Sartorial Stars – Row

Row K.
New York, NY
Sophomore, NYU Steinhardt
Applied Psychology -Neuroscience, Biology minor

Fun Fact: “I’m a vegan. All my clothes are vegan. I can move my eyes independently from one another. I can do an uncanny turkey impression on spot.

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How would you describe your style in a few words?

“I would describe my style as easy-going, comfortable, up-scale bohemian. I love wearing prints and flowy clothes that let me live a mobile life.”

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Who is your fashion icon? Is there anyone you try to emulate when getting dressed?

“One of my fashion icons is Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. She always manages to make a statement in her crazy and sometimes outrageous, but deeply fabulous ensembles.”

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What is your favorite trend to wear?

“My favorite trend is the tailored sun hat”

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And what’s your least favorite trend right now?

“One of my least favorite trends is those black choker necklaces.”

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What’s your favorite piece of clothing in your closet?

“My favorite thing in my closet are my grey metallic Doc Martins.”

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When you don’t know what to wear, what’s your go-to outfit?

“When I don’t know what to wear, my go-to outfit is a jumper because it’s only one piece and I don’t have to pair it with anything but accessories.”

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What are some of your favorite stores to shop at?

“Some of my favorite stores are Zara and Mango.”

Follow Row on CollegeFashionista to keep up with her easy-going, boho style.

Style Guru Bio

Hey guys!

This semester, I started my with CollegeFashionista as an NYU Style Guru. I’m so excited to share my style with a larger audience and hope to spot some impressive street style looks around campus. Who knows, you may be the next featured fashionista.

My first post was a personal style bio (a few photos below). Check out the full post for more photos.
Aaaand if you really love me, you’ll follow me and give my looks a “Rad.” ❤

Killer Heels

I touched on this in Paris, but it’s even more true in Manhattan. If you intend to wear heels on a day you will be walking a lot, be careful… you may never walk again.

As a former dancer, my feet have built up a very high pain tolerance, but sometimes it’s too much for me. A girl can only push through the pain of so many blisters. I’m usually running a few minutes behind schedule and have to rush from one place to the next. Speed walking in heels on the uneven sidewalks of New York, carrying a heavy bag filled with textbooks is always a recipe for disaster.

Here’s my favorite pair to wear around. They look great and are not too tall to be uncomfortable on my hasty runs to class.
I asked around and here’s some of the best advice I got for wearing heels in the Big City:

1. Don’t wear suede heels in the winter because they WILL get wet and they WILL be ruined. forever.
2. Get a pair with a thick, sturdy heel not a tiny little skinny one unless you want to eat s***.
3. Get some comfy gel inserts or wear shoes with platforms. The sidewalks of the City will have no mercy on the balls of your feet.
4. Don’t wear stilettos in the West Village or Chelsea because the cobblestone will destroy the heels.
5. Make sure your destination has a seat!
6. Carry blister band aids with you at all times. There’s nothing worse than blisters you can’t do anything about.

Back to School Shopping. New York Style.

What would a new school year be without some new outfits to freshen up your wardrobe? And while online shopping is good fun, why spend your time hunched over your laptop when you could go out in the fashion capital of the world?

Since we arrived a few days early, I dragged my friends out with me to enjoy the nice weather. We went up Fifth Ave because I am still holding a grudge against SoHo after some unfortunate events last year. Near us, Fifth Ave has a lot of chain retailers so we took a peek around there before heading down some smaller side streets. One of my favorite stores, PinkyOtto, is near the Flatiron so we headed over there next.

I’ve been dying to try wearing hats so with the encouragement of my friends, I finally bought one. We’ll see if I actually end up wearing it though. I also bought a simple, striped t-shirt dress. There is an adorable triangle cutout on the back though, making it more fun than a plain shirt dress.

Back at It

It’s finally move in day! Two of my friends and I get to move into our suite a few days before everyone else (and set up our territory).

My new room is to die for. Even though it’s the small, white-walled cube you’d expect from a dorm room, I managed to make it comfortable, chic, and as close to a pinterest-worthy design as possible.  I’m still setting up and adding the finishing touches, but I’ll post as soon as it’s complete. I may even like it more than my room last year! It’s interesting to see how tastes and styles change over time. Each year, I try to go for something a little different. Last year was classic and girly with a little posh touch. This year, my inspiration words were sleek and chic (with a touch of basic-@$$ pinterest style).

Although I’m not in Paris anymore, there should be plenty of interesting things going on in the city to keep me posting. This fall term, I’m taking a fashion business seminar in which we meet with heads of some large (and hopefully high-profile) fashion brands in order to advise them on the most practical strategies for their businesses going forward. Not going to lie, I’m terrified to be under that kind of pressure, but I know it will definitely an amazing learning experience. My other classes are generic business requirements, but I’m definitely looking forward to them as well.

As if my class schedule isn’t busy enough, I’m interning at a big bridal salon and CollegeFashionista (follow my profile!). I’m thrilled to have these opportunities. Through my ballet school, I had multiple chances to experience the magic of wedding gowns. During one of their bridal fashion shows, I danced as a munchkin from the Wizard of Oz. Over the years, I’ve worn quite a few bridal dresses in various NAYB productions. When I was in 5th grade, I played Clara in the Nutcracker and got to pick my dress from the bridesmaid department at Kleinfeld. The staff was incredible and I can’t wait to become part of the team that makes bridal dreams come to life (as cheesy as that sounds).

