Now that you are likely charmed by Louis Senofonte’s comedic timing and gift for layering vintage looks, let’s go a little deeper with the collaborative pro and president of Natalie Martin.

At first read or glance, his world might seem delightfully eclectic: fashion, ceramics, restaurants, theater, Ani DiFranco…the list goes on and on, with enough recommendations to maintain your FoMo for months.

But I realized all of those interests are connected by the same idea: Lou doesn’t actually think in categories. In his mind, creativity isn’t a series of separate disciplines competing for attention. They’re all part of one giant conversation in his (insanely creative) membrane.

That philosophy has shaped everything from Lou’s personal style to the way he helps lead Natalie Martin, where he’s been president since 2023. Long before collaborations became a marketing strategy, he viewed them as something else entirely: introductions.

Learn more about Lou’s curiosity, community, and why he thinks the best taste-makers aren’t gatekeepers; they’re connectors.

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Rather than seeing other brands as “competition,” you were an early adopter of collaborating with them. Why?

My brain just naturally works in a very cross-disciplinary way. If I’m immersed in something creative, it’s almost impossible for me to keep focus in a straight line.

I remember when Opening Ceremony first opened in New York, going with my cousin Marni while she was pulling for a shoot. They had all these Rodarte sweatshirts and sweaters made exclusively for OC, and I needed the “J’aime Rodarte” sweatshirt like I needed air to breathe. This was long before “hyped collabs” became the norm, but over the years I was introduced to so many artists, musicians, designers, and brands through Opening Ceremony and the world they were building around collaboration. It made me a return customer. I was constantly checking the site, popping into the store, wanting to know what was next.

And I realized later on that what I loved most wasn’t just the product; it was the feeling of discovery.

That became a question I asked myself years later, once I started working on the brand side of fashion: what makes someone come back again and again? Yes, they may love the brand itself, but I think people are really craving an introduction. They want to feel like they’re being let into a world.

Being more of the “business” person inside creative brands also probably helped remove the idea of competition for me. I’m not the designer. My ego isn’t attached to being the only creative voice in the room. That said, I’ve only ever worked for brands whose product I genuinely love and believe in.

Then I think about the customer relationship itself:

A dialed-in customer trusts the brand they repeatedly purchase from, and I actually think that trust deepens when they feel they’re not constantly being sold to but instead being introduced to things thoughtfully.

It shifts the dialogue. It shifts the consumer-brand relationship entirely.

Tell me about how you’ve brought this mentality to Natalie Martin.

Nat is such a genuine lover of the arts and has absolutely zero creator ego. She gets just as excited about featuring another clothing brand as she does about promoting a ceramicist or painter. That openness allows the collaborations to feel authentic instead of transactional. Her true admiration of other creators’ work drops any air of competition.

Yes, we are highlighting small makers and creating projects with bespoke creatives, but we’re also leveraging like-minded brands and their audiences to introduce new people into our world and vice versa. People worry so much about “cart size” or the customer buying someone else’s piece instead of yours. And sure, maybe during a collaborative event, a customer buys one NM dress instead of two because they also fell in love with something from our partner brand. But I actually think that act of discovery deepens their relationship with us in the long run.

They stop feeling like they’re being marketed to and start feeling like they’re part of the crew.

And ultimately that builds what I think matters most: trust and community. Two things that feel increasingly rare right now. I don’t think those are things brands should be trying to commoditize. I think we should be trying to create real value around them. Emotional value, relational value, and, yes, ultimately, the fiscal value follow.

So who are your favorite under-the-radar creatives that you wish more people knew about?

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Let’s get this out of the way now: You’re going to want to befriend Lou Senofonte. I know I did, immediately upon first meeting him at the Paris/NYC kids’ show Playtime in 2019, where we were exhibiting across from each other. He had me at first glance when I spotted him in an insane vintage mash-up complete with layered stacks of jewelry. And then there was his life-size, openly warm, and eagerly interested-in-you persona.

Once I introduced him to my editor, , for this feature she also wanted to join the Lou Senofonte Fan Club. In fact, the 40-year-old president of Natalie Martin is so charming and so utterly and wonderfully himself — from tie-dye tops and pinkie rings to self-deprecating one-liners — that she convinced me to toss out our standard format this week and let him go rogue! According to her, “He’s too loquacious and wildly entertaining not to speak for himself.”

First, though, a small introduction and professional recap of this man who equates his style with “a child’s reckless abandon” and claims that nurturing one’s look is all about “finding a recipe.” He hails from Pennsylvania’s Rust Belt, where fashion ran in the family: His great-grandmother sewed a sample of the first DVF wrap dress, and his cousin styled hip-hop icons from Beyoncé to Lauryn Hill.

After undergraduate and grad school in Philly, at just 24, Lou cobbled together enough money, thanks to a stint in finance, to open a clothing boutique-cum-art gallery called Lucifer. “Was it a good idea? Absolutely not,” he recalls. “But that’s sort of what your twenties are for. Philly, being an affordable city, allowed that bad idea to happen, and had it not happened, I genuinely don’t know if I would be where I am today.”

That “where” is literally in Los Angeles with his boyfriend, Chris, and dogs Goldie Hawn and Matilda, and professionally as a successful fashion executive at a niche brand who spends much of his day-to-day life thinking operationally about customer relations, management strategy, forecasting, automation, and optimization. “I may be building out three versions of a 3YP [three-year plan] or troubleshooting backend logistics all day long, but I’m doing it dressed like Lou,” he says.

Thank goodness! Guarantee you’ll want to friend him immediately after reading this.

Let’s start at the beginning. Who inspired you sartorially?

I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs from humble beginnings, where there’s a drive and work ethic that becomes part of your personality. You work for everything, and you work hard. My obsession with fashion started very young. I grew up surrounded by strong women who each treated getting dressed as a form of storytelling. I was so drawn to the way they used clothing and personal style to communicate who they were without ever saying a word.

My grandmother, Nana Gin aka Nanabell aka Ginny, taught me the importance of a strong accessory. I can still remember Saturday afternoons sitting on her bed, pawing through jewelry boxes and helping her choose the pieces for her look that day. She also loves a handbag. When she was still in the corporate world, working as the director of nursing at a psychiatric hospital, she would rotate them weekly: bag, matching wallet, coin purse, everything. I’d sit at the dining room table, absolutely mesmerized as she unpacked and repacked the “look” for the week ahead. The ceremony of it all. Like religion — less the guilt! Unless you count buyer’s remorse.

While other kids wanted to spend summer break at Dorney Park & Wild Water Kingdom, I wanted to go to the King of Prussia Mall with my Nana. Lunch at the Zodiac Room and hours wandering Neiman Marcus were more my speed—still are!

I also spent a great deal of time with my great-grandmother Patria, aka Nana Pat or Pat the Cat, a first-generation Italian seamstress who did all of our family’s tailoring. Fun fact: She actually sewed the sample of Diane von Furstenberg’s very first wrap dress. Truly iconic!

She had this magical sewing room, and I remember my cousin Marni coming in from New York on weekends with armfuls of Adidas tracksuits and handkerchiefs and all these wild ideas for how Nana Pat could reconstruct them into something entirely new. At the time, Marni was styling Salt-N-Pepa, Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige… and I just thought it was the coolest thing imaginable. Watching clothing transform into identity in real time.

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What is your earliest memory of cultivating your own style?

It was a trip to New York in the fall of 1997. I was 11, and my mom was taking my sister and me to stay with Marni and see The Lion King on Broadway. I had spent weeks planning my looks. There was an all-white Polo Ralph Lauren windbreaker tracksuit that was the moment: hat and shoes already selected, obviously. I had a dinner look planned, some mixed plaid Ralph Lauren situation, about five wardrobe changes total for a two-day trip. What I hadn’t planned for was failing a math test on Tuesday before.

In a truly terrible decision, I attempted to change the grade on the paper myself unsuccessfully. My punishment? I was only allowed to bring one outfit to New York. I had to wear my travel look there Friday, wear it all day Saturday, and travel home in it Sunday. Clean undies and socks were the only other things in my bag. If my outfit got dirty, apparently, we could “wash it at Marni’s.” Devastating. I’m fairly certain Marni or my Nana had to stay back with me while my mom took my sister to FAO Schwarz because I refused to risk dirtying the white sweatsuit before theater. I did not speak to my mother for the remainder of the trip and, honestly, probably held the grudge for another full week afterward. Maybe I still do? Ask my therapist.

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How did where you were raised influence your style?

I grew up in the “upper middle class” pocket of Scranton and went to prep school during the early aughts when Dave Matthews, Guster, and Phish absolutely reigned supreme. My aesthetic heading into Philly, where I studied undergraduate and graduate at La Salle and Temple, could best be described as “stoner kid at the country club.” Then I got to Philly, where so much of the fashion scene at the time was this incredible blend of underground hipster and urban influence. I think my style today still sits somewhere in that intersection: undone prep with a little hippie soul and some urban edge mixed in. Philly made me a little tougher, but it also taught me that it’s a real miss to take yourself too seriously.

What are a few pieces in your closet that you often gravitate toward and feel most like you?

• Elder Statesman tie-dye cashmere sweaters! There is probably no single item in my closet that feels more inherently me. I fell in love with the brand in its earliest days because the concept of bespoke cashmere completely blew my mind. But tie-dyed? As someone who has loved tie-dye since childhood, it felt like the most elevated possible version of myself. The grown-up evolution of all the Grateful Dead and Peace Frog tees I wore as a kid.

  

  I bought my first sweater around 2012 or 2013 and still wear it constantly. Since then, I’ve collected them slowly over the years. When in doubt, I throw on an Elder Statesman crewneck. Always the simple crew. They somehow feel equal parts luxurious, nostalgic, laid-back, smart, and a little bit eccentric, which is exactly how I hope to come across!

• RTH kilties. I discovered RTH completely by accident on a work trip to LA sometime around 2016. I was walking — yes, walking — down La Cienega on my way to Opening Ceremony when I passed this tiny little shop. I had absolutely no idea what I was walking into, but I left with a pile of beaded necklaces and a set of kilties that quietly became a permanent part of my style vocabulary. The original LA shop has since closed, but they now have an outpost in Palm Springs that I visit almost every time we’re in the desert. I can’t get enough of them.

