Right? In 2025? It’s almost like with some content creators that film exclusively in their home, you wouldnt know if they are in NYC or Arkansas hahaha
Loved reading this piece! As a fellow Bay Area resident (hi Viv), I have to say that while people don’t tend up dress up often here, when they do, it’s the best styles I’ve ever seen.
So grateful you let me be part of this conversation and the reminder that fashionable girls exist everywhere!! As I reflect on my answers and the wisdom that Viv and HMS brought I realized that we all love fashion so much and living in our unique cities nurtures that appreciation!
As someone who grew up in D.C. I love this! When I was younger, I felt so much internal pressure to move to New York because I loved fashion. Later, I realized that there was already a great fashion community in D.C., and that loving fashion didn't mean that I had to work in the industry.
I remember the early days of blogging and the rise of bloggers and actually, not many of the best ones were based in NYC, though granted they lived in other big cities. Susie Bubble lived in London, Tavi Gevinson was from Chicago, and from California you had Karla Deras and Rumi Neely, and Emily Schuman. My favourite bloggers were from Oslo, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne, Amsterdam etc. I think content creation in its current monetised form seems to favour people living in NYC/London/Paris/Copenhagen/Stockholm and that’s why it’s less interesting to me.. thankfully Substack has surfaced writers who don’t come from that milieu.
Fascinating conversation among Kelly, Viv, Rachel, and yourself. What a brilliant topic and idea. I DO live in NYC (and work in the fashion industry, so I agree that there are more opportunities here, at least of the corporate variety.) I have always felt that anything goes here, which is why I love it. I personally don’t feel an overarching pressure to dress a certain way, even tho I distinctly remember visiting NYC as a kid and being in awe of how everyone dressed. I absolutely agree with Rachel, Viv and Kelly that authenticity eats locations lunch any day of the week. I am so inspired by fashion around our country and the world, because fashion to me is about the wearer’s expression and connection to time and place. Fab piece, Emilee!
thank you so much for your thoughtful comments :’) im glad you enjoyed this one lindsay !!! because nyc content on the internet can seem so similar sometimes (especially among the 20-somethings), it’s that much more refreshing to see someone who is able to set themselves apart in an authentic way. nyc is a part of them but not their only defining feature.
i think people tend to forget that about carrie bradshaw too !! she was such a new yorker BUT also marched to the beat of her own drum. always true to herself.
I'm reading this from Europe. I'm French, and I left Paris in 2020.
The NYC of Europe seems to be 1/3 Paris + 1/3 Copenhagen + 1/3 Stockholm. Maybe I'm wrong, but I had the thought of "humm maybe I just need to move to Paris/Copenhagen/Stockholm to belong/have better backdrops/meet cool brands and PR agencies".
Curious to know if anyone else in Europe has felt this.
that’s a great insight. when I was initially drafting this, I wanted to also talk about other countries & expand the scope but I actually (embarrassingly enough) have never traveled outside of the US so I felt like maybe it was a bit out of my scope. BUT I completely agree. I’d love to maybe do a part 2 & interview from all across the globe to see if they feel “less connected” living in smaller European or even Canada, or Australia
I’d love that! Every big city in Europe has a distinct vibe, with a specific feel and color palette, and I’d love to be a voice in creating from who I am vs. where I am. Of course our environment influences us a lot, but I want to believe that brands and PR agencies are actually looking for something special, authentic, and not just always the same. I love this conversation and thank you for making me feel okay with being where I am (currently in Hamburg, Germany)
This really resonated! Visiting New York is amazing and there's the sense of fomo from afar because there just are more things to do there, but I'm always glad to come home to San Francisco and prefer living here. Your questions and the panelists were all so insightful. Kelly and Rachel were some of the first fashion Substacks I read and I love their style POVs. I agree with Viv that the tech bros lower the average in SF - I've seen some v chic people lately, they're just harder to spot amongst the fleece.
Weird how in a world that is digitally more connected than ever before that location is still so important.
Right? In 2025? It’s almost like with some content creators that film exclusively in their home, you wouldnt know if they are in NYC or Arkansas hahaha
Loved this - thank you! (Also hi Viv, fellow SF gal here!)
