Stop by hipster hideaway The Butcher’s Daughter café in NoLiTa.
When asked about Paris versus New York, Garance Doré doesn't blink.
"New York is the most stylish city in the world," says the French illustrator-turned-New-Yorker whose fashion blog (garancedore.fr) has earned her acclaim and 200,000-plus Twitter followers.
While Parisians have a sense of style, New Yorkers possess a sense of freedom, she says. "It can be hipsters, it can be fashion girls, but whatever they do they really go for it. So it makes my work very easy."
Doré writes with a girlfriend-honesty on topics ranging from the appeal of white nail polish to the pressures of "New York skinny."
Here, she suggests five fashion-savvy NYC hangouts.
Opening Ceremony
"Opening Ceremony is one really cool, young store where you can find new designers to very established brands. There's always a lot of new stuff to browse. It got a redesign and they opened two more floors. If you want to see stylish people, just go there and hang out because everybody comes there." 35 Howard St.; 212-219-2688; openingceremony.us
Tenoverten
"That's in TriBeCa. It's interesting because they're trying to do a different type of nail salon that is more chill. In New York there's all these salons and you go and it's pretty fast. Here, you're sitting in big sofas and it looks more like an apartment." 112 Reade St.; 212-406-1010; tenoverten.com
McNally Jackson
"They have a great magazine section, so you can get all the new fashion magazines. I buy everything. I'm not very faithful. You can find Vogue Paris, all the international magazines, I Love You, which is nice. The Gentlewoman. They have a café. It's very crowded, but I love the books. I love the atmosphere. You can sit there forever." 52 Prince St.; 212-274-1160; mcnallyjackson.com
The Butcher's Daughter
"It's very popular right now, so if you want to do some people watching, that's the place to go. It's very good, healthy food. The juices are amazing. There's scones. There is this cool atmosphere, big windows, you can see people walking by." 19 Kenmare St.; 212-219-3434; thebutchersdaughter.com
Bar Pitti
"It's an Italian restaurant. The food is amazing and the people-watching is crazy. All the fashion people from the industry go. I went there on Monday and there were all the cool models off-duty. It's really fun to go, sit down and just look at what's happening. They have a cool terrace and it feels like a European terrace. They really take care of you." 268 Sixth Ave.; 212-982-3300
This interview has been edited and condensed.