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Behind the Music

Posted on June 14, 2011
Filed Under Inspiration, Interviews | 1 Comment

Thanks to The Washington Post yesterday for featuring me in Play Favorites, a regular feature of their excellent music blog, Click Track. The list features tunes on my current rotation, among them songs I listened to in middle school that I recently rediscovered and re-fell-for (by Frente! and Nanci Griffith), shamelessly cheesy pop-country (Fast Cars & Freedom by Rascal Flatts!) and new(ish) obsession Gold Panda. It all got me thinking about how music defines stages of life, which got me reminiscing about middle school and high school even more, and some of the early 90s “riot grrrl” music I was introduced to. I didn’t really know much about that larger movement (if curious, you might read Le Tigre frontwoman Johanna Fateman’s review of Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution in last fall’s Bookforum), but a slightly older friend introduced me to Bikini Kill and a few other bands, and most importantly, to zines. She had one called Naivete, which later morphed into Panorama.

I still think of zines as early blogs – zine writers exchanged hand-made and pasted ad space and published reviews of favorites (what would be links and blogrolls) – and while I’m sure there there were (and certainly now there are) zines on a number of topics, the zines she passed along to me were full of poetry, doodles, confessions, sometimes dark, angry, and sad, and all part of this larger riot grrl movement. They were wise and naive all at once, which is the wonderful thing about young girls (excuse me, young womyn). I always kinda wanted to have one! But now I have a blog, so it’s fun to think of those songs, those zines, this blog, music then & now and through all of this, reconnect and introduce the younger me to the older me. I asked my friend to send me some old copies of her zine and others she read, and I’ve scanned in a few here. Would love to hear everyone else’s favorite songs from now and from wistful-angsty-emotional teen days….and what you wore then (velour/corduroy were staples for me, and my thrifting adventures began…).

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PB Interview + Giveaway: Project Runway’s Christopher Straub

Posted on September 24, 2010
Filed Under Events, Interviews, Only in Washington | 2 Comments

Project Runway alum Christopher Straub is in town for the Capital Home Show this weekend, where he’s been tasked with, of course, a challenge: to create a runway look from items sourced from Home Depot. Christopher will be showing off his work with runway presentations on Friday at 1 pm and 7 pm and again on Saturday at noon. Leave a comment (entering your email in the form ensures I have your info, privately) with a challenge you’d like to see on an upcoming episode of Project Runway for a chance to win one of two tickets to the Home Show.

Obvious number one question: what did you make the garment for the Home Show presentation from? Did you tell the folks at the home store what you were doing? Were they helpful, since you know, that’s their schtick?
The items that I used were 2-8′x8′ tarps (green on one side and black on the other), roll of black Duct Tape, black spray paint, and a leather utility belt. Since I’ve been to Home Depot many times I know where most things are and don’t require much assistance when shopping…mostly, I just get in and get out.

Fair enough. What’s been the biggest challenge of striking out on your own as a designer? Do you think Project Runway helped or hindered?
Project Runway has been the biggest boost to my career. Before the show I was a struggling designer trying to make a name for myself and now I’ve had designs in People Magazine, Star, and US Weekly. Craziness!

Have you ever been to DC? What are you going to do while here?
I HAVE been to DC before! I bowl of cereal was $17 in the hotel I was staying at. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to hit up a couple of museums while I’m in town.

Well. Obviously, go to the Corcoran and see the Spencer Finch and Chuck Close shows! Have a favorite designer?
Mine was, and will always be, Alexander McQueen. He was an artist and a true visionary.

In what ways do you see interior design and fashion design as complementary?
I used to be an interior designer and they share many common components. Balance and proportion are very important to both areas. Also, mixing and matching prints, patterns, and colors can make all the difference.

Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met as a result of your time on Project Runway?
It would have to be all the fans. Before I was on Project Runway I was an avid viewer and aspired to be like those people. Now, I have people coming up to me all the time saying that they get inspired by the show. I can totally relate because I was in their shoes just a couple years ago.

What’s your next dream for your fashion career?
I’d love to get my line picked up at a major retailer so the pieces can become more accessible to more people.

