Love, Kat: My City Guide for New York, Paris, and London
I have been dreaming about launching a column on Who What Wear for a while, and I am so thrilled it’s finally time to share it with the world. I’m the kind of person who fastidiously saves, screenshots, and catalogs information, and I envision Love, Kat to be a place where I can share my finds, particularly the under-the-radar ones, from the most stylish corners of the internet. I want it to be a visual feast as well as information rich and hope that some of what I share ends up in your reference folders, too.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
For the inaugural story, I was thinking about this moment: the start of spring, our senses are awakened and alive, eager for experience. One of my top enjoyments in life is exploring new spots in a beloved city, so I focused on recommendations for three of my favorite places I travel to frequently: Paris, London, and New York. My picks favor the experiential, mood, and anything that allows you to cosplay as a local—the sights, scents, and tastes of a city that give it its essence, if you will. From the Parisian perfume store where you can get a custom olfactory diagnosis to the female local artists whose vision I admire, read on to discover my picks that will absolutely delight the senses.
One thing about me is I love customization. A present, whether for yourself or a loved one, is always better when it’s personal. In this (candle) light, I present what I think is a tremendous take-home from your next visit to Paris, custom bougies by Frédérique. They are each handmade by Frédérique herself using ancestral techniques favored by Swedish monks. You can personalize your candles with small wax decorations ranging from a trio of doves to angel wings and cameos. And while you can order her candles online anytime, Frédérique hand-delivers orders in Paris three times a week. A chance to practice your French with a charming candle-loving local? Incroyable.
I didn’t want to keep you waiting too long for the perfume recommendation. When I was in Paris last fashion week, I was standing outside waiting for my friend to arrive for our lunch at Mokonuts (yes, the one with the famously difficult reservations). I was carrying a Frédéric Malle x ACNE Studios bag having just come from a preview of the perfume collaboration. A woman stopped me in the street to ask about the scent and then told me how she had just had the loveliest experience selecting a perfume at Nose. Apparently, they diagnose your scent preferences by inputting the notes of your favorite perfumes and use that information plus their expertise to pull recommendations. Later that day, I saw one of my favorite NYC-based stylists to follow, Caitlin Burke, share her experience at Nose, solidifying it as a Paris experience added to my list.
While all the cities I’m covering have world-class museums, one of my favorite ways to engage in the local art scene is to check if any of my favorite artists are having a gallery exhibition. I saw several Parisian fashion people attend Hermine Bourdin’s most recent showing, and her work went straight into the screenshot folder. Bourdin is inspired by the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods and works mostly with clay to create abstract sculptures rooted in the feminine form. I find her work sensual and harmonious. As an added bonus, an artsy crowd is fun people watching, and I’ve found if you ask nicely, folks are usually more than willing to share their favorite local dinner spot with you to grab a bite afterward.
If you spend enough time on Paris TikTok, you’ll find the most discerning roundups have one commonality: Galerie Paradis. Set in a former ceramic factory, the space is dedicated to exceptional vintage home furnishings. Having a wander through some of the greatest design of the 20th century is a delight—you get the feeling of being at a MAD (Musée des Arts Décoratifs) exhibit, but everything is shoppable. Sure, the immaculate Eames sofa is likely not coming home with you, but there are lots of more suitcase-friendly options, like this darling art deco ceramic-and-metal teapot.
Many people I trust say Paris has the best vintage in the world, and I have to agree. In fact, the getting can be so good that I’ve been known to do a Parisian vintage haul video when the mood strikes. There is currently a proliferation of Gen Z–friendly shops in the Marais bursting with Y2K styles, such as Nuovo and Snow Bunny. If you’re looking for something a little less trendy and a little more timeless, though, I suggest Em Archives. The POV is minimalist and neutral. Think Hermès by Margiela, Jil Sander, and Yohji Yamamoto. There are plenty of non-designer options, too, at very reasonable price points. While it’s a little bit of a trek from the center of Paris to the more neighborhood-y 19th, you can make an afternoon of it by grabbing some treats at the charming Italian grocer Honorati down the block from Em Archives and taking them across the street to Buttes-Chaumont, a super-lovely park with a lake and towering trees.
(Image credit: Billal Taright)
The Grand Hotel Bellevue just opened its doors in London, and next time I’m in town, it will be at the top of my list to stay. I came across the hotel recently when I saw one of my favorite brands, Bode, repost an image from the bar. It turns out Emily Adams Bode collaborated on the tapestries in the hotel’s Pondicherry bar, which is a move that immediately grabbed my attention. The acclaimed architect Fabrizio Casiraghi is behind the warm, posh yet personality-filled décor. An abundance of walnut wood, period touches, and those Bode tapestries make the historical Victorian townhome turned hotel utterly charming.
To make sure I had the most current London recs, I turned to our trusty Who What Wear UK team. They gave me a long list of amazing places (DM me if you’d like the whole list), and I quickly zeroed in on the one with an asterisk marked as “q. popular,” Bar Termini. Why is it so loved? In our senior editor Rebecca Rhys-Evans’s words, it feels like an authentic blend between London and Italy. By day it feels like a café, but at night it attracts a pretty cool crowd. You’re crammed in, making it a great spot for people watching and eavesdropping. The drinks are actually very good. It’s unpretentious and feels old-world with the staff all in shirts and ties. Sold!
