Summer in the Garment District

Culture Espresso, Image via Instagram @jourdanhull_

M&J

M&J

Spyglass 

Spyglass

Spyglass

Spyglass, Image via Yelp

OM Factory, Image via Yelp @ginaeverkim

The Garment District is near and dear to my heart, because this is where I spent the bulk of my time as a young designer - sourcing not only fabrics and trims, but the production of my ready-to-wear line as well. It's made up of hardworking, friendly people I will never forget, some even treated me like their own daughter.

Today, I can go back for leisure and though the Garment District is always changing, it's nice to see the familiar "classics" stay the same. 

Nestled between Bryant Park and Herald Square, its in the heart of the city: 6th to 9th Ave, and 35th to 40th St. This small area is bustling with life, tons of shops big and small, but let's start with first things first: Eats!

This summer of 2018, the Garment District closed two blocks of traffic from 39th - 41st streets, and created an Urban Garden. Going on now until Sept 1! You can see photos from my stroll here and the endless temptations for a cheat meal ;)

There is still plenty to eat outside of the Urban Garden area from delis to coffee shops. The next time I am there in the morning, I'm going to skip Starbucks and try Culture Espresso on 38th st and 6th Ave.

Next stop, Shops.

Well, it is the Garment District after all! Note: most of the shops here are open Monday~Saturday, and normally close at 5pm. The general vicinity of the shops are located around 37th through 39th Streets, between 7th and 8th Ave.

Mood Fabrics
225 West 37th Street, 3rd floor

B&J Fabrics
525 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor

New York Elegant Fabrics
222 West 40th Street

Mokuba
137 W. 38th Street

M&J Trimming - pictured
1008 6th Avenue

Pacific Trimming
220 West 38th Street

Now finally, off to my favorite part of the day, rooftop bars!! Man, a refreshing cocktail with friends, paired with a view of my favorite city never gets old.

If you're traveling or getting off work early, Spyglass rooftop opens earliest so I would start there to grab some snacks and drinks, and then bar hop over to the Refinery Rooftop. There, you can catch one of the endless stunning sunsets the city has to offer with an Espresso Martini in hand, to carry on through the rest of the night.

For a more intimate vibe in this touristy area, continue downstairs of the Refinery Hotel to Winnie’s Jazz Bar. I need to check this place out myself, for an easy night out of live jazz. I imagine sitting back and just melting the stimulating day in the city away.

Lastly, while researching the Garment District, I discovered OM Factory! They hold anti-gravity Yoga classes there - I would definitely like to check it out sometime. Would you?

Thank you to the Garment District for sponsoring this post and sharing it's gems with us.

A day in Dumbo

Fun Fact: Hank and I had our first date in Dumbo Brooklyn - we went to the art fair in 2010!

Over the long weekend earlier this month I spent a fun-filled family day in Dumbo Brooklyn with my husband, son and sister. We left the house without eating breakfast so I quickly yelped brunch spots, and came across AlMar. The Egg in a Cloud dish sparked my interest, but being a family friendly restaurant solidified our decision. The restaurant has high ceilings and the food was as tasty as it looks. It was an ideal brunch! Next time I'd love to try Atrium.

After lunch we wanted Chase to run around so we headed to the nearest playground which was at Pier 5. He loved the sandbox shaped like a boat. Dumbo is a residential neighborhood so here is an extensive list of playgrounds in the area~ 

Then to relax, we picked up some snacks at Peas & Pickles for a picnic at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The views are beautiful right by the river and the iconic bridges. We strolled to Jane's Carousel and Chase (finally) fell asleep in his stroller (he was too excited and stayed up way past his usual naptime).

We figured it's a good time to grab an early dinner with Chase napping, and it's not often we come to Brooklyn so we headed for their famous pizza! We figured the lines wouldn't be too bad considering it's a holiday weekend and everyone was out of town, but both Juliana's and Grimaldi's lines were still too long. So we headed closer to the water where we can always rely on Luke's Lobster. We ate outside and I love that you feel a bit like you're on vacation.

