Featured in Design Bureau’s special edition issue, Weddings By Design (on newsstands, Spring 2013)
The New York Times
A Host For Others Gets His Own Party
Tuesday, January 8th, 2013
When Omar, a restaurant and private supper club opens next month at the former Hotel Griffou in Greenwich Village, many night-life veterans may ask, “Omar who?”
He would be Omar Hernandez, a behind-the-scenes fixture on the party circuit who is seeking the same, first-name-only recognition once reserved for legendary hot spots like Nell’s and Elaine’s.
“It’s not meant to be a vanity project,” Mr. Hernandez said the other day, as he whirled about the gutted space on West Ninth Street, pointing out the new décor and not-yet-arrived fixtures. “It’s about the spirit I want to convey.”
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/fashion/a-host-for-others-gets-his-own-party.html
Refinery 29
Nolita’s Coolest Salon Owner Dishes On Her Top Neighborhood Spots
Thursday, October 25th, 2012
It goes without saying that Julie Dickson knows a lot about hair. The stylist and salon owner has been styling locks since 1996, with stints at some of the city’s coolest beauty hubs — including the Upper East Side’s Minardi Salon, Dop Dop in Soho, and Blackstone’s in the East Village, before finally opening her own Nolita space, Fox & Boy, in 2009.
Besides her almost encyclopedic hair knowledge, which she’s also cleverly spun into annual “hair how-to” parties (Psst! The next one is November 16th!), Dickson’s one savvy advocate of her ‘hood — and where to go once you bounce out the salon’s doors. Thankfully, we tagged her for an insider guide, and she’s giving us the lowdown on the best place to meet your friends for after-work drinks, an awesome inexpensive breakfast café just a short walk away, and her go-to spot for a gorgeous dinner party dessert on the fly.
Refinery 29
Is Fashion’s Night Out Even Worth It?
Wednesday, September 5th, 2012Given the dizzying number of parties, in-store promotions, and celebrity appearances taking place this Thursday night, no one blinks when I hesitate to answer the question, “So, what are you doing for Fashion’s Night Out?” Likewise, I’m not so surprised by the immediate assumption that I’ll actually be out there in the fray, along with what feels like the rest of the city. Except this year, I’m opting out.
Truthfully, I’d rather skid down a 50-foot sandpaper slide into a pool of salt than cope with the lines, crowds, and drunken chaos of the night — and for what, the chance of a glimpse at a designer singing karaoke or some free, watered-down booze? Call me a grouch, but I know plenty of other fashion industry insiders who equally dread FNO (cleverly dubbed “EFF NO” by The Cut), if not more because some of them will actually have to dive in and report on the frenzy for their jobs.
Design Bureau
A New Role For Ribisi
Thursday, June 28th, 2012
Giovanni Ribisi isn’t just another celebrity playing the role of a stand-in designer.
As the collaborator behind two newly debuted styles for eyewear label Barton Perreira, the aptly-named “Giovanni” and the “Ribisi,” the actor’s bona fides are a stellar combination of killer personal style and a formal training in the world of 3D animation. Granted, the latter was intended to land him in Hollywood’s expanding world of blue screens, but like any serious actor, Ribisi isn’t one for being typecast.
URL: http://www.wearedesignbureau.com/projects/giovanni-ribisi-interview/
Slate
Invisible Ink
Friday, May 18th, 2012
Scarlett Johansson has a multicolor scene on the inside of her arm and lingerie model Isabeli Fontana has a large set of angel wings on her upper back. Looking at ads Johansson did for Dolce & Gabbana and photos of Fontana in the Victoria’s Secret catalog, however, one would not suspect that either possessed even a millimeter of anything other than flawless, ink-free skin. Despite the growing faddishness of tattoos, many major brands and magazines continue to airbrush away the ink on their models and actors. (All the tattoos at left have been removed in at least one instance, as you’ll see in the slides that follow.)
URL: http://www.slate.com/slideshows/arts/invisible-ink-the-tattoos-that-brands-photoshop-away.html
Design Bureau
Hotel Americano’s Carlos Couturier
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
Despite being the destination for New York’s art and design crowd, west Chelsea maintains a relatively quiet existence after the galleries shut their doors. Its gritty, industrial character, cool and stylish by day, often goes unseen at night. And while many a hotelier have understandably avoided this remote part of town in favor of higher-traffic locales, Carlos Couturier of the newly-debuted Hôtel Americano is quick to articulate that this was precisely what appealed to him.
“We like the fact that we’re in our own world, and yet, things are changing so swiftly,” he says. “We wanted the hotel to be an emblem, a foundation, before the neighborhood changes into something else.”
URL: http://www.wearedesignbureau.com/projects/hotel-americanos-carlos-couturier-interview/
Cool Hunting
Amplifiear
Monday, April 16th, 2012
Nonlinear Studio’s Amplifiear is a clever clip-on device designed to enhance your iPad’s sound. Stunning in its simple design and basic, low-tech construction—no batteries or wires, nor electric currents of any kind required—the Amplifiear magnifies volume by reflecting and redirecting sound forward from the iPad’s back speaker.
Cool Hunting
Deflected
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
As a follow-up to her popular debut lineup of agate pendant necklaces and body wraps, the stark leather and mirror pieces that comprise Mimi Jung’s quietly powerful “Deflected” collection reveal an artistic progression that’s both varied and cohesive.
Inspired by a friend’s great-grandmother who regularly hid a mirror under her blouse to ward off evil spirits, Jung wanted to create a collection based on the idea of controlling one’s own well-being through the power of deflection. Amulet necklaces constructed from folded pieces of thick saddle leather, patina-covered mirrors that hang from a twisted cotton cord over one’s breastplate and molded-leather rings call to mind a mini hand-shield fit for a superheroine.
URL: http://www.coolhunting.com/style/the-deflected-collection-brooklyn.php