Welcome home, Angie!

It is interesting that you saw a lot of fur there. We are so used to NOT seeing it here in Seattle that it’s hard to imagine people actually still wear it!

love,
m!

Great summary, Angie. I agree that New Yorkers do a fab job of embracing style while remaining practical, whatever the weather. And yes, it’s always easy to blend in with the crowd by wearing black! One trend I noted (on the non-slushy days) was the predominance of the flat, chestnut-colored, knee-high leather boot with a sliver wedge heel, especially for young women. We don’t see that style of boot quite as much in Chicago, probably because our snow lasts longer (i.e. our sidewalks just aren’t as clear as New York’s on most days of winter).

Thanks to a stylish Manhattan friend, I also discovered a fab new designer, Charles Nolan, with a store in the Meatpacking District. Although the prices are steep, I’ll be watching his site for a sale. Here’s one of his trench coats as an example: http://shopcharlesnolan.com/ap.....titch.html

All in all, New York is super fab!

My impressions on the NY style are pretty much the same as yours Angie. Dark neutrals and streamlined look is the main characteristic of the look. On our meeting day on Saturday in Soho, the look that was the most abundant was skinnies tucked into tall boots, it was everywhere !

I used to live in NYC about 10 years ago now and it’s safe to say not much has changed as far as staying warm is concerned. It was always BLACK and flat warm boots. It actually was the firs time I invested in a genuine Navy pea coat and ear muffs to stay warm on my daily commute! I go back to visit every year (in the summer though-LOL). Those who live there opt for warmth and practicality over high fashion because you just have too-you are out in the elements the moment to step outside and walk to the subway or a cab!!! great post, Angie

Thanks for the report Angie! (By the way, did you see this: http://www.nytimes.com/interac.....ex.html?hp ? It was sent to me by a friend who lives in NYC.)

Thank you for the slide show Wendy! How very true ! We had a similar day with the same huge puddles mid last week here in Boston and I was one of the those jumpers! I was wearing my tall Docs but there were so many huge puddles on my way that my feet did end up wet, beacuse some puddles were so deep that the water came through the area where the shoe laces up.

It’s always interesting to those of us in the middle of the country to find out what’s being worn in the rest of the world. Laura, I may copy your designer’s use of the white neckerchief and the wide belts worn low (spring collection0, and especially liked the look on the right with the red pants, black top and jacket and white belt, clutch and black&white shoes.
http://www.charlesnolan.com/sp....._09_2.html

Wendy, the slide show was great! I’d be looking for a tall pair of wellingtons.

Fabulous link, Wendy. Thank you!

Meredith, you are spot on. I have never seen anyone wear a real fur coat in Seattle. That would not go down well in our tree hugging city.

Laura, after black, chestnut was definitely the next most popular colour for Winter footwear. I loved it! I’ve also heard of designer Charles Nolan. His stuff is fab.

Tanya, I wore my Docs on those days too. They were BRILLIANT. I had warm, dry feet and clothes all day after traipsing outside ALL and day and night. Nothing gets past those huge rubber soles. I’d like to think I jumped over slushy puddles a little more elegantly. But after watching the slide show, I’m sure I looked just the same. Ballet was never a strong point when I was child.

I’m so glad I moved to Florida about 8 years ago. I probably will always still wear a little too much black from living in the northeast so long. I don’t miss the dreaded winters, though. Embracing color is so much fun, though!

Love this post! I feel like I just took a little trip to NY. So many people here in Seattle don’t have (or think to wear) appropriate cold weather clothes. I’ve seen girls shivering in their hoodies when it’s in the 30s. And the Nordstom women who couldn’t wait to start wearing their Spring wardrobes. And then there’s inevitably some ‘dude’ wearing shorts…. anyway, I guess it doesn’t get that cold here enough for people to remember year-to-year that it actually gets that cold here.

This makes me miss my hometown. (Dabs eyes.) Now you know why it’s so hard for me to buy anything other than black, despite living in sunny LA. It’s sort of bred into our genes! (But honestly – I don’t really miss the cold, slush and snow.)

As much as the snow, cold and slush gets to me after a while, so does a perfectly sunny day and hot weather. I absolutely love living in a city that has four distinct seasons because I enjoy the start of each season best and like them equally. Perhaps that sounds strange and is not the norm but it’s why I like Seattle weather. It’s Western European weather at its best and it suits me down to the ground. Horses for courses I guess.

Thanks for this post Angie, it was great. I especially liked the slide show!! For those of us who don’t have skinny jeans how can we best wear our winter boots? Most of mine get worn under jeans and pants, yet I’d like to be able to show more of the boot itself. Is it fashionable to wear jeans/capri jeans over the boot and roll up the cuff to show more of the boot?

Slideshow made me laugh. So interesting as I have never been to NY and live in Sunny Southern California.

I love the slide show too!

I’m having trouble with the lightweight jacket underneath my winter coat. I love the look of a tailored jacket, but just can’t get a comfortable fit when I put my winter coat on over it. Do people buy their winter coats a size up to accomodate?

I am always amazed by the unbelievable amounts of black New Yorkers don in the winter. You’re right, Angie: It’s no myth!

The last time I was in NYC was 3 years ago, and it sounds like not much has changed. I went in late fall, so it was already quite chilly, and I also remember lots of black, darker neutrals, and comfortable but stylish low heeled knee high or ankle high boots. I also remember seeing a lot of tailored coats and quilted jackets. Although I thought the color choices were rather too subdued, I liked how they combined practicality and style. I don’t remember seeing any athletic wear either, except on people who actually were jogging and occasionally on teenagers.

I am also wondering what the answer is to Lisa’s question – can I roll up my jeans to show more of the boot?

Glad your home safe and sound, Angie and Greg! Nice NY update–but I’m holding out for the entry with shoes and purses. I’ve only been to NYC once–in late summer. I wasn’t impressed with the fashion. I think television has given us a false idea of how people really dress there.

I have to admit that I was very surprised when I found out thru YLF that black was not stylish. I think it’s a very East Coast thing that we have grown accustomed to. I’m glad I’ve learned to embrace more color in my own wardrobe, but I think black gets a bad rap.

Hi Angie,

No surprise for me that New York is still all about black.
I agree the weather plays a part, but black is so imbedded
into drama ,that I doubt it will ever be far from the surface
of any color variation that occurs in the big city.

With this economy that may not be such a bad thing after all.

Laura thank you for the Charles Nolan information.
I loved the tailored yet feminine dresses!
I have added the site to my favorites…

Is it okay to wear fur again? I have a few items I would love to wear, but in Seattle I never know if it is okay. Seems each time someone makes a comment to me they are wearing leather shoes, which always puzzles me.
Linda

It is interesting to me that fur is not worn in so many places. I grew up in the northeast and I visit NYC several times a year. My children and husband’s family all live there. When I was in church on a Saturday afternoon in January, I counted 19 women just in front or to the sides of me that had on fur coats. My mother-in-law had on a knee lenth mink jacket with her dressy jeans. She is in her 80’s. I have two NY weddings to attend this spring, and I will be wearing black to the one in April. I plan to mix it up with bronze heels and I don’t know what yet for a jacket. I will count the black numbers and report back!

I was in NYC only once, in December (late 1990s). I remember I was freezing, even with long silk underwear. I didn’t pay much attention to style on the streets, I was too busy window shopping and trying to find my way around.

I swear I didn’t plan it this way, and it turned out I had a lot of black in my travel wardrobe. Black pea coat, black gloves, black booties, black denim, black velvet pants, black bag. Oh dear, at least I had a plaid scarf to break it up I don’t remember what kind of hat I had.

Watching the slide show makes me appreciate our sunny days and mild Winter so much more. Thanks for sharing Wendy!

I had the same impression when I was in New York many years ago during the Christmas. I actually loved all the black clothes, they are urban, sophisticated and chic to me. I have lots of black myself too.

Living in NY has given me a less glamorous vision of the style factor. Of course there are a lot of brilliantly dressed people, and overall, it is a very stylish city. But it still has its problems. PPL is definitely an issue that I see all the time on my commute and at work. Women will commute in one pair of shoes and then change into heels when they get into the office. The problem is that the pants were hemmed for the commuting shoes, not the work shoes.

In the summer, flipflops reign supreme. They are the ultimate in gnarly summer footwear. I would NEVER want to leave that much of my foot exposed in an urban area! Yuck! If I see another pair of dirty footprints embedded in a pair of flipflops, or another pair of dirty feet, I will collapse. It’s getting very old. At least Crocs remain rare, if not completely alien.

One must consider two things as well: income and gender. I find that overall, there are a lot more stylish men in New York than elsewhere, but the sad truth is that most men still dress sloppily. And it goes without saying that those from poor neighborhoods and projects have bigger things to worry about than style. There is a very gritty, very non-glamorous side to New York that I try to keep in mind and remind others of.

That aside, I think your assessment is pretty accurate. New Yorkers are very good at balancing style with practicality.

Angie, I’m glad you are back safe and sound. What a fun blog and start to the NYC week. I can’t wait for the rest of the week. Wendy, thanks for the slideshow. It was very fun to watch. We had a bit of the slush high jump when we had our snow in December. I agree with the author that women tend to wear more appropriate shoes, but men jump farther.

Fun post, and great video. Sounds like our temperatures here in Kansas City (Missouri) right now. I’ve seen lots of girls running around in ballet flats without socks lately. They must have warmer feet than I do. I certainly couldn’t do it. I’ve been sticking to my boots. I can perfectly understand the longer coat look in theses temperatures. More often than not, I find myself reaching for my long, black, ankle-length coat. Mine is not a puffer though; it’s a long sleek trench. So I look more like I stepped out of The Matrix than a walking marshmallow.

I’m very pleased to see that folks enjoyed the slide show.

That slideshow was PRICELESS!

I live in Mpls and it’s the very same. Black black black! You’d think an area that is so bleak in the winter would embrace color.

Interesting (or maybe not – ha!) side note: YEARS ago (I also work downtown mpls), probably 8 or so years, I railed against the black and got a beautiful dark red Coach huge duffle sac bag for Christmas (youngest daughter was instrumental in this gift from then hubby). It made me sooooo happy during the winter. I carry this bag to this day. Awesome bag.

I just watched the slideshow – that could totally be mpls, except for the accent. Our narrator would sound less like a Woody Allen movie and a little more like “Fargo.”

It was priceless! I did love the girl in the red coat!