If you are unsure what to gift (or ask for!) this season, consulting someone whose style you love for recommendations is always helpful. I did us all a favor and asked Nikki Kule—one of those go-to people—what she’d give the people in her life and what she’d love to receive herself. You can thank me later. 🎁
For a friend (who I have probably talked into adoring Italy): a subscription to Italy Segreta. It’s a monthly magazine with beautiful photography and excellent recommendations. She deserves la dolce vita!
For a sister:A Rummy Tile set. Nikki grew up playing this game with her family, and your sisterly competitiveness never leaves you.
For a colleague:Loewe “pot” candles will be pretty to light but will also be a great little vessel once the candle gets used up.
Frederic Malle perfumes. I love the packaging of these pretty perfumes and switching between the beautiful scents. They’re also perfect for travel.
Ted Muehling egg vase: I bought this for my best friends last year, but now I want one for myself. You know it’s a good gift when that happens! I would take any and all colors, but specifically the Robin’s Egg and the Celadon Glaze. So pretty.
I love collecting art and am often drawn to work done by female artists. Tappan is a wonderful place to purchase art, with a great selection of artists and artworks.
These Loeffler Randall red velvet Mary Janes. They are good for dressing up or down, even into the springtime. They’re currently on pre-order, so make a little IOU. I’ll wait [red heart].
I’m not a jewelry person, but this Elsa Peretti ring is wearable for any occasion. I hope my husband is reading this! The last time I recommended things for a gift guide, he referenced it! It was indeed a win for me 😉.
Last week, we launched our Holiday collaboration with Brooklinen. The collection includes a range of highly covetable and giftable robes, towels, and accessories (even if that gift is for yourself 😉). It was a meeting of the minds: a combination of the timeless but playful designs you know and love KULE for with Brooklinen’s award-winning bath linen expertise and craftsmanship.
“The collection aims to bring the KULE brand into our customers’ homes and to add comfort and coziness to their everyday lives. Our best-selling tees and sweaters inspired the pieces, using our iconic stripe and color combinations in signature Brooklinen products.” – Nikki Kule
Nikki Kule joined in on the fun 🙂
To celebrate, Brooklinen hosted a party at its Bleecker Street store, where the full collection is available. Sweet treats by BonBon were served alongside the cozy stripes.
You should come home from your day, whatever that may look like, and change out of your day KULE and into your home KULE with these pieces from the collab. So, take off your KULE cashmere sweater and wrap yourself in your KULE cashmere robe and cozy socks, or jump in the shower and hang out in your striped terry robe and slippers. Always with a happy wink 😉
Shop the collection at KULE.com, KULE Rockefeller Center, Brooklinen.com, and all Brooklinen stores.
Nikki Kule is–as they say–a born and bred native New Yorker. She is the person to go to for the best recommendations in the city, specifically when it comes to shopping (both fashion and design, which she has a fantastic eye for), dining (restaurants that are both tried and true and new), and art, which she is both an observer and collector of. In honor of our Fall Collection, an homage to all things New York, we compiled Nikki’s Guide to NYC.
We must start with Bergdorf Goodman, a giant specialty store with unique pieces, from home to accessories, that you won’t find anywhere else. Check out her favorite stops: the makeup and shoe departments. Nikki has memories of dressing room try-ons with her mom at Bergdorf Goodman. Check out The Heirloomist: 100 Treasures and the Stories They Tell, by photographer Shana Novak, which includes a photo of Nikki’s mom’s vintage BG card she’s held on to all these years. KULE also collaborated with Bergdorf Goodman twice! You can still get your hands onthe last few pieces.
Not far from Bergdorf Goodman, just south on Fifth Avenue, is Rockefeller Center. It’s a must-visit, with its uptick of great brands. Specifically, the KULE store 😉 right on the concourse, where you can try our pants, sweaters, tees, and outerwear, stop by the Sock Bar, and take a selfie in the mirror. You can also shop the most iconic New York statements. A little tidbit of something you probably do not know, but aside from Nikki’s father being “The King of Pants,” he also founded a bagel shop in the 1970s on the Upper West Side and the Garment District—something to nosh on 🥯
The Oversized New York City Sweatshirt
The Modern Long Bagel
The Central Park Kap
The Oversized Pretzel Sweatshirt
The Big Apple Socks
The Modern Brooklyn
The Bagel Sock
The Pretzel Kap
The Oversized Bagel Sweatshirt
Nikki likes to shop in specialty stores rather than mega-brands to find items you won’t see elsewhere. On the Upper East Side is Ludivine, a luxury women’s boutique that offers a curated selection of international and domestic designers. She finds something every season.
Then swing down to Dover Street Market, which Nikki recently visited and highly recommends you check out this fall. It showcases high-end clothing with impressive artistic displays and many brands you won’t find at other stores—seven full floors of fun.
Downtown in the NoLiTa area is Oroboro, a small and delightful womenswear boutique featuring rare and emerging designers and fun and unusual home objects. A few steps down Mott Street is Westerlind, which Nikki loves because of its cool outdoorsy gear from different brands. No 6. Store sits on a Little Italy side street. They sell pieces from their group of curated vintage and European designer shoes, apparel, and accessories.
In TriBeCa is La Garçonne. It’s a loft-like shop where you’ll find many hard-to-find brands, both classic and unique. Their curation is thoughtful, displayed in a gallery-like brick-and-mortar space. Make plenty of time for this stop.
The Shopping: Design
Nikki loves designing interiors. You should see her mood boards! Nickey Kehoe is her favorite store from Los Angeles, now in downtown NYC. Some of her favorites from the store are the textiles, wallpapers, small home kitchenware, and lighting fixtures.
On the left is Nikki’s fabric and lighting selection while at Nickey Kehoe, and on the right is it put together in her home
Also Downtown is BDDW, which she likes specifically for ceramics, art, and unusual furniture. They also sell some cool clothing. You could spend a whole day at John Derian in the East Village. Their textiles are a highlight (go there if you’re looking for a throw blanket or bedding), but the knickknacks are not to be missed.
The Invisible Collection is a beautiful townhouse on the Upper East Side that is always fun to visit. It offers a fresh take on classics and a place to discover new design ideas.
Art
Nikki loves visiting her favorite galleries frequently, whether you’re just browsing or buying. Her favorite galleries uptown are Skarsdadt, Turn Gallery, Neue Gallery, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, and Lévy Gorvy. Turn Gallery, owned by Annika Petersen, shows established and emerging artists. Annika has such an eye for talent. Nikki says she tends to follow the artists she finds at Turn Gallery, such as Karon Lyons and Andy Mister. Lévy Gorvy is another one of her favorites. It has creative and incredible installations, and the building’s architecture is worth seeing, too.
This weekend, Nikki visited Galleria Mattia De Luca Uptown to see a Giorgio Morandi exhibit. It has one of the largest Morandi collections on display. The exhibit is by appointment only, so make a reservation!
Many good galleries are further downtown, especially Gladstone Gallery, Pace, and Harper Books. She notes that she often uses the SEE SAW App for gallery showings (not only in NYC but also in major cities around the world).
Dining
The food in NYC is unparalleled, and of course, Nikki has her favorites. As a big Italian food lover (as evidenced below), she looks for comfort and great, authentic food. New York does this best 🙂
One of her local Uptown favorites is Sette Mezzo. It never disappoints. For fine dining, Le Bernardinis an exceptional place for birthday celebrations.
Downtown, there are many picks. I Sodi is a tough table to get, but it serves some of the best meals. Raf’s on Elizabeth Street has the charm of an old-world bistro. It is a homey and fun. She also loves Il Cantinori and has been going there forever. It’s a New York staple. Houseman is Nikki’s old neighborhood go-to. They have an amazing burger (Nikki doesn’t eat meat now but still thinks of it often). And try the pickles!
Our end-of-summer sale is here, which means it’s the last chance to snag some of your favorite summer items and pieces that will carry you into fall (and beyond). We’re breaking down the best of the sale and ways to style these pieces to wear now and later.
Here are some of our favorite pieces on sale, styled by KULE fans
These are perfect combinations of pieces to wear when you want something super easy to throw on and go. They’re fit for running errands or doing school drop-off. Wear these pieces together, or mix and match through the fall.
It seems as though “heatwave” is now synonymous with “summer,” which makes dressing a serious challenge! To help you, we’ve broken down some NYC-summer-appropriate outfits based on the temperature on the thermostat 😅🥵🔥. Grab a cold beverage, and let’s get dressed!
When it’s hot…
The temperature is rising outside and dipping inside. A light pair of cotton pants with just the right amount of stretch + the airiest button-down imaginable + a cotton sweater for the morning commute/A.C. will do the trick. Remember to hydrate!
The City Pant
The Blanca Shirt
The Cotton Cardigan
The Row Jelly Shoes
The Medium Canvas Tote
The City Pant
The Blanca Shirt
The Cotton Cardigan
Ancient Greek Sandals Jelly Shoes
When you walk outside and get smacked in the face by the heat…
They’re saying that average temperatures are higher this month, and today is no exception. But you have things to do! So, wear a light pair of silk shorts + your favorite cotton tee + comfy sandals made for walking + a basket tote to hold a change of clothes 🥵.
The Silk Reine Short
The Wynn Baby Tee
Underwater Weaving Tote
K.Jacques Sandal
The City Short
Record-breaking temperatures… for the third day in a row…
The heat is on 🔥 with no end in sight, so wrap a silk pareo around your waist + put on a barely-there tank + grab a fan. This heat calls for an Aperol Spritz—or two.
The Silk Elba Pareo
The Ribbed Lenny Tank
Sonder & Holliday Fan
The Row Sandal
The Ribbed Lenny Tank
Or, to really beat the heat, take a break and pop into one of our cool KULE stores 🙂.
Our latest collection was inspired by a trip Nikki took to the South of France last summer. The colors, landscape, and quaint interiors all got her creative juices flowing. The collection is an homage to the towns of Saint Paul de Vence, Saint-Raphaël, and Saint-Tropez. Let’s take a trip together, shall we?
A collection takes over a year to come to fruition. The idea for what you now see was conceived a year ago! Every piece is infused with specific memories and details from Nikki’s inspiring trip.
She even Pantone-matched some of the collection’s colors to photos she took, like the above green car, which is “Sweet Pea” green, used in some of our silks, sweaters, and tees.
The Silk Ponza
The Silk Reine
The Matey
The Gio
The Wynn Baby Tee
The bronze hues were inspired by details in architecture, folliage, and handmade pottery.
On the streets of Vaugines, France
A little corner at Hotel Lourmarin
La Petite Vigne, a wine cellar in Saint Paul de Vence
Nikki visited small towns throughout France. The rustic interiors and authentic touches to everything—from restaurants to markets to the food itself—were so picturesque that it felt like it was straight from a postcard. She walked away inspired by the colors, flavors, and smells.
Inside at Colombe d’Or
Fresh bread at Colombe d’Or
A little market in Lourmarin
The Modern Holiday
The Kiki
The Modern Bonjour
The Kiki
The Modern Merci
The collection is meant to evoke this quality and charm through the colors, silhouettes, and materials. Think of a silk striped dress with a cotton knit thrown over your shoulders as you go to the market to grab fresh bread and cheese.