Thank you Haley !! ❤️
👋🏼
Loved reading this piece! As a fellow Bay Area resident (hi Viv), I have to say that while people don’t tend up dress up often here, when they do, it’s the best styles I’ve ever seen.
Also, always a fan of everything Kelly does ♥️
Thank you !!! Im so so glad. Had to recruit the best of the best for this one. ⭐️
So grateful you let me be part of this conversation and the reminder that fashionable girls exist everywhere!! As I reflect on my answers and the wisdom that Viv and HMS brought I realized that we all love fashion so much and living in our unique cities nurtures that appreciation!
Thank YOU for contributing your honest thoughts to the convo. Truly an honor. I always love your perspective. ✨ Fashion transcends zip code !!!
As someone who grew up in D.C. I love this! When I was younger, I felt so much internal pressure to move to New York because I loved fashion. Later, I realized that there was already a great fashion community in D.C., and that loving fashion didn't mean that I had to work in the industry.
I remember the early days of blogging and the rise of bloggers and actually, not many of the best ones were based in NYC, though granted they lived in other big cities. Susie Bubble lived in London, Tavi Gevinson was from Chicago, and from California you had Karla Deras and Rumi Neely, and Emily Schuman. My favourite bloggers were from Oslo, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne, Amsterdam etc. I think content creation in its current monetised form seems to favour people living in NYC/London/Paris/Copenhagen/Stockholm and that’s why it’s less interesting to me.. thankfully Substack has surfaced writers who don’t come from that milieu.
Fascinating conversation among Kelly, Viv, Rachel, and yourself. What a brilliant topic and idea. I DO live in NYC (and work in the fashion industry, so I agree that there are more opportunities here, at least of the corporate variety.) I have always felt that anything goes here, which is why I love it. I personally don’t feel an overarching pressure to dress a certain way, even tho I distinctly remember visiting NYC as a kid and being in awe of how everyone dressed. I absolutely agree with Rachel, Viv and Kelly that authenticity eats locations lunch any day of the week. I am so inspired by fashion around our country and the world, because fashion to me is about the wearer’s expression and connection to time and place. Fab piece, Emilee!
thank you so much for your thoughtful comments :’) im glad you enjoyed this one lindsay !!! because nyc content on the internet can seem so similar sometimes (especially among the 20-somethings), it’s that much more refreshing to see someone who is able to set themselves apart in an authentic way. nyc is a part of them but not their only defining feature.
i think people tend to forget that about carrie bradshaw too !! she was such a new yorker BUT also marched to the beat of her own drum. always true to herself.
Absolutely! And I’m sure it helps that I’m an elder millennial so already been through the more pressure-filled 20s!
I'm reading this from Europe. I'm French, and I left Paris in 2020.
The NYC of Europe seems to be 1/3 Paris + 1/3 Copenhagen + 1/3 Stockholm. Maybe I'm wrong, but I had the thought of "humm maybe I just need to move to Paris/Copenhagen/Stockholm to belong/have better backdrops/meet cool brands and PR agencies".
Curious to know if anyone else in Europe has felt this.
that’s a great insight. when I was initially drafting this, I wanted to also talk about other countries & expand the scope but I actually (embarrassingly enough) have never traveled outside of the US so I felt like maybe it was a bit out of my scope. BUT I completely agree. I’d love to maybe do a part 2 & interview from all across the globe to see if they feel “less connected” living in smaller European or even Canada, or Australia
I’d love that! Every big city in Europe has a distinct vibe, with a specific feel and color palette, and I’d love to be a voice in creating from who I am vs. where I am. Of course our environment influences us a lot, but I want to believe that brands and PR agencies are actually looking for something special, authentic, and not just always the same. I love this conversation and thank you for making me feel okay with being where I am (currently in Hamburg, Germany)
This really resonated! Visiting New York is amazing and there's the sense of fomo from afar because there just are more things to do there, but I'm always glad to come home to San Francisco and prefer living here. Your questions and the panelists were all so insightful. Kelly and Rachel were some of the first fashion Substacks I read and I love their style POVs. I agree with Viv that the tech bros lower the average in SF - I've seen some v chic people lately, they're just harder to spot amongst the fleece.
thank you tina !! im SO glad. it’s great to hear your insight as well ✨
Loved this piece Emilee 🫶🏻
thnk u kc 🥰