Tell us about your love affair with New York City – where did it all begin?
I always describe New York as my favourite city because it’s somewhere I first went as a teenager and imagined what it would be like if I could draw for a living. It was a dream, and then my big break came when Candace Bushnell got me to do the cover of her book (Sex in the City). When that came out [my work] was on the side of buses, in Times Square, it was everywhere – she sells a lot of books. That was the beginning of my career taking off, so I have this connection with New York because it’s the city that gave me my big break. I’ve continuously travelled back and forth for the past 10 years and I have an enormous love for it, with favourite places to stay and “secret” places to dine.

You’re going to have to share some examples. What gets you excited when you think about returning to New York?
The thing I love most about New York is the honking, the noise and the chaos as soon as you arrive. There are a lot of quiet spots you can escape to but I love the feeling on the street, the energy and the sounds. It’s also very diverse. Whatever you’re into, there’ll be someone doing it there. In the book I’ve illustrated, there’s everything from fancy hotels to experiences that cost nothing, and little insider tips like going to the café in Bergdorf Goodman for the best views of Central Park – which is better than queuing for the Empire State Building with other tourists. Everything has a fashion connection to it.

So is it about unlocking the city for anyone who’s passionate about fashion?
That’s it. There’s already a lot of guides about New York so there’s no need for another hard-core Lonely Planet-style guide. It’s all illustrated as well, so even if you never go to New York, I wanted it to be something you could still read or give as a gift, and you could just fall into the world of it by flicking through. Or, if you really do go, you can flick through the different boroughs and find what to do, from inexpensive flea markets to more extravagant things.

What other cities have left their mark on you?
I love going back to Paris. It’s just one those cities, like New York, that no matter how many times you go there, there’s always something you’re left wanting to do or see. And it’s just so beautiful with the architecture – everything in Paris looks great. I also love Milan, where I go a lot for fashion weeks. While it’s not architecturally as photogenic as Paris, Milan is the source of so much creativity with some of the best furniture designers; Milan Furniture Week is incredible. They didn’t get all the elaborate architecture like Rome with the Trevi Fountain, but there’s something about Milan – I love it as a city.

Are you constantly sketching when you travel?
I travel with sketchbooks and that’s when I get most inspiration. I record sketches that sometimes never get used, though other times I might sketch a scene for someone like Tiffany & Co and I’ll remember a 60-year-old man I saw in Paris wearing a cravat, and I’ll find him in a sketchbook and he might make his way into the work.