  The prep-school boy in me will always love a boat shoe or a saddle shoe, but the kilties changed the way those classics fit into my personal style. They gave them a little weirdness, a little soul.

• A pinky ring! Left pinky, specifically. I love them so much. There’s something about a pinky ring that immediately makes me feel like my Papa, like a man. I know that’s objectively a funny explanation, but it’s true.

  I’ve built a nice little collection over the years, though I usually rotate between three favorites: my Nana’s vintage signet ring with her initials set in diamonds, an incredible Sarah Hendler Cupola that strangers stop me about constantly, and a Foundrae “protection” ring (they don’t make anymore, but here it is in strength) that I bought myself during a particularly hard chapter of life. I’ve become deeply attached to it.

  I’ve also been heavily eyeing the Camber ring from SD Studio lately. I love Spenser’s collection and especially love that the pieces can be customized. I would absolutely do mine in gold with turquoise.

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What are some favorite pieces around your home that help you curate a certain vibe or bring you the most joy day-to-day?

I love things. Objects. Living with them, touching them, moving them around. I think home should feel deeply collected and deeply personal; less decorated, more accumulated over time. So many things in our home bring me joy:

• Cara de Planta ceramics are high on that list. I’m completely obsessed with the Mexico City-based studio. I bought my first platter at Kneeland, and the collection has steadily grown from there. Chris and I actually visited their studio during a trip to Mexico City last year, and it was incredible seeing the world behind the work in person.

• I also love Bitossi Ceramiche, specifically the Rimini Blu collection designed by Aldo Londi. The color, the figures, the texture… I’m endlessly drawn to it. We have a few around the house: the dove, which I’ve thought was a pigeon, is my fave. The collection has been continuously produced since 1959, which feels telling. There’s obviously something timeless and emotionally resonant about it.

• I try to make it to the wholesale flower market in our neighborhood weekly because having fresh flowers in the house changes the entire energy of a space for me, but equally important are the vessels that hold them. Our NM flagship in LA shares a wall with Lily Lodge flower shop, and I’ve picked up incredible pieces there from Ugly Mudd, Katie Queen, as well as some amazing vintage vessels.

  

• Knick-knacks from my grandparents’ home. Vintage ashtrays. Family photo albums. There’s also this brass deer I’ve been obsessed with since childhood that used to live on my grandparents’ coffee table and now lives on ours. Those kinds of inherited objects always mean the most to me because they carry memory with them.

• And lastly, one of my favorite things in the house is our book collection because it feels like the clearest visual representation of Chris and me combined. Chris is an amazing cook, and he has an incredible cookbook collection. Molly Baz, Donna Hayes, and Mariana Velasquez are on repeat, while I’ve accumulated years of coffee table and art books such as Ryan McGinley, Ugo Rondinone, and Pucci.

What kind of music do you listen to?

My music taste is honestly all over the place. My forever favorite artists could not be more different, and yet somehow both feel spiritually very connected to me: Billy Joel and Ani DiFranco. They are incredible storytellers who are deeply tied to time, place, emotion, and character.

But while I’m working, it’s almost always playlists over albums. I love a playlist. Really, I love the spirit of a burned CD; the guardrails of the perfect 18-20 songs that belong together for a very specific mood, drive, dinner party, spiral, etc. Most mixes I make at this point inevitably include “Losing You” by Solange, “Gloria” by Laura Branigan, and a healthy amount of Talking Heads. There’s usually either some strange emotional throughline connecting all of it or zero throughline built fully on vibes.

Please tell us you made an i/Edit playlist…

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Still, I wanted and needed a physical and emotional reboot this month; an escape from a challenging period, which I mentioned in previous letters. For me, the antidote to stress is not always relaxing on a beach or reflecting at a retreat in the mountains, but immersion into the pulse of a city where you’re kind of just along for the ride. Or in this case, three rides: Vienna, Budapest, and Paris.

I found my reset in leisurely breakfasts where I ate more sourdough and butter than I care to admit; in wandering exhibits at The Belvedere and Fondation Louis Vuitton, where rooms filled with Klimt and Calder transported me far, far away from my everyday ruminations; and through exploring less traveled side streets of visually stimulating cities where I could walk all day, meet with makers, and visit farmers markets.

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At Vienna’s Belvedere, I got lost in the layers of Gustav Klimt. As the force of the Vienna Secession, Klimt wove all the right notes into his work — desire, mortality, conflict — which were both concealed and revealed beneath cascading gold leaf and serpentine details. I loved reading that his commissions scandalized Viennese society, but the city’s elite still couldn’t resist his portraits. Maybe because they had a way of exposing their subjects’ inner lives as much as their outer formality and elegance. Klimt seemed to understand that beauty and discomfort are an irresistible combination. IMO, The Kiss — his iconic oil painting of an entwined couple — was only the beginning.

Growing up with a Mom who became a pediatrician in the late 1950’s and then went back to do a second residency when I was eight to become a psychoanalyst, I heard a lot of Sigmund Freud chatter in the house. Naturally, I had to visit the birthplace of psychoanalysis, where Freud lived and tested his theories for nearly 50 years before fleeing the Nazis. There was a haunting temporary exhibit at the Sigmund Freud Museum, which uncovered new research on his heartbreaking efforts to get his elderly sisters out of Vienna during WW2, to no avail. Walking through the rooms of his home, you felt the intense energy, and while I was exploring, I was constantly thinking, “If only these walls could talk.” (HIPAA be damned!)

Staying at the boutique hotel Altstadt Vienna was another highlight. Built in 1902 and located in the 7th district, which is the city’s creative hub, each room is designed by a different designer. And jackpot for this Josef Frank-obsessed Austrian-Swedish designer groupie: They even have a suite dedicated to his incredible textile collection. As a bonus for fellow art lovers, the hotel also houses a considerable collection of contemporary art from the likes of Warhol, Brigitte Kowanz, Prachensky, Leibowitz, Attersee, and Helnwein. I almost didn’t want to leave the hotel!

I always wanted to see the opera in Vienna, so we got tickets to Strauss’s lighthearted (albeit 4.5-hour) Der Rosenkavalier, which was farcical enough to qualify as an escape! (And no, we did not stay for its entirety)

I popped into the iconic vintage stereo and hi-fi store, Raum-Akustik, where I met a woman who seemed like Vienna’s Queen of Vintage. She had her own vintage capsule tucked into a corner of the store, where she sat with her grey bob, wearing an adorable black-and-white dress and sculptural earrings that dangled like a perfect bunch of grapes. She shared stories on life, love, and aging, like how she and her ex-husband decided to live together as BFF’s in their later years. I thought about her for days afterwards.

In Budapest, we walked the cobblestone streets through the old Jewish Quarter and learned about a chillingly efficient 55-day period in 1944 when the Nazis and the Hungarian government deported 400,000 Jews. It was tempered by the most beautiful music streaming out of the open windows of Franz Liszt Academy of Music. We loved exploring the plateau, called Castle Hill, in Upper Buda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you can get lost for hours looking at the unparalleled views of Budapest below.

A sunset cruise on the Danube watching the lights come on at night was a highlight, as was meeting the handbag designer Krisztina from Mosko bags. I scored a gorgeous, masterfully-crafted, simply-designed (and well-priced!) bag that my daughter Lily will be the lucky recipient of.

I have been Alexander Calder obsessed since my Mom took me to the Whitney to meet him when I was barely taller than a small shrub. Call me crazy, but that’s why I went to Paris for just 36 hours: to see Calder’s “Rêver en Équilibre” at the Fondation Louis Vuitton.

The exhibition spans 50 years of work and includes almost 300 pieces from the playful chaos of his 1920s “Cirque Calder” performances to the monumental sculptures that reshaped public spaces. His mobiles appear to drift through Frank Gehry’s soaring architecture, turning the entire building and grounds into a living artwork.

It was also fun to see Pont Neuf transformed into “La Caverne Pont Neuf.” Conceived and created by the street artist JR, the metamorphosis converted the bridge into a trompe l’oeil style rocky mountain-cave right in the middle of the city. Fun fact: I was there in 1985 when Christo and Jeanne-Claude covered the bridge with almost 500,000 square feet of fabric and eight miles of rope for “The Pont Neuf Wrapped,” which was JR’s inspiration for this project 40 years later.

My meals at Tekes and Soces hit every mark. Merci to my almost-Parisienne editor for the recommendations! Finally, Paris is not Paris without Le Bon Marché, and the mothership did not disappoint.

All in all, three cities in 9 days were just the reset I needed. Now, back to summer in my own town: New York, New York. And since my hockey team, The Montreal Canadiens, just lost The Stanley Cup playoffs, let’s switch to basketball: Go Knicks!

What’s your preferred way to decompress and/or “vacation”?

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1. To prepare for my time in Vienna, I purchased The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, a historical novel about the life of Austrian film director G.W. Pabst during the period when he fled Nazi Germany for Hollywood, only to return to Germany to make films under the Third Reich. Shortlisted for The Booker Prize and the NYT’s top 10 books for 2026. It was an absorbing read about how art and barbarism co-mingle.

2. I recently reconnected with the artist Karyn Lyons, a woman I worked with fresh out of college at the Madison Avenue PR agency Manning, Selvage & Lee. She left soon after I started and went on to work at Polo Ralph Lauren, and then with Jenna Lyons (no relation) at J. Crew, before leaving to study art, her true passion, at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Her canvases feel like the emotional layers of a female diary, filled with adolescent themes like longing, belonging, uncertainty, and discovery. I hope to own at least one in my lifetime!

   

3. Writer-director Sophy Romvari didn’t even think she’d get a distributor for her film, “Blue Heron,” but her semi-autobiographical movie about a Hungarian family who relocate to Vancouver Island in the ’90s in search of a new beginning had a successful festival run (and scored near a perfect 100 on Rotten Tomatoes) and is at the top of my watch list.

4. Fashion-wise, Molyan makes a chore jacket painterly, abstract, and fun, and I see myself slowing down amid sunny days in this petit pareo from Soleil Soleil. Meanwhile, this ‘Saint Tropez’ maxi dress from SOLER has summer 2026 written all over it. (I was first introduced to Alex Al-Bader’s London-based collection at my friend Claudja’s Amagansett shop, Lazy Point, 15 years ago, and own more pieces than I care to admit!) It’s summer, so we all need a little flip and a little flop! This mesh one from Britt Netta does the trick and won’t break the bank, while Alaia’s fishnet is the ultimate splurge.