When Chase woke up, we needed to find a bathroom so we got some treats from One Girl Cookies. We got a sample of flavors though Chase ate most of them. It was right by the park so we picnicked again to change his diaper. It didn't feel right to leave without checking out the shops so we went to a bookstore we saw across the street from the cookie store called Powerhouse and then Shibu, a Japanese furniture store. Sadly, both were going out of business.. and almost everything was on sale. I got a blank textbook from Powerhouse to use as a sketchbook which I'm excited to fill with designs and ideas.

We grabbed one last strawberry smoothie for the subway ride back home. It's unfortunate that none of the subway stops in Brooklyn have elevators! I suggested walking over the Brooklyn Bridge but by the end of the day we were all pretty pooped!

Outfits wise - I wasn't planning on blogging the day when we left, so it's simply weekend casual in a white top, denim shorts, and my most comfortable sneakers.

P.S. We stumbled upon this amazing flower garden! It is located by River Cafe between Luke's Lobster. Nothing is more soothing to me than the sound of trickling water and there is a lovely little stream by the entrance to the garden. It's a sweet spot from the urban environment when the flowers are in full bloom!

• Photography by Deborah Chang and myself

A taste of Rivington Street

My sister and I went to taste Morgenstern's coconut ash flavor ice cream. I was curious since I don't know that I've seen black ice cream before - it's more messy than it is tasty - prepare a napkin, maybe some water to rinse out your teeth and don't forget a mirror to reapply your lips because they will be messed up. I did enjoy the coconut flavor, but I'd probably order another flavor next time! We got some good laughs out of it though (at each other).

As we were heading to Black Seed Bagel for brunch, we got distracted by a shop next door called Leekan Designs - oriental bird cages with blue and white porcelain feeders in the window caught my eye. So we popped in and stayed for about 10-15 mins because there's a lot of things to cover. My sister left with a metal horse necklace charm with turquoise eyes. I'm trying not to be a hoarder anymore so I sadly left the cages at the store. Its always fun to explore and find new gems around town - which is endless here in NY!

I based my outfit around this dress that I was drawn to for it's simplicity with a twist (pun intended). It's more comfortable in person and under $100, which is a win win. I think it would be cute for early pregnancy, though my sister thinks it draws attention to the belly - what do you think? I'm wearing a size M here, and I am 5'5".

Once I wore the dress I was feeling monochrome vibes and opted for a gray bag rather than a pop of color. So I styled it with this mouse bag, which is a classic from my handbag line, but the metallic color is new and coming out any day now! Next, it was a no brainer to pick the shoes - a pair of neutral Josefinas sneakers. This style is also new, but you may recognize the furry pair from the same brand that I wore everyday thus far! Only after I put it altogether did I realize I had a bow-on-bow situation going on~ To keep the "simple" look a bit more interesting, I finished it off with pigtail braids and a rose gold choker for an edgy vibe.

• Photography by Deborah Chang and myself

Paris: Eats

As you may know from Instagram, I just came back from Paris with my girlfriends! I was there for nearly a week and here are all the food spots we hit up - not one was a bust~ So I thought I'd share them with you! I will definitely be going to back to all these places if I'm lucky, and I hope you get to try them too. Special thanks to my friends Grace, Nancy, Jen, Hyunmin, Carol, and Carin (and even their friends) for the recommendations :) 

La Cuisine de Philippe

Restaurant, 25 Rue Servandoni

Hands down - I had to start with this gem that we fortunately discovered on yelp about an hour before we sat down for dinner. I find myself often calling places a "gem", but when I do I really mean it. The space is quite small and the chef, the sweetest old man, came out with a big smile and greeted every table which made the dinner more special. He must have known what he was doing because I felt like I experienced "made with love" for the first time from an establishment the way you would at someone's home. Once you take the first spoonful of the soufflé you will know what I mean even if you don't catch him. Just writing this makes my heart ache for one right now. I felt like I've never had a proper soufflé until now. Both the savory and sweet were the dreamiest things that ever touched my lips. The "salted caramel" I ordered for the sweet one may sound rich, but is light and elegantly not too sweet at all. The soufflés felt like eating a warm cloud that could cure anything. I would probably hop off the plane and go straight here next time. I also really loved looking at all the authentic posters on the walls. 

