NYC's Most Stylish Couples Will Give You New #RelationshipGoals

For Valentine's Day, these cool couples share what they steal from partners' closets, what they wore on their first dates, and how they keep it together.

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They say dating in New York is a nightmare, impossible even. Although no one, not even DJ Khaled, has fully pinned down exactly who the "they" is, these very stylish New York couples seemed to have proven "them" otherwise. With the population around 8.5 million people, options aren't the problem—choosing only one might be. 

For Valentine's Day this year, we decided to put all the bitterness on the back burner and talk to some couples who might redefine your #relationshipgoals. From all different backgrounds, working in creative fields, and living in a city where the options are seemingly endless, we asked each pair the really pressing questions you'd ask any fly couple: how they met, what they wore on their first date, and whether or not their opinion on their significant partner's #ootd matters. We discussed everything from getting fired in the name of love, to the importance of Drake and Netflix, and the romance behind jet-setting to The World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Just in time for your favorite commercialized holiday, these are our 6 Stylish NY Couples on Their First Dates and Favorite Fits


 

KeithCharles SPACEBAR and Amrit Sidhu

Australian-born DJ/pop princess Amrit was checking for KeithCharles SPACEBAR before the two were on the same bill during Keith's first tour with his labelmate Father. Unfortunately, the two did not meet that day. Thankfully, though, the internet allows other avenues to meet, and after getting connected online, Keith made his way up to visit New York from his hometown of Atlanta. Since then, the two have only left each others' sides for touring and travel. 

Favorite thing about your partner's personal style:
Amrit: Keith has effortless style, and it was one of the first things I noticed about him. He has effortless, rock and roll swag. I love it.

Are there any pieces you borrow from your partner? If so, what are they?
Keith: She has an OAK cape I always take. That and hair ties.

Best advice to maintain a healthy relationship in NYC:
A: Be encouraging and supportive of one another. It sounds cliché, but being with someone who is equally as ambitious and driven brings out the best in you.

Is there anything in your closet that your partner hates when you wear?
K: I'm not sure. If there is, she's passive aggressive as fuck for that, like letting me where it and not saying nothing?! I tell her about them hats, though.

A: Wide brim hats and over sized sunglasses. His reasoning is pretty cute. He says it's because it hides my face. I still wear them, though. I love them!


 

Erin Magee and Nicole Sky

MadeMe owner Erin was attending one of Roxy Cottontail's infamous parties at Sway (RIP!) in 2008 when Nicole was DJing. Erin says that Nicole was just so goddamn cute that she could not stop staring at her. Nicole says that Erin passed her a handwritten note on a bar napkin that read, "I think you're cute, call me." The rest is history. 

Best date:
Nicole: Our first date was pretty epic, but for all the wrong reasons. It was a good lesson of what NOT to do on a first date. I was young, immature, and completely tanked. That night Erin kept saying, "Anything that begins this crazy, will end this crazy." We got married six months later, so I guess she was right!

What did you wear on your first date? How do you feel about that now?
E: I wore Imitation of Christ suede wedge boots (I loved them) and a black leather bomber. In retrospect, it could have been worse.

N: On our first date, I wore a vintage Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, black jeans, a black bomber jacket and black boots. We both still wear the sweatshirt.

Are there any pieces you borrow from your partner. If so, what are they?
N: Erin keeps her MadeMe samples at our apartment, so I borrow those a lot. It's cool to watch her design something and then see it actually become a wearable piece.

E: OMG, I take EVERYTHING from her. We’re the same size, so nothing is off limits!


 

Keith Abrams and Soo-Young Kim

In the back of a cab, en route to a mutual friend's birthday, Keith, the owner/operator/buyer/janitor of The Kinfolk Store, met fashion editor/art director Soo-Young. Despite his noted hate for Valentine's Day, they cite communication, empathy, Drake, Netflix, and a joint Seamless account as major keys in the success of their relationship.

Are there any pieces you borrow from your partner? If so, what are they?
Keith: I stole a suede Gucci cardigan from her. Emoji flamez.

Is there anything in your closet that your partner hates when you wear?
Soo-Young: I have a pink terrycloth nightgown that gives him a reverse boner.

If you could dress your partner in any outfit, what would you put them in?
K: Bikini, pumps, and a mink... teamwork makes the dream work.

What did you wear on your first date? How do you feel about that now?
K: Jeans, T-shirt, windbreaker and a Mets fitted.  Feel good about it.

S: I don't know what I wore on our dates, but I do remember the windbreaker and Air Max 1s he wore when we first met. I'm a sentimental hoarder so I forced him to hold onto them for years. We finally threw out our old stuff last week, but I'm still mourning.


 

Jeff Laub and Gabrielle Richmond Laub

Although Jeff says he hired Gabrielle, she maintains his business partner did. Jeff is a partner of Blind Barber, and roughly six years ago, they needed a door girl. Gabi was hired and later fired, so the two could date properly. Following her dismissal from the Blind Barber payroll, she's gone on to be a freelance event producer, doing large scale events for everyone from Mr. Porter to Refinery29 while they dated, moved in together, and got married. They are now moving to Gabi's hometown, Los Angeles.

