Photo: Matteo Prandoni/BFAnyc.com

“You know I live upstate, right?” asks designer Ryan Roche when prompted to share her absolute favorite spots to frequent in NYC.

I do. And it sounds so lovely to be able to leave this crowded, bustling, dirty city behind for greener pastures — perhaps that’s why the colors Roche uses in her collections are so clean, dreamy, soft… (Her fall/winter 2015 collection, by the way, was no exception. Monochromatic layering, and sensual, graceful knits reigned. It was lovely.)

Photo via @alyssashapiro on Instagram

Photo via @blackbookmag on Instagram

Though she spends the majority of her time upstate and away from all the New York City noise, Roche has to make the occasional trip into the big city — after all, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist has meetings with Anna Wintour, retailers, and a NYFW presentation to tend to. When she’s in town, these are her go to spots:

To eat: “I love Il Buco.” (47 Bond Street, NYC)

To indulge: “I love going to the Great Jones Spa — that’s amazing.” (29 Great Jones Street, NYC)

For fresh air: Central Park, where she can take her pet poodle. “It’s very gorgeous.”