New York Fashion Walking Tour of the Upper East Side

This was a really great tour! I love fashion and it was so cool to get history about how it all got started on the UES. Our tour guide, Meri, was so knowledgeable and you can tell she’s truly excited about the history. I’ve walked around Madison Ave and Fifth ave a million times and now I have the stories behind these famous fashion houses. I highly recommend this tour!

Absolutely delightful! Meri’s passion for fashion and New York was palpable and infectious as we walked around the city. Her historical and archival photos of the New York landmarks we visited and the clothing we talked about added a level of context that took the tour to the next level, especially as a native New Yorker who has walked by some of these buildings hundreds of times. There were mind blowing takeaways and a themes that I will be reflecting on for weeks to come. Fashion is at the heart of not only culture, but politics, history, reform, all of it. Thank you so much, Meri! Can’t wait for the next one

I've been on dozens of NYC tours and this is easily one of the best guides and tours I've experienced. First off, this isn't necessarily a tour about fashion -- it's a tour about NYC and the gilded age, and pop culture, and immigration, and creativity -- all THROUGH fashion. It feels like a broad overview and a deep dive all at once! Meri weaves all this together in such an artful, conversational way and it feels like she's constantly adapting the info just for you. It never feels plodding or showy or pedantic. Highly highly recommend!

I absolutely loved this tour! The combination of fashion and NYC history, along with designer and architectural references is quite compelling.

Such a fascinating way to experience New York through the lens of fashion. The tour weaves together the history of the city, society, architecture, and American fashion in a way that is thoughtful and accessible. Moving through the Upper East Side and seeing the actual places connected to figures like Ralph Lauren, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Halston really brings the story to life. What I especially loved was the sense of timeline, from the influence of French fashion and Gilded Age society to the emergence of a distinctly American fashion identity and how that continues to evolve today. We learned so much and came away seeing familiar parts of the city through a completely different lens. A really engaging, well-researched, and thoughtfully curated experience. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this walking tour. It was a fascinating look at how New York gradually emerged from Paris’s shadow to become a global fashion capital. Walking through the Upper East Side while hearing the stories behind the Gilded Age mansions, iconic designers, and the evolution of American fashion made the neighborhood feel completely different. Meri is an engaging storyteller who clearly knows her subject, and the tour struck a nice balance between history, fashion, architecture, and culture. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys New York history, even if they don’t consider themselves a fashion person.

This was so much fun!!! And I learned so much! I've lived in NYC for 20+ years and while I'm not so much a fashion girly, I *am* a history girly. The history of NYC told through the history of fashion gave me a newfound respect and appreciation for fashion. Our guide, Meri, took me and my friends - and some new friends, lol - to lots of sites during the tour and she led the tour through the story of NYC's obsession and battle with Paris fashion. We can't get enough of Paris but also we want to be better than Paris. Who will win this centuries long sartorial battle?!??!! (NYC, duh. ...but if you disagree, take it up with Meri, our fabulous tour guide who interjects the tour with stories from her time producing Project Runway!) She's funny, she knows her stuff, and she waits for the whole group to catch up before she starts her spiels. If you can't already tell, I highly recommend this unique tour.

Meri's fashion tour was absolutely fantastic. As a knowledgeable New Yorker and natural storyteller, she kept the whole group engaged from start to finish. The tour was well-paced and struck the perfect balance between rich historical context and fun, pop culture moments. It never felt like a lecture or serious historical talk. What really set it apart were the discussions she wove in along the way, plus the documentary recommendations she shared as resources to explore afterward. I went home and kept researching on my own, which rarely happens. I'll definitely be recommending this to friends and family whenever they're in town!

I loved this fashion tour with Meri! It was the perfect amount of walking and so interesting. The number of people (I think 8?) was the perfect size. She was engaging and a great storyteller. The talk included a lot of historical facts I didn't know, as well as modern 21st-century info, which sparked fun discussions. Meri is a producer and worked in TV, she knows a lot. I will be recommending her tours to my family and friends who come into town!

We had a great time on this tour. Meri was wonderful and knowledgeable, and I learned things that I'm still thinking about three days later. She wove the history of New York City, fashion, and architecture together in a fascinating and engaging way. And it was a bonus to hear about her time on Project Runway!