(Image credit: LN-CC)
London has the most experimental fashion scene of all three cities, in my opinion, so it’s only right to include LN-CC, one of the city’s retailers with the sharpest assortment of emerging talent and luxury streetwear. Just a few weeks ago, the concept store reopened its doors after a four-year hiatus with a shiny makeover by longtime collaborator Gary Card. I remember venturing out alone to far East London to visit the store in 2016, being very cautious as I went down some vaguely creepy, concrete steps behind a nondescript, unmarked building and rang the buzzer. Once the door opened, an underground space was revealed where I discovered many brands, including futuristic Japanese eyewear brand Rigards. The new era of LN-CC includes a club space, and if the excellent turnout of its launch party is any indicator, it will fall into place as a cool-kid hub for the East London fashion scene.
I can’t recall how I came across Miranda Keyes’s work, perhaps through stockist Jermaine Gallacher, one of my favorite design follows. The London-based glass artist creates objects with a surreal, almost melted look. Her pieces that look like drinking glasses are my favorite, a calla lily–shaped vessel perfect for martinis or a warped wine glass that itself looks like it’s had a few drinks. If you’re ever in town when Keyes is exhibiting her work, I would consider it a must-see.
The British perspective on stationery and paper goods is superior. End of story. If you happen to be near London’s Choosing Keeping, I promise a pop-in will raise your dopamine. The selection is so carefully curated with a heavy representation of niche Japanese goods, which is a quick way to my heart. Case in point: a mineral-pigment set from Kyoto devised specifically to paint Japanese blue irises. Dream! If you’re in need of a quick present for the artistic-leaning person in your life, this is a one-stop shop with impressive gifts and gift wrapping. On a personal note, anyone who truly loves me will get me this ribbon and look the other way at the shipping cost.
I have never in my life encountered a vintage store of the caliber of Desert Vintage. It’s best to know before going that you will likely fall in love with something and be compelled to purchase it. ’Twas the case with this Jean Paul Gaultier tie top. It was out of my hands. The store has bonkers finds, and the prices match. They specialize in clothing from the turn of the century through the 1960s, and The New York Times has dubbed the store “where fashion stylists shop for vintage.” Even if you can’t visit in person, their Instagram Stories are a delight—it’s like a fashion education on the premier designers of yesteryear. Some will be familiar, but you’ll likely learn some new-to-you names, too.
Earlier this year, Beka Gvishiani of Style Not Com asked his Instagram followers for NYC suggestions, as he was visiting for the first time for NYFW. The fashion community turned out in the comments of the now-deleted post, and one recommendation (possibly from Marc Jacobs?) stood out to me: The Judd Foundation. I’ve been to the Judd Foundation in Marfa, Texas, but didn’t know that you could visit the artist’s living-and-working space in the middle of Soho. Tours are kept to only six people, so it’s quite intimate, and it’s booked out months ahead of time, so plan ahead. The space is preserved exactly as it was when Judd lived there, and there are works by Judd that are different from anything you’ll see of his in a museum. Also, if you want to see a real La Mansana table (ahem, Kim Kardashian), this is your chance.
My fashion designer friend Anna October turned me on to Conie Vallese. Vallese comes from a family of artists—her grandmother did oil paintings, her father sculpture, and her mother had an affinity for interior design—and all three inspire the Argentina-born artist today. I’m especially drawn to her foray into interiors, which showed at Paris’s Matter and Shape design salon. And because I know you were wondering, the (painfully beautiful) cutlery pictured above is part of a collaboration with jewelry brand Elhanati. If you happen to be going to Milan Design Week next week, she’ll be showing at Villa Borsani, and in NYC, Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery hosts a selection of Vallese’s work.
A substantial part of my brain is dedicated to gifts, a theme you’ll come to know from me, and I vote Casa Bosques as an excellent NYC souvenir. The experimental chocolate brand comes from the mind of Rafael Prieto, the founder of Savvy Studio, which has done branding projects for the likes of James Turrell and ACNE Studios. The cacao beans are sourced from small ranches in Mexico, and the flavors are experimental, from pink peppercorn to cordyceps. They do gorgeous artist-edition wrappers and have collaborated on special-edition chocolates with fashion-people favorites, such as Apartamento and Gohar World.
I asked some of our NYC editors what should make my list, and specialty grocer Alimentari Flaneur was mentioned (albeit with the caveat that it’s in Brooklyn). I know feeling up artfully arranged produce from small, specialty farms might not be at the top of everyone’s tourist list, but in the era of Erewhon, markets are a destination! Though to be fair, this is coming from someone who follows an account called Grocery Goblin on TikTok. If playing pretend as a local is your speed, I highly encourage you to go fondle some figs in an absolutely gorgeous setting.
(Image credit: Who What Wear)
cartier
Trinity Ring Extra-Large
Home of Hai x Requins
Mary Jane Flats
ALAÏA
Black Oval Sunglasses
Anna October
Puffball Draped Maxi Skirt
cartier
Trinity Cushion Bracelet
cartier
Trinity Ring Small Model
Oscar de la Renta
Chenille Mini Dress
LOULOU STUDIO
Martil Coat
