new york : {the frocks & other frivolities guide}.

New York - a city of glittering lights and lofty dreams - is not a destination, but an experience. All the most pellucid images and words in the world cannot prepare you for its vivacity, heady pace, and dynamic spirit that beguiles you far beyond your departure. 

Indeed, New York is a cornucopia of sartorial perfection, gustatory delights, and exquisite culture ... but if these weren't reason enough to visit this grand city, this is the place to escape to when one needs perfect clarity to be instilled upon their dreams. 

This is the frocks & other frivolities' guide to NYC, which is inevitably an escapade into the big apple's whimsical world of food, fashion (and other frivolities!) ... but I cannot reiterate enough, lovely readers, that ultimately the greatest adventure in NYC is creating your own...

{P.S. What to bring : a camera, an ample suitcase, and a heart open to new possibilities...}

FASHION // {where to shop}

New York City may as well be a synonym for fashion nirvana; the density of sartorial loveliness is immense enough to flutter even the most stoic of hearts. 

Soho : traipse around the vicinity of Broome/Spring/Wooster/Broadway St and one will stumble upon every bona fide designer desirable as well as quaint boutique gems 

Madison Avenue, Manhattan :  purveyor of luxury high-end designers (Celine, Chloe, Proenza Schouler, Valentino...) that necessitates the obligatory accompaniment of Laduree macarons {also be certain to pop into my favourite shoe store, Schutz}

A Second Chance designer resale boutique : two lovely locations in the Upper East Side and Soho, this is the secret to the luxe polished aesthetic of New York women

Nolita district : Mott St, Elizabeth St ... wonderful for impossibly chic little boutiques

FOOD // {where to eat}

Even the most gastronomically ambitious would find it impossible to find the time or stomach space to accommodate the food mecca that is NYC.

Cafe Gitane : 270 Lafayette St {for delightful orange blossom waffles whilst brushing against the fashion elite}

The Butcher's Daughter : 19 Kenmare St {light organic cuisine}

Gemma : 335 Bowery St, beneath the Bowery Hotel {here, you will understand that the paradox of understated opulence actually exists}

The Mercer Kitchen : 99 Prince St {for languid breakfasts of buttermilk pancakes laced in warmed blueberries and French toast drizzled in caramelised peaches}

Momofuku Milk Bar : several delightful locations {the cereal soft serve is an imperative as are the crack cookies to bring home}

Laduree : 864 Madison Ave {cannot possibly compare to the original in Paris, but revel in a few macarons in nearby Central Park and it is still a transcendent experience}

Balthazar : 80 Spring St {for utterly sumptuous traditional bistro fare in a lusciously dimlit setting, I have such fond memories of the evening I spent dining here}
Dean & DeLuca : multiple locations {for gorgeous gourmet picnics}

FUN // {where to go & other frivolities}

Make a friend and explore the myriad of possibilities in this enchanting city...

The Metropolitan Museum : 1000 5th Ave

The Frick Collection : 1E 70th St

MoMA : 11W 53rd St

Statue of Liberty : Liberty Island {an American icon that will always hold a special place in my heart}

Central Park : 14E 60th St {an utterly whimsical vision in the spring with the magnolias and cherry blossoms on the cusp of blooming} 

Broadway : 729 7th Ave

US Open Tennis Championships : Flushing Meadows {have always been an avid tennis player and would buy a ticket in a heart beat if I were there currently}

...And with that, most importantly, cherish the memories you make in this scintillating city and expect to return with bags laden with treasures and hearts full with stories {if, of course, it hasn't already irrevocably fallen in love and beckoned to stay forever}... <3  

{This post was dedicated to my utterly delightful friend, Shannon, who mentored me throughout my high school years with grace and ease - hope your NYC sojourn was magical!}

Much love, Mandy. xx

Madison Avenue.

{Images by yours truly.}

Perhaps it is the ingrained rose-tinted lens imparted by holidays, or maybe simply the abundant loveliness of New York in the spring, but everywhere you set forth there seems to exist only the gentlest sunbeams peeking through the fresh buds of spring casting its lovely soft light upon the glassy facades of the astonishingly beautiful boutiques that flank Madison Avenue. The summation of these elements means that I'm utterly convinced that this time of the year is the most impossibly whimsical means of absorbing the prettiness that is New York and that if you ever have the opportunity, to experience it for yourself, but in the interim, a few images to pique the curiosity... 

