Anum Bashir, the kooky-cool American, co-creative director of fashion label N Duo, has been back and forth to New York since she was a child. Citing the city that never sleeps as her “second home” she shares her NYC address book of hidden boutiques, eclectic eateries and much loved museums. Make notes.
I eat breakfast at… a fun brunch or breakfast spot like Butcher’s Daughter, Jack’s Wife Freda, Sant Ambroeus or Cookshop.
My favourite lunch spots are… Sant Ambroeus, Kappo Masa, Le CouCou, Mercer Kitchen, Jack’s Wife Freda, Gramercy Tavern, Buvette, and so many more! Manhattan is filled with thousands of restaurants and I’m a very seasoned foodie, so you do the math.
Le CouCou in New York
For dinner… we experiment a lot too, but the places I frequent for lunch, I’ll also do for dinner. Another wonderful thing about New York is if you’ve been walking around all day, and happen to work-up an appetite, you can literally walk into anywhere that’s willing to offer you a table and enjoy a surprise meal.
If I stay in a hotel… I stay at the Waldorf Astoria and The Plaza, mainly for family weddings. Oddly, I’ve never stayed at any other New York hotels because we always had family to stay with. But obviously Manhattan is home to some amazing hotels.
For culture I head to… museums of course! A trip to New York is completely incomplete without a visit to MoMA, MET, Whitney, Guggenheim, The Frick Collection and so many more. Chelsea also has some amazing art galleries if gallery hopping is of interest to you. The New York Public Library should definitely be experienced from the inside out as it’s such a jewel of NYC.
Anum wears white suit by Tibi
For shopping… I love stores like Barneys and Bergdorfs for obvious reasons. Other great shopping venues include FiveStory, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, What Goes Around Comes Around, Rachel Comey, Frankie Shop and Anthom, to name a few. Soho and Nolita are probably my favourite areas to walk around and shop. All the boutiques happen to be there. I also love visiting NYC-based brands like Kule, Tibi and Prounis.
My typical holiday style… consists of fun, printed, silk button-down shirts by Dries Van Noten, Valentino or Rejina Pyo worn with a bathing suit underneath, paired with shorts from Levis, Isa Arfen or Prada. I’ll always have sunglasses on-hand. For night, my go-tos are easy-to-wear dresses by Rhode Resort, Doen, LoveShackFancy, Rejina Pyo or Rosie Assoulin.
I love accessorising… so I’ll either wear a ton of jewellery or tie my hair up with a silk scarf. My bags are a little more fun on vacation. I’ll carry a woven tote or raffia bag as it screams summer, and keep things like my sunscreen, wallet, an extra pair of sunglasses, hair-ties and face mist in it.
I pack shoes… that are easy breezy like flips flops from Tibi or sandals from Ancient Greek Sandals. Some other fun brands I’m eyeing are Tkees, Emme Parsons and HEREU.
IN ANUM’S SUITCASE:
My travel beauty essentials… are a minimum of two to three serums from Dr. Sturm, a couple of serums from Drunk Elephant, an eye cream by La Prairie and face cream from Skinceuticals. I’ll sometimes pack a mask if I feel that I’ll have time to enjoy it.
My summer make-up essentials… are a concealer from Tarte or NARS, brow gel from Dior, mascara by Marc Jacobs or Charlotte Tilbury, lip colour by Nudestix or Hourglass, some brushes and one of my favourite make-up palettes by Becca – it has my blush, highlight, and bronzer all-in-one.
ANUM’S BEAUTY ESSENTIALS:
