Emily Adams Bode Aujla’s career started with a bang: in 2017, she became the first woman to show her designs at Men’s Fashion Week in New York. She’d started her brand, Bode, a year earlier, making bold, one-off pieces out of vintage fabrics. Since then, Aujla has dressed everyone from Harry Styles to A$AP Rocky, and also expanded into womenswear and home goods.

She grew up in Atlanta, where her mom and aunts introduced her to antiquing at an early age, and moved to New York to pursue a dual degree program at the New School, studying menswear at Parsons and philosophy at Eugene Lang.

These days, she lives in the West Village with her husband, Aaron Aujla, the co-founder of interior-design firm Green River Project, and their two children, in an apartment layered with antique textiles and Art Deco furniture.

Here, Bode Aujla shares her favorite places to eat and shop in the city she calls home.

Paula Rubenstein

There’s no easy way to sum up the brilliance of Paula Rubenstein. She is an inspiration in her own right, and her space is a treasure trove where you can spend hours digging through books, swatches, and her various curated collections. (instagram.com)

Desert Vintage

Desert Vintage is an antique clothing and accessories shop founded by two of my close friends, Roberto Cowan and Salima Boufelfel. We met many years ago, before I started Bode, and quickly became friends. I began shopping with them when they stilled lived in Arizona, and I like to say I’m the one who persuaded them to set up shop around the corner from us in New York! (desertvintage.com)

Edith Machinist

Edie has created a magical place to shop in a quaint basement on the Lower East Side. She has such a great eye. My personal collection includes so many incredible pieces I’ve sourced from her, ranging from accessories to American sportswear. I’ve shopped with both her and her neighbor, Ellen Koenigsberg—another wonderful collector, who runs Ellen—for well over 17 years. (edithmachinist.com)

Economy Candy

This historic, family-run candy store, established in 1937, is right next to Edie’s shop. They carry old-fashioned American candies that you can’t find anywhere else. It’s such a feat and treat that they’ve been able to keep these items in stock through the generations. I buy all of my family’s stocking stuffers here, and we also buy Halloween candy in bulk for the Bode stores. (instagram.com)

John Derian

I admired John from afar long before I knew him, and he’s every bit as wonderful as the spaces he creates. Visiting his stores makes you feel like you know him personally. His taste blends French, American, and German influences, offering everything from incense and clothing to dining-ware and antiques. (johnderian.com)

Ralph Lauren Men’s Flagship

This store is a New York landmark. I worked at Ralph Lauren early in my career, and it was one of my favorite internships in the city. He will always be my industry icon. (ralphlauren.com)

Balthazar Bakery

This was my go-to lunch spot when I worked retail in Soho. Nowadays, when I’m going to someone’s house, I love bringing a bag of granola or a beautiful box of petit fours from Balthazar instead of a bottle of wine. Their cakes are the next best thing to baking it yourself. More on my love of Keith McNally’s creations below … (balthazarbakery.com)

The Odeon

For any celebratory dinner, both personal and for Bode, I love going to the Odeon. Nothing beats a McNally restaurant, and his new memoir, I Regret Almost Everything, is a must-read. The Odeon feels even more special once you learn the story of how it came to be. (theodeonrestaurant.com)

Bode New York: Women’s, Men’s, and Fine Tailoring

Just down the street from the Odeon is our Tribeca store, Bode’s third location and the first to primarily house the women’s collections. Aaron designed the space to feel like our apartment, painting it in the same robin’s egg blue and decorating it with antique French chintz. You’ll find everything from delicate lace lingerie to our classic everyday sailor trousers.

Our Men’s and Fine Tailoring spaces, on the Lower East Side, house our men’s collections, one-of-a-kind pieces, and more. The Hester Street location—my very first store, opened in 2019—is foundational for the brand. It’s an intimate, jewel-box space with a warm interior that feels deeply private. We’ve expanded next door to offer a wider range of tailoring, made-to-measure, and more one-of-a-kind pieces.

You can explore our complete, constantly-updated guide to New York here