 

Little Breizh  

Restaurant, 11 Rue Grégoire de Tours

This is the spot my friend Hyunmin would "sing praises" about 5 times a day. She's been here before and I feel so lucky she brought me back with her for brunch! Gosh, writing this post is more difficult than I expected it to be as my mouth is drooling onto the keyboard. They got that perfect crunchy texture down and paired with a refreshing cider. I'm pretty sure I'll order cider from now on whenever I can with my crepes. We tried the egg and tomatoes - look at that presentation! Best part is, it tastes better than it looks. I'm pretty sure this is the epitome of the art of the crepe.  

Angelina  

Tea House, 226 Rue de Rivoli

Our hotel was on the same street as this cafe so we came every morning for a croissant, coffee, or a midday pastry to go. My personal favorite is the chestnut flavored, super smooth mont blanc pastry (though I'm biased since I haven't tried them all). On our last day we were about to have breakfast next door at Hotel Le Meurice (where the president of Korea was currently staying!) but once we got there, didn't feel that the menu or venue (though absolutely stunning and screams "Paris") justified the breakfast price. So we dashed to our now familiar cafe and were happy we did in the seated area. The fruit salad came with a perky sauce that I loved, the only flavor I could pinpoint was the lime zest which I detected with my eyes first. Please get this to share, it's so fresh and I would love to try to recreate it if I could for a picnic. The truffle eggs could have been amazing but I couldn't really taste the truffle, so you might as well just order the normal eggs and save the extra euros. The smoked salmon came in a croissant cut as a sandwich which I haven't really seen in NY (going to recreate this delicious idea as well!) They are known for their "famous" hot chocolate - apparently I tried it in their other location (just across the street from La Cuisine de Philippe - a more modern interior with beautiful gray chairs) last time, but to be honest I don't remember what it tasted like.

Pirouette  

Restaurant, 5 Rue Mondétour

Grace kept thanking us for coming with her here because she wanted to try it, but hello? We are the thankful ones for her finding it for us to try! Hopefully you will too! The ambience is all wood with large wine shelves which has a nice feel but casual at the same time. The price point reflects this at 40 euros for 3 courses. If you are a New Yorker like myself, this is amazing because the plates are equivalent, if not more interesting than the fine dining here such as Jean Georges. "On the bistro side for its prices and friendliness, while clearly gastronomic for its top level cookery." Worth every penny!

Carette  

Pastry Shop, 4 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre

This is a quintessential girls brunch spot right by the Eiffel Tower. Most of us will order the fluffy eggs again every time (make that extra chives) with juice and coffee. The salads here are a hearty portion and the presentation will wow you. I am a huge fan of their lovely plates and when you visit, do notice the sweet flower tiles on the entrance floor! I am reading other reviews online that the pastries are yummier at some of the other shops mentioned in this blog post - so go for lunch, pop over to the Tour Eiffel, and then get dessert at the next spot!

Sadaharu Aoki

Chocolate and Pastry Shop, 35 Rue de Vaugirard

This is the ultimate gift stop for friends, family and coworkers back home. I'm not particularly a chocolate lover except when it comes to this place! The texture is so smooth and really feels luxurious. I love that these chocolates have "flavors" besides the obvious chocolate flavor. I'm such a big fan of the yuzu that I got a package of just yuzu ones for us to snack on. Another stand out piece is their wasabi flavored chocolate which is surprisingly delectable, not too strong yet not too subtle! Their sesame pastry was a stand out for me and I have a new bucket list to try next time: the sesame noir macaron and green tea croissant. They have locations in Tokyo but there are items on their menu exclusive to Paris.

