7 Things People Are Wearing in NYC

Plus, how not to look like a tourist.

May 08, 2026

Hi! How was your week? The sun came out, and everyone in NYC looked so spring-y and excited. I came across some really fun style moments and wanted to share…

First off, in the photo above, the matching couple was so charming, and how great are their bandanas? After we chatted, the guy asked if I could text him the photo so he could send it to his dad, sob.

This lovely woman named Taylor was wearing a Caron Callahan dress (similar), a Bembien bag, a Baggu tote, and Jeffrey Campbell jellies, which she swears are comfy. “Jelly technology has seen major advances since the days of our youth,” she laughed.

Next, I met a new mom named Madison. Her daughter was only two weeks old and soooo cute and sleepy. I liked her houndstooth baby wrap and red linen pants.

That evening, I met Owobu on a neighborhood walk and loved that her pop of color was a giant Ikea bag! It counts!

The next morning, I spotted this mom-to-be named Chelsey. “I never expected to be a belly-out pregnant person,” she told me. “But it took a while for my belly to pop, and now I’m embracing it.” She and her husband struggled with infertility for many years. “The journey felt so weird and lonely, even though so many people go through it,” she said. “We were ultimately successful via IVF.” Her outfit felt like a study in brown. The trench is Zara (a dupe for Sézane), her shirt is Favorite Daughter (“my favorite shirt ever”), the shoes are Nike, and her sunglasses are Spitfire.

Finally, after walking Anton to school, I bumped into two friends in colorful sneakers. “We’re just ‘mom-ing on corner,’” Holly (right) laughed. “You can spend hours of your day mom-ing on corners.” She was wearing a secondhand pink sweater, Roucha jeans, and Adidas. Selena was wearing linen pants “sized up because I like them baggy” (similar), a men’s polo from Poshmark (“I always search the men’s section”), a Clare V. bag, and Onitsuka Tiger sneakers.

Also, did you notice Holly’s shoes? “My teenage daughter replaced the shoelaces with actual lace,” she said. “She asked for ribbon for Christmas, and now she’s done this with a bunch of her sneakers.” Very cool. P.S. Here’s Holly’s 575-square-foot family apartment tour, if you’d like to see.

Thoughts? What are you wearing these days? I’d love to hear.

When I first moved to Manhattan 25 years ago (!), I stuck out like a sore thumb. My friends called me “the farmer’s daughter” because I was so clearly Midwestern. But over the decades, I’ve come to think of the city as my truest home. Here are a few insider tips I learned along the way…

Walk on the right side of the sidewalk. Just think of it as a highway, where you have to stay in the right lane. Makes it so much easier.
Call the subway “the train” and Manhattan “the city.”
Fold your pizza.
So many people cram into tight spaces, so it helps to speak quietly in restaurants, cafés, shops, movies, and bookstores — and also outside, if you’re talking on a cell phone.
Take your backpack off on the train and hold it by your feet, so you don’t accidentally bash the people behind you.
It’s okay to cry in public. No one cares. People will give you privacy. It’s actually really nice.
Look up, if you’d like! People who are hurrying to work/school don’t usually look up, so maybe you’ll seem like a tourist, but who cares? The buildings here are SO beautiful. The yellow cabs. The green parks. The pink sunsets. The sailboats on the water. The starling murmurations. Even the pigeons. Go ahead and enjoy it all.