UNIQUE NYC This Weekend

Quick reminder that UNIQUE NYC is debuting it's first annual Holiday Show this weekend. You can purchase pre-sale tickets here and help us spread the word about our event here.

See you there!

Get Ready for UNIQUE NYC

UNIQUE NYC is right around the corner and we thought it would be kind of amazing if you guys would help us spread the word about the show! Here's what you can do:

#1 Download our UNIQUE NYC buttons and fliers below to share online (lots more sizes and options coming soon). Post them on your blog, website, Facebook pages, Tumblr, Pinterest – heck, wherever you can! :) (Please point the ads back to http://stateofunique.com/unique-nyc)

#2 Join and share the event on Facebook.

#3 Tweet about the event & follow us @UniqueNYC

#4 Wanna help us with our grassroots marketing effort? Email (aisha at stateofunique dot com) with your mailing address and we’ll send you postcards to give to friends and family and distribute in your neighborhood/at work/in your community/at your favorite cafe/etc., plus we'll include a gift!

Katie Gallagher at NYFW

26-year old budding designer Katie Gallagher debuted her 7th collection, “Everything Forever”, at the Standard Hotel during New York Fashion Week. A RISD alum, Gallagher has proven herself as a rising star in NY after snagging the attention and advocacy of NY Times T-Magazine and fashion influentials like Daphne Guinness and Nicola Formichetti

“Everything Forever” stayed true to her defining aesthetic; it was sophistication without pretention, downtown chic without any effort, and art at its best. Models lined a stark white runway in cool cut-outs and rich materials like kangaroo leather, lambskin, and lycra-wool. Despite the minimalist look and neutral tones, Katie added interest by infusing the clothes with unusual textures.

In Katie’s words, the line sprung from the concept of rebirth and purity and the idea that “everything we do is in us forever”.

Check out our exclusive photos from Katie’s NYFW presentation:

Header image via the ride

Buzzed: NYC Coffee Guide

 New York is filled with great fashion, music, art… And coffee! In the city that never sleeps, there's nothing quite like relaxing at a café with a delicious cup of coffee while reading a magazine (or these days an iPad). Here is a round-up of our fave coffee spots. Enjoy!

#1 Abraco - 86 E 7th St, East Village Tucked away on a quiet corner of the East Village, Abraco is our number one spot to get a truly well done caffeine jolt. Though tiny, the place boasts big flavor in their espresso drinks made from state-of-the-art equipment. We also love their iced coffee for a strong but refreshing and rejuvenating pick-me-up. The best part of Abraco? They offer a variety of options for a quick bite, ranging from cakes (must try the olive oil cake) to frittatas and decadent pastries. Heads up: they don't offer skim milk or artificial sweeteners. Its also cash only.

#2 Blue Bottle Coffee - 160 Berry St., Williamsburg SF transplants will appreciate the familiarity in the New York shops of this Oakland original. We like Blue Bottle's Williamsburg outpost the best, where you can grab a cup of coffee expertly crafted in one of their Japanese halogen-powered siphons, and follow with a lazy stroll through the neighborhood. It's a nice change of pace compared to Blue Bottle's other shop located in the heart of bustling, tourist-heavy Chelsea.

#3 Gimme Coffee - 228 Mott St., Nolita Venture down to Nolita for a great espresso from Gimme Coffee, a New York state exclusive coffee shop with heavy roots in philanthropy. They also sell a variety of their coffee blends, which serve as great gifts in the holiday season. Our favorite is the ever-popular Java Kayumas, a rich roast with caramel notes.

#4 BlueBird - 72 E 1st St., East Village If you're lucky enough to snag a seat in this little shop, it is a very pleasant spot to sit and sip an artfully created latte, complete with perfectly composed swirls of milk, as you read a book. Be sure to enjoy one of Bluebird's deliciously moist muffins as you take in the quaint, rustic bluebird-motif decor.

#5 Mud Truck - MudShop, 307 E 9th St., East Village You can't come to New York and not have a cup of Joe from Mud, one of the original food trucks of Manhattan. Stop by their truck stationed on Astor Place beside the uptown 6, or better yet, visit their cafe on 9th St, one of our favorite streets in the East Village. Cozy up on one of the seats by the window, or grab a hippie blend to go and check out the many shops on the street (Verameat and the Upper Rust are our faves!).