Le Clown Bar  

Modern European Restaurant, 114 Rue Amelot

When my friend Carol, who has been a chef for literally the world's best restaurants, suggested this charmingly small and whimsical restaurant for dinner I knew we would be in for a treat! Sure enough, it's one of those special meals I will never forget in my life, which considering my memory is saying a lot. During our meal I was made aware that it is run by Japanese chefs cooking French cuisine and won "Best Bistro of 2015 in all of France" which is pretty remarkable. Having known that, I could see the Japanese undertones which they worked beautifully into their dishes. Back home I am not the most adventurous eater but something happens to me when I travel and become more open minded, especially for local dishes. For instance, I figured as long as the cow brain was not served looking like one, it would be alright? Nope! It was presented looking exactly the way you would picture a brain - a whole cranium. There, sitting in a clear broth. You know what? Once I got passed that it objectively tasted very pleasant - perfect for the rainy night that it was (and we were sitting outside under heat lamps). After that, the pigeon dish (a dark meat bird) didn't seem very foreign at all and the claw didn't phase me as much as it otherwise would have. I believe that is one of their star dishes. We ordered many dishes to share and paired the meal with an orange wine (a type of rosé) which happened to be a live wine! (I just wrote about the first live wine I tried a couple blog posts ago in the South of France). It was fun to experience new things with friends and learn so much in one unforgettable dinner. We ended the meal with a few desserts where the plating was thoughtfully done until the end. The fresh strawberries were garnished with dainty local white flowers. The attention to detail all around is probably why they are so successful.

Café de Flore  

Cafe, 172 Boulevard Saint-Germain

Café de Flore is simply iconic and a full Parisian experience with big names associated with it. Apparently Karl Largerfeld is a frequent diner - check out Chanel Fall 2015's collection and you will see the inspiration everywhere right down to the green and red chairs as the texture of their boy bag. I even ran into Maya of 'Jack's wife Freda' (a charming restaurant in NY) in the bathroom stall last time I was here! It seems everyone comes here to be inspired! Food wise I found myself reordering the green beans and french onion soup, and shared what felt like everything on the menu as a table. The outdoor area is first come first serve - I wish you luck on a beautiful sunny day!

Colette  

Store, 213 Rue Saint Honoré

Under the "cool" (for lack of a better word) store, great for hip nice gifts, is a restaurant with very satisfying tasty food! The truffle risotto played a big role in that opinion. Anything bursting with truffle flavor is pretty much automatically amazing in my books, but the texture, temperature and marrying with the crunchy fresh lettuce was really excellent. I also loved that their salad was overflowing with fresh ingredients. Citron pressé (simply lemon juice where you add the sweetener and water as you please to make lemonade) is served in France, and I really savored it because the batch was extra sour and the portion was larger than I'm used to. Cute random note: the bathroom here is labeled "Pipi room" :)

Les Marquis de Ladurée  

Chocolate Shop, 14 Rue de Castiglione

Though I didn't buy anything this time around (last time I got a cat box for my Laduree box collection since it's cheaper here as a local shop than in the US), it's a stop I just need to make and pop in ever since I saw in on my friend Carin's Instragram page (@ParisinFourMonths). Though its another small space, the decor is SO MY JAM! The difference from the Laduree we are all familiar with is that this one specializes in chocolates and macarons.

L’Eclair de Génie  

Pastry Shop, 32 Rue Notre Dame des Victoires

Also one I spotted from @ParisinFourMonths' instagram feed - I must be a sucker for yuzu flavors because I keep getting that one even though some of the others are more beautifully decorated. I always think I wont be able to eat an entire eclair and then am surprised how quickly they disappear into my tummy without making me feel a thing - it must be because the pastry is airy and not too sweet. They are perfectly portioned delicious treats! 