Thanks, Chris!

To meet Chris, see his runway design, and check out the Home Show for free, leave a comment with a challenge you’d like to see on an upcoming episode of Project Runway for a chance to win one of two tickets. You have until 6:00 p.m. today – good luck!

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Dear Intern

Posted on July 20, 2010
Filed Under Interviews, Only in Washington | 2 Comments

I kick off “Intern Fashion Week” on the Washington Post’s Campus Overload blog with some rules of thumb for our city’s interns. I’m pretty proud of the “cardigans, not Kardashians” bit. Look out for advice from other bloggers throughout the week.

Our intern at work sounds like Gina from Empire Records, so naturally I told her she needs to sing Sugar High at some point this summer. Such a great song (the real version, kids…), to turn up and flail around to while in your car or in your room getting dressed.

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Walker Rules.

Posted on May 6, 2009
Filed Under Interviews, Men, On The Street | 9 Comments

Walker Lamond, one of my favorite stylish local gents, is my Sidewalk Style subject this week. I think I first saw Walker at the Jete Society’s “Dance Party” in 2008 – pretty sure I took his photo and never posted it, for one reason or another. I then saw him again at the Sartorialist opening at Adamson Gallery, and then included him in the big “Great Hair” spread I had in Washingtonian magazine a while back. So I guess you could say that I’ve been following Walker, and his style, for a while now.

Walker’s style is basically original prep. No shapeless khakis with embroidered animals or sack-style navy jackets to be found. His is a carefully considered yet unfussy blend of labels both old and new, all with a decidedly 50s-retro look. The unfussy part is what I find particularly attractive about the look – think beachside walks in white jeans rolled up to mid-calf, an old white oxford shirt worn like second skin. Totally classic, just like the advice he doles out on his blog (and soon, book!), Rules For My Unborn Son.

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Devi Kroell on Keeping it Real.

Posted on April 7, 2009
Filed Under Interviews, Women | 2 Comments

Last week at the Hu’s Wear opening, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the designer Devi Kroell, who is enviably elegant and composed while remaining totally normal and approachable. We’d like her to say “Lanvin” over and over again, in her lovely accent, perhaps in place of fairytales before bedtime (can we bring those back, please?!). Pieces from her sumptuous Spring 2009 collection are available in the city exclusively at the just-opened store.

Tell us about this amazing spring collection.
DK: I presented it in September [in New York, at Milk Studios]. We did a presentation in basically, an architectural landscape, inspired by the work of Donald Judd. We wanted people to be able to walk around. We had twenty-five girls, all standing on different sculptures. My pieces were inspired by architecture, shapes, sculptures…I was interested in volume. Everything about it was to be very modern, the colors were kept muted. We didn’t want to go overboard with color. The direction of the spring collection was very much about following what I did with accessories, which was very puristic shapes.

The fabrics are incredible.
DK: There was a lot of research that I did with various mills in order to get the textures. [Gesturing to the silk shirt she was wearing] The silk gets woven in a certain way that after it’s done weaving, the threads are kept very long and you have to take one of these long sabers – is that what you call it? – to cut off the strands.

Made in the States?
DK: Everything is sewn in the garment district. It’s important now, to support our economy.

So…about that.
DK: Especially now, when all the stores are closing, rumors have it that fifty percent of all the factories are going to close by the end of the year. Designers are reducing their orders. It is really a pity.

Why essentially launch yourself as a ready-to-wear designer, now?
DK: It was a good time for me. When I started handbags, there was a gap in the market and I felt that all the needs weren’t being addressed. I felt the same thing again now. Yes of course not the best time with this economy, but, we do have buyers, people do buy our clothes, and I think we’re growing. It’s really more of a personal choice. I needed to do this in order to be able to grow in all the other areas we started – with the handbags and shoes – it was part of my personal evolution of where I wanted to be as a designer. Now more than ever, it’s relevant to have great design and great quality because people really are looking for that. In a way, the recession is good because a lot of unnecessary things will disappear…it makes room for better design and people will focus attention again on really important things.

What about lower-priced design at stores like H&M and Target?
DK: I think it’s really good. Not everyone can afford the high price points and I think it’s important to have everyone be able to afford, even if it’s a knockoff. I take it [knockoffs] as a compliment I have to say. I was given the opportunity a few years back to do the Target collection – the bags retailed for $30. Yes they were plastic and yes it wasn’t the same, but we were so happy to be able to do that. We could touch a different customer.

How has the economy changed the way you design? How does the retailer opinion influence, or not influence, you?
DK: I have been keeping an eye on price points. For example, I try not to choose fabrics that are too expensive that will make the garment too expensive, or I try to choose leathers that are reasonable for handbags and shoes. So that affects how I design. But what I do not do is…I try not to listen too much about what other people think you should do, what they think is going to sell. Because in the past, Ive learned my lesson. A lot of retailers have told me, you know, ‘you should do that, because it will sell, people look for that’ and so forth. And there’s always a lag of time, between the time somebody tells you what is selling and the time your product actually hits the market. By the time it comes out, these people, who are not visionaries, told you something a few months back, and then it comes out and it’s just not relevant anymore. I came out with some product in the past where I didn’t feel that it was my soul, and I didn’t really love the product, but I did it because I was told that this is what I should be doing. So it kind of took me away from what I’m really about and what my things really are about. It’s really a fine line to walk, and I’m not ready to do that again.

Wow. That must be really hard – to do that balance.
DK: I’m not ready to give up what I’m really about to please the retailers. Because at the end of the day, if it’s not really you and you can’t stand behind it, then you know, there’s no relevance to it. The funny this is, once you do that, that’s what sells. People want the passion. People can see that this is something special, something that they haven’t seen yet. Because you try to do something special.

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PB Interviews: Diana Minshall @Dascha

Posted on February 13, 2009
Filed Under Interviews | 3 Comments

Did this interview weeks ago…figure now’s the time to post! This is a long one, but trust me, worth the read. Happy Valentine’s Day inspiration!

{Diana at the store with a mini feather whip: “Sometimes when I get bored at work, I snuggle with it.”}

My first encounter with Diana Minshall was as this perky, preppy salesgirl who worked at the equally preppy and perky Sherman Pickey (hi, Ethan and Lindsey!). Fast-forward a year or so, and she emails to let me know about Dascha, the “boudoir boutique” where she’s working on a quiet street in Georgetown. I went in and basically had my mind blown. She and the (awesome) owners Ann and Analena talk about sex in the most refreshingly open and honest way. Take, for example, the day I walked in to check out their lingerie selection. In walks Diana’s male friend W, a regular fixture on the Georgetown social scene (I won’t say his full name in case that’s embarrassing) with a gaggle of girls. He’s asking her questions in a kind of boasting way, and she launches into this explanation of vibrators and then starts talking about water-based lubricant versus silicone-based lubricants. He asks, “can I go upstairs and try one out?” Without missing a beat, she says, “I can give you a sample to take home.”

At this point, I’m like, slack-jawed impressed with her and hiding behind a display of vibrating rubber duckies. Read on to find out how Georgetown just got a lot more interesting.

Tell me about working at Dascha. Must be different from Sherman Pickey! It is challenging every single day in a way that I have never been challenged before. Every day is different from the one before, and there is always something more that I can learn from each experience whether it be about retail, the sex toy or lingerie industry, communicating with others, or my own feelings about sex and relationships. The job is incredibly unique in the sense that it deals with something that is so important in our lives, yet so personal and private. I have had to become as knowledgeable as possible about all of the merchandise and products we carry so that I can offer the best suggestions to the customers depending on their individual situations. Since sex is such a taboo topic, our customers feel very relieved that they can feel comfortable coming into Dascha and talking to us about one of the most private aspects of their lives. We are part saleswomen, part sexperts, part therapists! There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you have truly helped someone and made them feel better about themselves. This is the first time in my life that I have had a job where I get up every morning before work and genuinely look forward to what the day will hold.