Best Valentine's Day date:
Gabi: For our second anniversary, we went big. We met up at a bar in LA where we acted like we didn't know each other. I was a weather girl in town on business (hello, dream job), and he was a jeweler. We then went on a "spontaneous" date for dinner, followed by some fun at a shooting range (I'm actually a better shooter than him). He took me back to his hotel and the truth came out: He was an actually FBI agent, and he arrested me for being a notorious jewel thief. Best. Date. Ever.

Best advice to maintain a healthy relationship in NYC:
J: Let your partner be themselves to fullest. Trust is huge, so don't get caught up in who they meet, who they talk to, etc. It's NYC, and we're supposed to network, and it just so happens that you can't only talk to those of the same sex.

G: BEDROOMS. We've lived in an amazing and huge Brooklyn loft for the past 3 years, but the ONLY door in our apartment is on the bathroom. Sometimes you just need to change without someone staring at you, or like, slam a door, ya know?  

Are there any pieces you borrow from your partner?
G: I love his vintage black Versace sweater. And his navy rag & bone sweater.  And his denim jackets. The only items I don't borrow are pants and shoes, honestly.

If you could dress her in any outfit, what would you dress her in?
J: Hair up in a little bun, dope sundress or jumper, no undies and some tennis shoes. I love the way those pieces of clothing hug her bum when she walks.  


 

Jahleel Weaver and Matthew Mazur

Brought together by a mutual appreciation for Foxy Brown (because, duh) and a fortuitous dance between Jahleel and Matthew's best friend during his DJ set, the two @'ed each other funny 'grams until sunrise before Jahleel would later "trick" him into taking a photo with him, kissing Matthew as soon as the flash went off. Cutest. First. Kiss. Ever. It was all twinkle and heart-eye emojis from there for the DJ and Fenty Corporation Creative Director. 

Best date:
​Jahleel: Early when we were dating, I had this idea to surprise Matthew in New York. At the time, I was LA-based. We were dating long distance. I booked a flight without telling him. I had two phones and he didn't know I had two phones. I asked him if he could go to a hotel (my hotel) to pick-up something for me that I didn't feel comfortable messengering. I told him he was going to be meet my friend Sean (me) and gave him Sean's phone number (my second phone's number). He texted Sean when he was outside the hotel and I came walking out. He was sooo surprised, that he started to drive off on his bike in disbelief. After I did that, I realized I loved him.

Are there any pieces you borrow from your partner? If so, what are they?
Matthew: We share everything we have. We used to fight over this one Juun J bomber that he had and the First Series Oversized Vetements Hoodie I had.

What did you wear on your first date? How do you feel about that now?
J: On our first date, I wore an Acne jean jacket, white tee, Saint Laurent jeans, Red October Yeezy's, and a Yankee fitted. Now, I feel like I must have looked like such a fuccboi.

M: I don't really remember clothing-wise, but I know I wore my black multicolor Murakami Vuitton mini speedy, and he saw it and was really surprised—shocked, really. I could tell in his face, even though he tried to hide it. I thought to myself, I have to show him that I'm into bags on the first date, because that's a part of who I am. Don't regret it at all. :)​


 

Jacky Tang and Elvin Tavarez

Elvin, the Head of Photography for OAK NYC, thought Jacky, Opening Ceremony's VP of Brand and Marketing, was out of his league when he first laid eyes on him at an OC event. By the powers of Instagram and how small New York can really be—​six degrees of separation is a LUXURY—​the two eventually ended up at the same party while Jacky was out with someone else. As both of them tell it, Elvin just had it, and the other guy didn't.

Best date:
Jacky: Elvin is a Harry Potter nerd, a true Potterhead. So one Friday, after work, I was like, "Let's go get dinner in Queens." I had stuffed my work backpack with some of our stuff, picked him up in a cab, and headed to Queens...but to JFK! The next thing he knew, we were about to board a plane to Orlando to go to The World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. It was so much fun!

Favorite thing about your partner's personal style:
Elvin: Jacky always manages to look cool in anything that he puts on. His confidence and sense of style are definitely on point. He always looks good and never wears all black, something that I really appreciate since New York is all black everything, all the time. Also his approach to fashion is very fun; he has fun when he dresses up, and I feel like a lot of people don't anymore. They just wear what ever is trendy.  

If you could dress your partner in any outfit, what would it be?
J: Hmm. I'd put him in an interpretation of video game character Max Payne, but specifically Tropical Max from Max Payne 3. He basically makes the Hawaiian Aloha shirt look super cool, which speaks to me, as I'm from Hawaii. Elvin tends to take style cues from video game characters, so it's the perfect mash-up of our personalities.

E: I think I'd put him in a kendo uniform, since I'm really into Japanese culture and kendo has a really dope outfit. It's like the Japanese version of fencing, so you wear a mask with metal grills, and you fight with a wooden katana. But, instead he'd have a real katana to make it real legit. There's also Umit Benan's recent Tokyo martial arts-inspired collection. I can see Jacky in any of those looks, too.  

Best advice to maintain a healthy relationship in NYC:
J: I think communication and planning is key. It's very easy to get pulled under in the New York hustle, so it helps to talk through both partners' wants and needs, then actually putting down the steps to get there. It also helps me to visualize our future, which then drives the importance of maintaining our relationship. Last but not least, don't forget to have fun! It's New York Freakin' City!

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