Café Pouchkine  

Restaurant, 2 Rue des Francs Bourgeois

We popped into a different location across the street from Café de Flore, but that one was darker and moodier so I tagged this location for you guys. Though it's in a department store and not quite a sit down cafe I prefer that it's much more charming and over the top fabulous. I regret not trying the rose shaped pastry pictured above - I always admired it's beautiful craftsmanship, I wonder how it tastes!

Relais de l'Entrecôte Saint-Germain  

French Steakhouse Restaurant, 20 Rue Saint-Benoît

It seems like everyone already knew about this place for its steak frites. There was a long line - probably the only line we waited on even considering the rain. There's only one thing on the menu. I absolutely love places like that (Korea has a bunch of those joints whereas I can barely think of in NY). You KNOW it's going to be good. I licked my plate. If I had a photo of my plate - it was white after. Their dessert menu was much more extensive which was fun. The atmosphere is similar to an American diner, but obviously French. I loved the experience, probably more than the food. If I had eaten it elsewhere I wouldn't have thought it was something extraordinary. Who am I kidding though - like I said, I licked my plate clean! (There's a location in NY but I don't think it's as popular here).

Kunitoraya  

Japanese Restaurant, 5 Rue Villedo

I remember Grace ate here multiple times and I did not want to leave Paris without trying it. It seems the Japenese really know how to do it well in Paris. The udon noodles had that perfectly chewy texture. The decor was creative for such a small space with the large kites (?) running across both sides hanging from the ceiling. Decor can have a tremendous impact because the ambience would have been ordinary without them. (The photo above does it any justice - it's much more vibrant in person). Maybe it's because I'm Asian, but I can have Asian cuisine anytime anywhere. The broth and beer was equivalent to a spa treatment - soothing and relaxing, especially on a rainy day. (It rained pretty much the entire time I was there, but it was romantic)

Michel Cluizel

Chocolate Shop, 201 Rue Saint Honoré

Jen and I were scurrying down the street when we halted in front of the window display. The adorable miniature baguettes caught our attention when we immediately realized they were chocolates! I was so distracted by the chocolates disguised as baguettes and sardines that I didn't bother to look around the rest of the shop. This is a really cute place to grab some gifts as well - Nancy had left Paris by then and regretted not being able to buy some after seeing our finds. Well! Great thing I am writing this post because while researching, I found out that NYC has it's very own - baguettes, sardines and all! On 199 Madison Ave 35th street! Pst - you can just buy some here and pretend it was from Paris if there were any gifts you forgot. ;)

Paris is one of those cities you can keep going back to and not have enough days to eat (and see) everything. Please feel free to add more recommendations in the comments below! 

• Photos are both my own as well as found images from the internet

Postcards from Barcelona, Part 3

Park Güell

Park Güell

Brunch and Cake

Park Güell

Chok

Park Güell

Sagrada Familia

La Rambla

Brunch and Cake

Park Güell

Sagrada Familia

Park Güell

Palau Guell

Dunkin Coffee on La Rambla

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

Casa Batllo 

El Nacional

Pika Pika

Chok

El Born CC

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

View of Passeig de Gracia from Airbnb

Oh man, how do you put into words the work of Gaudi. It's no secret that he is a huge part of what makes Barcelona a special place. Sagrada Familia (angels chiming *ahhhhhh*) is TRULY a gem. My jaw dropped to see the stained glass in this enormous space is ombre! The sun light piercing through was just magical and breath taking to say the least. I was lucky to have come back 16 years later and it caught me off guard to see new parts of the building I did not remember from 2000 (a 10th grade Spanish class trip). Turns out it was only half built back then. I remember climbing the spiral stairs up a tower, terrified that there's no guard rail, holding onto the wall as I courageously made it to the top. Now they have an elevator! It's pretty cool to see people still working on it both from the outside and inside (by the museum) on a structure started over a hundred years ago. Can't wait to come back with Chase when he's old enough to appreciate it and perhaps it will finally be complete by then! Each of Gaudi's creations are pretty spectacular, Park Guell is a sunny day in tangible form and FYI Palau Guell is free on the first Sunday of each month. If you like visiting historic and architectural spaces, the MUHBA was more interesting than I honestly expected it to be - you can walk around Roman ruins discovered under street level with all sorts of shops and homes in a rather small vicinity.

