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Kyiv, Ukraine + 2 sustainable shopping tips everyone can use

Kyiv… where my heart lives.

96 magical hours at a beautiful Alice in Wonderland-themed boutique hotel – 11 Mirrors – in one of their most beautiful penthouse suites with a breathtaking view of the city – you’re sold for life.

Our room overlooked Volodymyrivska Church (St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral) – a gorgeous complex bright yellow church built during the 18th century – one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the city, one frequented by travel bloggers and their photographers.

We had the city in the palms of our hands for 4 days.

Major shoutout to the hotel – amazing service, gorgeous interior design, delicious bar cocktails and yummy breakfast with a view. Traveling will never be the same.

KYIV

Versatility – a trait NYC & Kyiv have in common. 
5-star restaurant or a small affordable cafe, a luxury neighborhood with brand new residential high rises or a cobblestone street with gray soviet architecture, a modern block with variable shopping options or a serene property of an ancient church… Kyiv has it all, just turn the corner.
Prices – a major difference between the two aforementioned cities. A good bottle of wine in a fancy restaurant in Kyiv ranges about $10 – $25. Thats right, New Yorkers – with inflation hitting us hard, imagine what you can buy with that price tag in a major US city – spoiler alert, half of a mediocre cocktail. 
The city (and Ukraine as a whole) are very underrated when it comes to tourism. 
Modern city with rich architecture and culture, minus the annoying crowds of tourists – I would expect Kyiv to be overcrowded. Sunday was a little busy, (granted – this is a day when the city shuts down car traffic on Khreshchatyk, one of the city’s main boulevards, …but it’s still nothing compared to an overrated European capital). 
A piece of me felt happy to maintain my personal space – I wasn’t suffocating from people and cars, despite being in a metropolis. Another piece of me was heartbroken – we rarely see the amazing architecture, food, people and fashion of Ukraine on the news. We see 3 things: war, conflict and annexation. And now, thanks to HBO, Chernobyl. (Love the show, but seriously not helping the case).
I’m here to break that sad stereotype. Yes, there is military conflict in the country but it is confined to a very specific far eastern/southern regions of Ukraine that no tourist would probably even be allowed to enter anyway. The cities I’ve been to feel perfectly safe, fun and beautiful.
Below are just 3 tourist recommendations I have for anyone wanting to visit Kyiv, all courtesy of the @kievblog Instagram account . I’ll just let the photos do the talking:
 
*NOTE: This post was written in 2019 – as of February 2022, russia invaded Ukraine to wage a full-scale occupational war. As of September 2022, I see bloggers and friends travel in and out of the country through Poland – but I still recommend waiting until Ukraine de-occupies all their lands, russia suffers a crushing pathetic loss, crawls back home, starts focusing on their own collapsed economy and Ukraine starts rebuilding. That’s when you can probably safely visit and check out (which will potentially still be there) a “parade” of burned russian military tech on the aforesaid Khreshchatyk.

SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING TIPS

Investing in high-quality international designers – one of my sustainable fashion tips. I practice what I preach – already owning some pieces by Ukrainian brands and following a ton of designers on socials, I knew coming to Kyiv… some serious investing was about to happen.

First stop was one of my favorite Ukrainian brands: the Katimo boutique.

Sustainable shopping tip #1 – do your research: Preaching what I practice – I recommend saving Instagram / Pinterest photos of products by favorite brands, visualizing how those items complement your existing wardrobe, taking time to think about / weigh out your purchasing options and only then (with full confidence) purchasing an item you 100% know you will wear for a long time. Katimo is a very chic brand – pastel neutral palette dominating the most recent collection, with oversized silhouettes and classic pieces. By default their collections are timeless. Prior to swiping the CC, I also read multiple raving reviews about top notch quality, which is crucial to me – I marched into the Katimo boutique with full confidence and knowledge of what I wanted, just had to confirm the fit. What I’m left with is a gorgeous 2-piece suit, an incredible oversized beige dress (blog post coming soon) and zero buyer’s remorse.

Sustainable shopping tip #2 – fight FOMO: I did this on my next-day shopping adventure to the Vsi Svoi store (a major Kyiv retailer carrying Ukrainian labels). I went in having ideas of styles I wanted, hunted through 2 floors of racks and purchased items I 100% knew were lacking in my wardrobe. There was also a selection of items I chose to think about for 24 hours… Waking up the next morning gave clarity on what items I would return for. Zero buyer’s remorse x2. Outside of traveling, I would take 3-5 days instead, but time is not a luxury on a 4-day trip. Fighting FOMO on an item you kind of, maybe, sort of like – ensures you’re left with purchasing pieces that won’t hang in your closet with a tag.