darling in dots
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am I french yet? my favorite french places in nyc

8/20/2017

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On Friday I received this cat shirt in the mail from SheIn. Even though I'm actually afraid of cats in real life, I am always drawn to quirky clothing with animals on them, cats included. I thought about how to style this shirt, and something about it felt very Parisian to me. I think because it reminds me of that very famous and iconic "Le Chat Noir" poster from the late 1800's.

If you're interested in buying this cat shirt for yourself (it also comes in a variety of different colors, both solid and striped), you can find it here:
​

http://m.shein.com/us/Cat-Embroidered-Cuffed-Tie-Hem-Vertical-Striped-Shirt-p-368392-cat-1733.html?utm_source=www.darlingindots.com&utm_medium=blogger&url_from=darlingindots  

Since the top is striped, I decided to pair it with this polka dot skirt. I added my cat eye glasses and a beret for a retro Parisian touch. I decided to grab a croissant and head to Washington Square Park, where there is an arch, similar to the Arc de Triomphe.

Although last year was the first time I visited Paris, I've always had a love for the city of lights since I was young. Even though I think New York is a superior city, Paris is my favorite city. But the amazing thing about New York is it is so diverse, so there are many places here that make you feel like you're actually in Paris. Below I'm going to list my 3 favorite places in NYC for getting your French fix.

Laduree (2 locations: Soho and UES):
Laduree is hands down the best spot for macarons. Don't even bother trying to get a macaron anywhere else in New York City because you will be disappointed (trust me, I've done the research). They also have a restaurant where you can sit down to eat. It is a little more pricey, so if you're on a budget, pass on the food and just go for the macarons.

Raclette (East Village):
If you are a cheese lover, you will probably consider this place to be heaven. Raclette is a traditional French dish, in which melted cheese is served on top of vegetables, potatoes, etc. The waiter brings over a wheel of warm cheese and scraps it onto your plate. They come back again mid meal for a second scrape. Again, if you love cheese, you will not regret checking this place out.

Pardon My French (East Village):
PMF is another east village gem, and is one of my favorite spots in the whole city for boozy brunch. For $30, you get an entree and unlimited mimosas or bloody Mary's for 2 hours. If you'd like to forgo drinking alcohol, there is also an option to get a $20 brunch with coffee or tea instead. For your entree, I highly recommend the pancakes!

What are your favorite French inspired spots in NYC?

Top: C/O SheIn
http://www.shein.com  
Skirt: Banana Republic; Shoes: Nine West (bought from Macy's); Watch: Hypergrand; Beret: old
Location: Washington Square Park (West Village, New York)
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swinging sixties

8/15/2017

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I studied abroad in London my junior year of college. Although I loved the city, that was seven years ago now (which makes me feel extremely old) and sometimes I feel like I barely remember my time there. One thing I do distinctly remember though is going on a bunch of walking tours around the city, where our school tour guide pointed out significant locations, some of which were iconic of the 1960s. He took us to the building where The Beatles played their last concert on the roof. He also took us to Carnaby Street, the birth place of the swinging sixties. If you're not familiar, Carnaby Street was the destination for mod fashion and new music in the 60's. It was where Mary Quant had her boutique and bands like The Rolling Stone performed.

The Cambridge Satchel Company was kind enough to send me one of their newest handbags. This style is called The Conductor's Bag and is inspired by the bags bus conductors used to carry back in the day. If you’re interested, you can shop the bag here: 
https://www.cambridgesatchel.com/en-gb/conductors-bag/conductors-bag-in-patent-leather/CONNA1114PGH10101.html?cgid=womens-conductors-bag 

Since The Cambridge Satchel Company is UK based, I decided to channel the swinging sixties as my inspiration for these photos There is an old red telephone booth outside a bar in Hoboken, where I live, so I decided this would be a good location to recreate the feeling of 1960’s Carnaby Street. I added this vintage printed silk scarf to my bag to add my personal style to it. I decided to wear a Michael Kors romper I recently thrifted from Cure Thrift shop, since it has a bit of a retro feel. To top off this mod look, I added white sunglasses and color blocked booties, and of course styled my hair in a bouffant. 

Have you ever been to London? What was your favorite area or thing to do there? 

Bag: C/O Cambridge Satchel Company 
https://www.cambridgesatchel.com/en-gb 
Romper: Michael Kors (thrifted from Cure Thrift Shop); Scarf: Vintage (from Fred and Lulu); Boots: Kling (from Hello Holiday); Sunglasses: Guess 
Location: Scotland Yard (Hoboken, NJ) 
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cherry, baby: a bit about how I choose locations for photoshoots

8/2/2017

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This past weekend while I was home in Philadelphia, I shot photos wearing this dress from Smak Parlour and earrings from Color Theory Shop. If you've read my blog before, these are both small businesses that I love and have worked with before, so I was glad I got to wear items from both brands together in one look. 

You can shop the dress here:
https://www.smakparlour.com/collections/collection/products/fruit-printed-a-line-shift-dress-with-mock-neck-keyhole-and-bow 
You can shop the earrings here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/538591535/neon-circle-earrings-geometric-enamel?ref=shop_home_feat_3 

By now you've probably noticed the fruit theme (particularly watermelons) in my wardrobe this summer, so I was excited to add this dress to my collection. When I shoot blog photos, I usually choose very specific locations because I want every post be purposeful and to tell a story. Originally I had the idea to shoot this dress in a pie shop in Manhattan, while eating a slice of cherry pie of course. However, the shop is located near Times Square, aka a New Yorker's version of hell, so the chances of convincing one of my friends to come there to take photos with me were slim to none. Instead, I made my sister help me (because that's what siblings are for right?) since we were both visiting home last weekend. I decided we should shoot at Famous Fourth Street Deli. This Jewish deli is one of my favorite spots to eat when I'm in Philly, yet it never dawned on me before that it could work as a backdrop for blog photos as well. Even though they didn't have cherry pie, they did have black and white cookies that complimented my earrings perfectly (and were also delicious). ​

Although this was my second choice of location, I'm happy with how these photos turned out. With so many bloggers out there, especially in NYC, I often feel the need to find obscure and unique locations that no one else has found yet to shoot. When I first started blogging, I would scour Yelp or Instagram looking for cool places. But even with a seemingly perfect location, I would sometimes end up feeling disappointed in how the photos turned out because my expectations were too high. But recently I've started rolling with the punches more when it comes to location and not plan too much in advance. Ironically, the less I plan, the more satisfied I feel with the end results of the photos. Sometimes the best photo shoot locations are right under your nose. 

Dress: C/O Smak Parlour 
www.smakparlour.com
Earrings: C/O Color Theory Shop
www.colortheoryshop.com 
Shoes: Nine West (bought at Macy's)
Location: Famous Fourth Street Deli (Philadelphia, PA)
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