In honor of #nyfw (New York Fashion Week), we present the city's hottest #ootd's (outfit of the day) from our partner's collections. New York has hosted NYFW, first known as "Press Week," since 1943. It was created to pivot the spotlight from Paris fashion designers and showcase New York's homegrown talent.

The Girl's High School 475 Nostrand Avenue Designed by James W. Naughton, 1885–86 James W. Naughton immigrated with his family from Ireland to Brooklyn when he was eight years old. Naughton became a trained architect and was closely involved in Brooklyn politics, which led him to the position of Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education from 1879–1898. As superintendent, Naughton designed all schools constructed in Brooklyn. The Girls’ School is the oldest surviving structure built as a high school in New York, and it served as the prototype for later high schools constructed in the city. A combination of Victorian Gothic and French Second Empire styles, the school is faced in red brick, terra cotta and contrasting stone. It is symmetrically massed, with a central towered entrance and three pavilions, each of which project and are connected by recessed sections. At the rear of the building is a large Collegiate-Gothic style addition designed in 1912 by long-time New York City Superintendent of School Buildings C.B.J. Snyder

Women in Brooklyn have been leaders of social change on every conceivable political front, from the fight for racial justice and the right to vote, to equality around labor and reproductive rights. Women have also been at the forefront of protest efforts against the Vietnam War and for environmental justice. In this story, the Center for Brooklyn History highlights Brooklyn women with powerful activist legacies, from ordinary women joining the workforce during World War II to the formation of a barmaids union to icons like Lena Horne.

Summer is coming to an end... it's time to hit the books! Take a look at these photographs of kids in the past doing just that.

The Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, better known as Bed-Stuy, has a long and rich history. Many historic buildings occupy the neighborhood, reminding residents and visitors of a not-so-distant past. Take a walk back through time and explore some of the historic buildings and sites in Bed-Stuy.

Girls High School, May 1, 1942. Built 1885 to 1886, Girls High School is the oldest extant (surviving) public high school building in New York City. The school is described in its landmark designation report as "a striking combination of Victorian Gothic and French Second Empire styles." The architect was James Naughton, the Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education of the City of Brooklyn. He also created a 1891 rear extension, which has since been demolished. A 1912 Collegiate Gothic addition was designed by C.B.J Snyder, who later held the same position as Naughton, though his purview was all five boroughs. According to an 1895 article in the New York Times, it was "the ambition of every Brooklyn girl... to enter the Girls' High School where she may enjoy the advantages of an advanced education and be prepared for college." Famous alumni of the school include singer Lena Horne, politician Shirley Chisholm, and Jean Nidetch, who found Weight Watchers.

The Bedford-Stuyvesant community in northwest Brooklyn is a residential area, home to ornate rows of brownstones, early middle-class apartment buildings and several institutional structures. Bedford-Stuyvesant is characterized by its wide, tree-covered avenues and low-scale residences; generally only church spires and school towers rise taller than four stories. The majority of the buildings were constructed on speculation to house New York’s growing middle class, generally between 1870 and 1920. As late as 1869, Bedford-Stuyvesant was largely rural, with only some country houses and frame dwellings. In 1872 masonry rowhouses appeared when developer Curtis L. North commissioned 23 Italianate style rowhouses. From this point until the 1890s, development proceeded with many speculative builders and investors employing local architects to build residences; schools, churches and other institutions also appeared to serve the growing community. The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, followed by the elevated line along Bedford-Stuyvesant’s commercial artery, Fulton Street, in 1888. Easier access to downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan greatly increased real estate values in the neighborhood. By the 1890s, speculative apartment houses debuted in Bedford-Stuyvesant, officially marking the change from a suburban to an urban area. The opening of the Williamsburg Bridge in 1903 bolstered this urbanization, and Bedford-Stuyvesant was densely built up by the end of the 1920s. The 1930s marked a population shift for Bedford-Stuyvesant as it became an increasingly African-American neighborhood. When the IND transit lines connecting the area to Harlem opened in 1936, Harlem residents were eager to leave cramped quarters for newer, more spacious options in Bedford-Stuyvesant. By 1950 the area was 90% black, and it remains a thriving African- and Caribbean-American neighborhood today. Bedford-Stuyvesant is an aesthetic gem of elegant residences. Many houses have yards with plantings surrounded by original cast-iron fences. Rowhouses are set back from the street and possess their original stoops and railings. The architectural style of buildings followed the trends popular during the area’s development, including Italianate, Neo-Grec, Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne, and, at the turn of the 20th century, Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Georgian appeared. The materials of the buildings also give an idea of their age; older buildings were constructed of brick and brownstone, while light-colored brick, terra-cotta and limestone became increasingly popular toward the turn of the 20th century. Stuyvesant Heights in Bedford-Stuyvesant was designated a New York City historic district in 1975, and a large extension of its boundaries had a public hearing in 2011. Residents in other areas of Bedford-Stuyvesant, including Bedford Corners, Stuyvesant North and Stuyvesant East, are also advocating for the landmarking of their neighborhoods. The low-scale buildings on tree-lined streets share architects, styles and details, together making Bedford-Stuyvesant a distinctive piece of New York City.

To celebrate the New Year, Urban Archive is looking at an eclectic mix of some of the oldest parts of our city.

The teenage years are a difficult time, with emotions running high and relationships with the people in your life-changing quickly. Poetry is a universal outlet for teens to explore feelings about themselves and their world. While most poems stay tucked away in journals or at the bottom of trash cans, some brave souls are eager to share. Before social media, publication in a school newspaper was one of the most direct ways for a poet to reach their peers. We combed through our Brooklyn High School newspapers for a selection of the very best teen poetry Brooklyn had to offer. This story can be read in its original context here. Written by Sarah Quick

Now that school is really back in swing, we thought we’d take a moment to stop and think about the history of schools in Brooklyn. Has the public school system always looked like it currently does? Have students always learned about the same subjects? Who picks school names? Our photographs show a very different type of schoolhouse in early Brooklyn: