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I am thinking of going to New York in the spring and I want to start collecting pieces to take.
I live in a very casual beach community, where people wear beachwear, year-round - so planning to actually wear shoes is a big deal (will probably go with sandals).
Is there a certain casual vibe that will work for dining out in nice restaurants? Or MUST you dress to the nines to dine out in most places?
I would suggest a Big Bird outfit. You'll be the Talk o' the Walk!
All I'm going to add is wear comfortable shoes! I made the mistake twice of trying to be fashionable and wearing high heels one time and super flat shoes the next time. I wound up having to buy shoes while I was there because my feet were killing me.
I learned a long time ago, that I can only wear comfortable shoes. The problem is that I live in a beach community where I have been able to get away with sandals for 364 days of the year (even in rain, yes, I know that sounds crazy).
There is that one, super stormy rainy day where I will have to dawn "shoes" and it's an ordeal!
I do have some comfortable Wolkys that I depend on (sandals and shoes).
It depends when you will be coming in NY in the spring. March and April can be a continuation of winter weather. This year, we had a very cold and late spring. May can be coolish too.
New Yorkers, like Europeans wear lots of black all year long. We also wear boots well into May. I still see some people wearing boots even though it is June (it's been coolish so far with a few warm days in between).
Other than office/business professionals and upscale restaurants, nothing shrieks "tourist" like a dressed up person, especially older people. If attending an opera or ballet at Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall or a Broadway show and you are dressed up formally, we just know that you are from somewhere else. When visiting museums, Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, just wear jeans/pants and a comfortable pair of sneakers. Dress more for the weather than for fashion, with the exception if you have reservations for a high-scale restaurant or you are going clubbing in some elite place in the lower east side or meat packing district with a bunch of 20 year olds. Contrary to what is portrayed on TV, most New Yorkers are not rich and do not go to work wearing high-end designer clothing everyday.
It might not be warm enough, especially at night , to wear sandals until mid-June. Be prepared for miles and miles of walking and lots of standing, as well as plenty of stairs.
BTW, read the blog. Lots of French live in NYC. I don't agree with everything written based on the French who are here and my visit to France last year. For now, they seem to wear a lot of white Reeboks, not metallics.
Well, you'll definitely need shoes. I suppose "sandals" can even everything from the clunky heavy kind that hikers wear to the chic four-inch stilettos that a model might wear. By the way, not only might your feet get dirty in sandals, but you'll be very unhappy if someone accidentally stomps on you. Bring comfortable shoes, including ones that can survive rain. Again, "nice" can mean anything from moderate to ultra-expensive. There are still places that require jackets for men, but mostly not. I suggest tailored pants, rather than jeans. And, really, wouldn't it be nice to dress up a little just to make it more special?
Doesn't matter what you wear, anybody from beach country with tanned and rough skin are seen as tourists or out of towners.
Even people in NYC that get tanned do not have tanned wrinkly skins like from the South or West coast.
Just wear a simple shirt and shorts. Have a small or medium backpack not those stupid mountain climbing backpacks I keep seeing Europeans show up in Times Square looking like they're about to go hiking and taking up so much space.
Do not wear the same damn shirt as the rest of your family or crew. I often see tourists all wear some I Love NY or Yankees shirt exactly the same and then wear jeans the same color as everybody else. Be yourself and have your own look regardless what style or fashion.
I go to work in NYC everyday and spot tourists and out of towners easily. If you look like one of them you'll get harassed by tons of annoying peddlers.
I ignore that. I can't bring myself to do it. Especially in the spring. Spring is not a time to look like you're going to a funeral. I don't care what everyone else does or thinks. I can't do it. And spring in NYC is glorious! Great time to be there, before the heat and humidity hit.
I am thinking of going to New York in the spring and I want to start collecting pieces to take.
I live in a very casual beach community, where people wear beachwear, year-round - so planning to actually wear shoes is a big deal (will probably go with sandals).
Is there a certain casual vibe that will work for dining out in nice restaurants? Or MUST you dress to the nines to dine out in most places?
Black, black, BLACK!!!
I live in CT and several years ago I went on a day trip with my family to NYC. I wore white capris, a tank top and a floral camp shirt. I FELT LIKE A FREAKIN' TOURIST!
I guess that's why I'm considering retiring to FL.....
At the time I noticed that the "standard uniform" for women was black slacks with a white long sleeved button-down shirt (cuffs turned up x 1) Sandals would probably be OK as long as they're BLACK.
The kicker is that I was born and raised in Western NYS--it's a whole other world.....
Eileen Fisher, as noted in the linked blog above, would work well for NYC, especially as it's a New York brand. You don't have to only wear black, and you can wear navy as well, especially as it's spring. It depends upon where you want to go, however, as to what you want to wear, but in New York if you want to blend, think sleek and chic.
For a dress for formal dinner, you cannot go wrong with a little black dress, or even something from the likes of Ted Baker or Diane Von Furstenberg if you find one that fits well, even in a spring color or print. Pack a cardigan to go with a dress that's sleeveless or with short sleeves, however, because evenings can be chilly, especially in air conditioned environments.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
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