Niki

Niki

Stylist, Humble Boss Lady, Toddler mum

“Since I was a kid I told my mum I was going to move to New York. It was the fashion capital and I had this idealized image of the city. I came here for summer break in 2001 to visit my best friend. I had saved one thousand dollars - which back then I thought was a lot of money. I told my mum I was going here and she said ‘You’re not coming back, and it’s OK.’ She understood I was finally ready.”

“The summer I moved here was magical. My best friend and I would dress up in crazy outfits and go to parties every night. Our goal was to get noticed and be ‘on the scene’. We ended up meeting our idol Patricia Field who was styling Sex and the City. On a dare I asked Patricia to have brunch with us and she agreed. She became a mentor of ours and encouraged us to get into fashion. Then we met these cool guys running a magazine called Frank151. They needed stylists. At the end of the summer we met a Canadian pop star and became her stylist. It was like a domino effect. In a in a matter of three months my career path was established, and I decided to stay here.”

“If New York was an outfit it would be a split personality. On one side it would be a polished tuxedo, black, sleek look. On the other side it it would be a mixture of texture, color, fabric and different length. Like a vibrant vagabond representing the mix of cultures and people from all walks of life. And the polished side represents the exterior that people glamorise and want to know and experience.”

“I was very shy when I moved here and I think the city made me change and adapt into being more aggressive. You have to in order to survive. But it also made me more open to cultures and people I wasn’t exposed to growing up. I was forced to change very quickly.”

“I am a single mum to a toddler now. It’s challenging, but I’ve given myself time to adjust to motherhood. What has helped a lot is meeting other single parents in the city and joining different community groups and mum groups. I see the magic of New York through my son’s eyes these days.”

“In some ways I think New York is a wonderful place to grow up for my son because of the diversity. And it forces you to face reality, and not just stay in this naive bubble, which a lot of sheltered places can make you do. But if you do raise a child here, I think it also is important to escape, so my goal is to expose him to other types of reality as well. Not only this grind and grime.”

“I still fall in love with the city because it’s constantly changing, so it feels different. Sometimes I feel a little removed from Manhattan since I don’t live there anymore. Like an outsider rediscovering everything. I can feel sad that I don’t have that familiarity with certain parts of it, but it makes it exciting when I discover something special or something that speaks to my heart.”

Q&A

“You need to have some sort of maturity to survive here. A mental, spiritual, emotional maturity to be able to adapt and not get sucked into all the distractions.”

What neighborhood do you live in? Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Best thing about living there? It hasn’t become super commercialized (yet), there’s still a lot of small Mom and Pop type of shops and restaurants.

Favorite neighborhood in New York? I think each neighborhood I’ve lived in quietly creeps into my heart for different reasons. Aesthetically, Clinton Hill is by far the most beautiful neighborhood out of all of these, for the wide tree-lined avenues and historic buildings.

Favorite street to stroll? I enjoy strolling through neighborhoods that I don’t frequent too often like the West Village.

Why? After 16 years of living in the city, that is one neighborhood that I still feel like I don’t really know, it’s not on a grid system so it’s pretty easy to get a bit lost. I like feeling like a tourist in that way and stumbling upon new places.

Favorite restaurant? Risbo, Olea, Belli Osteria, Cafe Select, Guadalupe Inn.

Favorite bar? Sisters (Clinton Hill) used to be my fave hardware store by the same name, and it has a pretty amazing skylight. Ode to Babel (Prospect Heights) is a bar run by the coolest twin sisters, they have a great backyard and always have great DJs.

Hidden gem? Gilgo Beach.

How to be(come) a New Yorker? You have to accept that the unexpected is going to happen, be it a rat running up the stairs of the subway with a slice of pizza, or the train suddenly shutting down when you’re already late to the most important meeting of your life, shit is going to happen! There is a sense of magic that exists here though that you cannot find anywhere else in the world, but you have to open yourself up in order to receive that.

Your New York soundtrack? You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones nails that moment when you realize that you’ve seen too many apartments and you’re running out of time so you sign the lease on something in a new neighborhood that ends up being a gem in the end.

Quoted, New York83

5 THINGS THAT TELL A STORY ABOUT NIKI

FLOWER “This is New York to me. Beautiful, natural, fresh, new. But then it’s going to wither away and die. Sometimes you’re favorite places in New york disappear and something new pops up.”

CAR “I love my son, and my son loves cars. Orange is his favorite color now though.”

KNITTED DEER “I got this from someone I didn’t know very well that I invited to my birthday party. She made this and it reminds me that New Yorkers are a lot more kind than what people give them credit for.”

VIRGIN MARY “A replica I made. It represent me and my naivety coming to the city. It’s been with me for so long.”

NECKLACE “This has story from my native american roots. It’s from the days when I used to go to the flea markets every Sunday. It’s sterling silver and I paid $1 for it. I’ve had it since I moved here and I still wear it.”