   

5. Who doesn’t love a cheerful pillow?

6. I felt at home upon first read with Sheri Radel Rosenberg’s Substack . The style and culture platform doesn’t just publish stellar content but stellar writing, too. Also, it turns out we have a lot in common! She also tells it as she sees it, straight with beautiful zigs and zags. She also loves the hunt, cruising a field of vintage to find an item that has a story. Her recent post on Brimfield hit every mark from Madras to Miu Miu. Sheri’s Substack is, indeed, cool!

See you next month!

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Amy Abrams, whom I featured here last week, has spent over two decades immersing herself in the world of makers and vintage finds. In doing so, she’s maintained an approach to style, collecting, and even entertaining that feels refreshingly pragmatic.

The co-owner of Manhattan Vintage and other markets offers a larger lesson for us all: that a signature look — whether in your closet or your living room — comes from choosing pieces with history, personality, and, like art, an emotional connection.

The way I see it, one of vintage fashion’s greatest appeals is that I never see myself walking down the street. Wearing something pre-loved is the perfect way to accent a new piece and make it my own.

Here’s some more of Amy’s signature aesthetic and how to adopt versions of it for yourself.

The Eras Tour: Rewind to What Works for You

Sometimes, the decade that resonates most changes with life experience, and as one’s personal taste evolves.

“For a long time, I loved the ’70s and ’80s,” says Amy, “but I’ve rediscovered a real appreciation for the ’90s.”

Part of that connection is personal nostalgia; She was in college and entering the workforce during that decade. But I bet it’s also about practicality and taste. After all, she says it’s the era’s “streamlined, tailored sensibility” that speaks to her now in a way it didn’t before.

To me, this proves how important it is not to chase whatever vintage decade is currently trending online, but rather to focus on silhouettes and moods that genuinely fit your current, and personal, lifestyle. Minimal tailoring, relaxed suiting, and clean lines — hallmarks of the ’90s — can feel surprisingly modern because they’re wearable in everyday life, which explains why Amy’s never met a tuxedo look from any decade that she didn’t love!

“I believe [they’re] as versatile as a denim shirt. You can dress it up or dress it down, and you will reliably look chic, sophisticated, and likely feel comfortable too! I have quite a collection in various colors and styles, but I have a Yves St. Laurent Rive Gauche one from the 70s that’s really one of my favorites.”

Why the Labels Matter Less Than the Story

In resale, terminology can sometimes feel more important than the clothes themselves — or add (or subtract) value. But Amy takes a more grounded view when it comes to wordplay.

Traditionally, she says, vintage refers to items that are at least 20 years old, while “pre-loved” and “second-hand” simply indicate prior ownership. Though she claims that “pre-loved” feels more modern, while “second-hand” can sound dated.

Personally, my favorite pieces are vintage, dead stock, or limited editions, but the bigger point, of course, is emotional, not semantic.

“Ultimately, it’s less about the label and more about the intention behind wearing something with a history,” she says, “that someone has worn (and loved) before.”

Build a Home Around Feeling, Not Perfection

Amy’s approach to decorating mirrors her outlook on clothing: personality matters more than perfection. When asked what every home should have, she starts not with objects, but atmosphere: “love and warmth.”

From there, her essentials become deeply personal and include, simply, “things that make you happy and reflect your story,” along with beautiful lighting, plants or flowers, color, even though she admits color is “not for everybody.” Oh, and for her personally, having a dog. (I’m with you on that one, Amy!)

Comfortable homes rarely get that way from buying new or matching everything and doing so immediately. Instead, they’re layered with objects that carry emotional weight and reflect lived experience, over time.

The Smartest Way to Shop While Traveling

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It all began with a button. Several, actually, and antique jewelry.

“I was completely smitten,” says Amy Abrams of her childhood treasure hunts to flea markets and stores like Heart’s Desire in her home city of Chicago, whose owner, she says, “had an incredible collection.”

Then there was her Mom’s silver collection and baubles from her grandmother, who “loved the bling,” she says. “I have been incredibly fortunate to inherit a lot of fabulous vintage jewelry.”

This early introduction to beauty in the form of objects eventually led Amy and her husband, Ronen Glimer, to curate and co-found Artists & Fleas, a marketplace for makers that brims with originality. The concept took off and paved the way for them to acquire the city’s most beloved fashion forum, Manhattan Vintage, in 2021. She just wrapped her fifth spring show last week.

“It was truly kismet to be given the opportunity to carry this iconic brand forward,” Amy tells me. “Vintage allows you to define your own point of view, and that’s very much part of my DNA.”

I couldn’t agree more. I love to time-travel through the eras via vintage clothing and accessories. As a teenager, it provided me with an authentic form of self-expression.

In fact, I have bought some of my favorite pieces at Manhattan Vintage over the years, including a purple and black geometric coat from the 1970s that — fun fact! — I was photographed wearing alongside the QUEEN of vintage herself, Iris Apfel, at Paris Fashion Week. I also purchased a killer pair of long black leather opera gloves with cutout flowers that expose just the right amount of skin. I cherish them!

When it comes to scouring the stands herself, Amy — whose daily uniform includes jeans and a vintage Hermès scarf — says her first few acquisitions beyond Mom and grandma really shaped her eye. Those included an Enid Collins embellished box purse, “which I still have,” she says; a Victorian lavaliere, which she also still has; a suede cowboy hat (yup, in rotation!), and a vintage ’70s Adini caftan that — you guessed it! — she continues to wear.

Over the past four years, I’ve seen how Amy’s elevated Manhattan Vintage by expanding the anchor show to three days, three times a year, introducing curated editions in special locations like the Hamptons, and launching focused shows like jewelry, denim, and home — the latter of which, Material Matters, debuted this year. (I missed it, but went and came back coveting, well, everything!)

Still, while her professional life tends to look towards the past, her personal life is planted in the present. When asked what brings her the most day-to-day joy, she named Ronen, their two kids, 20-year-old Ruby and 18-year-old Noa, two dogs, Romi and Scarlett, and either “a great cup of coffee or a glass of wine or beer on the stoop.”

Cheers to that.

What are the last fashion and home items you acquired, and the last items you gave away?

I just returned from Austin and found an incredible pair of cherry red 1960s deadstock cowgirl boots, and I recently gave my daughter a pair of vintage Levi’s. Home-wise, we just bought a red Moroccan carpet, and we’re in the process of letting go of an antique French mail sorting desk.

Who are your favorite under-the-radar creatives you wish more people knew about?

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What is the one item of clothing you grab the most often that makes you feel the most like yourself?

What is the one item that you splurged on, and why was it worth it?

What’s an item of clothing that you’ve had the longest, that, if you lost, you’d be devastated?

What piece has the most sentimental value for you?

BONUS!

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To us, she’s “Mom.” Maybe “Mommy,” “Mama,” or simply “Ma.” Or, like I called my paternal grandmother: “Mom-Mom.” If she’s an aunt, maybe she’s known as “Tata,” which is what ’s niece and nephew call her. Some maternal muses and mentors, who are friends, may even go by a secret codename courtesy of an inside joke from long ago. Either way, sometimes the important people in our lives who have mothered us become so ingrained in our brains as a noun, their given pronouns actually become secondary.

In fact, when we asked some of our favorite people to participate in this post about the maternal mentors or muses who have inspired or mothered them, so many of them forgot to share their actual given names!

We reminded them what they already knew, of course: that these humans who birthed them or held them in some other meaningful way are so much more than a moniker could ever encapsulate. Below, we learn why.

“As a jewelry designer who started a business out of her bedroom and grew it to a recognizable brand name in India, my mom, Poonam Soni, inspired me deeply as early as I can recall. She showed me that we can do anything as long as we have a vision and a dream. She continues to encourage me and support my growth, and is also a perfect model for my pieces. Love you, Mom!” — Esha Soni, Founder Esha Soni

“My grandmother, whom we called Birdsel and I miss terribly, was a massive influence on my life. She taught me about design, good food, ballet, etiquette, and so much more. She loved unconditionally, with her big heart, and was my No. 1 fan.” — Joanna Williams, Owner of LA’s Kneeland Co.

“My mother, Denise Thomas, has been the most influential and nurturing presence in my life. She has always been my biggest cheerleader, supporting every dream I’ve ever had, no matter how big or unconventional. From driving 45 minutes each way so I could take sewing classes, to encouraging my childhood dream of becoming an Olympic gymnast, she has shown up for me with unwavering belief.

When I started my brand, she proudly wore my designs to work and church, helping spread the word in the most genuine and loving way. Her patience, generosity, and quiet strength continue to inspire me every day. She reminds me to keep going, to stay grounded, and to be deeply grateful for all that life has given me.” — Nia Thomas, Founder and Creative Director of NIA THOMAS

“My mother, Kathleen Francis, is one of my greatest inspirations. When I was young, she was a stay-at-home parent, but when I was about ten, she made the decision to go back to school and eventually to medical school. We didn’t have the money for full-time childcare, and my dad worked full-time, so with some help from my grandparents, she raised three children while working to become a doctor. I remember her juggling classes, exams, a residency, sometimes even 24-hour hospital shifts, with all of the demands of raising children and having a home. Now that I’m a parent myself, I understand how Herculean that was. Despite everything on her plate, she still made our childhood feel joyful and magical. She may have been screaming into pillows at night, but I never knew it; I always felt supported and loved. I now see myself in that struggle between deeply embedded ambition and a desire to be fully present for family.” — Jennifer Francis, Co-Founder, Kindred Black

“My mother has been the most influential person in my life. She taught me emotional strength, independence, and a sense of style — and has always been just a phone call away whenever I needed her.