Working at Dascha is obviously a huge change from working at Sherman Pickey, but so much of the basic job is the same. Thankfully, I had great bosses at Sherman Pickey that took the time to teach me how to merchandise well and deal with customers in a way that was professional and helpful. I can safely say that most of the retail knowledge I brought to Dascha came from my wonderful experience at Sherman Pickey.

What are top sellers? There are items that we are constantly selling out of and having to reorder, namely the We-Vibe and certain Lelo toys. The We-Vibe is an unbelievable creation, so it’s no wonder we can hardly keep it on the shelves- it’s the 2008 sex toy of the year, and the only toy designed to be worn during intercourse. It’s shaped like a little, curvy “U”, with two motors on either side. It’s completely rechargeable, water resistant, and made of really high end medical grade silicone. For years, sex toy designers and scientists have been trying in vain to make a hands free toy that provides G-spot and clitoral stimulation during intercourse without interfering in the process, and these guys just absolutely knocked it out of the park with the We-Vibe. As for the Lelo toys, our best sellers have been the Gigi, and the Iris. Lelo is a Swedish based company that sells some of the highest end toys on the market. They are all made of high grade medical silicone and plastic, they’re all rechargeable, and all crafted with the best motors in the industry. Most of them are made in feminine colors, and have very non threatening, unintimidating designs. The Gigi’s great because it can be used for external, clitoral stimulation, but it has a nub on the end that is great for G-spot stimulation as well. In addition, it makes a perfect anal toy. It’s very versatile, and you get a lot of bang for your buck (pun intended)! The Iris is another great toy that we can barely keeps on the shelves- it’s a little like the Rabbit in the way that it’s shaped, except that it’s rechargeable and has a few different design components that really enhance the overall experience and hit all the right spots.

You’re always preaching about lubricants. Most of our new customers are shocked to find out that there is a whole other world beyond KY and Astroglide. It’s incredibly difficult to describe how much better these lubricants are without experiencing them, but suffice to say almost all of our customers end up purchasing one as soon as they put a drop on their finger. It’s like realizing you could be driving a Maserati after driving a Honda for your entire life. For not that much of a price difference! In addition, most people don’t realize the differences between all of the various types of lubricants and what they’re optimally used for. Once they figure it out, they don’t usually go back to run of the mill, sticky, tacky lubricant.

Also, toy cleaner is one of the most underrated products out there- I sometimes feel like a pushy salesperson when I sell a toy and recommend that the customer also purchase x, y, and z to go with it, but toy cleaner is one of those things I will always strongly suggest. Even if the customer ends up not purchasing a whole thing of cleaner, we give them a sample so that they at least have some. If you invest in something that is going inside your body, it’s important to take care of it and use a cleaning product that is designed for that purpose. Soap and water is not!

Your favorites products? There are so many cool things in the store, so it would be really hard to pick out my favorites. But, we do have this great little lipstick vibrator that charges in your computer’s USB port. Great for the gal or guy on the go! As far as sex toy technology goes, I think that’s really cool.

Who are your customers? What do you wish more women would do to enhance their sexual experience? Our clients are typically people that are eager to learn and better their sex lives, be it with a partner or by themselves. I wish that more women would read the guide books. They are incredibly helpful in terms of exploring your body and figuring out what works for you and how to figure that out. It’s very important to know and be comfortable with what you like before you can do it well with a partner. Getting to know your body well is totally underrated but necessary. Also, the the importance of safe sex. We stock a wealth of products and try to encourage people to protect themselves and their partners. We even ordered these amazing condoms from Japan that are super thin but super strong, so it doesn’t feel like anything. And we have cute little compacts that you can hide condoms in so they’re not just floating around your purse at night.

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Project Beltway is Famous

Posted on January 8, 2009
Filed Under Interviews, Only in Washington | 1 Comment

The fine folks over at FamousDC featured me the other day. I think I like my answers very much...

I'm going to Etete for dinner tonight! I love that place. Maybe pistachio ice cream for dessert...

{above: My mom very graciously passed down some cool Bruno Magli sandals to me recently. We found them together in a vintage store in Florida. Need to get over to American Valet to replace the bottoms of the tres adorable wooden cone heels...}

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