How many of these must see NYC spots have you visited?

April 1, 2021

A visual walking guide to some of Manhattan’s most photogenic areas.

The weather is getting nicer and spring is the perfect season for wandering around the city! How many of these NY areas have you walked through?

Below I’ll show you some of my favorite spots!

The Seaport District

Enjoy the view of the water from Manhattan’s southern tip. The are is also home to restaurants, museums, shops and bars.

Photo credit/ Illustration by Deanna Kei

South Street Seaport: Watch the boats come and go. Explore the local galleries, shops, and dinning.

Big Gay Ice Cream: Stop for a treat at New York’s most colorful ice cream shop. Take a selfie on the rainbow popcicle bench. Stroll around the surrounding cobblestone streets.

Pier 17: Look down on the water from the open air roof top. There are special events and activities held here each season.

Pier 17: The perfect view of the Brooklyn bridge from the rooftop.

Stone Street: Grab a drink at one of NY’s historic bars.

Stone Street: Take a break on a bench and soak in the atmosphere on this lively street.

South Street Seaport: Stop for lunch with a view under the purple overpass.

Seaport Museum: Check out the inside of a ship!

Empire Outlets: Ride the ferry across the water to Staten Island for shopping at NYC’s newest outlet mall.

Empire Outlets: Enjoy the city skyline view from across the water. Then hop on the ferry for a free boat ride back to Manhattan.

2. Downtown

Shops, parks, cafes and restaurants intermingle with office buildings. Enjoy a leisurely walk up from the Seaport district.

The Oculus : Visit the beautiful new underground shopping mall and transit hub at the site of the WTC.

The Oculus : There are multiple levels to explore and some of the street level stores lead down into the Oculus as well.

The World Trade Center Memorial: Pause and listen to the sound of the rushing water as you honor and remember the victims of 911

The Oculus: Enjoy the view from outside. The uniquely shaped structure is unlike any of the surrounding buildings.

The Mural Project: Artists brightened up the space across from the Oculus.

The Mural Project: : Enjoy the colorful artwork that adorns the building north of the Oculus. Snap a photo or two!

3. The Flatiron district

The Flatiron district is home to many bridal shops, home goods shops, and furniture stores.

The Flatiron: One of New York’s most famously photogenic buildings.

Madison Square Park: Stop and enjoy the greenery with a view of the Flatiron.

The Flatiron district: Grab a seat or pass through on your way uptown.

4. Midtown South

Meander around east of Broadway to find little treasures hidden in plain sight.

Midtown South: Explore the city blocks

Church of the Transfiguration: Admire the beautiful outdoor court yard

Church of the Transfiguration: Take a short stroll through the garden area.

Church of the Transfiguration: Snap a photo at the stone archway

Church of the Transfiguration: One of New York’s historic churches.

K Town: Check out the shops and restaurants, and maybe even go for karaoke

5. Midtown

One of New York’s most popular areas. There are so many different things to do and see here if you don’t mind the crowds.

The New York Public Library: New York’s famous library is located behind Bryant Park, blocks away from Times Square

Rockefeller Center: The site of the Tree Lighting and ice skating rink in the winter, this area is a tourist destination all year long.

Rockefeller Center: The area is decorated differently each season.

Rockefeller Center: Do you recognize this as the same spot where the iconic angel decorations are set out at Christmas time? It looked like a totally different place while this installation was up. It's always worth a visit to see what the latest display is.

Rockefeller Center: In the warmer seasons the ice skating rink is transformed into an outdoor eating area.

St Patrick’s Cathedral: A beautiful church full of history, located next to Sak’s Fifth Ave. It’s open to the public for viewing.

St Patrick’s Cathedral: This architectural masterpiece sits on 5th avenue, just across from Rockefeller center.

East midtown: It’s fun to walk along the blocks of apartments to the east.

Sak’s Fifth Avenue: Manhattan’s iconic luxury department store. A must see for anyone who loves fashion.