Tamara from Theglamandglitter was in Barcelona just before me and recommended Chok, a chocolate and donut specialty shop. Don't expect a sit down cafe, just a couple seats for a quick bite and the most fabulous concoctions! I am so glad she recommended this spot because we went back anytime we were near one. The cronuts are beautifully garnished, we got a white chocolate one with edible flowers and a an amazing tarty crunchy topping. Contrary to how they look, they're not too sweet so you can manage to eat an entire donut. It's really hard to choose a flavor - their combos are really sophisticated and interesting! I also got a package of dark chocolate covered potato chips for the road which is perfect for a salty tooth like me.

I absolutely have loved this Self Portrait dress for ages! The powder blue was perfect for Park Guell but a lot of shoes were dressing the dress too up. I wanted to wear it casually and the weather was non committal, so I paired it with boots. Try wearing your favorite dresses this spring whenever or wherever you want by accessorizing appropriately! 

How To: Style a Denim Shirt

on sale

In this post, we’ll show you how we styled the classic denim shirt. Maybe you’ve been playing it safe with white shirts, or you just don’t own one …yet! Here are four examples from a combination of endless styles.

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1. Easy Layers

First, let's start with a casual look for one your comfortable days. You can throw on a textured sweater over your denim shirt, and wear it with a pair of boyfriend jeans. For the bag, go with a big slouchy one because it’ll give it that easy-going feel. A neutral tone will keep the look simple and clean. There's a fine line between "casual" and "lazy", so refine the look with a polished shoe and top it off with a neat hairstyle.

Where to wear: Shopping, Class, Lunch, Stroll, Airport

2. Denim on Denim

For the next look, don't be afraid to pair denim with denim. The denim will recede and act like a canvas for any bold accessories. This way, your favorite accessories will stand out. Not only is this look effortless, but it also feels put together and chic.

Where to wear: Lunch, Vacation, Date, Dinner, Park (swap out for comfy shoes)

3. Serious Meeting

If you have a casual business dress code, try this look. Swap out your predictable shirts with a denim one. Give life to your outfit by adding brooches to the lapels or pairing it with a unique bag, or printed shoes. With this look, you won't blend in or feel dull!

Where to wear: Meeting, Office

4. Tropical Blues

Last, the relaxed fit of the denim shirt compliments a form-fitting pencil skirt nicely. For this look we played with the blue hues of the shirt. Pencil skirts can be a bit serious, so this hand painted print gives it just the right balance of softness. For an airy feel, tie the ends of the shirt and pair it with open shoes. The Guinea pig bag also has the right balance of polished and playful to finish the outfit.

Where to wear: Lunch, Date, Vacation

• Photography by s o k o p h o t o s
• Styled by Connie Kim and myself

Shop the look - mix and match!

Hearts on Prince

Wearing: H&M Hat, Miu Miu Sunglasses, DKNY Coat (similiar), Black Ruffle Top (similar), Macaron Box (similar), BDG Black Jeans, Josefinas Shoes (similar)

Hello loves! Let me break down for you my Valentine's Day inspired outfit. Yes, it's true that we do love to wear black here in NY, so I let the accessories give it life. This little book is a macaron box that my sweet friend, Kristina Bazan, gave me because she knew how much I was obsessed with the quirky design! I now use it as a jewelry box. The shoes are by Josefinas, whose creative owners I met a few weeks prior in NY. I love that I can literally wear anything with these shoes, and they will give my outfit a "cool" factor. Lastly, my parents came to town, so I picked up this raspberry heart cheesecake for my dad from Little Cupcake Bakeshop!

Shop Valentine's Day Gifts for her!

FYI, all the photos above were taken on one corner - Mott & Prince Street in Nolita!

• Photography by s o k o p h o t o s