Throughout my fashion essay collection, Clothes Minded, she appears in this role at every stage of my life, offering guidance, perspective, and comfort. The phrase ‘Hi, Mom,’ (and the conversations that followed) is woven into a dozen of the fifteen chapters, reflecting just how constant and meaningful her presence has been in my life.”
— , Journalist, Author, Brand Builder

“My mother has shown me what unconditional love is by example. She never talks about it, she does it, and it’s something I hope my kids feel from me, that sense that no matter what happens, there is someone in this world that loves you, regardless of what is said, what is done, what happens. What more can you ask for in being mothered?” — , Founder, Office of the Surface

“The woman who inspires me most is also the one who taught me that people can be both your greatest champion and your greatest challenge — sometimes in the same breath. My mother is a brilliant, brave, visionary. She is, lately, unexpectedly hilarious. She has mothered me deeply in some seasons, and in others, she simply couldn’t — not because she didn’t love me, but because she hadn’t yet learned to hold herself.

She is my biggest ally and my most formidable contender. And in watching her — her courage, her contradictions, her becoming — I’ve learned that the most inspiring people aren’t the ones who have it all together. They’re the ones who keep showing up anyway.” — Mariana Velásquez, Cookbook Author, Designer, Chef

“Tricia Joyce has been a dear friend for over 20 years — my touchstone through IVF, postpartum depression, motherhood, New York preschools, career changes, and now, planning for a future that is fraught and expensive AF. She’s one of those women who researches everything, shows up fully, and somehow manages to be both the quickest mind in the room and the warmest presence in it. We’ve traveled together from my 40th in Greece to a weekend in Miami, countless upstate escapes, and our January Mexico trip — testing the waters on working abroad.

With Tricia, nothing is ever off the table. Heartbreak, fear, husbands, aging parents, launching humans, hormones, compression socks, mushroom coffee, illness, recovery — she meets all of it with a steady, optimistic curiosity that I have never once taken for granted. And she makes the best margaritas around. But the moment I think of most is the day she showed up at my Tribeca loft — at the request of a mutual client who knew I was struggling — with donuts and coffee in hand. I had finally had the baby of my dreams after three years of IVF and couldn’t leave the house. She sat with me while I sobbed. Showing me what it looked like to mother a friend, that is exactly who Tricia is. And I am forever grateful she found her way to my door.” — , Co-founder and CEO, The Board

“My Dad taught me how to mother! Not by title, but by teaching me how to love. I mother the way my Dad loved me. And it was simply in the way he looked at me.

From the moment my children could walk down the stairs, they’ve been greeted the same way every day: I stand at the bottom, still and present. I look at them, gently pull them in from their sleepy stance for a hug (sometimes met with their arms down stance), and say quietly: ‘I love you. Today is a great day because you are here.’

No matter what the day brings, they’ve already felt it: that they are seen, that they are special, that there is no one else like them. They know I am their biggest champion (and I know they are mine). They are my true north.

This is the greatest title I will ever hold: their Mother. And my Dad gave that to me every day, until I was 38, in the way he looked at me, as if I were everything. As if all that was good in this world lived inside me. I swear he shot rainbows through his glances! It’s all I ever wanted to give back to my children.

I was also blessed with a deeply loving mother, whose love carried its own quiet power. Happy Mother’s Day to all the types of Moms. From aunts to friends to carpool help, we are all Mothering villages out there. Thank you.” — Christina Glickman, Founder, Businesswoman, Mother

“This may be an unconventional choice, but I’m choosing a peer as someone who has ‘mothered’ me. Amy Appleton Dreyer (@stepsofstyle) and I met a few years ago through Instagram. In that time, she’s become an outspoken advocate for herself and for other women. She speaks openly and honestly about the realities of womanhood, solo parenting, divorce, and building her own business (Blackbird Collection). In a sea of highly curated content, her candor and honesty feel both refreshing and inspiring.” — Tess Bruns, Creative Consultant

“‘Iya Ni Wura Iyebiye’ is arguably the most popular Yoruba song [from] my tribal ethnic group. Iya is our word for mother, and the song means a mother is a gift whose value is immeasurable. My mother, Modupe Olupona, has been a gift to me beyond measure. She is love embodied, feisty, creatively brilliant, can create and cook the best meals on the planet, and has truly taught me that love is in action.

As I built my company — actually when it was just an idea — my father's sister, Soledemi Jaiyeola, my second mother, cared for me and investied her life force and resources into our company. I would not be the woman I am without these two powerful women. Being mothered or being a mother is not a singular endeavor and in such gratitude to these two powerful unsung women.” — Busayo Olupona, Clothing & Textile Designer

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My daughter, Lily, was the pickiest eater from the earliest age. And then we took a trip to Berlin. By this time, she was about 12, and we met the kindest Icelandic chef, Victoria Eliasdottir, who was doing a Berlin residency in a vacant house that had the most welcoming, worn-in patina. This restaurant, Dottir—the Icelandic word for daughter!—was a dream, but I did not think Lily was going to eat much of anything. When Victoria came by to say hello and explain all the dishes, though, she had Lily at bread and butter! Lily was mesmerized by her descriptions and sampled everything.

After that one meal, Lily had a true culinary transformation, which was the biggest win for me. We could officially leave behind the world of chicken nuggets and buttered noodles.

As the years marched on, her interest in food, cooking, and baking grew, and now the tables have officially turned, as they say. These days, I would not plan a trip without her feedback! Nothing shows the passage of time more than your grown daughter now leading you to the most authentic, local, and low-key restaurants around.

Which is why, this and every Mother’s Day, all I really want from her (or anyone) is more time — quality time. But also love and thoughtfulness and the promise of new memories. Short of inviting myself over for a cooked meal once a month, or suggesting we start a mother/daughter book club1, these are my gift ideas for Lily — followed by some of her ideas! The general ethos behind our not-so-secret suggestions, however, can easily be replicated or personalized for anyone shopping for Mom.

A Place To Share

I fell head over heels with Morocco’s textures, colors, and sounds, and I just know Lily would also be mesmerized by the maze-like alleyways of Marrakech’s medina and Fez’s souks. I love the hustle and bustle, paired with the tradition of sipping mint tea in the midst of it all, and the most tranquil nights relaxing and sleeping in a riad lined with hand-made mosaic tiles, a gurgling fountain, and a gorgeous garden. If we had time, I would also take her to see the Atlas Mountains and eat some fresh-caught fish in Essaouira.

Stories First, Eat After

There’s a Brooklyn Book Crawl that connects 34 independent book shops, which would be fun to do together, followed by a meal at Laserwolf. That’s what I call a great day.

A Ritual to Experience

My favorite place to see films when I moved to NYC at Lily’s age was the Angelika Film Center on Houston Street. It’s a classic, and I would love to go to the movies with her there. While we’re at it, what about a once-a-month date for a museum or gallery? First up, the Whitney Biennial!

Little Luxuries to Love Big Time

It always makes me smile to pour my coffee or tea into a new mug, and I try to get a beautiful one from every place I visit. Giving handmade or cheeky mugs as gifts, like this blue stoneware one from Anthropologie, always makes people happy. Another one of my favorite pleasures is washing my hair with Crown Affair shampoo and conditioner. The notes of bergamot, yuzu, lemongrass, green tea, and sandalwood are life-changing and calming. Finally, I love a fun nail polish color, and Ten Over Ten has hues that pop and hues that are classic and subdued. Plus, they’re non-toxic, so there’s no overwhelming chemical smell.

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A Place to Share

When I studied abroad in Copenhagen, Vienna was my favorite European city that I visited. A huge reason for that is the Belvedere Museum. The art itself is breathtaking (a Klimt-lover’s dream!), but the grounds themselves are just as spectacular, with grand architecture and stunning gardens reminiscent of those in Paris. Knowing how much my mom loves art (she’s a huge reason I do, too), I’d love to tour the Belvedere with her.

Stories First, Eat After

One of my favorite books is Writers & Lovers by Lily King, but her most recent novel, Heart the Lover, might have surpassed it for me. Mother-daughter relationships are the heart of the stories, so I’d love to have a little mother-daughter book club with these two books because—no spoilers here!—there’s a fun and incredibly satisfying connection between the two.

One of the parts of Copenhagen I miss the most is the concept of hygge, a word that hearkens closely to “coziness.” Cafes become a place where Danes socialize for hours, and they’re often decorated with dim lighting, lots of candles, and a bevy of warm drinks, so I was so excited when I found Gem Home in Soho. Part homeware store, part cafe, it transported me back to Copenhagen, from the hygge vibe to the traditional Danish breakfast plate and cardamom buns. My mom loved everything about Copenhagen when she visited me, and I know that Gem Home would be no exception. It would be special to take a trip back to Denmark with her, without leaving New York!

A Ritual to Experience

Artists like David Bowie, the Stones, and Fleetwood Mac soundtracked my childhood and, without a doubt, played a role in my love for music today. One of the most fun parts of growing up in this way has also been my parents’ open-mindedness to new music like The Strokes, who recently announced their upcoming album and tour. My mom is already very familiar with my favorite Strokes songs, and it would be so fun to experience one of their shows with her.

Little Luxuries to Love Big Time

As someone who was recently (kindly) scolded by her stylist when she learned I wash my hair every day, I’ve always admired how my mom has always taken such good care of her hair. It’s strong and healthy, and she can certainly go longer than I can without washing it! I think she would love this clarifying shampoo from Ouai, which uses apple cider vinegar. It’s the perfect Mother’s Day gift for anyone who cares about their hair health.

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Join us next week for heartfelt stories about maternal muses from some of our favorite i/Edit contributors!

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Recently, I was overwhelmed with an overnight bag full of emotions. Sleep evaded me, and concentration was hard to come by as I prepared for the imminent passing of my stepfather of 50 years. Thinking of all the next steps, the planning, the tick-tock of time—just all of it—felt like a simmering pot of percolating thoughts about to spill over at any moment.

I had just come home from the Philly area, where I’m from, and he and my mother live, and I recently moved my daughter into her first NYC apartment post-grad. My mind was a pendulum of life and death thoughts.

Upon my arrival back in Westchester, staring me in the face was a growing pile of handwashing that had been there, embarrassingly, since the summer. All the pieces I wore on repeat from Nackiye, Natalie Martin, Soler, Studio 189, The Falls, and La DoubleJ were calling me to give them some love.

I am an expert procrastinator in the things I don’t want to do, but I suddenly had the urge to fill the sink with warm sudsy water and hand-wash my clothes. Like any effective mediation, something came over me while doing so. The rhythm of my hands submerged in the sink, moving the clothes around to marinate in the tinted, colored water, grounded me. Simplicity. Repetition.

