Cozette

Located in New York’s East Village, Obscura Antiques & Oddities boasts an array of eerie items that date back as far as the 16th Century.

Faded Persian rugs form a walkway down the centre of the shop, ushering spectators along a packed corridor of shrunken heads, taxidermied house pets and glass-encased skeletons. The room smells sweet, like incense mixed with dust and formaldehyde.

Everything is beautifully curated; boxes of old war photos being carefully juxtaposed against racks of bullet-damaged military gear.

Obscura is so much more than just a shop. It’s a museum of artifacts related to death, witchcraft and our ongoing fascination with the afterlife.

Cavanaugh really knows how to combine textures and colour, not surprising for a Parsons fashion major. I love how he mixes bold parachute pants (his own design) with worn-in ankle boots. The result is a look that’s casually elegant.

With his white blonde hair and ultra modern metallic tote, I can’t help but think of Roy Batty from Bladerunner.

The Showplace Antique and Design Center is an amazing one stop shopping complex in the Fashion District for all things vintage and antique. The four floor building houses more than 200 independent galleries and shops, making it a key destination for collectors, designers and stylists.

Marlene Wetherell was a particularly amazing gallery. Many of her pieces were designer and everything was organized according to era, style, size and colour.

Illsa’s Vintage Lingerie was breathtaking. Her lace slips were in perfect condition and many of her vintage silk bras could double as fantastic crop tops.

Davie and I were especially fascinated with the antique radios and broadcast systems. I love how these old pieces were as sculptural as they were functional.

Local Clothing is a quaint vintage shop in the heart of New York’s East Village. The sales staff are really friendly and their shoe selection is great.

When I first heard that Topshop was opening a location in New York, I thought it was too good to be true. Well, it was! The three floor fashion mecca opened on Broadway in April, 2009, but the hype is still going strong. Unaware that a massive liquidation sale was going on, I went to check it out one afternoon last week. I had to battle more than a couple catty fashionistas for my haul, but I was able to snag $280 pumps and a $180 blazer, both for $50!

The High Line is one of the best urban development projects I’ve seen recently. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, New York’s parks department turned a section of the old elevated freight railroad into a pedestrian parkway. Open to the public since June, 2009, the pathways are now flourishing natural gardens.

The lovely Lilly.

The whole reason why I came to New York for January was to take a Sewing Techniques class at FIT. I’ve been spending four days a week at the Fashion District campus, learning different sewing styles, stitch designs and pattern drafting approaches. So far, I’ve made a raw silk plaid skirt and a black cotton blouse.

I had NO idea what I was getting myself in to with a plaid though. It took forever to figure out how to do proper repeats. Professor Cynthia Underwood is an amazing teacher though and she’s a big help. She used to be the head pattern drafter for Carolina Herrera! Can’t go wrong with life experience like that.

Having now spent days at a time stitch ripping seams and messing up hemlines, I can really appreciate just how much time and patience goes into a quality garment. I’m in futher awe of couturier work that’s all done by hand! Such discipline, such love.

Comprised of two adjacent shops on 9th Street in the East Village, Archangel Antiques houses some of the city’s best vintage eyeglasses, costume jewelry and fashion detailing: buttons, trimmings and buckles.

Headed out with Rocky and Jordan for drinks at Lit Lounge, a great two level bar/art gallery with nightly DJs in the East Village. The people watching was great and the drinks were cheap, which is all a girl can ask for.