Last week I had the pleasure of attending Anna Wintour’s presentation “Remembering Irving Penn” with friends Jessica Spano and Angela Pessolano as part of the Pratt Institute’s President’s Lecture Series.
Anna spoke fondly of her dear friend and colleague Mr. Penn (as she called him) — one of the few people who she could accept “no” from. She discussed how his eye for beauty and photography brought a uniqueness and greatness to Vogue. One of the first photos that inspired Anna to Mr. Penn’s genius was entitled “Cleopatra’s Eye”– the start of a fruitful relationship. It was a crowd favorite from the presentation.
One point of her conversation, as she described the inspiration she took away from Mr. Penn, struck me as it reminded me of a mantra from an old yoga teacher that has stuck with me: “if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Anna was deeply aware of this philosophy and it was carried through her presentation, aiding in her editorial vision for the magazine.
Anna’s gentle admiration for Mr. Penn caught me by surprise, but grew my admiration for her. Naturally during the program’s Q&A portion, she curtly corrected a few Pratt students for their misperception that the CFDA doesn’t promote young designers, satisfying my appetite for all the faces of Anna – the ultimate inspiration (Hamish Bowles’ cameo didn’t hurt either).
Enjoy a few of my favorite recaps from the evening here: http://fashionista.com/2010/04/anna-wintour’s-“intellectual-crush”-on-irving-penn-and-more-from-last-nights-lecture-at-pratt/
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/04/anna_wintour_on_bloggers_irvin.html
As part of daily media monitoring, scanning for client placements, noting trends and seeking inspiration, I was beyond thrilled to find a mention for a small beauty boutique that gasp was not in NYC. In the city that has it all, there is one place that is on my ultimate must-go list that resides the quaint, boho town of New Hope, PA. With its leopard carpeting and fuchsia accents, it was within the walls of A Beautiful Life where I was able to indulge in my beauty obsession, the driving force to ultimately land me at MMC.
Inheriting the hunger to “try this” and “test that” on the quest for the perfect blush, gloss, moisturizer, cleanser (you get the idea) from my mother, my first (and only job) in high school and college was at A Beautiful Life. I quickly became an ever evolving encyclopedia of prestige, niche, holistic, organic, classic or whatever category the “it” product of the moment fell into; honing the power of persuasion as I matched consumers with the precise shade of crimson lipstick or finding a “not so sticky, sticky gloss.” Soaking in my surroundings, I watched, learned and took away many ideas and passions on everything from fashion/beauty to music from owners, Tony & Jennifer, and my coworkers, who ultimately became my family. The key takeaway from my time at ABL is that the best source of inspiration is from the people who surround you on a daily basis.
As we constantly look towards the future, ideating the next big thing and aiming to be one step ahead of the curve, once in a while it helps to take a step back, steep and develop your passions and use your surroundings as inspiration.
During the week I don my heels and lipgloss like every other beauty maven, however on the weekends I proudly wear a baseball hat in support of my favorite team, the New York Yankees. For anyone with blue and white pinstripes running through their blood, the wait was finally over as this past week marked the official opening of the new Yankee Stadium.
There’s been heated debate about the House that Steinbrenner built. Is it closer to the original? Will it have the same feel? These questions buzzed through my head in the off season and after taking my own trip to 161st & River this weekend, I’m proud to say that it is still Yankee Stadium. Although these are not the same halls that Ruth, Gehrig and Mantel walked, it does indeed replicate the stadium that opened in 1923 more so than the one that sits empty on the other side of the street. These walls bleed tradition with homage to Yankee greats at every step and the air is filled with pride and honor for present and the future; it is indeed Yankee Stadium.
I’ll be honest—the series against the Indians was not nearly as marvelous as anyone expected. It’s still the beginning of the season, but we’ve already found out we’re in need of a new starting pitcher and that this stadium is a homerun hitter’s paradise (A-Rod, where are you?). No matter how dismal it may get (believe me Saturday afternoon was probably the most depressing game I’ve ever been to in my life) the electricity that fills the seats is unparalleled. We’re New Yorkers—we’ll applaud your strengths and we’ll remind you of your faults. On Saturday the message was loud and clear; we’re not going to take losing this season. From applause to jeers, Yankees fans are still fans and we made ourselves heard this weekend (yes, “We want Swisher” was very high on the list). And no matter where you move us, we’ll still make the same amount of noise. This is our house and no one is going to take that away.
Now will we actually win this season? That remains to be seen. But this is New York…anything can happen.
