanton Street).

Photography by my favourite NYC photographer - Dennis. 

For this Santorini inspired photoshoot I wore a beautiful blue-patterned, white dress from Shein.

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Dress - Shein | Heels - Steve Madden (I also love these) | Bracelet - Club Monaco  | Sunnies - Ray Ban

SHOP THE LOOK:

FOR More looks featuring Shein clothes, CLICK here!

Week 18: Summer in NYC. NYC Shopping Guide + Rosegal Look

When I came to NYC for the first time I was amazed by how different the shopping experience is from the experience in London and Paris. Manhattan has one of the biggest flagship stores in the world (including a massive H&M), an exhilarating amount of department stores (who knew there could be so many in one city), and a really impressive range of designers and products. From the small independent boutiques offering a limited edition of 20s style pieces or even Medieval inspired clothing, to luxury evening gowns by famous Israeli designers, you can find practically anything in this city.

Today I am sharing some of my favorite places to shop in New York along with my look created in collaboration with Rosegal. Rosegal is an online store that offers a wide range of clothing and accessories for very affordable prices. They ship fast and so far everything fits me perfectly (I usually order a size XS or S, whichever is the smallest size in that style).

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SHOP THE POST:

top | jeans | similar bag (+ LOVE this bag) | Heels (similar here)

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NYC SHOPPING GUIDE:

In New York you can easily shop all over Manhattan, however I recommend you start in Soho (Spring or Bleecker St stations get you closest to the shops). 5th Avenue may be the most famous street for shopping, as depicted in films and TV shows, but it is more for luxury boutique hopping because and it has much less diversity in brands. 

CLUB MONACO

One shop where I ALWAYS find something I absolutely love is Club Monaco. The brand is surprisingly not as well known in Europe, and prior to moving to the US, I had never even heard of it. I usually shop at the 536 Broadway location, but check here for their other stores' addresses. 

What will you find in Club Monaco? Stylish minimalistic fashion made from high quality fabrics, items in delicious pastel palettes, and LOTS of whites.

Price range? $150-$300, but totally worth it!

Mystique Boutique

Mystique Boutique is one of these no-brand-stores that you may be a little embarrassed to shop at, but when you do, you end up leaving with quite a few cool items. I bought this grey bodysuit and pants in Mystique last January and was wearing it around the apartment.

I shop at 454 Broadway, but they have other locations. Here is the full list.

What will you find in Mystique Boutique? All the trendy, sexy clothes that insta-girls wear.

Price Range? Extremely cheap! $5-$30.

 

& Other Stories

Beautiful store located at 575 Broadway sells a wide range of fashion and beauty items designed in Paris and Stockholm. &Other Stories is a brand under the H&M group, but their collections are much more sophisticated.

What will you find in Other Stories? Original designer clothes and beautiful, stylish dresses of great quality, amazing jewellery and accessories.

Price Range? Very reasonable for the quality and design: $50-$150

Armani Exchange, Steve Madden, Brandy Melville, Zara

Armani Exchange (568 Broadway) is great for quickly finding a simple yet great-looking t-shirt or a classy, high quality dress for an affordable price. Steve Madden (540 Broadway) is my go-to place for any kind of shoes (amazing designs and love the price point). And I only discovered Brandy Melville (499 Broadway) a few days ago, but I already love their range of cool crop tops, sexy open back rompers and other fashion items for young women. And of course Zara. Well, do I have to explain why I love Zara?! The biggest Zara is located at 666 5th Ave, but I like the one on 503 Broadway.

Price Range? All four stores have a similar price range of $30-$100 on average.

REFORMATION

Eco-friendly brand that makes gorgeous, trendy clothes that don't kill the environment. Located at 23 Howard St.

Price Range? A little bit on the expensive side, but thinking about how you are kind of saving our planet while shopping is soothing ;)

 

ABC Carpet & Home

888 Broadway

One of the best and most lavishly decorated stores I have ever been in! You can not only find amazing furniture and decor items, but you can also shop for artisan clothes, jewellery and books. Also check out ABC’s restaurants - ABC Kitchen and ABC Cocina.

There are many department stores in Manhattan, including my favourite, Barneys, Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue, however I try to avoid being inside these stores for too long in the summer. But in winter time, they are my saviors!

On 5th Avenue definitely pay a visit to the iconic Tiffany & Co. 

5th Avenue also hosts the biggest H&M store in the world (589 5th Ave).

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FOR BOOK LOVERS

New York has so many great bookstores, big and small, general and niche, that I could dedicate a whole post to them. My favorite is the gorgeous and sophisticated Rizolli (1133 Broadway at 26th St), and the famous Strand, which is perfect for those who love getting lost in a sea of books.

THE HAT SHOP

120 Thompson St

Custom hat shop with a retro vibe selling an array of beautiful hats. They also take custom orders! 

Make Up Your Mind

Sephora is a paradise for beauty product lovers and they are located all over Manhattan, but I also love to visit the Tony Moly shop in Koreatown (35 W 32nd St) for moisturisers and masks in fun packages.

What about men?

RRL is one of the best men's store I have ever seen. Ben buys most of his clothes at Double RL to both my greatest pleasure (real gentlemen's clothing with a bit of a retro vibe. Yum!) and horror (everything is quite expensive). Go there for classic double breasted jackets, 20s style suits or American Old West inspired pieces.

Of course there are so many more places I could talk about and probably will in one of my future posts, however today I have tried to cover my main shopping destinations in Manhattan. What's your favorite store in NYC? And let me know if you have any questions. Please ask them via our Facebook page. 

Week 8: California Diary. Coachella Vibes

Since Coachella took over my Instagram feed and favourite bloggers' pages this month, I decided to share the best affordable festival-ready clothes you can find in stores right now.

Ben and I were planning to go to Coachella this year, however my husband was travelling to Dubai for a golf tournament and then he was back to work in New York, so we had to leave the festival experience until next year.

If you, like me, haven't been able to go to Coachella, treat yourself with some beautiful summer pieces that will make you want to throw your own party!

COACHELLA 2016 BEST OUTFITS AND TRENDS

Sheer maxi Dresses 

Seen all over Coachella, worn by blogging beauties and young celebrities, maxi see-through and peek-a-boo lace dresses are one of the biggest trends of summer 2016. They are sexy without being trashy, sophisticated and effortlessly cool. 

Off-the-shoulder tops

Off-the-shoulder tops are definitely one of my latest fashion crazes. I love them all: cropped neutral coloured, intricately embroidered and laced ones.

Lace up High Boots or Sandals

I already jumped on this bandwagon and purchased a pair of Daisy Street Lace Up Boots from Asos. Those boots will sex up any outfit regardless if you are in a tight suede dress or just wearing shorts and a white t-shirt.