Brunch entre blogueuses

The Curated coat (similar)
Lorna Luxe x In the Style cardigan
Mavi jeans (c/o)
Sezane boots
& Other Stories handbag
& Other Stories headband
Linjer rings (c/o) (similar)
Mejuri earrings (c/o) (similar)
Location: Augustine – New York City, New York

I remember my first blogger brunch. It was the spring of 2013 in Paris. A group of local bloggers who I knew, primarily, through exchanges of comments on our blogs, invited me to join them at the American-themed Happy Days Diner on a Sunday morning. I was so nervous that even though I recognised one of the other girls in the metro – she was, just like me, changing from her walking shoes to her much less practical brunch shoes –  I didn’t say a word.

I enjoyed that brunch, in many ways. It was hilarious trying to explain the concept of French toast to four French women – brunch was new to France back then, pancakes the latest craze and they were baffled by this dish described as French that none of them recognised. But I never truly felt comfortable. I was an addition to the group, not really part of it, and I could quickly tell that I didn’t really fit in. But they were kind to include me. I’ve seen some of them again for the years, for lunch or coffee when I’m in Paris, but there has never been another brunch.

Since that day, I’ve approached meeting bloggers a bit warily. It’s hard to say if someone will be the same in person as they are behind the screen. It’s hard for me to know if my personality translate into my writing, or if I might feel like a stranger to someone who thought that, by regularly reading these words, they had come to know me well. But that’s not to say it’s not a risk I’m willing to take. I’ve met some of my closest friends thanks to my penchant for posting photos of my outfits on the internet, so the occasional uncomfortable coffee or brunch is, in my view, worthwhile.

But the fact is, when I planned to meet up with Lydia at Augustine while we were in NYC, I knew I had nothing to worry about at all. We’ve been reading each other’s blogs since before that fateful Parisian blogger brunch. If memory serves, I clicked through to her blog from a post on Chictopia in 2011 and the rest, as they say, is history. We’ve been exchanging comments, emails and direct messages ever since. Once, she even bought and shipped me a vintage leopard coat not unlike the one she’s wearing in these photos. (It sadly met a bad end involving a glass of red wine. I still miss it.) We’ve bonded over our shared inability to control our impulse to shop, particularly in the winter. And while neutrals are more my style than hers, she can put together a truly fabulous colour-free outfit.

We had the most fabulously fancy brunch at Augustine, then spent the afternoon doing our shared favourite thing: shopping. Since I did not think to bring a change of shoes, the afternoon adventure ended a bit earlier than it otherwise might have, but nonetheless: it was my favourite blogger brunch in recent memory. And one I hope we can repeat the next time I’m in New York.

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