What Cool New Yorkers Are Buying, Doing, and Wearing This Fall

As much as I’d like to think TikTok is my saving grace when it comes to uncovering the underbelly of New York City’s arts scene, I’ve found myself feeling a lack of depth in recent months. (You might know exactly what I’m talking about.) In a city filled with creative souls that is supposed to refresh and nourish you, I can’t help feeling like everything is blending together: Everyone looks the same, dresses the same, and visits the same exact spots in pursuit of the latest viral moment.

Fashion-industry insiders and creative people know it well—sometimes, the best way to discover the city, find the best spots to eat, and figure out what you’re shopping for next is to ask each other. Ahead of New York Fashion Week and fall, I knew it would be wise to go straight to the source and, instead of relying on my algorithm for instant sartorial gratification, tap the experts, community leaders, and cool girls to figure out what everyone is buying, wearing, and doing in New York City this fall.

Ahead, you’ll hear from creative founders and entrepreneurs from all walks of life: a celebrity-approved facialist; a passionate jewelry veteran; and the face of the new generation of modern PR. These three NYC insiders are opening the gates to their own special versions of New York City.

Elizabeth Grace Hand, Ställe Studios

You’ll recognize Elizabeth Grace Hand’s work before you might recognize her name. Hand, a seasoned facialist and bona fide “IYKYK” star, is responsible for the glowing, vibrant skin of most of New York City’s cool-girl crowd. Tucked away in a small, intimate space bordering SoHo designed by Stockholm-based Asplund Klingstedt Interior is Hand’s Ställe Studios.

The waiting list may be miles long, but according to the rave reviews and dozens of viral videos, it’s well worth it. The aesthetician’s love of beauty first began in her teens after years of battling acne and skin issues. Although she’d later move to New York City to pursue a degree in fashion at first, beauty, she tells Who What Wear, was always her true calling.

I’d love to learn a bit more about your background and origin story with Ställe Studios. How did the business come to be, and what was your inspiration behind creating your own brand and finding a niche in the beauty industry, especially in New York filled with legacy, establishment aestheticians?

Having my own business wasn’t even on my radar. It was completely accidental. Of course I came of age during the Girl Boss era, so having my own thing was always in the back of my mind but more of a pipe dream. I was enjoying working for Dr. Barbara Sturm, but in July 2021, they closed our Crosby Hotel popup while they looked for their next location. All of my clients still needed their monthly facialsm so I decided to transform my one-bedroom apartment I shared with my husband and my cat into a makeshift spa. After a few weeks, it got so busy— to the point where my husband, in order to stay out of our apartment “spa,” was essentially roaming the streets of New York from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.—that I had no choice but to find a legitimate location, which at first was a windowless room in a Soho office share. After two years, I added a second room there, and this past April moved into a full floor space on Howard St. It has evolved so much since that first location—I started with zero products (because I didn’t have the extra money to buy into them) and a cot as our facial bed. I think a big part of why it has worked is that all of our treatments are completely customizable so no two are ever exactly alike—down to the cleanser and the type of massage—and we’re combining the results you’d get from a derm/medspa with the luxury and feel-good quality and experience of a spa. And we serve tea out of Hermès teacups.

As someone who’s responsible for celebrities, It girls, and regular ol‘ New Yorkers glowing and feeling good, it’s only natural that you’re privy to an intimate, feel-good process that begins in your studio. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your clients who visit you?

The most important things I have learned from my clients is the value of personalized care, listening, following up, and being kind. Each client has unique skin concerns, preferences, and goals, so taking the time to understand their needs and tailoring my services accordingly is key. Nothing is one-size-fits-all. Clients appreciate when you listen closely to their concerns and provide solutions that are specifically suited to them, which helps build trust and a lasting relationship. Kindness is especially important. Going to get a facial puts clients in a super-vulnerable position—I’m literally inches from their face with a magnifying lamp. And almost everyone comes in thinking they look like Shrek. I have had so many clients tell me horror stories about aestheticians making them feel bad about their skin, myself included. Of course you want to treat their skin and teach them the proper protocols to get their skin in the best possible place, but it’s so important to speak to them in a way where they not only leave looking great, but feeling great too.

I think the best thing apart from making people feel great is also meeting people who have now become lifelong friends. I am so lucky I get to meet amazing new people constantly. One of my colleagues said it’s like we’re going on multiple (great!) first dates per day.