The Style That Binds Us: New York Little Black Book

Want to feel like an insider on your next visit to New York? Well, we have the scoop on where to stay, shop, eat, and visit from the classic to the trendy carefully curated by the dynamic, always on the go mother/daughter duo—Alison Bruhn and Delia Folk of The Style That Binds Us
Alison Bruhn (left) Delia Folk of The Style That Binds Us
Alison Bruhn (left) and Delia Folk of The Style That Binds Us

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 and Delia with New York designer Prabel Gurung

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!

Ludlow hotel suite living area with 3-sided view of New York City skyline
The Ludlow Hotel (Courtesy of The Ludlow Hotel)

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.

Crosby Street Hotel room with red headboard and floral wallpaper
Crosby Street Hotel (© Crosby Street Hotel)

Equinox Hotel—we love its fabulous spa.

Lowell Hotel—stunning flowers and great cuisine at Majorelle.

The Club Room of Lowell Hotel
Lowell Hotel (Courtesy of Lowell Hotel)

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.

Vew of Peninsula Hotel New York's ornate facade, with a class Rolls Royce parked in front
The Peninsula Hotel (Courtesy of the Peninsula New York)

Where To Sip & Savor in New York

Bar Pisellino—our favorite coffee hot spot.

favorite New York coffee shop, Bar Pisellino.
Bar Pisellino (Courtesy of Bar Pisellino)

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.

The light and air interior of JoJo, with white-on-white interior design and tall ample windows
JoJo (Courtesy of JoJo)

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.

The dining area of La Mercerie
La Mercerie (Photo via @mbkimchi)
Tarts at La Mercerie in New York City
La Mercerie (Courtesy of La Mercerie)
Where to eat vegetarian in New York, Dirt Candy
Dirt Candy (Courtesy of Dirt Candy)

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.

A piano player performs in a dimly lit, scenic wallpaper-wrapped dining area of Bemelmans Bar in New York City
Bemelmans Bar

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

Alison Bruhn and Delia Folk stand outside Bergdorf Goodman in New York with a shopping bag.
Alison and Delia at Bergdorf Goodman

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).

The Conservatory

New York Shopping - The Conservatory
The Conservatory (Courtesy of The Conservatory)

Forty Five Ten at Hudson Yards

The new Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Nordstrom (Courtesy of Nordstrom)

Intermix

Kirna Zabete

Kirna Zabete store in a historic New York building
Kirna Zabete (Courtesy of Kirna Zabete)

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).

Portrait of designer Brett Heyman posing in a black 3/4 sleeve top and stylish jeans
Brett Heyman of Edie Parker (Courtesy of Edie Parker)

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).

New York City shop owned by Marc Jacobs, Bookmarc
Bookmarc (Courtesy of BookMarc)

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!

Painted ceiling at Albertine, New York City Book Shop
Albertine

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).

Urban Stems (Photo by Foster White – Tuckernuck)

New York Beauty Spots

Greenwich Hotel Shibui Spa—get a massage there and stay after to enjoy the pool.

Greenwich Hotel Shibui Spa (Courtesy of The Greenwich Hotel)

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).

New York City nail salon
Jin Soon (Courtesy of Jin Soon)

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.

Remco Van Vliet works on a holiday floral display at the Met (Photo by Brooke Slezak)

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)

The Met Cloisters 

New York Botanical Garden

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Museum of the City of New Yorkgo downstairs and watch the Timescapes film.

The Whitney Museumsave 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

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