One of my favorite things about New York City is the street style, what everyone is wearing as they go to and fro whatever mystical life I imagine they lead. Obviously, a lot of people are wearing, and can afford to wear, current trends - what you see in magazines and on Instagram. My favorite people though, are the ones who showcase their personality through a bonkers outfit that fits within their outer boroughs budget. Thrift store surgeons, if you will. Their outfits are creative, inventive, and what I'm after.

One trend I'm disheartened by, yet understand (because I work from home), is athleisure. The majority of women I saw in NYC, from Soho to Brooklyn, were dressed like they just got out of a yoga class and remembered they needed something from Zara. I mean, I get it. No one likes a real waistband, but show me the outfits! I will say this, the athleisure there is a little more chic than it is here. The outfit du jour is black, lycra capris, Nikes and a denim jacket. It's never occurred to me to wear my denim jacket with yoga pants, but I liked it. One last note on this surprisingly long paragraph on athleisure, most of the women I saw looked like me (duh, I'm a blonde white lady), but I mean, they were double digit sizes. And they were double digit sizes in yoga pants and crop tops. It was the first time in possibly forever that I saw my body represented by the cool women, in the cool parts of town, shopping in the cool stores. Hashtag: thick thighs save lives.

Moving on! I saw so much animal print that I started to wonder if I was hallucinating. Jackets, trenches, sweaters. And it all looked thrifted! A trend after my own heart. I hadn't started shopping yet, but I was like, 'well, this is awesome, Uniqlo and Zara must be 80% animal print'. Alas, they were not. Well, at least Uniqlo wasn't. I don't shop in Zara BECAUSE THEY ARE A TERRIBLE COMPANY. This supports my initial finding, it's all thrifted (or from H&M - I didn't go in there either).

Let's talk about sneakers. It's the only shoe on the island. The stand-outs are black and white Old Skool Vans (legit 90% of New Yorkers are wearing this shoe), Adidas Superstar, and any kind of Nike. Honorable mention: Keds and Converse.

I love jackets and lament that Tennessee goes straight from winter coat to tank top season. I own so many neglected jackets. Speaking of, it rained the first day I was there so I saw a lot of trench coats. They're all army green! And with cool details like a patterned lapel or an unusual hem. 

Lastly, pants. Two things: stripes and dad denim. Striped pants are a thing. And I'm talking billowy, high-waisted pants with a couple of wide vertical stripes in maybe 2-3 colors. I like the look, especially paired with a thrifted tee, but I have questions about what a not-flat stomach looks like in a striped high to medium rise pant... Dad denim! Y'all, it's real. The denim in NYC is bananas. The wash is terrible, the rise is terrible, the fit is terrible, all the hems are frayed and I am HERE FOR IT. I went to Bushwick and legit could not tell if everyone there got their denim from a vintage store called something like This Is What We Wore Before You Were Born, or if Urban Outfitters is selling them for $125. If you were alive in the late eighties, find pictures of the jeans you were wearing and then go to Goodwill and rebuy them. Cut the hem off with a ragged pair of scissors, or like a gardening claw, and you're good to go!

NYC Trends:

Army green trench coats and jackets

Striped pants

Animal print

Black and white Vans

Adidas Stan Smiths / Superstars

Light denim, frayed hem, high/ankle

Lots of jackets and trenches

Denim jackets with black running capris

Lots of yoga pants

P.S. If you liked this, you may like the one I wrote the last time I went to NYC.

P.P.S. See also:  How to Create a Street Style Look on a Budget