TRAVEL

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).


SHOP THE POST:

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


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 StoriesOriginal 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, BarneysMacy'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).

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 14: Park City. Best Places to Visit

Park City is a small town in Utah, but it's quickly becoming a more popular destination. The world knows Park City for its luxury ski resorts and the largest independent film festival in the United States, the Sundance Film Festival. Park City is also  home to the US Ski Team, it hosted the skiing and snowboarding events during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and it is one of the hottest real estate spots in America among celebrities and millionaires. Michael Jordan, Will Smith, Katherine Heigl and many other famous people own gorgeous mansions in Park City

I have been spending so much time in Utah, both in winter and summer, that I have decided to share my favourite places in Park City.

TOP 7 Places to Visit in Park City:

1. Main Street

The Egyptian Theatre in Park City was part of a national and worldwide fascination with the contemporary discovery of the tomb of King Tut in Egypt.

The Sundance Film Festival has used The Egyptian Theatre as a cinematic house for almost as long as the festival has existed; one of its oldest and most recognizable venues.

Banksy on Main Street.

One of the art galleries on Main Street.

Main Steet is the first street you will likely want to explore in Park City. Main Street to Park City is like Oxford Street to London and Broadway to New York. Rumour has it that there are more restaurants per capita in Park City than in any other American city, and they all serve delicious food. You should also check out all the little boutiques and galleries. Be sure to go to Dolly's Bookstore, where they not only have a great selection of books and gifts, but the store is also home to a few friendly cats. And of course do take tons of pictures of the beautiful, colourful houses that easily compete with the rainbow coloured ones in Notting Hill, London.

The cutest soft toys made from alpaca fur.

Throwback to my first visit to Park City in August 2015.

2. Park City Museum

I love visiting museums and will never miss a chance to wander around interesting artifacts and expand my knowledge base. Usually small towns have modest museums featuring exhibits that aren’t very engaging, however the Park City Museum pleasantly surprised me with its various interactive exhibits, displays, videos and even little attractions.

This huge interactive book describing criminals from Park City's Wild West history was really fun to "read." I was not surprised to find out that the Park City Museum has recently undergone a $9 million dollar renovation. It really shows! The museum is located at 528 Main Street and it is a great family friendly place.

3. Ski Resort in winter/FUNICULAR to St.Regis in SUMMER

Skiing with my husband Ben.

The majority of tourists come to Park City in the winter to ski. I only just  learned how to ski last year, but my husband is a former professional skier, so I trust him when he says it is the best town for skiing in the USA. If you plan to ski, plan for at least a few days since it is cheaper to get multi-day or weekly passes rather than to pay daily.

If you visit in the summer, take the funicular to St. Regis hotel and enjoy the breathtaking view. The bar at St. Regis is beautiful and I recommend you order their signature spicy Bloody Mary or a delightfully sweet Pineapple Mojito. 

Gorgeous view Park City

4. Nature love

Everyone in Park City hikes, or so it seems. There are hundreds of trails and beautiful spots... at least according to every person who lives in Utah. I am personally not a big fan of hiking and cannot recommend any specific trails (I am more of a theatre and museum kind of girl!), but I can appreciate the nature and wildlife of Park City. Even if you just take a drive instead of wandering around the woods, you will probably spot a graceful deer or a fluffy rabbit somewhere alongside the road.

I personally love the White Barn/ McPolin Barn and its surroundings. It is a perfect spot for taking pictures or having a little picnic, plus it has a parking spot on the opposite side of the road. I will post a photoshoot from next to the McPolin Barn later!

5. Handle Restaurant and Flanagan's

Handle is a rustic-chic eatery with a very delicious and original menu. It is located at 136 Heber Avenue. It is probably one of my favourite places to eat at in Park City, along with Flanagan's. But I love Flanagan's mostly for their mouthwatering beignets. 

6. Atticus Coffee  

Forget about Starbucks! Atticus coffee has an impressive range of hot and ice coffees and teas, free wifi, and a very cozy atmosphere. Whenever I am visiting Park City, I go there to blog or read.

7. Silver Lake Drive

If you want to see more luxury houses (because, to be frank, they are everywhere in Park City), drive up Silver Lake Drive. The designs of some of the houses will make you reconsider buying that new pair of shoes you wanted and inspire you to start saving for a beautiful house of your own.

Hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions about Park City, and I will gladly guide you further :)

Week 14: Park City. 4th of July Wild West Outfit!

Happy 4th of July!

Since July 4th is one of the most beloved US holidays, I have decided to dedicate this week to a very traditional, beautiful American town: Park City, Utah.

My husband spent a number of his teenage years in Park City (before living in Amsterdam and London) and his parents still live in there, hence, we visit Utah very often. I have grown to love this beautiful ski resort town with its magnificent, picturesque mountains, breathtaking sunsets and colourful, neat houses.

This week I am going to share a bit of Park City's history, my favourite places to visit (both in summer and winter), the best restaurants, and of course a few outfit photoshoots taken in this incredibly photogenic city.

This is my third 4th of July in the US. I celebrated the first one in 2014 in in NYC. Last year Ben organised a very romantic surprise getaway to Disneyworld in Florida (it was our first roadtrip!). The July 4th fireworks in Disneyworld were amazing and we made so many happy memories. And this year I am spending the 4th of July in Park City, where they hold a beautiful parade every year. I will add photos from today's celebration later!

The outfit I have posted below is not the traditional red, white, and blue you might have expected, but it has a Wild West feel to it which I love. I think the Stetson really suits me, what do you think? :)

My Outfit:

Stetson Cowboy Hat, White off the shoulder top (similar here and here), Denim shorts (similar here and here), Adidas sneakers.