Sak’s Fifth Avenue: Located across from Rockefeller center and next to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Sak’s Fifth Avenue: Shop all 10 floors of luxury brands and enjoy the gorgeous displays that fill the store.

East Midtown: Stroll the city blocks with a view of the water to the east.

East Midtown: Tired of walking? You’ve got options! Hop on a citibike!

Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza : A small but beautiful park across from the Japan Society building.

The Lipstick Building / Latham and Watkins: This office building is famous for its unique shape.

About this guide: These photos were taken during Spring of 2019 on my i phone. As a NY native I wanted to try and experience the city in a different and more intimate way. On days when I had errands to run I began collecting photos on my phone of some of the beautiful scenery that peppered my daily routes. I felt like a tourist and began noticing things I hadn’t seen before.

I enjoy taking photographs but I’m not a photographer; I’m an Illustrator. I wanted to find a way to share these photos on my Illustration Instagram and my solution was to add my illustrations into the scenes. I pulled from my favorites and included characters I felt fit into each photo. The illustrations above are from my older work and possess the loose, whimsical mood I wanted to express with this guide. I really enjoyed this project and I’m looking forward to adding a part two with fresh illustrations as I re-explore the post covid city!

Deanna Kei is a NY based Fashion and Beauty Illustrator. She works with brands to create unique and engaging content featuring their products and collections. To commission illustrations for your brand please write to deannakei@gmail.com . She also has a line of prints, totes, and phone cases.

What NYFW’s Top Spring ‘21 Trends say about the current state of the Fashion Industry

October 6, 2020

This year has been one of a kind. The spring ‘21 collections which showed this past September have been both a reflection and a response to the current state of our world. They focused on two of the emerging style themes: ‘Comfort’ and ‘Escapism’. Designers were deeply aware of the lifestyle shift this pandemic has brought us and this season’s runway looks were in many cases more wearable, and more relevant than any collection before.

‘Comfort’ has been a growing style focus during this pandemic as many people who are confined to their homes and working remotely have turned to Athleisure styles. People are looking inward, and there is a greater focus on wearability. With nowhere to go, people are dressing for themselves. The clearest market indication of this shift is that denim sales are down while sweatpants sales have seen a significant increase. [Source: Washington Post ]

On the opposite side of the spectrum ‘Escapism’ was born out of the frustrations of lockdown and the stay-at-home shift. Many people are bored of their home-centric lives and are looking hopefully towards future travel plans, events, and parties. ‘Escapism’ is the mentality that people are sick of their home-wear and are ready to go all out for Spring ‘21. Designers addressed this through bold colors and silhouettes, while keeping embellishments, trims, and details to a refreshing minimum.

These shifts in market mentality were reflected in the 12 top NYFW S’21 Runway trends.

*This report focuses on the New York collections but a few looks from other cities have been included as well.

1. Sleeve Drama:

Spring 21’s sleeves are the stuff wanderlust dreams are made of. 2020 has been a dramatic year and these theatrical sleeves and are telling the tale of adventure for Spring/Summer 21. Designers are encouraging us to “Wear your heart on your sleeve” and dress for the Spring we want to have.

On another note, video chats are the new norm and they’re not going away any time soon. The bold sleeved tops look great over a web camera and from 6ft away as well.

2. Flares and Fullness:

Flowing and flared skirts and dresses are the answer to a break in structure. This silhouette is both comfortable and dramatic. The wide hemmed skirts that came down the runways in solid colors were simple in design, and beautiful statement pieces.

3. Wide Leg Pants:

Athleisure is on the upswing and these wide leg styles leave room to move. They combine leisure wear with high fashion and are the perfect ‘outside–to-inside’ style. Wide leg pants provide a much needed stylish option to sweatpants. The extra wide and more exaggerated styles are a response to the desire to return to fashion, without ignoring the desire for greater comfort.

4. Belted and Sashed Waists:

Bold belts bring structure to unstructured looks and add an element of waist definition to the flared and wide legged styles. As other silhouettes are becoming more casual and loose, a thick stylized belt or sash has the ability to convert a piece and pull the look back in. It’s a very wearable trend that pairs well with Spring’s other emerging trends.

