J’adore Dior!

Okay so after trying them on at the Americana Manhasset this weekend, I’m now kind of obsessed. Can’t get them off my MIND! But anyway, I need these Dior Composite Sunglasses! I can’t decide though I need help! Do i get the Composite 1.0’s in Black or Silver? Or should I buy the Composite 1.1’s in Silver! Love them all so much! They all retail at $520 but I get a 20% discount when I buy them at my glasses place (perks of having such bad eyesight you need constant glasses/eye/contact attention).

Stay Classy!

-Tycho Cortese

American Weekend At The Americana!

Wearing Gucci eyeglasses and Givenchy T-Shirt (Acne Jeans, Hermès belt, and Lanvin shoes not pictured)

As a Long Island native, the first place that comes to mind when you need some major retail therapy is the Americana Manhasset. It’s a classic American shop and lunch location. Glamorous stores and breezy patio restaurants and of course some great people watching!

My best friend and I, Brianna (who has the same expensive taste as I do) had a really fun day here today! While I didn’t buy anything, I did get some inspiration and know for sure some things I’d love to buy! I know now that I really do want the Dior Composite 1.0 Sunglasses. I tried them on, obsessed. I’m prepared to order them ASAP! However, Brianna did buy her long awaited Louis Vuitton LV monogrammed Speedy Bag! That was very exciting, very nice sales associate as well! Of course the Louis and Hermès stores are both expanding and we had to visit the temporary locations but they still had very nice selections! I also had a very nice sales associate at the temporary Hermès store help me with my belt! I’ve noticed that my belt is just a tad big for me and I don’t like that it hangs down, so i told her and right away she brought my belt to the back, punched a hole, and it’s perfect! Fits great! Can’t wait to return for a purchase…

Everyone always says this but it’s true! Shopping makes you hungry…we decided to finally have lunch at the Italian restaurant there, Cipollini, and on this gorgeous, sunny, Long Island day we ate outside! It was amazing! The food was just delicious. We were also with her mom (who by the way has very good taste, and is very funny, she really really wanted Brianna to buy a $2400 Givenchy dress on sale) and so we ordered a Margherita Pizza, prosciutto panini, and butternut squash ravioli, all delicious and the sauce and cheese on the pizza was excellent quality. Sitting outside was so nice too, cool breeze and very relaxing, the people watching is so nice too. So many Birkins! Not to mention we saw Jonsthan Cheban there (with a HUGE Hermès bag in tow as well) which was a very fun celebrity sighting!

Can’t wait to return! Anyway follow me on Instagram and Snapchat to get my daily updates! Both @tychocortese  Stay classy, proud, and American!  -Tycho Cortese

I Want A Belt Not A Birkin!

I’m sure you all are starting to think I’m a little dishonest, I mean I’m constantly writing about how I’m going to get my Hermès belt…and I just, haven’t.

It’s been fairly frustrating, to say the least, attempting to get this belt. It’s getting to the point where I almost don’t even care for one anymore (I’m being totally dramatic, I definitely do want one).

I have called all three stores that I have access to in my area; Hermès Americana Manhasset, Hermès Mens Madison, and Hermès Madison Flagship in New York City. And each time I have called the stores it’s been “No, we have no stock, we don’t have a single belt and have no idea when we will have them here, goodbye!” or “We only have the “H” belt in orange and electric blue, no black, goodbye!” or even “We can’t disclose that information over the phone”. So it’s a bit of a wild goose chase, I can’t even plan which store I want to buy at.

I have thought of just ordering it online, but I don’t want to miss out on that experience of walking into the big Madison Avenue store and then briskly walking out with my Orange Bag and eat an expensive lunch while people watching in the Upper East Side.

I certainly have visited stores in hopes of finding it, not just calls. The last time I visited though, they had no stock. Nothing. I want a belt, not a Birkin! Why is it so hard for me to find! I have very simple taste, just the 32mm Black/Golden Brown togo calfskin belt with a polished palladium “H” buckle in size 95cm! Why is that such a hard request!

If I wanted to go through this kind of selective concept of a waiting list to buy something, I’d be looking for a Birkin. But I’m not, I’m looking to buy a belt and I’d like to buy it now.

Either one of these, either one would be just perfect!

Stay classy! Et vous me souhaitez bonne chance, s’il vous plait!

Picture sources from Hermès.com

Last Weekend at the Americana Manhasset

Last weekend while my mom was in the city, my dad took my brother and I to one of my favorite places on Long Island, The Americana in Manhasset. It was a pretty grey day so it definitely wasn’t very crowded at all. This did have it’s perks, there were no lines, no slow walkers (which really are the most annoying thing when a sidewalk is only so wide) but it also was not as exciting as usual…plus no one got to see me proudly walk around with my brand new purchase! Which is the whole point of having every fashion house concentrated in one place, nothing better then knowing everyones jealous of what they think is in your bag…I bought another jacket at Burberry (shocker, I know) anyway I got the same one that was on my to buy list for Italy and you can check out that article here. I ended up buying mine in a dark navy blue. However this wasn’t the only reason we visited the Americana that day, I also wanted to check out the messenger bags for traveling around cities and stuff like that. So because of that, I went to the Prada store and some of the cheaper ones that are more attainable my dad told me looked to much like purses and to look for one that folded over so I found one I really, really liked, just to be told its over $1,000…which right now is a bit more then I wanted to spend. The one I found at Bergdorfs was around $500 but it was one of the ones that looked a bit feminine. I still want a messenger bag style though so I’ve been thinking about getting a cool Mulberry one but those are pretty pricey too.

