No matter how many times you visit the Big Apple, there’s always more to experience than days of the year. Narrowing it down can seem overwhelming at times. That’s why we’ve enlisted the help of those in the know. Alison Bruhn and her daughter Delia Folk’s company The Style That Binds Us is all about keeping up with the trends whether it be fashion, beauty, or culture (food, art, and lifestyle) which naturally require frequent explorations of New York City where Delia is based.
Alison, a well-known national wardrobe and image consultant, and Delia, a brand consultant who gained her expertise at prestigious names such as Barneys New York and Versace, have a focused, in depth, and fresh point of view. Their goal is to demystify the world of style and make it approachable to everyone. They teach you how to create a core timeless wardrobe and how to understand and incorporate the trends while introducing you to the next wave of talent. They invite you to take a look behind the curtain as they share their finds through their media platform, which includes a YouTube channel and podcasts from the source, such as a designer’s showroom, a curator’s art gallery, or an organic chef’s kitchen.
Here are their tips for living well in New York (and you may wish to enlist them directly for a VIP shopping experience as a part of your next visit!). thestylethatbindsus.com
Where to Stay in New York
The Ludlow Hotel—an oldie, but a goodie. Take time to have a cup of coffee or glass of wine by the fire in the lounge. The restaurant, Dirty French, remains a fave—don’t skip the bread at this spot, it’s definitely worth the calorie splurge!
Mr. C Hotel—a Cipriani Hotel by the Seaport (the Seaport area was updated last year into a hot spot of food, fashion, and art), so it’s a must stop whether you stay there or not.
Crosby Street Hotel—a chic Kit Kemp (the London-based interior designer) hotel with a cozy ambiance.
Equinox Hotel—we love its fabulous spa.
Lowell Hotel—stunning flowers and great cuisine at Majorelle.
The Mark Hotel—it’s an eco-friendly Upper East Side landmark with a hip but casual restaurant, Jams; it’s also a favorite of Meghan Markle’s.
The Peninsula Hotel—a classic beautiful hotel; make sure to take a look at the art from Lehmann Maupin.
Where To Sip & Savor in New York
Bar Pisellino—our favorite coffee hot spot.
Locanda Verde—this is a must stop for brunch!
JoJo—most people don’t know this was Jean George’s first restaurant. It opened in 1991 and remains a bit of a hidden gem.
West Village-Pastis—recently reopened, it’s a fashion crowd favorite.
La Mercerie Café at The Guild—a multi-purpose space with delicious meals (breakfast through dinner) where you can pick up some flowers by Emily Thompson, shop beautifully curated home goods, browse books, or hold a private dinner or meeting downstairs all in one gorgeous space.
ABCV and Dirt Candy—Delia is a vegetarian, and we eat vegetarian when we are together. These are two of our favorites.
Wild Air and Contra—both these restaurants are fabulous! Definitely for an elevated palette; a “meat and potatoes” this is not!
Don Angie—get the Buffalo Milk caramelle. It’s still difficult to score a reservation, but you can take a chance and go at 5:00 or 5:30pm, and you may be able to grab a seat.
Ample Hills Creamery—need an ice cream break? Try the “PB Wins The Cup.”
Nomad Hotel Dining Room—ask for the sublime Mild and Honey dessert (it’s not on the menu).
Bemelmans Bar—our favorite New York classic bar inside the luxurious Carlyle Hotel.
Classic New York dining spots we love: Sant Ambroeus (practice your Italian, santambroeus.com), Cafe Cluny (cafecluny.com), Bar Pitti (212.982.3300), Cafe Gitane (low key, but super chic with celebrity sightings, cafegitanenyc.com), Polo Bar (ralphlauren.com), Le Coucou (lecoucou.com), King (get the panisse, kingrestaurant.nyc), Frenchette (frenchettenyc.com), and Augustine (augustineny.com); The Standard Grill (thestandardgrill.com)
New York Shopping & Style
Bergdorf Goodman—it’s hands down our favorite shopping experience; be sure to take a shopping break and have lunch at BG (make a reservation just to be sure).
Forty Five Ten at Hudson Yards
The new Nordstrom
Nordstrom (Courtesy of Nordstrom)
The RealReal—visit this store in Soho for high-end consignment.
New York-based designers to know: Clothing: KALLMEYER New York (recently opened a store at 83 Orchard St.’ kallmeyer.nyc); Markarian (markarian-nyc.com); Burnett New York (burnettnewyork.com); Prabal Gurung (prabalgurung.com); Michelle Waugh outerwear (michellewaugh.com); Karolina Zmarlak (karolinazmarlak.com); Veronica Beard (veronicabeard.com); Accessories: Gigi Burris Millinery (gigiburris.com); Zameer Kassam jewelry (zameerkassam.com); Sarah Flint shoes (sarahflint.com); Edie Parker handbags (edie-parker.com); and Dana Bronfman jewelry (danabronfman.com).
Bookmarc—for gorgeous coffee table books and you may run into the fashion crowd at a book signing (the store is owned by Marc Jacobs).
Albertine—a beautiful shop inside the Payne Whitney building (the spot you drive by on 5th Ave with the flags and wonder what’s inside) for French and American books and readings; check out the ceiling on the second floor!
Lehmann Maupin and Shin Gallery—two noteworthy art galleries with great collections.
Favorite flower sources—visit Emily Thompson’s space at Le Mercerie (and grab lunch or a croissant at the café while you’re there (emilythompsonflowers.com); for delivery we like UrbanStems (the Vogue team’s go-to, urbanstems.com); the fantastical arrangements of Putnam and Putnam (often used in fashion shows) with a shop in the newish Moxy hotel in the Flower District (putnamflowers.com; moxy-hotels.marriott.com). Look for floral rock star Lewis Miller’s “Flower Flashes” around town in unlikely places (lewismillerdesign.com); East Olivia for bespoke florals, event designs, and large-scale installations—an up and coming “one to know”! (eastolivia.com). If you’re visiting in June, you’re in luck—check out the L.E.A.F. citywide flower festival (leafflowershow.com).
New York Beauty Spots
Greenwich Hotel Shibui Spa—get a massage there and stay after to enjoy the pool.
Frederic Fekkai Salon—for haircuts, color, and styling.
Jin Soon—for manicures; there are four locations in NYC; enjoy a cup of the citrus tea while getting a “Breath of Milk and Honey” pedicure (she works with designers to create nail looks for their fashion shows such as Tibi, Marc Jacobs, and Prada).
Sandy Linter at Rita Hazan salon for makeup before an event.
What To See in New York
The Metropolitan Museum—always something to see and something for everyone. Don’t miss the floral arrangements in the Great Hall. Remco Van Vliet creates his designs based on current exhibits and seasons. Tips: Go early, avoid weekends if possible or rainy days; consider membership at the Met (there are different levels for in-town, out of town, etc.) to experience early morning and after-hours special events and openings.
Greenwich Hotel—see Robert DeNiro’s artwork on the walls.
Neue Galerie—see The Woman in Gold by Klimt and enjoy coffee and a pastry at Café Sabarsky.
Klimt at Neue Galerie (Courtesy of Neue Galerie)
Museum of the City of New York—go downstairs and watch the Timescapes film.
The Whitney Museum—save time to eat at Untitled.
Special Experiences
Dinner: Lincoln Ristorante at Lincoln center before the New York City Ballet or Metropolitan Opera (request a table with a view of the fountain, lincolnristorante.com) and a VIP shopping experience with us! (thestylethatbindsus.com/services)
Produced by Alice Doyle