Who Am I? Who Are You??

I've answered your questions so now you have to answer mine.

Apr 06, 2024

Hello! Greetings from my air-quotes “vacation.” Freelance never sleeps!

I’ve spent the last week in California hanging out with old friends, and now I’m headed to Texas to see the ECLIPSE and hopefully make some weird new ones.

I’ll fill you in on all my adventures soon, but in the meantime, I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to get to know each other a little bit more, especially since there are now nearly 15,000 of you! Who the h*ll are you?? And what do you want from me??

Below, I’ve answered some of the questions you wrote in the comments/thread. I also have a few survey questions for you…

Where did you grow up and how does that influence your work?

Someone recently told me they thought I was from Boston and, no offense to Boston, but I was SHOOK. Does my online and IRL presence not ooze that innate downtown New York je ne sais quois?? Don’t answer that. I’m putting these vicious rumors to bed NOW.

I grew up in Tribeca, where my parents moved in the ‘80s. They were very active in building the community there. My dad, who was an architect, served on the community board and my mom has always been involved with local journalism. They instilled in me a strong sense of neighborhood pride and responsibility—to shop locally, get to know your neighbors, ride the subway, be out and about, etc. I’ve always been curious about my surroundings, and that’s really what inspired this newsletter.

My dad loved shopping and spending too much money on designer clothes at Barneys. I remember going with him to the MoMA, where we’d pretend to shop the furniture in the permanent collection together. (Obviously, I wanted the blow-up chair.) He died when I was eleven, though. My mom didn’t have any interest in shopping or the time to go with me, but that meant she let me explore Soho by myself at a pretty young age. Being able to walk there on the weekends was huge.

Growing up in New York, you’re exposed to so much, and develop a pretty good sense of humor about things. I’m eternally grateful to my parents for being cool and giving me the opportunity to live in such a crazy place, but I also think it just made me a huge snob.

Did you always know you wanted to work in fashion?

Yes, pretty much. There was a brief period when I wanted to be a photographer, but Photoshop was so boring to me. I was always obsessed with magazines, and writing was what I was good at, I just never thought I would be a “serious” journalist like my mom. It wasn’t until I saw the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met in 2011 that I thought to myself: Okay, this is a serious pursuit and I’m not going to fight it anymore.

When I went freelance last year, I started exploring other subjects, and I’m really enjoying branching out a bit. Later this month, I’m going to Salone del Mobile in Milan to learn more about interior design. I think Wendy Goodman has the best job in New York.

Fave restaurant, bar, and breakfast spot in NYC?

The Odeon is my original favorite, but when they took the chicken nuggets off the kid’s menu, I started going to Edward’s across the street instead. Gigino’s is my family’s go-to spot and it still feels like home. In Brooklyn, where I live now, al di la Trattoria fills that role. Uptown, I love the room at La Grenouille and will be sad if it closes.

As for bars, I haven’t really found my spot yet. If I could drink the 50/50 martini and/or a white Negroni at the Fly every day, I would, but their bar stools make me lose circulation in my butt. I also love a swamp water-esque dirty martini at Fanelli’s, but fighting for a table there now makes me upset.

I neeeever go out to eat for breakfast, mostly because I’m never up and out of the house early enough, and I like to stay in my pajamas for as long as possible. To me, brunch is the opposite of luxury.

What are your favorite resources for shopping? Finding cool brands, etc.

Newsletters!!! Opulent Tips started it, and I read so many now. You also have to talk to the people who work in stores; they know everything. I’m going to make more of an effort to interview them.