STYLE WHISPERING: DKNY

The scent of chestnuts roasting mingled with hot dogs and salty soft pretzels (nutz4nutz!) wafting down the frigid cold air of Broadway, Madison Avenue bustling with Barney's pre-xmas sale clutching shoppers alight, Central Park after a fresh snowfall and the ensuing crunchy black snow underfoot days later..it's Christmastime in the city. And once again, this year I find myself far from home gazing longingly across the Atlantic. Good thing there's nothing like a little nationalistic retail therapy with a fellow ex-pat to beat back the holiday homesick blues. So for our final Style Whispering before we blogger off for Christmas and slap the out of offices up on the email to celebrate Jesus' birthday sans Blackberry, three New York girls (myself, Charlotte Smith of Style Cartel and Butters) headed over to the closest thing one can get to Downtown NYC in London: the cavernous Bond Street shrine of the ultimate NY brand, DKNY.

Now, I've noticed that non-New Yorkers, specifically European non-New Yorkers, have a slight misconception about our little island. They assume that since we are a contained insular urban unit with such a strong cultural identity, that we're all pretty much the same. Perpetually adorned head to toe in black and black only, drinking coffee of the same color to match our consumer-constricted hearts also of the hue. Not so. Uptown to Downtown, the Westside to the Eastside, New York identity is all about neighborhood mentality. From Harlem to Dumbo, every niche of the city has its own style, with all but the Financial District basking in the glories to be gleaned from mixing and matching color, print, texture and more. I am from the Upper Westside, and so have by default a style that is at once Yuppie with its roots in conservative prep, but with an urge to artistically and intellectually self-express. Charlotte's from Brooklyn, so she's just plain cool. But that's the beauty of a brand with such breadth as DKNY, just like the city after which it is named, there is something for any one, no matter size, shape, age or country of origin. It's the brand that never rests for the city that never sleeps.

And at our Style Whispering, we both had a chance to remember just that and spend the day in a pleasant reverie that can only come to pass when two girlfriends tackle a favorite store, dreaming of a (DK)NY Christmas, just like the ones I used to know...

DKNY
27 Old Bond Street, Mayfair
London, W1S 4QE

Photos by Pat Lyttle


Look One: Sparkle child in the city
On me: pink sequin tee ($145); Sequin Easy Jacket ($345); black wash skinny jeans with zip detail; Glam Wellies ($395)
On Charlotte: Bengal print sequin shift dress ($695); 1 button nappa 2 tone gloves w/bow ($135); Large leather shopper with coin purse ($325)

This was the first look we pulled, and it really reflects our respective New York personae--my uptownish self in a blazer ensemble and Charlotte's downtown coolness reiterated through a pink and blue sequin tigress shift with cute white tights. We're two friends, perhaps dashing to meet up after a long Friday at the office, for drinks somewhere in midtown. Charlotte's shift, de-sexified by the adorable white tights, could have easily been worn to work had she layered it under a cardi or blazer. As for me, being sick of the whole "oooh look at me, I'm trendy because I popped a sequin blazer over a black dress/top/whatever," I decided to spice things up as only a New Yorker unabashedly unafraid of a glitz can: sequins layered over sequins to create a fun new kind of texture. Glam high heeled wellies (my obsession of this particular whispering) completed my look. They are just so New York: practical yet spunky, perfect for sloshing your way through avenues awash in chunks of black snow on your way to that patiently waiting martini.

Look Two: Uptown goes down and Downtown up

On me: printed tee ($65); black wash skinny jeans with zip detail;Luxury shearling vest reversible ($795); Glam Wellies ($395)

on Charlotte: Angel Bootie ($295); leather biker vest; gold metallic strapless brocade dress; Smooth wrap belt ($125)

Look two was a bit of a role-reversal, the Brooklyn girl goes uptown for holiday festivities at a friend's and the uptown girl hops the F downtown and works her way towards East Village for a dark night of close catch up talk with old friends at a leaky old dive bar. Shearling shaggy gilet (though reversible, to be worn on the fur side only!) paired again with black skinny jeans gives that aura of edge which one needs to pull off strutting around Avenue A with attitude. A knit cap with pom pom perched on top softens the look, making it more youthful and playful (as of course, do the Glam Wellies). With wellies and hat, the look says, yea I'm cool and hip, but I'm nice too! If I had paired with fierce black heels and some studded detailing, the same look could be vamped out for a night clubbing on the other side of Houston in the Lower East Side.

Look Three: Dressed in holiday style...it's Christmastime in the City
On me: black wash skinny jeans with zip detail; Glam Wellies ($395); cashmere infinity scarf ($195); Double breasted overcoat ($695)
on Charlotte: Double breasted poncho ($595); Angel Bootie ($295); Orchidia Beret ($125); leather clutch with pocket ($185)
on Butters: Large leather shopper with coin purse ($325)

Look three-no surprises here. Two girl friends, one Pomeranian and one mission: shop shop shop. What is New York at Christmas if not one giant shopping mall? Twinkling windows, welcoming sale signs, tills a ringing--the true spirit of Christmas. I love this plaid wooly overcoat, perfect for a day of Midtown sinning before returning to sojourn at Central Park West. Charlotte's pretty as a peach in her peacoated cape and purple cap, ready to transition seamlessly from perusing the ground floor at Barneys to lunching at its restaurant, Fred.