AS A DIRECTOR/PRODUCER YOU HAVE WORKED WITH COUNTLESS ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS ON LIVE FORMAT CONCERTS ALL OVER THE WORLD. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST THRILLING PROFESSIONAL MOMENT AND WHICH ARTIST HAS SURPRISED YOU THE MOST?
I have worked with many and tend to forget more than half of them. The one that truly stands out is the Canadian artist Loreena McKennitt. She is an incredible musician and seeing one of her performances is awe-inspiring. There are very few artists that surround themselves with the caliber of artists that she does. Filming a multi-cam performance with her at the Place Des Artes in Montreal will truly stand out as one of the most memorable professional experiences of my life.
DESCRIBE YOUR DREAM PROJECT.
An original music series I created three years ago which has been accepted by public television. The show celebrates the history of American music through the eyes of major contemporary artists. I only call this a dream, because it has not been realized yet. As someone who has totally lost faith in television, ie: reality tv, this represents a return to what I hold hope in for both the television and music industries in general. We have been trying to get sponsors for over a year now. It’s been a tough fight, but we will get there!
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Developing several projects right now. In post production on a multi-cam stand up comedy show which I filmed in Atlanta just a week ago.
WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?
Morning. Enjoying my first cup of iced coffee as I watch my daughter emerge from the bedroom with a huge smile on her face and her stuffed piggy in tow.
COMB OR BRUSH?
My hair is so short that neither will have an impact.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR NAME?
I love it. I am named after the man who most inspires me.
Abraham Lincoln, February 27, 1860 Photographed by Matthew B. Brady
We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art last week specifically to catch Punk: Chaos to Couture before it closes in a few weeks. Luckily we stayed a bit longer and wandered into Photography and the American Civil War — without question the standout exhibition for me that day. The portraiture in this show is tremendously powerful. The images of generals and soldiers and newly freed slaves, whose destinies at the time of their sitting were most uncertain, are quite haunting and so beautiful. The portraits of patients in a war hospital, documenting their injuries and treatments for teaching purposes (a seriously enlightened idea), are completely fascinating. And those soulful eyes of Abraham Lincoln… Photography and the American Civil War is on view through September 2, 2013 www.metmuseum.org
Last night we sojourned to the Angelika to see Before Midnight. For sure, we are fans of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. But truly, this film far outshines them both. And Julie Delpy — so smart, so funny, so REAL — is better than she has ever been. Just brilliant.
YOU STARTED OUT AS AN INTERIOR DESIGNER. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DESIGN HAIR ACCESSORIES SPECIFICALLY AND HAVE YOU FOUND ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN DESIGNING INTERIORS AND ACCESSORIES?
I suppose my daughter, Nadia’s hair was the biggest inspiration in the beginning. And yes, I think there is a strong connection. Design is design, no matter what is being created. And it has always come as second nature to me. Design is not work…it’s fun!
YOU DESIGN FOR BOTH WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND OFTEN USE RECYCLED OR SALVAGED MATERIALS. DO YOU CREATE DESIGNS FOR PARTICULAR FOUND MATERIALS OR DO YOU DESIGN FIRST AND LATER IDENTIFY THE MATERIALS?
I work both ways. It all depends on the circumstances. Sometimes, I have the design ready and am just waiting for the perfect textiles or hardware to create it. Sometimes, I find materials that inspire me first, and then I figure out exactly what to do with them.
YOUR WOMEN’S LINE WAS RECENTLY PICKED UP BY HENRI BENDEL. CONGRATULATIONS! WHAT’S NEXT?
Thank you! Working with Henri Bendel has been such an amazing experience for our brand, and we hope this is just the beginning! Even though all our items are available for purchase online at our website, we are also working hard to get our pieces in more retail locations…so keep your fingers crossed for us.
WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?
Having my daughter tell me how much she loves me is the best feeling (particularly when I’m feeling stressed out!). It’s a beautiful reminder that everything is going to be just fine, no matter how hectic my day was. That is my joy.
COMB OR BRUSH?
Brush, because I always wanted to have curly hair!
DO YOU LIKE YOUR NAME?
I do now. It’s short and simple. I didn’t always, though. When I was younger, I wanted to have a long, beautiful named like Cinderella or Aurora. Now my daughter wishes that she had a name like that too. It runs in the family I guess…
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: MY AGE IS…………….
Only a number. It’s all in your style and spirit.
WHAT’S FOR DINNER TONIGHT?
mmm…my favorite comfort food — rice, eggs and soy sauce.
Yes, I was indeed at the Taylor Swift concert on Saturday night at Met Life Stadium. It was fantastic fun to be there with my daughters and I must say, it was quite a spectacular show. Fireworks throughout and no less than TEN costume changes. Miss Swift most certainly did not disappoint.
WHAT LED YOU TO BECOME AN ILLUSTRATOR AND PAINTER AND WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? If I had the type of mind that was really shrewd and clever about money or real estate or whatever, I would have been a banker or some kind of baller entrepreneur. As it is, I’m good with people and aesthetics, and I just needed to satisfy my curiosity, make a living, and burn off a sort of puritan work ethic I’ve always had in me. I just hustled toward the thing I felt best at, and it’s this. And I’m a pleaser, so it’s nice to make things for people and have them respond so graciously. Kind of like being a chef, but less essential.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS AND WHOSE WORK ARE YOU MOST INSPIRED AND INFLUENCED BY? I love portraits — Manet, Sargent, Whistler. I guess those guys would all be classified as ‘post-impressionists’. Hockney, for being such a wit and a workhorse. I have a weakness for bright pastels, Florida / California colors. I really loved the Cecily Brown show that was just at Gagosian uptown. But my favorite art, really, is TV. Comedy. I’m having a renaissance with the Simpsons, new episodes. It’s still incredible.
CUSTOM HERALDRY IS SUCH A LOVELY CONCEPT. WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS OF DEVELOPING SUCH A SPECIAL PIECE WITH A CLIENT? Usually it’s a phone interview, but if they’re in New York I’ll meet with the couple, which I love. It’s just sweet to talk to people at this moment in their lives when they’re so in love and have a sense of beginning. I try my best to diffuse some of the stress and silliness of wedding planning and get at something pure.
WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY? All the different faces, body types, ways of saying things. The goodness and funniness of people. Dogs. Laughing and talking trash with my husband and my friends. Walking around the city. Clothes.
COMB OR BRUSH? Brush! Vigorously but not that often.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR NAME? Yeah, I like it. I wonder sometimes what my life would be like if my name was, like, Jennifer Weintraub or something. I’m not one of those people who feels I was meant to be born in another era, on another continent. It all feels about right to me.
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: MY AGE IS……………. 33
WHAT’S FOR DINNER TONIGHT? Probably rice and beans and avocado and tomato. I eat like I’m heading off to build a pyramid right after.
Last night, during New York City Ballet’s annual summer residency at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, we enjoyed a quite wonderful program of five ballets including Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit. We first saw Year of the Rabbit when it premiered at Lincoln Center last fall and I must say I loved it even more the second time around and even more on that hallowed, outdoor stage. After all, SPAC was built in 1964 expressly for the New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra, with tremendous input from George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein regarding the physical space and overall vision for the venue. Year of the Rabbit is no doubt a major work. It is complex, youthful, joyful and completely refreshing. And the music, arranged for string orchestra from Sufjan Stevens’ electronica album Enjoy Your Rabbit, is rather fantastic too. An immensely talented choreographer, Justin Peck is definitely one to watch.