It seemingly took me out of the death zone and put me in the life zone. Whatever it was, I filled (and fooled) myself, at least for a little while, with calm.

Here’s to my April showers bringing some much-needed May flowers….

What do you do to unwind from something emotional or stressful?

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1. The otherworldly and fully absorbing Paul Klee: Other Possible Worlds exhibit at The Jewish Museum, which focuses on the artist’s last decade of work, during one of the darkest periods of history, before he passed in 1940.

2. The Acquavella gallery on the Upper East Side has compiled 50 Matisse paintings, works on paper, and sculptures from museums, foundations, and private collections around the world into the not-to-be missed Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony exhibit.

   

3. I cannot wait to see Marc by Sofia about, you guessed it, Marc Jacobs, and filmed by the great Sofia Coppola. With footage from his 30-year career, the film promises to pull back the curtain on his creative process—from choosing swatches to the runway, and the exciting lead-up to his 2024 show. Fun fact: I met Marc once on the Upper West Side in the ’90s, and he complimented my hat!

4. I’m not sure the world really needs more existential tension or a story about indifference, but I can’t not see a film that gets rave reviews based on Albert Camus’ 1942 book The Stranger.

   

5. Back when Lily was born in 2002, Cristina Villegas’s West Village children’s boutique Yoya was always my favorite for chic tot finds. It was a neighborhood fixture for nearly two decades, featuring the best mix of kids’ collections from around the globe. After a five-year pause, Yoya has now entered a new chapter. Together with her daughter, Mila, Cristina has preserved the shop’s spirit while expanding its vision to now include vintage women’s clothing, interiors, art, and thoughtfully chosen objects.

   

6. Most people have a complicated relationship with journaling — if they have one at all. wanted to solve that. The writer, who has built a practice around putting pen to paper and reclaiming journaling from the land of abandoned diaries and cliched gratitude lists, guides people back to the page — and to themselves — through her writing workshops, and I can’t wait to read her new book, The Big Unlock.

7. Being able to walk for hours in my new gold standard, which explains why I love this strappy sandal from Jamie Haller. Winter white, go nap; Spring white has emerged. This utilitarian style, also from Jamie Haller, has it all!

   

8. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for belts, and this simple camel one from Nili Lotan checks the box.

9. Did someone say Spring candy? Yes, please!

See you next month!

The winner of a signed copy of Riviera and a Ghia gift pack is… Caroline Rothwell Gerstein of ! Thanks to everyone who participated.

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, whom I introduced you to last week, has spent the better part of a decade figuring out how to live well across borders. She looked for a Paris apartment for three years. She found her New York place in an hour. She surfs in Costa Rica to reset, returns to India again and again, and has a shortlist of restaurants in Paris that feel, in her words, like home. Below are some of the principles she lives by — and what they might look like for the rest of us.

Know one of two things you actually can’t live without, and let go of the rest.

We often move through life with long lists of requirements—especially when it comes to finding and making a home: The right neighborhood, the right layout, the right light. Most of those criteria are negotiable. The trick is knowing, in advance, which ones aren’t. After years of searching, Melanie distilled her apartment requirements to two: good light and character. Everything else, she decided, she didn’t care about.

“Slowly but surely, all my criteria went out the window. I wanted classic moldings, a view, and an elevator. I got none of those things... When I walked into this one, in the 10th arrondissement, it was flooded with light and had something most Paris apartments don't: an open kitchen. I immediately knew I had to put in an offer.” — Melanie

The clearer you are on your non-negotiables, the faster you can move when the right thing appears — and the less FOMO you’ll have over everything you didn’t get.

Treat belonging as something you do, not somewhere you go.

I’ll be the first to admit I tend to romanticize arriving somewhere new — imagining I’ll step off the plane and immediately feel settled, present, at home. But that feeling rarely comes automatically. What actually makes a place feel like home isn’t the place itself; it’s the small things we do inside it.

“Sometimes I come back from a long trip, and my place doesn’t feel like home right away. I have to light a candle, open the windows, fill the fridge — in Paris, cheese, cured meats, olives, and fresh bread; in New York, some hummus, and greens for a big salad — and maybe buy flowers at the local bodega. Then it clicks. It’s the same in an Airbnb. I need a few small rituals for it to feel like mine.” — Melanie

For me, I try to bring a piece of the place I just visited back with me to retain the feeling I had there. When I went to Cape Town, for example, I carried back this colorful vintage teak serving tray with the most beautiful kaleidoscope of butterflies glazed onto the teak. My husband thought I was crazy to carry this home, but many years later, it is my favorite piece in my home!

Stop asking a singular place to give you everything.

I’d imagine that there’s a particular anxiety that comes with living between two homes: the fear that you’re always missing something, always half-somewhere-else. The reframe, as someone who also puts travel in boxes like “adventure, cultural exploration, and relaxation,” is to treat each place as doing a specific job, and to be deliberate about which job you’re asking it to do.

“America gives scale and speed. It’s a world of opportunity. France gives depth and texture, a culture, finesse, and intellectualism. I feel lucky to have access to both.” — Melanie

You don’t need two countries, like Melanie, to apply the same logic. Whenever I go on a city sojourn to, say, Paris or Vienna, I get stimulation; but my last beach vacation to my dear friend Karla’s Casa Violeta was all about restoration. The question worth asking before you book anything: What do I actually need right now?

Find your reset — the place that reliably returns you to yourself — and go back.

There is a tendency, especially among people who travel often, to treat repetition as boring or a failure of the imagination. Why return somewhere we’ve already been? But the places that restore us work because they’re known. Novelty stimulates. Familiarity repairs! Melanie returns to her reset spots without apology.

“I’ve been to India five times and loved every trip. I also recharge the most when I’m surfing in Costa Rica. It’s my happy place.” — Melanie

The goal of a restorative trip isn’t to collect a new experience; it’s to come back to yourself. Knowing where that happens for you is worth more than any new destination. In my case, it’s Casa Violeta in Tulum.

Anchor yourself to places that feel like yours — not just ones that are impressive.

The best travel recommendation is not the most acclaimed restaurant in a city, or the one everyone has their “notify” set for, but the one you keep going back to. There’s a difference between a place that is objectively good and a place that has become, through repetition and feeling, yours.

“Le Rigmarole in Paris is incredible. And Chez Georges feels like home to me.” — Melanie

Mine are the sublime and consistently energy-fueled Hartwood in Tulum, Kødbyens Fiskebar in Copenhagen, and Buvette in NYC. These anchors are what turn a place I’ve visited into a place I know and adore. What’s the restaurant you’d take someone to if you really wanted them to understand a city? Or the neighborhood you walk through when you need to think or feel inspired? Build your own shortlist — then share it with us, please!

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Win a Ghia gift set and a signed copy of ‘Riviera’ by liking this post, restacking it, and tagging me, Alisa Greenspan. Paid subscribers get 10x the entries. Deadline to enter 4/20/26. Check Substack Notes and my April editor’s letter on 4/23 for the winner!

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It’s hard to keep track of .

If you were to check her wildly popular feeds — Instagram or Night Shade, here on Substack, where her loyal subscribers and followers track her moves and inhale her recommendations — Melanie could be anywhere. Maybe she’s adding more “bits and bops” to her sunlit Paris apartment in the 10th arrondissement, inadvertently hosting her own birthday flower workshop at her New York place in Tribeca, or off catching the surf in Costa Rica, where she often goes to recharge, a board bouncing at her side while navigating a dune buggy to the beach.

The French femme, who just turned 35, is also the founder and CEO of the groundbreaking spirit-free beverage company, Ghia — and she’s about to publish a cookbook, Riviera: Recipes from the Coast of France and Italy, featuring tastes from some of her other happy places inspired by her upbringing.

Also, get this: Before founding Ghia in 2020 (in the middle of the pandemic, I might add), Melanie worked in finance for Goldman Sachs, in retail for American Eagle Outfitters, F&B at Dig Inn, and beauty for Glossier. I mean, that’s an impressive amount of life packed into a little over three decades, with diverse and multidisciplinary career pivots to boot!

Born in Lyon, France, to a French mother and Italian father, this multi-hypenate, who admits to moving through life very fast, strives to maintain a sense of calm through what she calls ‘transition moments.’

“A small ritual like pouring something, changing rooms, or changing clothes helps signal that you’re entering a new chapter of the day,” Melanie says.

She crafted Ghia as a balm to those moments instead of reaching for the boozier versions she grew up around during Mediterranean summers: “Ghia is a transition drink. It marks a shift — from work to dinner, from one city to the coast of Italy, from being ‘on’ to being yourself again.”

While I only recently began circling Melanie’s orbit, we share a taste for how we travel (more on that next week!), a love for the Stockholm-based fashion brand Toteme and Viltier jewelry, and of course Ghia, which has been my go-to non-alcoholic drink since its 2020 launch with the chicest bottle this design junky ever did see!

Speaking of…

Win a Ghia gift pack and a signed copy of ‘Riviera’ by liking this post, restacking it, and tagging me, Alisa Greenspan. Paid subscribers get 10x the entries. Deadline to enter 4/20/26. Check Substack Notes and my April editor’s letter on 4/23 for the winner!

What’s on your moodboard?

A house by the sea.

My man.

A bambino picking tomatoes in the garden.

Who are the favorite under-the-radar creatives that you wish more people knew about?

This could be its own newsletter!

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Some people know their calling early on in life.

Some people follow that calling in a straight line and realize their dreams, fairytale-style.

Other people take a few zigs and zags, but possess a tenacity built for the long haul. Rewardingly, a hard-fought professional journey connects them with that calling later in life, when the reality becomes much bigger, and maybe even more fulfilling, than the dream or calling itself.

That’s the case for Christine Morrison, who recently published her memoir, Clothes Minded: Fashionable Essays About Finding Yourself, and writes the refreshingly honest Substack Writing in Black and White that explores (“and exposes!” she says) the grey areas of fashion, beauty, and wellness.

I’m in awe and have a deep admiration for this Atlanta-based mother of two, whose essay collection took her decades to publish, through rounds of rejections and revisions.

“The likelihood of having the dream and getting it to fruition is so narrow and small, and you have to build a thick skin,” says Christine.