Spring 21’s belts ranged from wide to narrow, and from leather buckled belts to self fabric sashes. This trend had been gaining traction for the past few seasons and it wasn’t derailed by the recent lifestyle shift.

5. Cutouts and Crops:

Cropped tops, and cutouts are a break from all seriousness and formalities. These laid back styles are vacation ready and embody the phrase ‘less is more’.

Designers went minimal for Spring, going light on trims and embellishments. Instead there was a focus on composition and silhouette. These cutouts added design lines without seaming.

6. Ruffles and Tiers:

Dramatic, feminine and ethereal all over ruffled looks graced the Spring ‘21 runways. The light airiness was a refreshing contrast to the heaviness the world has been through lately.

7. Shirtings:

As some offices reopen, and others continue to hold remote video conferences, the woven shirt becomes a staple again. This time it’s been upgraded with bold new sleeves, oversize silhouettes, and longer lengths. While retaining it’s air of professionalism, this new shirting is more comfortable and more stylish than its classic counterpart.

8. Lace:

This feminine fabric is a simple way to dress up a basic look and is a welcomed change to the overly casual pandemic style.

Subtle laces and embroideries added texture to the runway, appearing as tonal solids and sometimes sheers. These airy laces romanticized next spring and put a delicate spin on the upcoming season.

9. Shorts:

Comfortable, practical, and travel worthy: shorts became a preferred pandemic option to jeans. Spring 21’s popular silhouette is fitted through the hip and wide at the leg opening. They range in lengths, with most hitting the mid thigh, but some extending to the top of the knee.

Though shorts have a reputation for being casual, designers showed all over printed short suits that would be perfect for returning to the office.

10. Pop Colors:

The Spring ‘21 collections are split between the two ideologies: Comfort and Escapism. Each had equal color representation on the runway.

The Spring ‘21 escapism narrative is both vibrant and hopeful.

The accent colors are: Nobility Blue, Lemon Yellow, Blush Orange, Pale Lavender, Iced Mint, Carnation Pink, Citrus green, and Powder Blue

These colors are applied as single color looks rather than being mixed. Although there’s such a varied pallet for Spring ‘21, designers were careful to avoid overpowering looks and complicated combinations. Even with all the accent colors, the mood for Spring is simple and fresh.

11. Neutrals:

With such a strong accent color pallet, designers employed an equally powerful group of neutrals to balance their collections out.

Tans, creams, blacks, and white tones answer the feelings of global uncertainty. The neutral pallet is synonymous with a fresh canvas for new beginnings.

12. Basic Prints:

3 of the season’s strongest print trends are Vertical Stripes, Leopard, and Florals. Keeping in line with the simple ideology, each print has minimal colors. Many prints appear as all over looks. Spring 21’s prints are not overpowering and blend well with the rest of the collections.

During this pandemic the modern woman’s lifestyle has changed and designers were challenged with redefining their own relevance. Following the themes of ‘Comfort’ and ‘Escapism’, Spring ‘21 RTW collections proved to be hopeful, clean, fresh, and just what we needed!

Do you have a favorite trend from the list above? Share yours in the comments below!

*An alternative version of this report was published in the SI Advance New York Newspaper. You can view the tear sheets on my press page.

Deanna Kei is a NY Fashion and Beauty Illustrator. She works with brands to create unique and engaging content featuring their products and collections. To commission illustrations for your brand please write to deannakei@gmail.com

Alice in Fashion Land: Wonderland Worthy Looks from the AW 2020 Runway

May 26, 2020

The story of Alice in Wonderland has been inspiring designers for many decades. The vibrant world and quirky characters have been brought to life through various interpretations over the years and countless Runway collections have cited it as the underlying inspiration.

Instead of examining some of the looks inspired by Alice’s tale, I pulled 5 designer looks from the recent AW2020 Fashion Shows that would be perfect for the Wonderland characters if they stepped out in New York City today. Think ‘Wonderland’ but with a high fashion, city sensibility. Each of these gorgeous outfits comes from the Designer collections presented at the Fall 20 shows. [*For a complete list of the Fall trends, see my FW20 Trend Report]

Ready to check out these looks?! —On to the first one!