I will be posting ‘Sartorial Star’ interviews with peers, friends, and stylish people I see on the street! If you’re interested in being featured, email me at HerseyKissesBlog@gmail.com

It’s going to be a busy busy year, but a fascinating one so be sure to check in once in a while to see what’s new!

Six Weeks Later

These past six weeks have flown by incredibly quickly! A month and a half sounds like a long time (and some days dragged on for what felt like forever), but looking back, I can’t believe that it’s already over. At times, my classes were draining and there was no end in sight to the work, but being in the City of Lights made it all worth it.

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Instead of a long, heartfelt essay on how much I’ve grown, I’m just going to list all my favorite things about my time here:

• Monoprix. I’ve expressed my love for this supermarket chain before, but I had to mention it again ❤
• My new Parisian friends!
• The shopping… Enough said.
• Getting photographed for a street style blog on my second day!
• The Givenchy fashion show after party
• Hanging out on the Champs de Mars while the Eiffel Tower is twinkling at night
• The Fête de la Musique
• Our professors. They are such characters! My French Professor was definitely the best part of my academic experience at NYU Paris.
• Going to see a ballet at the Opera Garnier
• Exploring the many museums of Paris (and getting to know the D’Orsay a little too well…)
• Free coffee days
• But most of all, fresh baguettes!

A Night at the Opera Garnier

Thanks to NYU, we got these amazing seats at the Opera Garnier to see La Fille Mal Gardée put on by the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris.

I’ve toured the theater before, but watching a performance there was an entirely different experience. We sat in private booths on the first tier. To get into the booths, you needed an attendant to unlock the door for you. It was very inefficient. There was only one door attendant per floor so we had to wait while she escorted patrons into thirty something private rooms. After passing through the tiny wooden door, you walk through a tiny little salon with a table, chaise, and mirror. In the old days, I imagine the bourgeoisie in the booths would get up from their seats and retire to the little lounge during the intermission. When you push past the curtains of the lounge, you enter the spectacular view of the theater itself. Words (and even photos) cannot capture the beauty of this building. I tried taking so many photos and none of them could capture the grandeur of the Palais Garnier. It’s one of those things you just have to see for yourself.

I felt as if I’d hopped in a time machine back to the 1800s into one of Degas’ paintings. The theater was breathtaking on the tour, but filled with an audience, it is even more spectacular. The roar of applause as the dancers took their final bows was magical and brought the old theater to life. All of us felt this regality sitting in the booths and strolling around the Opera house.

On our way out, descending the grand entry stairs, a friend said she wish she hadn’t forgotten her ball gown and tiara in the dorm! I should have worn my glass slippers…

Indulging in Americana

While here, I’ve been trying to stay away from the Zaras and H&Ms: places I can shop at in the US (even though they are both European companies!). I always play devil’s advocate and argue that they have more stylish, more affordable options here, but nobody is willing to listen. When it comes down to it, it’s still H&M. I should be taking advantage of all the adorable and truly Parisian boutiques that are everywhere in the city. It’s one of the things I love most about Paris. Individual boutiques like that seem to be hard to come by in the US. All of our shopping areas, especially in New York, have been taken over by powerhouse chains like H&M and Zara.

The one American store that I couldn’t stay away from was Brandy Melville. I have very strong feelings about this store. I could rant forever about its cliché, want-to-be hip, suburban middle school ‘edgy’ look. But sometimes, just sometimes, the softness and crazy comfort of their fabrics makes me forget about all of that.

Of course, I bought two shirts in black haha. They are relatively cheap and a great place to buy basics that will last forever (if you don’t mind all the crop tops).

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“I JUST figured out the best route to Chipotle and now we have to leave??”

– A Disgruntled Classmate

LouLou’ – The Friendly Diner

I am an extremely picky eater so I was ecstatic to find this adorable diner, LouLou’, just a block away from the NYU building!

The staff even speaks english! I’ve eaten there four times now and know the wait staff pretty well. The majority of them are actually Australians living in Paris. It’s an “Australian Diner” so maybe they only hire Aussies?

The name comes from the common French term of endearment “LouLou.” I just think it’s absolutely adorable. Their food is magnificent and they even have take-out menus!

Every time I’ve been, I get the Vegetarian Bagel. It’s nothing like the bagels we think of in the US. The bagels we are famous for in New York are fresh, puffy, and al around superb (can you tell I’m biased?). The bagels here, however, are thin, crunchy, and very dense. I have seen many “American” bagel shops here (it must be the new trendy food) and all of them focus not on the bagel, but on the fillings. It’s like Potatopia ( ❤ ) in the East Village or Chipotle. It’s all about the toppings. The Vegetarian Bagel comes with fresh mozzarella, tomato pesto, basil, and guacamole. It is to die for. When I get back to New York, I’m definitely going to have to start making these for myself.