Postcards From The Edge
When you walk with intention, magic unfolds around you. Focus on your strides and find your light. xo KO Astor Place // New York City Instagram | Twitter
All posts tagged: new york city
A Moveable Feast: 4 Hearty Lessons from Food Book Fair
If the age-old phrase that “you are what you eat” manifests itself literally, I’d be one giant avocado rolling around the streets of New York City #deadsexy. All jokes aside, many of us don’t take the time out to recognize just how much food and the art of dining shape our collective identities, memories and social politics apart from the obvious physical implications food has on our waistlines. I got a quick reminder of just how significant each bite lends to food for thought when I accompanied the motley crew at Ace Hotel New York as they hosted this year’s Food Book Fair. Here are 4 hearty lessons I learned from foodies & bookworms alike: 1) “Come to the table with an empty stomach and leave with a full heart.” ~ Warren Bobrow aka “The Cocktail Whisper” On opening night of the Food Book Fair, Warren Bobrow discussed his latest book, The Craft Cocktail Compendium, which encompasses a mixture of contemporary apothecary cocktails and silent nods to Robert Louis Stevenson. I later struck up a …
On the Hunt for Inspiration
Hunting for inspiration as a creative can be quite a daunting task. We aimlessly search high and wide for this elusive buried treasure of thoughts everywhere we turn. Our eyes are constantly thirsty for knowledge and each twist and turn along the road feeds a sometimes insatiable, mental beast obsessively documenting every move. The thrill is stimulating but can be draining and counterproductive once we’ve come down from this trip. We may feel overwhelmed, broken and lost. It’s at this point that retracing our journeys, simplifying our process, and finding stillness is key. The act of just closing our eyes for a second to meditate can reveal a new perspective to appreciate the tiny moments and everyday elements that surround us. In stillness, we often find the answers we’ve been searching for the entire time. I recently discovered this very important lesson accidentally. I was in a hurry to get out the door, occupied by jumbled thoughts for future posts and couldn’t find my set of keys. Tearing apart a path before me, I finally …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Rachna Hukmani
“My younger self did not really believe in miracles. To her I would say just let go. Believe that opportunities have a way of presenting themselves and that I am somehow always protected. My first day in NYC and the U.S. was 9/11. It completely changed me (and everyone who experienced it for that matter!). I was scheduled to be at the World Trade Center that day and miraculously missed the train that would have situated me there right when the towers fell. My sister and I missed that train by 3 seconds. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. I am so grateful and in awe of how every opportunity since then has paved the path for me to find creative ways to travel to new places safely. Each trip reveals clues about what I am meant to be doing which is to create something of my very own that hopefully inspires. This is what my company Whiskey Stories is to me. A form of self-expression that tends to evolve naturally on its …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Maurizio Zatachetto
“Definitely New York has been significant with how I now perceive the world. There is no other city like it. I had this fascinating feeling that I would somehow find the missing portion I was always looking for to allow myself to freely be the real me. When I first arrived, it wasn’t easy like most people can imagine. But after a short period of time, everything changed, changed me both as a man and as a creative. There’s such an amazing alchemy in that city. A kind of environment that I’ve only ever experienced there.” – Maurizio Zatachetto
Right as Rain
Rain. What is it about rain that makes moments in the city that much more dramatic? Is it the pitter-patter sound of droplets propelling from the sky, setting a silencing, melancholic stanza for droves of New Yorkers waltzing about from light to light? Though rain is symbolically the giver of life from a vast nature standpoint, in a concrete jungle like NYC, it often insights the “mean reds” which include fears of being poked in the eye by overzealous umbrella swingers, continuous loops of every Adele record possible to further drown out altered plans and of course, the inevitable struggle of what to wear to combat the unpredictability rain presents while remaining stylish. With the latter part of the equation, shoes are the most difficult statement to master because it’s easy enough to slap on a trench coat, cover your head with a scarf, pick up a poppy umbrella and feel as fabulous as Sophia Loren in The Key until you look down and realize you’re walking around with purpose in shoes that either remind …
#Artlife: Dan Flavin’s “Corners, Barriers, and Corridors”
Fluorescent lighting isn’t exactly the sexiest invention known to man but somehow Dan Flavin mastered transforming this mundane and sometimes annoyingly buzzing source of light into magical works of art. A minimalist who referred to himself as a “Maximalist”, Flavin was able to create transcendent, futuristic teleports through fluorescent light tubes and bend reality in ways that were so delicate yet strikingly alluring at the same time. Last month, I was glad to have been able to actively explore perceptions of space through the beautifully curated, “Corners, Barriers, and Corridors,” a collection of some of Flavin’s noted works from the 1960s and 70s at David Zwirner Gallery in New York City. Though the exhibit has since ended, Dan Flavin’s pieces still conjure up many thoughts on duality which have helped expand my definitions on style and aesthetics. While at the gallery, I unknowingly started to play with binary oppositions like femininity vs. masculinity, anonymity vs. recognition through the masking silhouettes, tones and shadows formed from the different color gradations of each piece. Here are some …
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ TTK
“I’m blessed to have a lot of ‘Juicy’ moments. I’m a pupil of Hip Hop and every time I come across individuals who’ve helped shape the culture and influence me, it’s a ‘Juicy’ moment. If I had to pick one (there are so many), I’d have to go with the time I was backstage at BB Kings on 42nd Street, and Raekwon signed a portrait I painted of him. He said to me, ‘You have a God-given talent. Don’t ever stop.’ That meant a lot to me.” – TTK // @gottkgo 082/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Ingrid Silva
“Well I have a French bulldog and on every trip, whenever I see anyone with a dog, I know I can start a conversation. It’s just so funny. Everyone loves dogs.” – Ingrid Silva // @ingridsilva 075/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project Photo Credit: Omar Z. Robles
Travel Style: Vintage 70s
70s fashion has always inspired me to be more audacious with mixing bold prints, patterns, colors and high & low statement pieces in an unruly manner. One weekend this summer, I teamed up with photographer and Jetsetter Problems motley crew member, Cesarin Mateo and kindred fashionista, Kivvi Rachelle Roberts to explore the streets of lower Manhattan through a retro lens. Here’s a photo set from our session, “Wild & Free: The Rebirth” which was influenced by the unabashed attitude of 70s fashion set to the raw, gritty grooves of a Curtis Mayfield soundtrack… Creative Direction: Khadijat Oseni, Cesarin Mateo & Kivvi Rachelle Roberts Photography: Cesarin Mateo Models & Styling: Khadijat Oseni & Kivvi Rachelle Roberts Apparel Credits: On Khadijat – BCBG (Boots), H&M (Belt), Missoni (Scarf), Urban Outfitters (Romper, Sunglasses, Stockings), Zara (Trench Coat), Vintage (Jewelry) On Kivvi – A.P.C. (Pants, Wedges), Miu Miu (Sunglasses), Zara (Top), Vintage (Jacket, Earrings, Scarf) Instagram | Twitter