New York Through Rodarte’s Eyes

I will forever be fascinated by people who come to New York to live their best life and actually do. Needless to say, when Mandarin Oriental offered me the opportunity to tour the sights that designers Rodarte draw inspiration from, during Fashion Week, at that, in honor of the duo’s guide to the city, I jumped at the chance.

Kate, 33, and Laura Mulleavy, 31, the sisters behind Rodarte started with 10 pieces and boarded the train to New York City. “You would have thought we were in the ’30, going to the big city,” Kate told Natalie Portman during a sit-down for Interview magazine. “We got off the train and someone tried to steal my luggage,” Laura continued.

They have gone on to become one of the most-anticipated shows each season at New York Fashion Week and still find inspiration in the city that never sleeps. Now, they are giving guests of the Mandarin Oriental a chance to see what they see in the city with the Rodarte New York City Guide, created exclusively for the hotel.

“With our Rodarte New York City Guide, the goal was to capture that feeling of discovery when you come to the city for the guest at our favorite hotel, Mandarin Oriental, New York. This is a very personal project for us, these are some of the most special places we’ve experienced during our trips to New York,” Laura said of the collaboration.

Speaking of this city’s charm, Laura said, “In a city like New York, you can go into any world and experience it.”

Let’s see what worlds the duo like to experience, shall we?

Wine & Dine: The Smile allows you to wine and dine a la Rodarte over passed hor d’oeuvres, rosè (or a whatever pour you prefer) and good conversation with friends.

Dessert: Sockerbit is right up my alley. I would chose dessert over dinner any day. So you can imagine my delight with this after dinner snack on Rodarte’s behest. This West Village candy shop is filled with Swedish candy–another favorite of the designers.

Shop: The nerd in me rejoiced when I saw that a bookstore was on the itinerary. Dashwood Books is New York City’s only independent bookstore entirely devoted to photography.

p.s As soon as we came out of the bookstore, we realized that Cara Delevingne was shooting some sort of campaign on the sidewalk. I tried to play it cool but (she rolled her eyes at us right after):

Splurge: Bergdorf Goodman is a magical place where the windows indeed are a look into my soul. Was that too much? So our tour would be remiss without a peek at Rodarte’s Fashion Week windows for the iconic New York Department store. Once there we had the opportunity to chat with one of the men who styles the windows (AKA makes the magic happen). He even gave us a peek behind the scenes.

Explore: John Derian houses decoupage plates, platters, paperweights, coasters, and bowls that are handmade in his New York City studio. As I wandered around the store, I could easily see why this would be a stop on Rodarte’s guide to New York.

Thanks again to the Mandarin Oriental for showing me how Rodarte does New York. I love the opportunity to play, albeit a stylish, tourist in this city.

What places would be on your map of inspiration wherever you live?

Oh, and if you want a chance to win a signed copy of the Rodarte New York City Guides, LIKE the hotel on Facebook here. One grand prize winner will also be selected to experience a town night stay in a Central Park View Room. More here.

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