We were also planning to go to lunch at Cipollini, the Italian restaurant there but it was being renovated and although there was another asian restaurant there, we decided to go to lunch this weekend when my mom would be with us. Hopefully when I go this weekend again, things will be a bit more successful…maybe some lunch, some JCrew, doubtfully but hopefully some Prada and sunglasses!

Americana Manhasset: Concours d’Elegance

Last weekend, I went out to one of my favorite places, the Americana in Manhasset, NY for the Concours d’Elegance car show. It was such a cool experience to see so many amazing cars, that by the time I left, seeing a Ferrari or Maserati parked next to me was like seeing a Toyota, no big deal. One of my friends even had an Aston Martin entered but I didn’t get to see it. There was such a huge variety of cars entered in the show and even just parked in the parking lot. There were Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Lamborghini’s, McClarens and even vintage models of all of those and more. The shopping at Americana was great but we didn’t do too much of that other then stop in Cartier for a look at some watches and bracelets because the cars were so great. The winners of all car categories are posted on the Americana’s website here. Posted below are pictures of some of my favorite cars, there were so many extraordinary cars it’s going to take a lot to impress me in the auto world now…

Long Island Shopping

Long Island has held a reputation for a long time as the New Yorkers weekend destination. It’s known as one of Americas most glamorous, wealthiest, and most expensive locations. It’s Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealerships sell more cars then any other in America and only competing with Beverly Hills. It’s legendary and rich history has been documented in books like The Great Gatsby and it’s legendary mansions. But could it be acquiring more to this reputation as a great shopping area as well? Close by New York City is no doubt the fashion/shopping capitol but what if you don’t want to go through all the traffic and hustle of the city and you’d rather just take a quick day for lunch and shopping on the Island, well if you do here are the best places to do so.

 

1. Americana Manhasset

In the wealthy suburban area of Manhasset, there is what they call “The Miracle Mile. A stretch of the worlds most renowned and expensive shops and boutiques along Northern Boulevard. It is the Rodeo Drive or Madison Avenue or Rue Faubourg-Saint Honore of Long Island. It has everything you need for a full day of shopping, two great restaurants and a fun cafe, home decor shops, fashion, cars, and people watching. There will be no shortage of ladies walking with Birkins and thousands of dollars of jewelry, or you’ll see dads taking their little kids for some lunch at a cafe and continue to drive off home in a Ferrari, the cars here are incredible. If I went on about all the wealth I saw here I’d bore you so here are some pictures. I plan on making a specific post about spending a day at the Americana but this is a little more broad just to give you a taste of what it is like living on Long Island.Some of my favorite shops and cars here. There are so many more shops here and my personal favorites that I buy from are Burberry and J.Crew. I plan on doing a more specific post on what to do when you come here but for now click here for more info at the Americana’s website.

 

2. Walt Whitman Mall

If you want something a little less stuffy and formal then the Americana but you still want high end and casual shopping, then look no further then the Walt Whitman Mall in north shore Long Island. It’s department stores include Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Lord and Taylor carry some of the best brands like Burberry, Vince, and Chanel and Saint Laurent and Gucci. The Saks store even has a Louis Vuitton accessories boutique inside. I love the Walt Whitman mall because the stores here have really good sales so you can get brands that usually don’t go on sale for lesser price. The Mall is also undergoing a huge renovation at the moment that’s bringing dozens of new stores and dining options. The renovation will also add an outdoor shopping/dining area as well with more high end stores, similar to the style of Americana. It’s a fairly small mall and mostly caters to the neighborhood around it as opposed to the Smith Haven and Roosevelt Field Mall (Roosevelt Field Mall also has high end stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom which is great but it is huge and very busy and slightly stressful) so the Walt-Whitman is a good option. 

 

3.Tanger Outlets Deer Park

This outdoor Outlets is really fun and very casual but sill high end. It has a movie theatre, tons of food options like Johnny Rockets, and also department stores with designer clothes at huge discounts like Neiman Marcus Last Call and Saks Off Fifth. It also has stores like Calvin Klein, J.Crew, and Banana Republic. It’s wide open outdoor spaces are very nice and clean and it’s usually not to crowded which is good. 

 

4. Roosevelt Field Mall

This mall is similar to the Walt-Whitman in that it has a lot of the same stores except almost five times as many and five times the size. It’s huge. I chose to include it though because its a good option if your doing tons of shopping like for Christmas and just need to get to tons of stores all at once. I’ve only been once for a shirt time just to get a snack but the short time I was there it was a little too crowded for my taste, If I want crowds and shopping, I’d rather just go to New York City.