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It’s wild that we only met two years ago, too! (Through The Board, where we’re both members.) But it was an instant connection. Christine is a warm, razor-sharp woman who knows that vulnerability produces profound connection and trust — with both herself and those she shares stories with. It’s no wonder two of her favorite writers include essayist Sloane Crosley and the king of quippy commentary, David Sedaris.

While most of her career was spent in the trenches, brand-building on the ad side for the likes of Olay and Calvin Klein, she’s found her footing — at 56, which she is proud to point out! — as a journalist, author, and mother of twins for whom making dinner is a “loathe/love” experience. This self-proclaimed “ultimate crockpot-cooker” says she leans heavily on recipes from Half-Baked Harvest: “My husband walks in, and he’s like, ‘It smells amazing in here.’”

So who, in addition to her family, would be the ultimate dinner guests at her table — living or alive? Coco Chanel, Lauren Hutton, and her two grandmothers — one of whom, Cordelia, was a “single woman in an era when you just weren’t.”

Christine describes Cordelia as if she were a character in a riveting historical fiction novel, with red lipstick, a cocktail ring covered in Band-Aids to make it fit, and an Estée Lauder fragrance called Youth Dew that set her apart: “A woman that was strong, stylish, and knew who she was and didn’t put up with BS.”

I hate to use a cliché in a post about a writer, so I’ll just say: apple > tree. :)

Christine’s recent efforts include being bold by taking on the likes of legacy media such as The Telegraph, which recently published articles she called “ageist dribble” about women being too old to take on fashion; or other women her age, whose differing views of how best to age gracefully often pit them against each other. Her take on that? “Our disdain doesn’t start online or at each other as much as it starts in the mirror.”

Preach! In fact, I’ll let her continue more of that below.

What’s the best career or personal advice you ever received?

Do whatever it takes. I was 40-41, and starting over. Both my mother and husband were like, ‘So what?’ I had built this whole narrative that ‘I'll be behind,’ that ‘there are so many better writers,’ that ‘young people are losing their jobs,’ or ‘people are becoming bloggers, and they already have big followings,’ but they were both like: Do what you have to do.

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What’s an item in your closet that you have a lot of or feels most like you?

I have way too many white shirts! If I go to a different city, I’m like, ‘I could probably stand to have another....’ I freshen them up often, because I like them really white and really crisp. And I do wear them all! Also, a good cashmere sweater. I have some J. Crew stuff from the late ’90s, early aughts. They started to thin, and I put patches on them, which makes them even better. The sleeve is frayed, and it’s like a raw edge. I love it. And then my husband has a sweater that I wear all the time, too — a Prada gray fitted sweater — and the same thing happened. I had to add patches because I’m not letting go of it! The quality of the material and the fabric is just too good. They don’t make them that way [anymore]!

Who are your favorite under-the-radar creatives that you wish more people knew about?

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Talking about the weather is not my thing, but this winter has been enough to rattle even the toughest-skinned New Yorker. By the end of February, we had reached peak patience navigating back-to-back storms that delivered snow and ice, which quickly morphed into what seemed like new life forms on the street: dirt-tinged, heaping snow piles, black ice, and soupy puddles with unknown depths that made crossing the street both an extreme and mysterious sport.

The childlike excitement of witnessing white blankets of snow covering Central Park, with dogs frolicking and kids building tunnels, lasted a New York Minute, but got me thinking—in a sort of Carrie Bradshaw, knocks-it-out-on-her-Apple-PowerBook kind of way:

Does our single-digit-dipping snowiest winter mean a greater appreciation for the softest, sunniest spring?

More to the point:

Do we need the extreme (weather or otherwise) to appreciate the calm, or can we be grateful for the everyday without the extreme?

I don’t have the answers, by the way, but I am already feeling gratitude for seeing grey concrete without a speck of snow, and I am antsy for all the fixings of spring from art, food, fashion, books, and fragrances.

See above! But also, are you a four-season person or do you prefer a one-season climate?

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1. I have always been obsessed with the art and tumultuous love story between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera — two of Mexico’s most iconic 20th-century artists, so I am counting down the days until “Frida and Diego: The Last Dream” opens at MoMA this month.

2. Who doesn’t like a vacation? Berlin-based artist Isa Genzken, whose work spans sculpture, painting, and photography, has a show entitled VACATION at David Zwirner Gallery. Packing my carry-on!

3. The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation has gifted its impressive collection of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern artworks to three U.S. art institutions, including LACMA, MoMA, and the Brooklyn Museum, for a roving exhibition that runs through July 2027. Seriously considering visiting all three.

4. Artist Patrica Iglesias Peco’s layered work reminds me of metamorphosis, and what better time than spring to appreciate the ultimate seasonal transformation. Ever since i/Editor’s Joanna Williams and Karla Gutierrez introduced me to Patricia’s work, I have been smitten.

5. After hearing that some of the biggest names in cross-generational French cinema (including Isabelle Huppert and Catherine Deneuve) have roles in controversial Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s new film “Parallel Tales,” I was immediately intrigued, and I’m eager to see it after it premieres at Cannes this May. Jessica Chastain’s new film, “Dreams,” about an undocumented immigrant who aspires to be a ballet dancer, also caught my eye.

6. My dear friend, and i/Editor Mariana Velasquez’s new book, Revel: A Maximilist’s Guide to Having People Over, is out this week, and I couldn’t be more excited to host a dinner party. Oh, and the reviews for Woody Brown’s Upward Bound have been incredible, and it feels deeply resonant as I deal with all the emotional layers of aging parents.

7. In addition to switching to short sleeves, thank you very much, the clothing and accessories I’m most looking forward to sporting this season include this flirty slip dress from Natalie Martin; a bright, baggy sweatshirt from Rachel Comey; these goatskin leather Argentinian boots from Maison Mayle; a “soft gathered” dress from Toteme; these comfy-looking suede sandals from A.Emery (and these rafia ones from Khaite that—gulp—require a deposit!), these agate earrings by Chan Luu, a seashell necklace by RENATA.Q, “Howl-Mask” shades from Saint Laurent and an in-between weather nylon jacket from Kule.

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Ushering in spring with sunnier scents feels like a fresh way to shed our winter layers, so I asked — of the super fun Substack — to share her three favorite scents for the upcoming season. Her posts are always personal and intriguing, with clever titles like “On My to-Smell List” and “I’d like to Smell like a Maritime Disaster” that pull me in every time. Here’s what she’s spritzing as her two favorite flowers, ranunculus and jasmine, start to bloom:

1. “The first scent that comes to mind when I think of spring is Do Son by Diptyque. It’s a heady white floral with tuberose as the star. It’s fresh, floral, and uncomplicated, which is exactly how I want spring to make me feel.”

2. “I also reach for Pony Boy by Jorum Studio, a joyful, aromatic blast of juicy fruit and greens. It’s playful, fun, and bright. And it’s impossible to be in a bad mood when you wear it.”

3. “Vanilla Embers is another gorgeous, sexy scent, perfect for anyone who doesn’t want an overdose of florals or something too sweet. The florals are there, but they stay in the background while sandalwood and vanilla take center stage. It has such a lovely dry down. I feel like I have my shit together when I wear it. And who doesn’t want that?”

Amen! See you next month!

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Some people check the weather before getting dressed. Ali Rybczyk checks Venus. The illustrator, whom we introduced you to last week, credits her “deep spiritual essence” to the night sky. Ever since she received her first reading at 18, she’s been drawn to the zodiac — especially Venus, which, for all of our star signs, represents how we love and how we connect with beauty and art.

“Venus represents femininity. It’s what makes us feel beautiful, and also how we attract,” says Ali, whose astrological knowledge is mostly self-taught, which is impressive given that she speaks about it with the authority of a professional mystic — somewhere between Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) from Ghost and a modern-day Rumi.

For those of us (this Libra, included) who know little more than our sun sign and what it may mean when Mercury is in retrograde (to beware!), a little guidance goes a long way, so when Ali offered to create exclusive illustrations for i/Edit — one for each zodiac sign with style suggestions that align with Venus — I said, “yes, please!”

So, to help ensure your next ‘fit is fabulous, lean into Venus when playing around with your personal style and wardrobe based on the 12 exclusive drawings from Ali below.

Happy horoscoping — and dressing!

“Aries is the first sign in the zodiac, so it’s very me-centered. Direct, bold. Kind of like, ‘here I am.’ That’s why I dressed Aries sporty and athletic. It’s a fire sign, and associated with the color red. Venus in Aries is known to be very direct.”

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“Taurus is notorious for being really attracted to money or easily attracting money. So here, she looks kind of luxurious and very feminine. The color pink has a softness.”

“Gemini is very cerebral and quirky, so the cleverness comes in with the butterfly purse, and I put a clock on her necklace. She’s going to wear something that’s going to be a conversation starter, very playful.”

“She’s the girl who could wear that tank top dress-slash-shirt to the beach, but then she’s also comfortable with jeans because Cancer represents the home. So, she’s cozy. But then, it’s also the crab, so she’s summer. She’s beach.”

“Leo is kind of dominant. They love to make a statement. They like to be seen. Leo is the head-turner, like, ‘here I am, everybody!’ They’re going to wear the big hat or something very wild and cool, but be confident about it.”

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“Virgos like something that feels really cohesive and put together. That’s why I chose a matching two-piece look. But it’s also kind of utilitarian. There’s something practical about it. The Virgo in Venus is going to buy a two-piece set, but they’re going to wear it together, and then also maximize wearing the coat on its own or the pants by itself.”

“Libra represents the scales, so choosing something really balanced is key. They like a tomboy energy with baggy pants, but then can also be super feminine, hence the soft color. Something sweet. And even though there’s the duality of a man and a woman, Libras are harmonious, which is why I added braids. They reflect an evenness.”

“Scorpios are daring, kind of taboo, and very powerful. Maybe they’ll wear something see-through. Not everyone feels comfortable wearing something like that, but Scorpios are ruled by Pluto, which represents sex, money, rebirth, and transformation, so there’s kind of like an edgy provocativeness to them. Scorpio is going to wear something with spikes or dark lace. They’re kind of mysterious. They’re not trying to be seen, but are still powerful in what they wear.”

