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.
This Memorial Day Weekend, Nikki traveled to the U.K. The trip was filled with friends, art, good food, shopping, and relaxation. Ride along for the highlights!
For the first time, Nikki decided to take an international day flight instead of an overnight one, and it was a game-changer. The advantage of landing in the evening and having a comfortable hotel room ready for a good night’s sleep was a refreshing start for the first day of touring!
She walked many miles in these 🙂 (these are really good too!)
Tatum Sweater
Quinn Shirt
Nelson Blazer
Oxford Pants (coming soon!)
The Row Jelly Shoes
On the first day in London, Nikki saw friend and artist Tanya Ling‘s show at the Ronchini Gallery. Afterward, Tanya Invited Nikki to the Chelsea Arts Club. Seeing the authentic, quirky people of the London Art Scene was fun. Nikki also had the privilege of visiting Tayna at her gallery and saw some current paintings in the works 👀
As for restaurants, The Wolseley is always a favorite, as is J Sheekey and, of course, Indian food. Nikki went to a newer one called Trishna near Chiltern Firehouse and highly recommends it. You know the food and drinks are good when you forget to take photos 🤪
Nikki and her husband then took a few days in the countryside in the Cotswolds at the Soho Farmhouse. It was a very chill few days of eating, drinking, riding bikes, and even a milk truck! The shop there is also cute, with a bunch of small brands.
Nikki hasn’t traveled to St. Barths in 23 years, and O BOY, has it changed! She recently traveled there to celebrate her birthday with a few close friends and family. Read on for highlights from the trip, including outfits, beach clubs, lunch recommendations, and lots of celebrating!
The flight to the island is in a tiny prop planewith roughly ten seats. It’s not for the faint of heart! Even for the most experienced flyers, it’s rough.
The plane. It’s way smaller than you think 😵💫
The view from above
The beaches in St. Barths are beautiful and fun. The best plan is to spend the day at a Beach Club. Nikki’s favorites are La Guérite, Shellona, and Le Toiny.
The red stripes are an Eden Rock signature. Wherever Nikki goes, stripes will follow!
KULE Quinn Shirt
KULE Silk Madrid Dress
Sensi Studio Bag
The Row Slides
Delarge Sunglasses
As for the night, St. Barth’s nighttime scene is wild. Nikki’s favorite spot is Le Ti St. Barth. It’s a cabaret restaurant offering a dinner show at 9 P.M. and an after-dinner party at 11 P.M. You can go into their back room and grab a costume. Get ready to dance on the tables!
The birthday celebrations continue, now in costume
Speaking of costume 😂
Honorable mentions that weren’t included: Nikki Beach — sadly, she didn’t go to her namesake, but she heard it was a party and that Sundays are the best days to go. Cheval Blanc St. Barth for dinner (a very pretty hotel), Le Café for drinks, and shopping at Clic St. Barth (a popular shop there).
Our first group for Spring was released this month and is inspired by iconic New York moments from film and pop culture. The collection speaks to Nikki’s New York roots: it was designed in New York, made for the New York woman, by a New Yorker 😉. New York is the soul of the collection, which was photographed on the streets of downtown New York City.
The collection’s styles all have the details our customers know and love us for: clothing with excellent fit and superior quality, with a happy wink 😉. You’ll see elements from the inspiration sprinkled throughout, such as our khaki Rox trench, which is the tomboy chic vibe of Meryl Streep in Kramer vs. Kramer, and, of course, the color black, a New York staple.
Our best-selling Rox Trench has been brought back for Spring, styled here with new garment-dyed City Pants which are made in Italy, and matching lightweight cotton Blanca Shirt. More colors available (and even more coming soon 🙂)
We’ve introduced monochrome sets, which include our new category of garment-dyed pants and matching shirts. The pants are called the “City” pants, a nod to – what else – the city. They are garment-washed, super soft everyday cotton pants, which took years to perfect. They pair perfectly with our versatile Blanca button-down shirts made from super featherweight cotton, great for those hot city days and nights. Every element of these sets was carefully sourced and produced in Italy.
The Blanca Shirt
The City Pants
The Blanca Shirt
The City Pants
The Blanca Shirt
The City Pants
We have also introduced the category of Chambray, which looks exactly like denim but is not denim! It’s better! It’s much more comfortable, lightweight, and easy to wear. It’s soft and drapey and not at all stiff or bulky like its denim counterpart. We’re taking sets and easy day-to-night dressing to a new level.
And that’s just the first of our Spring groups! Keep an eye out because there are so many exciting new pieces and colors to come with collections each month of the season. Look out for fresh new catalogs coming to a mailbox near you 📬 Sign up here to be the first to know 🙂
In the winter months, Nikki splits her time between Miami and NYC. Miami is a change of pace for Nikki, a New Yorker born and raised. It has an entirely different vibe regarding fashion and culture. So, she has found her favorite spots and ways to stay inspired. If you find yourself in Miami this winter–and we hope you do for the sake of your fingertips–you’ll want to check out these places. Pack a bag; we’re heading to Miami ☀️
The first order of business is where to eat. Getting dressed and heading out for a good meal is a regular activity. Just deciding where to eat is an activity in itself.
One of Nikki’s favorite places is La Natural, which she says has the best vibe and food (especially the sourdough pizza and Japanese sweet potatoes). The owner, Javier Ramirez, is also incredibly welcoming and Nikki loved listening to his take on Miami food, and the chef, Diego Moya, just so happens to be from New York City. Fingers crossed for more locations 🤞.
Next, The Surf Club a Thomas Keller restaurant at The Four Seasons, a fun place with the best bar in Miami and the most elegant dining room experience. It’s also great for people watching. Any number of Nikki’s mirror selfies will be pre-Surf Club while waiting for the rest of her party to be ready (Ken) 😉. It has fantastic food and cocktails. She recommends the Surf Side Fizz.
Another Miami gem is Boia De, a small strip mall restaurant with unique modern Italian-influenced dishes. She particularly loved the pasta (before she became pretty much GF). This place is hard to get a table at, but it hits the top of the list if you can. Try their sister restaurant, Walrus Rodeo, in the same strip mall.
Other great places to visit are Macchialina (great authentic Italian in a cute little dimly lit space) and Mandolin (fresh Greek food in a beautiful outdoor garden), both super popular places where you may run into another New Yorker.
As for what to do in Miami, Nikki’s love of keeping busy and her interests in art and design have led her to find some great things and places to visit. Getting dressed for your day activities is also half the fun 🤪. She is not your typical Miami dresser — no cutouts here!
Riding a Citi Bike from Surf Side to South Beach and back is a great way to see Miami and work off that pasta 🍝 also, so you can spend the rest of your day at the beach in a swimsuit.
She also recommends visiting the Nina Johnson Gallery. She says it has the best exhibits of emerging and established artists. A couple of months ago, she saw a show of Katie Stout’s work, which are whimsical but intricate sculptures with baroque elements. Another great gallery to visit is Spinello Projects, a contemporary art gallery owned by Anthony Spinello, who is lovely himself.
The Rubell Museum also shows great curations of art. The private museum was founded in 2019 during Art Basel by longtime collectors and Miami residents Don and Mera Rubell. It’s a modern, airy space with many galleries, so you’ll want to spend an entire day here.
It’s hard to compete with New York, but Nikki has found a few gems for shopping in Miami.
Nikki recently visited the new Éliou store in Miami Beach, where she met founders Duda Teixeira & Cristina Mantilla. They have great style, and their brand lives up to that with great jewelry and accessories, all handmade on the premises (right behind the store). All the clothes are made in Brazil from dead stock fabrics and hand-crocheted by family members! Nikki fell in love with these silver rings, stacked.
Nikki also has an affinity for interior design and recommends visiting Casa de Barcelona, a store with curated vintage furniture in customized designer fabrics and art and sculptures. Nikki says the mid-century pieces are perfect for quintessential Miami design.
And we would be remiss to not mention the Webster store in South Beach. This original store location opened in 2009 in a huge historic hotel designed by Henry Hohauser. This three-story multi-brand luxury store in Miami Beach’s Art Deco district is a good visit whether you’re going to buy or just try on. You’ll always find brands there that you can’t find anywhere else.
This Fall, In Kind Magazine interviewed Nikki about her personal style for its Issue No. 7. If you don’t know of In Kind Magazine, then you must subscribe. It’s a biannual print magazine created and edited by Leah Melby Clinton and Hannah Weil McKinley that focuses on career, motherhood, and style. Nikki’s Instagram selfies caught the eye of Leah and Hannah, who then reached out to include her in the magazine. In Nikki’s feature, she discusses the art of dressing for herself and finding inspiration. We’re including a sneak peek of In Kind this week to dive deeper into Nikki’s outfit formulas for each season.
For fall/winter in New York, where Nikki was born and raised, she says she’s a coat and pants girl. “Pants are what I love to start with and build my look from there.” Nikki says her go-to pieces are “a button-down shirt from KULE, trousers, and a great coat or jacket.”
In the spring, Nikki likes to layer and still keeps a favorite jacket like the KULE Rox Trench with which she wears a KULE tee (the Wynn Baby Tee is her current favorite), great pants, and sandals.
Interview as told to by Hannah Weil McKinley of In Kind. For more of the interview, including some of Nikki’s go-to brands to mix with KULE, packing and style tips for travel, and her approach to design these days, you can order a copy of In Kind issue No.7.