Much love, Mandy. xx

London : {retrospective photo diary}.

{Photos captured and edited by yours truly & John Li}

Finally, amid the wonderful humdrum that is life, I found a few moments to sift through forgotten images from last year's overseas sojourn to London - little realising at the time that this would be the start of a long, irrevocable love affair with this beautiful city with its abundance of life's most irresistable entities (melliferous afternoon teas, boutiques brimming with laconic London labels, Chelsea flower stalls that stand as purveyors of the most perfect peonies I've ever seen, that gorgeous lilt of the English accent, and of course, the friends that were made along the way)...

Much love, Mandy. xx

Trouville photo diary.

On reflecting my time in France last year over forgotten images, I chanced upon these snapshots that were taken in Trouville, an absolutely lovely sea shanty of a fishing village outside Paris. Neighbours with its slightly more pretentious sister town Deauville, one can completely lose the day to the authenticity of the simple village life where bright crimson roses spill over white picket fences and verdant hedges, and traipse along cobblestoned alleys where one Euro pastries and freshly trawled seafood await. 

The slow, languorous pace and the inherent beauty of a simpler life makes it a perfect escapade for the weary traveller ... and it's no wonder that even the canine residents bask indolently in the gentle afternoon sun ...

{P.S. You may have noticed the new blog layout thanks to the creative genius that is Leap Marketing and Design. Hope you love it as much as I do!}

Much love, Mandy. xx

Netherton Grove.

(Dress - French Connection, heels - Jeffrey Campbell, bag - vintage Dior)

These images reside in a special place in my heart for two reasons. Firstly, they were taken on one of those gorgeously lit afternoons where dappled sunlight filters through the verdant surrounds in one of my favourite places in the world - Chelsea, London. The real reason for the fond sentiments, however, is that we shot this series only a few moments after finding out that I had passed all my med school exams so I think I was irradiating with sheer happiness the whole afternoon. For someone who has dreamt of becoming a doctor since childhood, it is really quite surreal to come to terms with becoming a step closer to the dream! 

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend! I have some exciting new content and a few lovely collaborations that I absolutely cannot wait to share with all of you! 

Much love, Mandy. xx

Enlightenment.

(Top - this is a plain tee, skirt - Kookai, necklace - Pree Brulee, shoes - Charles & Keith)

Ever since finishing med school (as of last Friday!), I have become unfamiliar with this concept of having copious amounts of time at my disposal. Becoming a doctor has been a childhood dream of mine so this marks a truly pivotal point in my life and whilst I know that there are lovely things to look forward to, I can't help feeling simultaneously rather sad that it is the end of an era. Med school has honestly been the most wonderful years of my life and I am so grateful for all the beautiful people who have shared the journey with me along the way. 

Anyhow, on a more frivolous note, this outfit epitomises my typical casual aesthetic - neutral tones with subtle pops of colour. These images are particularly sentimental to me as they were taken on one of the few sunny days when I was in London a few months ago! 

Love, Mandy. xx

Sprinkle of sparkle.

(Top - She Inside sequin black chiffon top, skirt & heels - Zara) 

Today has been one of those perfect Sundays that starts off with a rainy morning and a warm cup of tea and then ends with a spontaneous evening of beautiful company, cabanas with magenta curtains (see here), and even more pots of tea (Madagascan vanilla, of course!). I hope you all had a beautifully spectacular weekend too! 

                                                              Much love, Mandy. xx

Jardin du Luxembourg.

(Cardigan - Ted Baker, skirt - ASOS, bag - vintage Dior, shoes - Jeffrey Campbell)

Oh, Paris. One minute, you're losing yourself in its labyrinthine streets struggling with the indecision of which patisserie to pick for one's morning croissant (I inevitably visited all of them) only to find that the meticulous selection you deliberated on have been voraciously consumed the next minute. And just a few moments later ... you stumble upon a jardin that happens to have a chateaux and then suddenly, you revert to your halcyon days of youth and pretend that the whole landscape is your backyard (climbing fountains in a whimsical mint skirt is completely normal, oui?). 

.... And that's it. In the course of a few minutes, the innate magic of Paris has stolen my heart once again. 

Have a sparkling weekend, everyone!

Much love, Mandy. xx