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“Sag is ready for any season, hence the bomber jacket with the skirt, which says, ‘I’m adventurous, kind of a free spirit.’ She’s fluid, and she’s worldly. She’s like, “Okay, I’m going to wear my bomber jacket because I’m going to go for a walk and out to dinner, but then I’m going to wear my skirt because I might go dancing or I might go on a date.’ She’s like, ‘I can do anything in this outfit.’”

“Cap is very structured, very old money, and business-oriented. They’re the CEO of the zodiac, so a Capricorn is going to be very put together, very blaze-esque with pinstripes. I gave her that short bob because she is sophisticated and confident.”

“The Aquarius is very innovative, future-oriented, and humanitarian. They’re also the people who think outside the box. They don’t like to fit in. There’s always something really cool and effortless about what they’re wearing, like socks with heels. Not everyone does that.”

“If Aries is the baby of the zodiac, Pisces is what happens when we cross over. They’re fantasy-driven, very ethereal, otherworldly, and delicate in a beautiful, afterlife-type way. Her dress is oceanic and fluid in a dreamy palette. They feel like they can escape reality in a look that feels like their own world.”

Ali’s Favorite Astrological Resources for Aligning With the Stars

• The Secret Language of Birthdays: Your Complete Personology Guide for Each Day of the Year

• Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

• The Power of Birthdays, Stars & Numbers

• The “TimePassages Astrology” app

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Ali Rybczyk speaks in brushstrokes and spontaneity.

“Illustrating is the most fluent language for me,” says the 32-year-old artist from Southern California. “I translate people through line. When someone poses in front of me, I’m not just drawing their outfit — I’m drawing an emotion, the way they hold themselves. That immediacy is what makes it feel alive.”

It’s also what makes her feel alive, and the reason why her work as a live-action illustrator at events with brands and businesses such as Goop, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Google, Freda Salvador, and Coach has helped her make a name for herself. (It also explains her Instagram handle, “Le Feels,” which she says represents the emotion of what being an artist feels like.)

Ali credits her life’s “right place, right time” moments to the stars — and her instincts. Like that time she showed up at an Alice & Olivia runway presentation during her first trip to NYFW and ended up behind top editors and photographers. Or when she let her seatmate on the plane do her makeup, and the video went viral. Or when an influencer stopped her on the street to ask her what she does for a living.

“That’s kind of how my career has unfolded — instinct, consistency, and performance,” she says. “Sometimes those least-effort moments surprise you. Glam is part of the evolution.”

I met her last month in SoHo, where she was quietly illustrating the likes of Stacy London and other attendees at ’s book party for her new style memoir, Clothes Minded: Fashionable Essays about Finding Yourself.

While I missed getting my ’fit memorialized that evening on the spot, she still graciously agreed to draw me and i/Edit editor . Her ability to find a subject’s essence in an instant is an art form. Look at how she captured us both! I love how she went off-script a bit with mine, injecting her interpretation of other looks I sent her, but leaving on my signature glasses, scarf, and favorite Esha Soni bag!

“There’s something about a blank canvas that feels electric to me. As a recovering procrastinator, especially with painting commissions, I’ve trained myself to work fast. Speed became survival. And then it became a style,” says Ali, who got her start selling illustrations on Instagram back in 2013.

Art was rooted in her from the beginning, though: Not only is her mother, Robin Hiers, an artist, but her grandparents founded the Sawdust Art Festival, a prominent and prestigious art fair on the West Coast.

“When I was a little girl, I would take stacks of blank printer paper and sit with one of my mom’s David Hockney coffee table books and just create characters,” she says. “I’d tape them all over my walls. That instinct has grown with me.”

It’s also expanded her closet, which for a long time was “paint-stained,” she says. Now, she has a dedicated painting capsule that includes old crewnecks, jumpsuits, denim, oversized tees, and structured coats: “When I wear those pieces, they represent my hard work. They also represent the little mania I undergo while painting — the excitement, the rushing, the doubting, the trust, the completion.”

Yet, when asked what clothing items make her feel most like herself, she said it’s all about her robes: a really nice linen one for around the house, a purple terrycloth for post-shower beauty routines, and a red silk for getting glam. “I’m a Taurus, and Taurus is ruled by Venus, comfort, and the senses. My robes are my coziness and my happiness. They represent softness and self-care.”

Find out what else brings Ali joy below, and come back next week for illustrations from her on how to dress for your astrological sign!

What are some favorite pieces that help you curate a vibe at home or that bring you the most joy day-to-day?

I’ve always been deeply connected to my environment. I was the kid who felt empathy if my stuffed animals were left on the floor at night! I’ve rearranged my room my entire life. I have always believed furniture has feelings. Every nook of my space feels like a mini altar, and I connect through the senses, so I have Copal and Flamingo Estate candles, Sandoval’s Captain Interior’ room mist, Onsen towels, and sheepskin rugs everywhere. I also use InBed linen bedding from Australia, and have books I’ve collected from travels. My custom travertine nightstands feel grounding, almost architectural. I’m very sensual, and my home reflects that.

What is an item in your closet that you’ve been surprised by how much you use and why?

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Christina Glickman, whom we introduced you to last week, is a connector whose main superpower is bringing out other people’s superpowers. And, in my case, making me cry while on a casual Zoom. During our hour-long conversation a few weeks ago, everything she said was so inspiring I couldn’t help but get choked up! This is a businesswoman and mom of four who takes time to appreciate the small things — even if those small things are rearranging her 14-year-old’s “some 4,000” Jellycats every morning.

“She makes her bed, but I get to place the Jellycats,” says Christina of her daughter Rocket’s collection, “and I actually really love it. I know it sounds crazy, but it is such a fun, small task. Even if I’m running out the door, I have 17 meetings, and the breakfast needs to be made, I always stop, and I’m like, ‘This is it! Making sure that the croissant Jellycat is next to that guy over there!’ Because what is any of what we’re doing if the small things are not giving us joy?”

Well, there’s lots more of where that came from, including why it’s important to chase energy, know your strengths, and be cringe.

Remember: There Are No Mistakes

“That word, and failure, don’t resonate. Whatever happens, you will see the outcome of it in some way, shape, or form at some point. I want all my own scars and battle wounds. Even when things don’t go my way. I’ve tried to train myself to appreciate that everything I do — I don’t want to say happens for a reason, because I don’t really believe in that, but it builds who I am and furthers the path that I’m on.”

Make Your Energy Your Superpower

“The sheer energy that you bring into a room is going to dictate how people feel about you before you’ve even had a chance to say a word. And you can position that energy into a superpower. It has nothing to do with being smart or wealthy or beautiful. I’m not going to chase the job, the money, being skinny, or the greatest outfit. I’m going to chase the energy that makes me feel alive. I want to love so hard on the people who give their energy to the right places.”

Be Excited About Life’s Little Details

“The most exciting thing for me about life is the normal, mundane, ordinary things. It’s the carpooling, it’s the texting a friend. I’m excited about trying the new taco place down the street. I’m excited about maybe getting a new pair of socks that I thought were cool. If the little things and the details don’t excite you, you’re screwed.”

Hot Tip: No One Cares About You, But You

“I mean this in the nicest possible way: No one cares about you. They’re too worried about themselves.”

Know Your Strengths, Ignore the Rest

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When you run two companies, have four kids aged 30-14, a husband of 23 years, and are a Libra who craves order and structure, you make the most of every day. Not just because you are Christina Glickman, Head of Community and Experience at The Board, co-creator of the multi-media platform and podcast I’m Not Dead, author of the best-selling book Xtra: The Art of Being, and public speaker of a 2021 TEDx talk on reclaiming one’s voice post-pandemic. But because otherwise life would be chaotic. And a chaotic life is not a life Christina wants — for herself, or for those she loves.

Christina combats the chaos by waking naturally every day at 4 a.m., planking for three minutes, lifting a few weights, and then running five miles on the treadmill while simultaneously sipping water and an espresso. (Side note: I couldn’t begin to dream about this level of performance, let alone be awake enough to actually do it at that hour! I am SO impressed.)

“I am extremely clear on how I audit my time and my priorities,” she says. “I don’t really want to waste a day, so I’m going to do my best to show up in the way that I need to — even when I don’t want to. I’m the parent who never misses a basketball game or a volleyball game. It’s not because I’m so awesome, it’s just that I’m very clear on what I want to do, and I’m only busy doing things I love.”

One of those things includes I’m Not Dead, where she and her co-host and business partner, Sarah Clary, talk to women like actress Julianne Moore and writer about their greatness and their potential through the various projects they’re nurturing.

“I love showing any woman that they’re meant for more,” says Christina. “I don’t mean you have to go build an empire. You can pick carrots if you want. You get to do whatever you want to do.”

For Christina, that also now includes working for The Board, which she joined last August because, as she put it, “I needed another job like a hole in my head.” Jokes aside, it’s because after toiling away in advertising and multi-level marketing at Beautycounter, she realized her strength is bringing out other people’s strengths.

“I am a consummate cheerleader and champion,” she says, “and I realized one of my leadership skills is showing you your potential. Being able to say, ‘You’re really good at that,’ or, ‘Why don’t you try that?’ I know how to start a fire under you.”

Below, Christina shares what ignites her. Be sure to check back next week for her advice on how to spark your own flame.

What are a few pieces in your closet that especially feel like you and that you find yourself gravitating toward?

Unexpected pieces, like a schoolgirl blazer or a service industry jacket from somebody who worked at 7-Eleven, or a military jacket that I found in London. I’ll always come back to track pants or oversized clothing. I don’t like anything tight. I don’t like anything small, regardless of the style that’s happening. Also, accessories! I’m the opposite of the Chanel quote, “less is more.” Like, I always add something. I’m going to put on the brooch. I’m going to wrap a ribbon around my neck. When I think I’m done, I’m not done.

What’s the best splurge you ever made?

I wanted a dance party for my 50th, so the theme was Gucci Disco at a Studio 54 kind of place. I said, you don’t have to wear Gucci, but you gotta do disco, or you can’t come in! A month beforehand, I was lucky enough to go to Paris Fashion Week, which was such a dream. We went to Gucci and tried on all the clothes, and there was an Adidas Gucci red dress that I wanted more than life itself. I have four children, so I’m the last person who needs to be in Paris buying a Gucci Adidas dress. But I did. And full price. It was my 50th, and I don’t regret it!

