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

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! 

Saturday at YOYA

Wearing: Beret, Club Monaco Sweater (similar on sale), Derek Lam Skirt, Patricia Chang Bag, Hermes Shoes (similar)

Chase is wearing: Oeuf Hug Me Sweater, Nico Nico Rowe Pants (simiar), Robeez Shoes, Native Shoes

Additional: Stokke Xplory Stroller, Stokke Winter Kit, 7am Foot Muff

Last Saturday, we took a taxi ride down to the West Village. Some advice for traveling by car with young children: 1. If you can, take an uber or other ride service for a smoother ride 2. Always be prepared with a plastic bag and wet wipes! Chase threw up by the end of the ride so we had to hop off a few blocks early. He tends to if he eats or drinks right before a long, bumpy ride. Fortunately it wasn't too bad and we were able to salvage his outfit for the day, from Yoya. As we walked, we stumbled upon Hamilton's, a charming Luncheonette on 51 Bank St. We had about half an hour until meeting Daniel, so we ordered some small bites and coffee. I must say, the corn beef hash was very tasty!

Refueled, we headed to our original destination, children's clothing and toy store, Yoya! Chase really made himself at home in the store (you'll see what I mean in the video). To be honest, even I had too much fun browsing their super cute collection! The shop is perfectly curated with unique items for your little ones. Every pick is truly the best quality, which also makes it a great destination for gifts. The best part is, the store is located in a beautiful part of town that you'll definitely want to explore.

Use CODE: #iloveyoya for 10% off your purchase at yoyanyc.com 

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

Watch Behind the Scenes Footage!

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