A Street Style Star’s Guide to New York Fashion Week

Last December, after ten years of living in New York and working in the fashion industry, I left the city and moved abroad with my fiancé. We spent six fantastic months in Cape Town, and have been traveling around Europe, based out of London since May. We’ve been so some unbelievable places, but right now I’m feeling most excited about my trip home to the Big Apple for New York Fashion Week. There are so many places I’m dying to go back to, and a few that I can’t wait to check out for the first time. Here’s how I’ll be spending my down time in between shows.

Mr. Fongs

When a friend from New York visited us in London this summer she mentioned the new cool-kid hang is a place called

. I’m not usually big on sceney spots, but after being away from the city and all my friends for so long I’m really looking forward to a raucous night out.

Totokaelo

I’m so excited that Seattle shop

is opening an New York location, and I can’t wait to pop in. I’m definitely going to head here for my Dries van Noten fix, and hopefully a new pair of Dieppa Restrepo lace-ups.

Fivestory

Shame, shame, shame on me that I never visited

when I was living in New York. I’m planning on heading uptown this time around to check out the legendary space and drool over a bunch of pretty things I can’t afford and don’t really need.

Dirty French

A friend who has excellent taste in food has mentioned

more than once to me in our Gchat catch-ups so I know it must be good. Housed in the new Ludlow hotel (which has an incredible sofa collection in the lobby—it’s worth going there just to sit down). I’m a girl who loves to eat (see my snapchat—LaPantin—for proof), and I’m appreciating the steak au poivre and the Belmondo (tequila, pear, ginger, etc.) in advance.

Pó

Years ago, my fiancé and I used to go to

on Cornelia Street pretty much weekly. Their cavatelli with broccoli is the kind of thing you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about. As long as we’ve been going they’ve hardly changed the menu—which is great because everything is perfect. It’s my favorite under-the-radar, roll-your-eyes-back, moan-and-squirm kind of place. Plus they play really great music, and everyone who works there is an angel.

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Temple Bar

When I was in college I used to walk by

on Lafayette daily, and for years I thought it had to be a strip club. No sign, no windows, just a massive cutout of a lizard’s skeleton outside. Then, a good friend invited me there—walking in is like stepping into a combination Bennigan’s/old wooden ship in *Twin Peaks.*So what is it? It’s a bar, but they also serve the strangest combination of snacks (samosas, deviled eggs, guacamole and chips). The drinks are strong, and the vibe is kind of inexplicably awesome. I’ll definitely be heading here to sneak out of the scene but still get a heavy dose of people-watching. Order a Lower Manhattan (or three), but don’t blame me in the morning.

Trademark

I love NYC-based label

. Thanks to the exchange rate in London, I’ve been on a little bit of a shopping fast, so I’m really excited to spend a little cash in New York, and am definitely planning a stop at their SoHo shop. The store design is stunning, and just as sophisticated and unexpected as the clothing. Even if you don’t have cash to burn, a stop by the store on Grand Street is worth your while, if for nothing else than to ogle the architectural details, and gaze at the goods. Number one on my must-purchase list is a pair of their weird-girl resin insect earrings.

Lafayette House

Since I no longer have a NYC apartment, my fiancé I are planning on staying at

Lafayette House

. I’ve been there only for press appointments, but I always loved the cozy, “step in to my boudoir” vibe of this place. I think we got a big-ish room too, which is excellent, because I make one hell of a mess in my hotel room. The location is perfect – only a few blocks from where we lived pre-Cape Town, near lots of my other favorite restaurants (Il Buco Alimentari, Sant’Ambroeus, Hecho en Dumbo) and really close to

The Bowery Hotel

, which hosts lots of NYFW parties. I’m so pleased that after saying “yes please” a few too many times to passed champagne, I’ll be able to hobble across the street and face-plant in bed.

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler