I wrote these blogs and took these photos as part of the “We ❤ NY” series for Wits + Beaux, an American-made men’s fashion small business that specializes in fun socks and bow ties.

We ❤ NY: Style by Neighborhood

The We ❤ NY series is taking a turn into the lanes of New York’s many neighborhoods. From Chelsea to Sunset Park, Inwood to Ridgewood, Coney Island to Long Island City, the neighborhoods of the five boroughs comprise the body of New York’s flinty, flavorful character.

Let’s start with a factual breakdown for any non-New Yorkers reading. Are you ready?

The five boroughs are: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. These alone smack of so much character. They (the historical, general “they”) really did New York a service by going with names rather than numbers. Already it sets the mind wondering what’s behind each name, which could lead a curious explorer down a never-ending urban rabbit hole.

The neighborhoods themselves are almost too many to name, and new ones are being carved out as time passes. Example: after Little Italy came NoLiTa (North of Little Italy).

Not surprisingly, it’s a fun game to recognize (some would say “call out”) the iconic styles of each neighborhood.

Let’s Play: Bushwick or Williamsburg?

Jumping off the last We ❤ NY post, let’s go back to the characters of Bushwick and Williamsburg. Williamsburg became a major artistic colonization in Brooklyn because of its proximity to Manhattan – its main street, Bedford, is the first stop outside of Manhattan on the L. Williamsburg has morphed into a super-safe, super-cute version of Brooklyn. It’s spoken of with a mixture of admiration and disdain. On one hand, it’s just nice to hang out there! It’s very populated and thus very secure. The blocks are replete with small, creative businesses, each one putting itself out there in a sharp, refined, DIYesque voice. Just a glance through the vendors of Brooklyn Flea or Smorgasborg in Williamsburg and you understand how much effort people put into their businesses here – Such high quality signage! So many puns! And don’t even think about company uniforms! Williamsburgers (an undignified name for them, really) put thought and intention into their outfits.

On the other hand, grumblings of “expensive” come into play if you’re actually thinking of renting in Williamsburg. What happened to Brooklyn prices? Who is paying these kids’ rent around here? How many strollers did I just pass on the sidewalk? And it grants almost unavoidable hipster status. As you protest “I lived here when people advised not to park your car on Kent!”, you’re just digging your grave deeper.

So now that we’ve heard some summaries, let’s scope out some fashion on these streets!

Ready?

Bushwick or Williamsburg?

If you guessed Williamsburg, you’re right! This guy is almost the epitome of Williamsburg: clean, designed, minimalist, but making a statement. Special features of this serious man: an Asian-knot tunic, monochromatic denim scale, engineer hipster glasses, curly hair pouf.

Okay, where were these gals spotted?

This is…

… Bushwick! Especially the women forming the bottom points of this triangle. Something as edgy as just wearing a sports bra fits right in. And dirty overalls: very Bushwick. Where Williamsburg might display a quiet, conscientious effort in an outfit, like a studied architect, Bushwick just puts itself out there, “Hey, I got this for free”.

How about this fellow?

He was actually in Bushwick.

Daring pattern combo, seventies sunset colors, sockless boots.

And this one?

Williamsburg!

Greyscale, chunky furry drape, low-key but rich.

This one will be a dead give away if you know the business pictured:

Williamsburg again!

These guys were exchanging greetings outside Mast Bros. on N. 3rd. They each have a nautical palette going on; Mr. Left has sharp touches in the glasses, scarf, boots, and shorn hair – also a nice, slightly baggy cardigan.

And where is she standing?

Oh, totally Bushwick.

Aggressive sunglasses, shaved side head, waist-high jeans, royal blue jacket against the faded blouse.

If you want to keep playing, there are more photos to follow. Answer key at the end!

Pocket.

Stay tuned for more NY neighborhoods! Fashion on the street is in an eternal overflow.

a. Williamsburg, b. Bushwick, c. Bushwick, d. Williamsburg, e. Williamsburg, f. Bushwick

WE ❤ NY: The Bustling Borough of Bushwick

The really awesome part about Bushwick, and a subtle tie-in to media trends at large, is the people who settled there before the hipster wave. The most recent population to settle in this inexpensive haven was Hispanic, with the majority being of Puerto Rican descent. Hence, the presence of delicious bodegas, colorful local businesses, and friendly taco trucks (though not all Central-South-American countries have tacos – a caution to avoid appearing ignorant!) The train platform at Myrtle-Broadway is a mixture of ethnicities, punctuated by the obvious hipsters in their intentional, aesthetic dress, some of whom may one day need to work in Telemundo to cater to this growing demographic in America. Speaking purely from a style point of view, the stiff upper lip of an Anglo-civilized America could stand to say “Bienvenido” to Latin culture at this point.

Of course Bushwick experiences the same kind of gentrification guilt and struggle as other artistic migration points; but there are some signs of attempting to meld, or fold in, the pre-existing with the new. La Luz is a dance center on Thames St with classes like “sweaty jazz” for $5, a real ‘Shwicky price compared with the city-wide standard of $14-20.

The Loom is named as homage to the building’s former manufacturing function. It now holds space for a dozen local businesses at Knickerbocker and Flushing, so you can do a bunch of stuff in walking distance: catch a class at the sincere Loom Yoga, ship a package at Sent! (and regard a wall of lottery winnings there, too), shop (or pick through the free food periodically offered) at Bushwick Food Co-op, develop prints at Bushwick Community Dark Room… Your to-do list could also include skateboard and bike shop talk, purchasing yarn, gathering for Jewish holidays, vintage and handmade goods grazing, and picking up organic kibble for the pup.

Across Knickerbocker, Urban Jungle stands as a bastion of bountiful thrift stores as well. It’s possible to leave with a less than $10 damage and a coat in hand, if you’re willing to take the time to scour the enormous selection.

If you wander around the neighborhood, you’ll discover small businesses cheering on Bushwick residents and visitors to ditch Manhattan and join in the new wave of migration to the bustling borough.

WE ❤ NY: ‘Shwick You Were Here

The New York neighborhood of Bushwick became an edgy discovery, and now is a comfortable pad for many young artists of New York. It’s the kind of place where coffee shops are crowded with the laptops of freelancers, signs are posted about theater collectives and outfits are too garish, eclectic, and DIY for the likes of a demure SoHo artiste gallery. (While we’re at it, Red Hook rivals Bushwick in terms of how much rootsy, minimalist creative/alt types love it. But we’ll talk about Bushwick first.)

Bushwick may very well be the most confusing of neighborhood names in New York. It’s derived from the Dutch town established there in 1660 (according to Wikipedia): Boswijck, or “heavy woods”. The Dutch would be shocked to see that Bushwick is mainly a flat warehouse land these days. Even more shocking would be the 1990s, when Bushwick was considered a wasteland of drug dealers, murder, and abandoned buildings. The 2000s brought urban renewal and money was poured into police attention, businesses, and parks.

Bushwick is banded by the L train in the north and the J/M line to the south. The L and J/M start to squeeze closer together as they move eastward to the convergence of the L and M at Myrtle-Wyckoff, hugging Bushwick in service. Meanwhile, the J keeps chugging along to Jamaica Queens, giving people a chance to jump off for JFK airport – moving westward, it carries Queens and Brooklyn young professionals through Lower Manhattan to the heart of the Financial District. All this train business actually makes Bushwick pretty convenient. It’s not one stop from Manhattan, but you do have a lot of options to get there. It’s also cut in half by the G, the attempt to make a cross-town train for Brooklyn that everybody loves to hate. Never mind that it can get you from Bed-Stuy to Boerum Hill in under 10 minutes, never mind that it arrives on time and hurtles forward relentlessly and often has seat space. Still, as you see it approaching, you mutter under your breath, “Piece of shit G.”

This picture of the G train borrowed from this exemplary New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/nyregion/mta-will-end-mystery-of-where-the-g-train-stops.html?_r=0

There is more to come about the unique awesomeness that is the Bushwick neighborhood that will make you ‘shwick you were here!

’til then, stay stylish!

Lower East Side Love Affair with Tiny’s Giant Sandwich Shop

If you find yourself traveling through the Lower East Side on a blustery blizzard morning, take refuge in the bright, clean haven of Tiny’s Giant Sandwich Shop, on the corner of Norfolk and Rivington. An affable barista with an easygoing smile will gesture you to a table — table service! — and if you’re affable back, they might offer a “secret” off-menu bagel, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich. Nestling yourself at an ash wooden table, the bottomless house local-roast coffee begins to flow.

Yes, this is the ripe beginning of a romance.

Although 1999 doesn’t seem that venerable, when you think about it, that’s a good chunk of time that this cafe has been chilling on the LES. And we all know that LES is just one stop away from Brooklyn cool. Indeed, Tiny’s is just up Norfolk from the Essex St stop on the F, J, and M lines. When dining there, nearby patron’s conversations swirl around you, gusts of warm, inspired air in the frigid New York winter — “art school”, “If your friend stands you up, I’ll buy your tea”, “We can pay with this one hundred dollar bill — it’s new, it’s holographic”, “I’m going to Portland for a week”. Slouchy palazzo pants, some very neat eye-wear, a clog or a loafer often in sight. Pared down yet high quality is the theme, and this is very much LES.

This theme extends throughout the cafe’s furnishings and certainly its menu. It switches to lunch at noon, revealing a spread of creative, attentively-put-together sandwiches. There are two specials, the curry chicken salad for meat-eaters and an eggplant-roasted-veg menagerie for vegetarians. (And hey, isn’t that nice! Recognition that in this day and age, some people eat meat and some people don’t, without making a fuss.)

Pictured here is the vegetarian version of the Spicy Rizzak, a sort of chipotle turkey club and a house favorite. The barista offered avocado as a substitute for sold-out veggie bacon — they have excellent substitution ideas!

And check this out.

That’s real cheddar cheese that melted and stuck to the paper. It’s real! Cheese, tomatoes, and avo experience the verb “sandwiched” between the golden halves of a sesame seed bun, nutty and crunchy when toasted.

Tiny’s also makes their own sodas!

Thai Basil Lemongrass makes a refreshing, mild-sweet companion to a lunch there — a nice platonic companion, if you will, compared to the more sensual feelings you might develop for the sandwiches. No judgments.It’s a good place to not feel rushed in the flurry of Manhattan, whether that flurry is people or snowflakes. It’s no Wall Street Potbelly Sandwich chain.

A great place to kick back, and show off some style (Wits + Beaux “Rabbit” socks pictured here: http://bit.ly/1njwNLh).

So, here’s a shout-out to @tinysgiantnyc! Perhaps most importantly: its lack of pretense promises that being the first in this series won’t go to Tiny’s giant head. We ❤ Tiny’s, because Tiny’s has its ❤ in the right place.

Till next time,
Stay stylish!

– W+B

I wrote, took photos, and designed this newsletter for Sightseer Coffee as a freelancer to help generate more wholesale and online sales for their small, women-owned coffee roastery in South Austin.