1. The Playing Card Soldier

Wearing: Alexander McQueen AW2020

This is quite possibly my favorite look of the set. The thick ribbed sweater dress, cinched at the waist by a bold black belt is the perfect Fall silhouette. The bias rib side panels make for an extremely flattering drape. Its monochrome pallet is enhanced by the red highlight stitching and matching red thigh-high boots. This look is simple, elegant, chic, and extremely wearable.

Why it’s perfect for the Playing Card Soldier:

Beyond the obvious color similarities, the red threading makes a diamond shape, reminiscent of the diamond suit of cards. The fitted silhouette looks like the updated version of the white playing card design in the old Disney movie version.

Click here to view the rest of the McQueen AW2020 runway show on Vogue.

Deanna Kei - Mad Hatter - JW Anderson FW20.jpg

2. The Mad Hatter

Wearing: JW Anderson AW2020

This gorgeous long dress coat has a shaped waist with princess seams, a notched collar and a single breasted button front closure. The window pane plaid is nod to menswear inspired suiting. (*A key AW20 trend.) The shoulder embellishment details add a touch of controlled chaos to the pristine look.

Why it’s perfect for the Mad Hatter:

In most adaptions, the Mad Hatter is seen wearing a suit jacket and tailored pants. The Hatter is well due for an upgrade and this suit set is perfect. The white ringlet shoulder trim brings a bit off madness to this otherwise tailored look.

Click here to view the rest of the JW Anderson collection on Vogue

3. The Red Queen

Wearing: Marine Serre AW2020

This dress is a masterful merger of many different details. There’s a sheer lizard motif overlay at the neckline, and varied floral patterns over the rest of the dress. Panels of velvet, silk, and print alternate and switch between the bias and the grain line of the fabric to create a beautiful contoured shape. The brushed gloves and scooped ruffle neckline elevate the look further. (*Key Trend: Piecing - See other pieced looks in my FW20 report.)

Why it’s perfect for the Red Queen:

The look may be a little more Fuchsia than the Red queen is used to, but it’s time for a refresh! The rich fabrics and delicate construction make it fit for a modern queen. The contrasting lizard overlay adds an element of edge.

Click here to view the rest of the Marine Serre Collection on Vogue

4. The White Rabbit

Wearing: Tom Ford AW2020

This menswear outfit is the perfect neutral: an all white casual layered look topped with a beautiful brushed grey shearling coat. The all white drop front track pants, hoodie, and V neck tee act as a clean slate to showcase the statement jacket.

Why it’s perfect for the White Rabbit: The neutral pallet and dramatic coat elevate this comfortable style. This outfit has an athleisure-esque quality, perfect for someone who’s always in a rush—The shearling coat ties it all together and keeps it from looking too casual.

Click here to view the rest of the Tom Ford Collection on Vogue

5. Alice, herself!

Wearing: Gucci AW2020

This dress has so many beautiful details: Delicate ruffled lace tiers bordered by black lace edging; Soft ruched drapery at the front of the skirt, and a lightly shirred sheer bodice and sleeves. The pastel blue paired with the transparent black lace creates a gothic quality. (*Key Trends: Sleeve Drama; Tiered Ruffles)

Why its perfect for Alice: She’s always liked a bit of ruffle, volume, and a lace. This dress has all that and more. Its a show stopping gown, fit for the hero of the story. Plus, its her iconic blue!

That’s a wrap! Which of these 5 runway looks is your favorite? Share in the comments below!

Deanna Kei is a New York based live event illustrator who turns guests into fun fashion illustrations, highlighting each of their personal styles. She’s available to book for both live and virtual events and is available for travel. She also creates custom fashion illustrations for brands and is open for illustration commissions. Contact her at deannakei@gmail.com

Deanna Kei - Alice in Wonderland AW20 Runway.jpg

The Seaport District