#6 Cocoa Bar - 21 Clinton St., Lower East Side This LES spot has a mellow vibe, enough chocolatey treats to satisfy the sweetest of sweet tooth's, and an assortment of wines if you're looking for a different kind of buzz. But the hands-down best thing about Cocoa Bar are their iced coffees, preserved cool and strong with coffee ice cubes. Need we say more?

#7 La Colombe - 270 Lafayette St., SoHo We first discovered La Colombe in it's native Philadelphia, and were thrilled to learn of three New York locations. We can't think of a better lifesaver for staying alert through a busy morning than their bottled, cold pressed "Pure Black" iced coffee. An instant wake up call and staple in our refrigerators!

#8 Bel Ami - 30 E 68th St., Upper East Side If you find yourself in the Upper East Side, stop by this French cafe for a latte and a quick bite. It has just the kind of inviting ambiance that makes it a perfect place to spend a rainy Sunday, or to take a break from a stroll in nearby Central Park. If you want to know what keeps us coming back to this gem, we'll tell you a secret: their salted caramel macaroons are so decadent, they're levels above the ones at the nearby Laduree!

#9 Cafe Grumpy - 383 7th Ave., Park Slope Brooklyn-ites swear by the Park Slope location of Cafe Grumpy, a coffee shop with a steeper price tag than most, but with the beans to back it up. Each cup is individually brewed with expertise and care from impressively sourced beans. This spot is mostly a grab it and go place - for a coffee hangout with a bit friendlier service, we'd opt for their LES joint. Either way, you can't go wrong with their espresso.

#10 The Smile - 26 Bond St., NoHo If you're looking for ambiance, this is it. Nestled on quiet Bond Street beneath the sidewalk, The Smile is perhaps our most beloved place to leisurely converse over a steamy cappuccino and a small bite or two. It is warm, embracing and relaxed - the ideal place to catch up with a friend or two on a lazy day.

LowLine Project

Forget the Highline, the LowLine initiative aims to transform an abandoned trolley terminal into the worlds first underground park!

Former NASA engineer and founder of a RAAD studio James Ramsey and head of partnerships at PopTech, an organization promoting social innovation through technology Dan Barasch have teamed up to work on a new innovative park in Lower East Side, called LowLine.

They plan to transform an abandoned New York City trolley terminal into a vibrant community green space using new solar technology. Located in the heart of Lower East Side on the Delancey trolley station, the underground park can become a year-round public place for everyone. To build this park, they will use a new system  a prototype of which they already have) of optics to gather sunlight, concentrate it and reflect it below ground. The light irrigated underground will carry wavelengths necessary to support photosynthesis, meaning that they easily can grow plants, trees and grass underground.

LowLine was presented to the local community boards, MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority), the City and HR&A (the firm that helped launch Highline in Chelsea) and got positive feedback. They just launched a kickstarter project, wanting to collect $100,000 to build a full-scale installation, a smaller version of the LowLine in order to convince potential funders, the City and community that this idea works.

Paris vs. New York

I just discovered this amazing blog called Paris VS  New York. It's a visual dream come true!

The blog offers a visual comparison which places New York versus Paris each post. Created by Vahram Muratyan he is quite simply someone who loves Paris yet lives and wanders in New York... So fun!

 

Guinness, not Gaga...

While there have been many museum exhibitions devoted to great fashion designers, only a few have focused on individual women of style.

For those who might not be as in-the-know when it comes to royal heirs and fashion icons, I've got you covered. Heir to the Guinness fortune and a true original, I've been following Daphne Guinness since I was a teen. Basically, Daphne was Alexander McQueen's muse. Daring, diverse and fearless, I think she must be one of Lady Gaga's inspirations...

She is the subject of the Daphne Guinness exhibition at The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology. Opened on September 16, 2011 and on view through January 7, 2012, the exhibition will feature approximately 100 garments and accessories from Guinness’s personal collection, plus films, videos, and images, of and by her. If you are in NYC you don't want miss this!

“She is one of the – if not the – most stylish women living,” Tom Ford

Images via Zoo Magazine

NYC Point & Shoot

During a recent trip to NYC I wandered around Chelsea and the fabulous Meat-Packing District...

There are so many cool things to see and discover there, and I'm not even talking about going shopping or to art galleries. I was in heaven just walking around town and looking at buildings. It was also my first time experiencing The High Line! What an inspiration.