Low Key Pretending to be in New York

July 16, 2018

Top Winnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera walks outside the Breadenbale building in Winnipeg wearing a Helmut Lang laser and One Teaspoon denim shortThe Breadenbale building in downtown Winnipeg, seen from below, as captured by top Winnipeg travel blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & VeraPortrait of top Canadian fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera in downtown Winnipeg, wearing Celine Audrey sunglasses and a Helmut Lang blazerTop Winnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera outside the Breadenbale building in Winnipeg, wearing H&M block heels and a Helmut Lang blazerTop Winnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera in downtown Winnipeg, wearing a Helmut Lang blazer and carrying a Gucci Marmont handbagOutfit details on top Winnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera, including H&M block heels and One Teaspoon denim shortsA view of the Breadenbale building in downtown Winnipeg, as captured by top Canadian travel blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & VeraTop Winnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera stands outside the Breadenbale building wearing One Teaspoon denim shirts and a Helmut Lang blazerHelmut Lang blazer
Maison Labiche tee
One Teaspoon shorts
H&M heels
Gucci handbag
Celine sunglasses
& Other Stories necklace (similar)
Urban Outfitters earrings (similar)
Location: The Ambassador Apartments – Winnipeg, Manitoba

I was eighteen and suffering from bronchitis on my first trip to New York. It was still memorable, but a trip spent coughing and sniffling my way through the city didn’t inspire me to rush back. In fact, it wasn’t until my thirtieth birthday that I returned to New York – and immediately fell in love. If I had to choose my favourite US city, I think I would still pick Chicago, which I know is a controversial statement to make, especially for a fashion girl. But I adore New York. Soho, Canal Street, Brooklyn, the Lower East Side… all of it. And somehow, through a little luck and a lot of planning, I’ve been able to spend time there every year for the past three years…

…which means 2018 will be the first time in a long time that I haven’t visited NYC. There is so much that I would love to go back and do, even if I’ve done most of it before. I want to eat bagels from Kossar’s and stand on the Top of the Rock and visit the Sezane store in Soho and walk across Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise; I want to sit on the steps of the New York Public Library with a cup of tea and a book. More than anything, I just want to walk the streets of Manhattan until my feet ache, then stop for pizza and walk some more. But all of that will have to wait until next year.

Next week, I’m headed to Halifax with mom. It’s a trip I’m undeniably excited about – one of my dearest friends from high school lives in the city. We’ve been lucky to see a lot more of each other in the past five years than we did in the ten before that, after she moved home to the Maritimes with her parents when we were in grade twelve, but with multipleĀ provinces, and sometimes an ocean, between us, it still never really seems like we have enough time together. I can’t wait for our upcoming reunion. Even so, Halifax is not New York. Which means I have to settle for pretending to be in NYC while I wait until I can visit again.

Winnipeg actually makes that kind of pretending surprisingly easy. Downtown Winnipeg often doubles for Chicago and New York in movies, because of its beautiful historic architecture. I love wandering the area and stumbling upon new places to take photos. This is The Breadenbale, now known as The Ambassador Apartments. It was built in 1909 and has, no doubt, seen far better days, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s still breathtaking. It may not actually be in New York. But since I can’t be in New York this year, it’s a pretty good back-up.

Tell me: New York or Chicago? Vintage architecture or modern?

6 comments so far.

6 responses to “Low Key Pretending to be in New York”

  1. Courtney says:

    That’s a great place for photos! I’m hard pressed on New York or Chicago. I’ve only been to Chicago three times, compared to the hundreds of times I’ve visited NYC (man, do I miss living in Connecticut if for no other reason but that) – I think I prefer Chicago as a city, the sum of its parts and all, but I will always love the historic areas of NYC and the museums in an unrivaled way.

    Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines

  2. Love that Winnipeg has so many historic buildings. This one is especially lovely and so is your outfit!! <3 Also, counting down for when your new hair will be appearing on the blog too!! Excited to see how your new hair will influence your clothing/styling decisions etc. I know mine did + have the best time on your trip. Can't wait to follow along. Yay!!! xo

    http://www.girlandcloset.com

  3. CHICAGO FOREVER. I mean, I’m not biased or anything, of course. šŸ˜‰ Both the photos themselves and you look gorgeous. I need to get to Winnipeg someday! It looks like such a beautiful city.

  4. Lyddiegal says:

    Honestly, if you’d told me you were in New York, I’d have believed you. And the shorts and blazer combo is one I love and haven’t attempted in many years. I’ll have to try it again soon. Also you are making me feel guilty for being so close to New York and never going.

    I hope you have an amazing trip with your mom and friend, and I’m sure it will more than make up for not getting to NYC this year.

  5. Lorena says:

    For me, gimme vintage. Gimme NYC.

Cee Fardoe is a thirty-something Canadian blogger who splits her time between Winnipeg and Paris. She is a voracious reader, avid tea-drinker, insatiable wanderer and fashion lover who prefers to dress in black, white and gray.

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