Auberge du soleil

This post comes over six months late, but it felt fitting as we've had the dreariest dark days in NY recently. And when the sun already sets so early now, the grayness is just extra depressing. I came across a folder of these images from my trip Northern California on my desktop and wanted to share because the colors and light made me happy. I hope they'll also transport you to a place of warmth and sunshine.






Photographed at Auberge du Soleil

Shirt/Dress

I completely jacked Jessi's look today after having one of those "I hate everything in my closet" moments. And anything with a non-defined waist is a good choice for a dim sum outing at Nom Wah Tea Parlor.

Mine is an old Acne shirtdress and old cutoff shorts from Nobody Denim, but you can recreate the look for much cheaper than I did with this shirtdress and these high-rise cutoffs (I've heard good things about this brand and am rather curious myself about their denim). Slip-ons from Everlane, and necklace from Still House.

(oh and the latest addition to the handbag party... a Celine Sangle Seau.)

Is it fall yet?

A few weeks ago I got to spend a few days at a model home upstate, which made me crave fall weather with its warm wood paneling, moody light and textures, and wood furniture throughout. Though, I'm probably the only person who wants summer to be over...

Look 1: Loewe Sweater (sold out) / Vince Skirt / Margiela Boots

Look 2: Vince Turtleneck / AG Jeans

Duality

Here is a fun personal shoot I conceived featuring the new Everlane GoWeave dresses. Huge thanks to Jessi Frederick for being the yin to my yang.

Check out the rest of the GoWeave collection here. I especially love the front-zip dress.

Tea at Three

Our second Tea at Three was held at the Blank Space Art Gallery in the back of the Lie Sangbong store in the Meatpacking District. We partnered with Jo Malone London, as they recently launched new fragrances under the Rare Teas Collection. This collection celebrates rare teas from the Japanese foothills to China to the Himalayas, and consists of six fragrances which have distinct tea profiles. My personal favorite might be the Darjeeling, which is inspired by the idea of the first buds of spring arriving in the foothills of the Himalayas, and has jasmine, freesia, and apricot notes – perfect for the summer ahead.

We had market berries and fruits, as well as madeleines (baked by Kristy of course) and cold-brewed tea from In Pursuit of Tea (prepared by Kathy, of course). The colors of the cold-brewed tea matched quite well with the colors of the fragrance collection.

By the end, we were all giddy from the sweetness of the strawberries and cherries!

See everyone else's take: Kristy // Kathy // Jee

Huge thanks to Lie Sangbong for the clothing and space, and In Pursuit of Tea for the tea

In collaboration with Jo Malone London

A Sunday in Spain

Well, not Spain Spain (but wouldn't that be nice?). Last Sunday, I had a tiny gathering at my place featuring tapas, my favorite cava, other traditional Spanish things, and the perfect dinnerware and drinkware from Snowe. Kristy and I had been wanting to do something Spanish-themed forever, ever since I brought home some beautiful vacuum-sealed Iberico from Barcelona, and we finally got to make it happen. We picked up a lot of our goods from Despaña, which is one of the cutest food stores in the city – their shopping bags are sweet little straw baskets. Though most of the treats we enjoyed came from there, we also were treated to the most delicious Spanish tortilla I've ever had in my life, made by the talented Fred from Té Company.

I don't have a proper dinner table, so this kind of casual entertaining is all I can really pull off. Everyone can gather around the coffee table and I don't have to worry about proper place settings. The little appetizer plates from Snowe were a great size for this kind of gathering. Perfect for a slice of Spanish tortilla and perfect for the almond cake (made by Kristy) that ensued. They also feel nice to the touch. I'm very picky about my dinnerware, and these are thin enough that they don't feel clunky but not so thin that they feel precious.

We also used Snowe's essential glasses, which are also a nice weight and shape, as well as their white wine glasses, which feel durable but again, not clunky (that is so key). Oh, and their cocktail napkins are also super appropriate here and crinkle nicely too.

If you're not familiar with Snowe though, I'd totally recommend getting lost in their site and offerings for a bit. That's certainly what happened to me the first time I stumbled upon it. I immediately fell in love with their photography and content. They'd be a great source for all your entertaining needs without breaking the bank, or for prepping your guest room, or just for a very useful housewarming gift for a friend. For a limited time, you can use code LingeredxSnowe on checkout for 20% off your order. Happy browsing!!

In collaboration with Snowe

Simplici-tee

Apparently I lied about it being hard to find graphic shirts in my closet. What can I say? I'm a sucker for French phrases on my tees. I would happily make this my daily uniform.

Tee - Zady (hopefully they do a re-stock on sizes soon!)
Jeans - Acne (on sale, DAMMIT I PAID FULL PRICE – I was willing to do so because this is a super nice light wash shade)
Mules - Intentionally Blank (though mine are already falling apart at the seam... I really like this alternative option)
Sunglasses - Ray-Ban
Clutch - Loewe (Can never find this exact color online)
Lips - NARS
Necklace - Still House

An essential from Zady

Meet the black silk shirtdress from Zady's signature collection. It's incredibly versatile, a perfect transitional piece, and a great blank canvas to build an outfit off. But besides all that good stuff, Zady's organic silk comes from India and is made both ethically and sustainably. Their process doesn't kill the silkworm nor use pesticides. The silk is dyed in a Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified facility in India and then sewn in NYC.

If you're not familiar with Zady, they're all about transparency and sustainability in creating classic pieces with premium natural fibers and craftsmanship. Now that's a mission I can get behind. To get a better understanding of how clothing production impacts the environment, learn more about materials, etc. head on over to Zady's New Standard.


I'm very much a rolled-up sleeve, unbuttoned top kind of girl, so I went for the more casual look. But I would also love to use this as layering piece over a tee and wide-legged pants. It would be fun too to ditch the belt and go for the boxier silhouette. I also went for pared down accessories (sunglasses, clutch, watch), except for a little fun in the shoes.




In collaboration with Zady

Bring loose pants

...That is, if you're planning any kind of food-centric trip to Copenhagen. I recently got back from a trip that was just that. The awesome folks at Wonderful Copenhagen invited me and a few other US media to experience the "little brothers" of some of the Michelin-starred restaurants in the city. I had been to Copenhagen once before, but it was in February which might as well make it an entirely different city. I kept hearing about how the city comes alive in the warmer months, and I was eager to get back for more art and design (more on that in a later post), as well as for food and coffee of course.



Since I'm more about the visuals here, I'll leave you with this loose guide below. Some places I went on my own time, and some with the group. One of the more surprising finds for me was the ginger chicken congee at Grød, a place that specializes in porridge. Although it's mostly known as a breakfast spot, the savory dishes were what really interested me. I got my hands on the cookbook, which is filled with insanely beautiful photography. Now, I can hopefully make this congee on my own and report back...

Of course, it's not a complete 'Alice Gao' guide without a note on coffee. I've got you covered on that – don't miss the below places, especially Forloren which is a bit underrated compared to the others (which get written about much more). I went twice within like two hours one morning. The owner, Niels, is my kind of coffee geek. Have a chat with him and you'll probably learn a thing or two.



Thanks so much to Wonderful Copenhagen and Norwegian Air for making this trip possible.