Who are your favorite under-the-radar designers, artists, photographers, chefs, or other creatives who you wish more people knew about?

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I always knew color and patterns were emotional and tied to who we are, but for me, they also feel tied to the current political climate.

Valentine’s Day aside, the color red feels right as I balance love and rage over the actions (and inactions) happening in our country between its citizens and leadership.

Animal prints are also speaking to me—maybe metaphorically, as if I am tapping into leopard and cheetah instincts to propel me towards action.

For years, I have relied on Charity Navigator to access data and resources that guide my donation decision-making. They rate over 225,000 charities based on metrics including impact, governance, transparency, and financial stability and efficiency. These are the highly-ranked causes that align with my beliefs. Maybe they’ll spark something in you, too:

• HIAS

• Upwardly Global

• Asylum Access

• National Immigration Forum

Then there’s white, which always acts as a coolant and quells an internal intensity that might not otherwise serve me. When Pantone announced “Cloud Dance,” a soft white, as its 2026 color of the year, I was miffed and thought it was lame that they did not come up with something more creative. Now, as we all meet the moment, I think they were onto something.

In a chaotic, noisy world, white also symbolizes peace. Far from feeling Pollyanna, it feels vital to survival. Plus, winter whites are super chic and always beat winter blues.

Beauty and a dose of escapism, however we define it, also feels especially essential right now. For me, I got my dose from seeing Man Ray’s “When Objects Dream” at The Met, which focused on his rayographs — photographs he created without a camera. The work felt eerily mysterious for its technique of manipulating regular household objects and light.

Ruth Asawa’s looped-wire sculptures, inspired by basket weaving, and her beautiful drawings and paintings influenced by nature and organic forms felt soul-nourishing when I visited her retrospective at MoMA. I love how the late Japanese artist made no distinction between living and making art. Her disturbing history of being separated from her family in Japanese internment camps felt chillingly timely.

However you tap into your feelings during these times, I hope you can find some inspiration.

What colors and patterns are you gravitating towards emotionally right now?

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1. The restrained and superbly acted film Sentimental Value had a deeply unsettling energy that I felt in every scene. I was lucky enough to see a screening at the NY Film Festival and meet the cast, and I just rewatched the film with my daughter.

2. I am reading Sinclair Lewis’ It Can’t Happen Here (spoiler alert, it can, and is), who was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930.

3. I loved celebrating my friend, , at her NYC launch for Clothes Minded. Style meets substance in her book, which is an honest, funny, and deeply personal take on fashion and finding yourself. The biggest bonus was sharing the evening with Stacy London, Ali Rybczyk, Susan Swimmer, Camila Amarelo, Marsha Lebedev Bernstein, Tirzah Schwarz, , Fifi Simon, , Megan Mitchell, and my editor .

4. Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, written by Babe Paley’s granddaughter Belle Burden, is a spare, searing memoir that reads like a crime novel. It gripped me from the first page!

5. I’m excited to wander with Emma Wooley of , who will soon publish a monthly walkthrough of New York’s art scene dubbed Gallery Girl on Substack. Thanks to who writes Style Toast for the recommendation!

See you next month!

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When Alysa Weinstein Gravina, whom we met last week, moved to Rome in 2004 with her Italian husband Carmine (or “Mino” as he’s called), she refused to leave New York behind.

“It’s not Rome or New York,” she says, “it’s Rome and New York. New York is absolutely 50 percent of who I am. I haven’t given it up. I never wanted to be an expat; I wanted to be an American living in Rome. My style, wardrobe, and inspiration live at the intersection of NYC and Rome.”

Because of this, we asked the founder of Shop With Alysa, a shopping adventure enterprise for the best in fashion, design, art, and more, to compare some of her favorites in both cities. The biggest difference, she says, between Rome and New York is her daily Campari spritz, the fact that carbs exist, and the concept of “la bella figura,” which, she explains, means that first impressions matter. Hers won us over.

Here, Alysa shares her go-tos in both Rome and NYC.

For Pizza

Rome: I like the “Rosso” with mushrooms at L’Elementare Pizza, which also has the BEST suppli [fried rice balls]. They change depending on the season. I also love Campo di Fiori Forno for pizza on-the-go. My favorite is the white pizza with cherry tomatoes and black pepper.

New York: We found Lucia’s on the Upper East Side this summer, and we went nuts. The pies are perfect, especially the pepperoni.

For Pasta

Rome: Undoubtedly La Matricianella. The sure thing is their rigatoni amatriciana, but my favorite is the tonnarelli with a red wine and radicchio sauce. For some crazy reason, they took it off the menu, but if I request it ahead they will often make it for me.

New York: I never eat pasta in NYC. Period. I just don’t see the need, although I know there are plenty of places that [do it well]. Also, my husband absolutely refuses.

For Bread

Rome: Niko Romito has a cafe near my house where he makes the best bread. He’s a Michelin-starred chef who also runs the restaurant at The Bulgari!
New York: Pick-a-Bagel! It’s close to my parents’ apartment, so we go there. I love a bagel with butter, salmon, and pepper. Or butter, pepper, and tomato, and sometimes one little slice of Swiss cheese. But also, Dave’s Bread, which you can get at the supermarket.

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For Coffee

Rome: One of the best things in Rome or Italy is having a cornetto and a coffee standing up at the bar, and this can happen anywhere: a refined center bar, a local Romana bar, an autogrill… It’s a nice break in the day for a buck fifty and just a real joy to go up to a counter, especially if you go to the same place and they know you. They look at you and say, “ahhh cafe macchiato” or “cafe corretto!” If that happens, it’s so great. But I also have a special place for a more international coffee experience: Bar della Cometa.

New York: At Sant Ambroeus, the bar is packed, and there are always lots of Italians, which I love. Still obviously tons of takeout, but people stand at the counter as if, “when in Rome...”

For Fish

Rome: The best fish restaurant is Pierluigi. I am not alone in this; it’s just terrific. The piazza is so gorgeous, and they have beautiful crudo.

New York: Blue Ribbon Sushi is always a winner, even after all of these years. The “salut” or hello from the sushi chefs when you walk in just makes me happy.

For Dessert

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Our first meeting finally happened after a trip to India around three years ago, which got derailed due to my getting Covid. I flew home to recover, and then shortly after had the unexpected good fortune of meeting Alysa in Brooklyn at a pop-up she was producing for Marfa Stance. (Another friend and i/Editor, Alyssa Dineen, happened to be tagging along, and so began the friendship of the tri-similar names Alysa, Alisa, and Alyssa.)

It’s hard not to fall in love with this Alysa — and it’s clear my editor, Sara, did too…

Unbeknownst to her, when Alysa Weinstein Gravina set off to explore Guatemala 20+ years ago with her brothers, she’d meet the man she’d marry—and he’d be Italian.

“Guatemala was an impulsive, unplanned trip that changed my life. I met my Italian husband the very first night in Antigua,” she says. “It’s funny because the art dealer that I used to work for, the late Carla Panicali, always used to say to me, ‘You need an Italian.’ And I’d be like, ‘No, Carla, I don’t, I’m good. I need a Jewish doctor.’ Then one day I called her and said, ‘You’re not going to believe it, Carla, I’m in love with this Italian.’”

Three grown children with “this Italian” later (a lawyer named Carmine), Alysa Weinstein Gravina has been calling the Eternal City home for what feels like an eternity.

I instantly bonded with the New Yorker raised in Connecticut after Alisa introduced us, having recently returned from a near-decade of living abroad myself in Paris, a city Alysa also loves and visits often: “Over my birthday each year, we spend three days pretending we’re French and taking in whatever happens. Being able to travel so spontaneously through the city is a luxury.”

Still, for Alysa, it’s always been about Italy. She loved the country from her first visit to Verona with her family as a young girl, and then when she studied for a summer semester in Rome.

“While my Italian worldview of fashion and design truly came to the surface once I moved here in 2004, the seeds were planted long before,” she says.

Post-university, her first job was with Carla at Panicali Fine Art and Art for Architecture in NYC, where she developed an affinity for Italian design, lighting, and attitude.

“She told me never to turn down a first invitation because if you decline once, it may never come back,” says Alysa. “I lived by that ever since.”

When Alysa officially moved to Rome with Carmine or “Mino,” as he’s called, she “hit the streets” looking for a new career. Since one of her strongest skills was researching and finding objects and places that others normally overlook, she began compiling lists of recommendations — everything from fashion, food, cultural spaces, and design — and sharing them with friends and family.

“One day, my mother looked over my shoulder and said, ‘You should get paid for this.’ That was the day Shop With Alysa was born.’”

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Today, this self-declared visual and cultural consultant and pop-up visionary (“a refined way of saying personal shopper for fashion, design, and art,” she jokes) roams Rome, from ateliers and studios to stores and art galleries, exposing clients to neighborhoods like San Lorenzo and Testaccio. She cites Sorrento’s La Minervetta hotel as another favorite place for inspiration, and finds fulfillment bringing people together as an honorary chairwoman for the Friends of the American Academy of Rome.

“I’m drawn daily to beauty,” says Alysa. “The decoration of the person, the home, the plate of food. It might not change the world, but it makes people feel inspired, and I love connecting others to that quest for beauty.”

If only we’d known each other when she was just an EasyJet flight away! Discover more of her favorites below.

What is the best splurge you’ve ever made?

My most recent splurge is a Giuliva Heritage blazer that I have been coveting for four years. These clothes, from a young husband and wife duo who have a by-appointment-only studio in Rome, are timeless. I bring many clients there and have always dreamed of having this jacket, and for Christmas, I made it mine.

What is an item in your closet that you’ve been surprised by how much you use?

My Fendi bucket bag! The large 'Mon Tresor’ — not with a black interior, so I can actually find everything in it! — is the perfect size. It has a top handle, crossbody, and somehow, being brown, black, and red, it matches everything. I bought it for the bling, and actually thought I wouldn’t get a ton of use out of it, but it has become a staple. I also love that Fendi is a truly Roman brand.

Who are your favorite under-the-radar designers, artists, photographers, chefs, or other creatives who you wish more people knew about?

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