empire state of mind.

Scarf: Zara

V-neck tee: Urban Outfitters

Bag: H&M

Jeans: Uniqlo

Coat: Topshop

Boots: Dr. Martens

    
Second NYC post! I don't know if you guys get sick of reading me rant endlessly about my ineffable adoration for this city, but I certainly don't ever get sick of writing about it. I seriously feel like the artistic potential of everything on this planet increases exponentially when it's found in New York, or it's from New York, or it's to do with New York. Call me biased, but because I am. Here's a more extensive photo diary of the trip, although considering the rate that I instagrammed during that week, I might do a third (no shame) NYC post of just Instagram pictures... (Why I haven't created a fan blog for all things NYC is beyond me).

We stayed at a beautiful hotel called Andaz on 5th, which was gorgeously modern and planted conveniently on 5th Avenue. Mom and I spent extensive amounts of time wandering the blustery streets and popping into stores of every kind, and thanks to what might be the best scarf ever, I stayed warm the whole time. This military Topshop coat was my best friend during my trip to Sevenoaks last October, and came to my rescue on this trip too! Watching figure skaters in the rink outside the Rockefeller Centre, perusing vintage/secondhand treasures at Buffalo Exchange, dinner at trendy destinations such as Balthazar and Les Halles, long days in SoHo, watching Wicked! on Broadway and visiting every single Lululemon store (thanks Mom...) in Manhattan hardly covers the extent of what we managed to accomplish in our few days in the city. Life in NYC, even as a tourist, is the most exhausting thing - the crazy amount of walking you have to do means there's no room for prancing around in silly platforms, and it means you're dead tired by lunchtime (we may or may not have crashed at 6pm every night...) everyday!
  

It's a crazy city, a beautiful concrete jungle and the place I seriously hope to call home one day. Fingers crossed this is the second NYC post of many more to come!
xo

(Btw, it was none other than my lovely father who chose the title for this post: the only post-Eighties song he approves of/actually enjoys. Props to Pops!)

+ I'll be vacationing in Malaysia for the next week, possibly without internet so apologies in advance for being MIA! Details on the giveaway I promised you guys (thanks for 700+ on Instagram!) will be up when I get back.

rockefeller.

Fleece: Uniqlo

Coat: Zara

Bag: H&M

Jeans: Topshop

Boots: Dr. Martens

~

 One of the best weeks of my life was a few weeks ago in February when I spent a week in the States for my sixteenth birthday. We spent a couple days in Connecticut seeing family and friends, but the remainder of time was spent roaming around the chilly streets of Manhattan and exploring what might just be my future home one day. I thought I'd be able to prance around the streets in cute leather jackets and unzipped winter layers, but the botoxed weather-woman (?) wasn't kidding when she said it would be freezing so I whipped out the woolly hats and gloves instead - no shame because warmth is paramount! These pictures were taken during our Valentine's Day excursion to the Rockefeller Center, where we witnessed the most incredible views of the city from the Top of the Rock observation deck after making a two-hour detour to Banana Republic (yum) and Anthropologie (more yum). I'm such a sucker for this place.

I scooped up this gorgeous coat at a ridiculously marked-down price from Zara a few days before my trip, and I don't think I've ever made a wiser purchase (primarily because it looks like something Rumi Neely might wear). It's versatile yet very edgy, and is designed perfectly for winter; the A-line cut ("You look like a tent!" said Mom) means there's room for proper warm layers underneath, and the turtleneck-avec-buckle leaves room for a scarf. My biggest regret on the trip was not bringing a greater selection of bags, so unfortunately my trusty satchel had to suffice the whole time (Cue PS11, pretty please!). Anyhoo, I tried to create some kind of middle-ground between the black coat/boots and the brown bag/fleece by wearing a pair of muted khaki-colored jeans, which seemed to successfully bridge the gap. Until the day I can travel with an entourage of LV suitcases piled up as high as I please, dressing out of a suitcase will never be something I enjoy (I'm not sure whether I should point out my lack of accessories, or whether you've already noticed). 

More NYC photos coming soon!

xo