Before she became the downtown girly-girl’s go-to designer, Sandy Liang had to come to terms with her love of fashion. “Growing up, if I cared about makeup or clothes, it was a sin,” she told Elle. Liang was raised in Bayside, Queens, and spent her days at her parents’ restaurant, Congee Village, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Though her parents found shopping impractical, Liang loved fashion’s excesses, from ribbons and ruffles to the Chanel stickers she glued to her TI-84 calculator.
After studying at Parsons, Liang launched her eponymous brand in 2014, inspired by teen magazines and Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service. Since then, her unapologetic vision of femininity has acquired a name—the “Sandy girl”—and a uniform: pink bows, pleats, and Mary Janes.
Liang lives on the Lower East Side with her husband, Dorian Booth, and their son, Rainier, a few blocks away from her Orchard Street studio. Just days after New York Fashion Week, she’s releasing her first book, Dressing Up: Sandy Liang, on September 22. To celebrate, she shares her favorite spots in her native city.
Cafe Katja
This is my go-to neighborhood dinner spot. What is better than sharing a sausage and a gem lettuce salad in a cozy booth while watching the snow fall in the winter? Nothing. I’m worried my friends are getting sick of how often I suggest it for dinner. (cafekatja.com)
Mission Chinese food
One of their desserts is named after me. Did I threaten Danny [Bowien] into it? Perhaps. (missionchinesefood.com)
Café Sabarsky
It’s soooooo nice there. I feel beautiful when I visit and even more beautiful when eating a slice of cake there with Dorian. (neuegalerie.org)
Okiboru House of Tsukemen
My neighborhood ramen spot. Everyone who works there is so nice. I love ordering the regular ramen, even though they’re known for their dipping noodles. I’ve only been with friends, but I would like to go by myself one day. (okiboru.com)
Russ & Daughters Cafe
There’s something so pleasurable about eating tinned fish with bagel chips and a side of whitefish chowder. (russanddaughterscafe.com)
Elizabeth Center
This is where I grew up. Technically, I grew up in Bayside, Queens, but really my soul was formed here, among all the star-folding paper, Sanrio plushies, gel pens, and fun earrings.
Haidilao Hotpot
A hot pot restaurant in Flushing. It’s insane how happy I am when I’m at Haidilao. The adrenaline rush of making the right sauce… I always request a noodle dance, just because.
The Battery
We would go every Friday after school, lying around in the grass, sometimes playing sports or games, sometimes just talking about how much boys suck. We’d watch the sun go down and then take the train home together.
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