Words by: Edie Kim
Photos by: Mig Ayesa
Modeled by: Sophie Sumner

    “The city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the the beauty in the world.” No one can convey the pure possibility of New York City quite like F. Scott Fitzgerald can. Fitzgerald’s poetic prowess is, in part, due to his being a contemporary of a time that exemplifies the electric energy of New York still felt today. If the Roaring Twenties embodied the spirit of New York with the decadent parties, the dark lipstick and black dresses, the days bright with opportunity and the evenings humming with promise; the Empire State Building (though completed in 1931) epitomizes the Empire State in all its Art Deco glory.

    While most people express disdain for the tourists that crowd our city, I view them as another reason to be proud of where we’re from. People travel thousands of miles just to spend a week in a place we’re lucky enough to live in every day. Sometimes it’s actually reinvigorating to venture out to a tourist attraction and see how awe-inspiring this city is in their eyes when you, yourself, feel desensitized by the day-to-day grind. Our model, Sophie, was more than willing to be a tourist for a day and we couldn’t have picked a better location.

    As the fifth-tallest building in the United States at a proud height of 1,454 feet, The Empire State Building hosts 4 million visitors every year. Standing on the observatory on the 102nd floor, people pressing past as you survey the busy streets below; how could you feel anything but the excitement of where you are? You can feel it in the hurried steps of the crowds that move like currents on Fifth Avenue and you can hear it in the excited exclaims of the tourists playing private eye beside you. The fervent energy of the Empire State Building reminds you of how magical New York City truly is in all the ways your shoebox apartment allows you to forget.

    When planning your trip to the Empire State Building, be sure to wear sensible shoes. Comfort is a necessity for all the walking Midtown requires, though we insist on prioritizing style as pretending to be a tourist shouldn’t be a reason to be mistaken for one. Sophie perfects this balance in her Taste Collection outfit, choosing pieces created for comfort, all the while exuding an effortlessness that emphasizes she’s a New Yorker.

    Sophie’s choices include: sunglasses by Raen, top by Michelle (by Comune), and bralette by Tadashi Shoji (all available at Taste Collection). The commonality threaded through these items is a shared ability to elevate summer basics into elegant investments. The sunglasses by Raen are individually handcrafted and hand-polished by a small team of Californians seeking to redefine the conventional pair of shades, the perfectly slouchy off-the-shoulder tee by Michelle (by Comune) is an all-year essential that reflects the carefree attitude and innate stylishness of its founding principles, and the delicate blush bralette by Tadashi Shoji is an accessible product introduced to the knicker drawers of the average woman by eponymous Hollywood red-carpet dress designer Tadashi Shoji.

    Whether rushing to another day of work on the subway or taking us up on our suggestion to play tourist for a day, our consummate selection of garments and accessories at Taste Collection will set you apart as an unmistakable New Yorker in a city defined by the well-dressed.