The Insider: Keely Thomas-Menter

We don’t wanna toot our own horns for knowing how to pick ‘em, but Keely Thomas-Menter is pretty much worthy of all the confetti cannons we could legally obtain. Our stellar operations assistant does well, alllll sorts of things around Of a Kind HQ, but we’ll let her tell you about what she’s up to when she’s not chatting up designers, answering customer emails, coordinating with our warehouse… —carlye wisel

Q: What’s your mini-guide to the Financial District?
A: When I’m at work, I rely heavily on Nicky’s for stellar tofu pho, matcha lattes from Takahachi Bakery, and iced coffee from R&R. If I find myself working late, I sometimes wander over to Vintry, where they have a nice spread of bourbons and noshes.

Q: What’s the last great thing you discovered online?
A: I can’t claim I discovered this, but I can tell you it is the greatest thing.

Q: If you could raid the Of a Kind archives, what three editions would you make your own?
A: This is basically Sophie’s Choice, but under duress, I’d have to go with the Crystal Ship Necklace, the first edition we did with Lizzie Fortunato. I’m a statement necklace kind of gal, and Lizzie Fortunato takes the cake in that genre. Then, the Madeleine Bag by Ernest Alexander—it’s a nice departure from my usual black or brown bag but still super versatile and crazy-chic—and the Gold Pyramid Axis Studs by TOMTOM.

Q: Beyond emerging designers, any other up-and-comers we should be keeping an eye on?
A: I have friends who make music I actually want to listen to (and not just in the supportive homie kind of way), like Martine and Young Heel. My new fave food blogs are Dinner Was Delicious—the ladies who run this blog have potty mouths and a delightfully unfussy approach to food—and Gastronomista. Then there’s the ink-and-paper recipe trove This is a Cookbook, which came out this past September. There are entire chapters devoted to “Lazy Brunch” and “Midnight Snacks.”

Q: What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn but still haven’t?
A: I’d love to learn to play the theremin. Not that I can play any other instrument beyond an entry level—which I’m sure brings great joy to my mother, who paid for over 10 years of lessons for four different instruments—but the theremin is awesome. It can be played without ever being touched.

Q: What’s one totally New York-y thing you’ve never done but really wanna do?
A: Go to a Yankee’s home game. I’m not exactly a baseball fan, but I am a fan of hot dogs, beer served in plastic cups, and screaming at things that are far away. Growing up I spent a lot of time in the crowd while my brother played every sport imaginable, and it made me really competitive, even when I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.

Q: If you could have access to anyone else’s wardrobe, whose would you choose?
A: It’s a tie between Marian Kihogo and Beatrix Ost. They’ve each mastered a totally original style and are serious risk-takers. They’re both goddesses in turbans. Mostly I just want to be them.

Q: What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever made with your two hands?
A: My roommate and I just built a raised garden bed in our backyard. We had extra wood, so we even built a bench on the end of the bed. This also involved me buying my first power tool ever—a DeWalt drill.  Basically, the whole experience made me feel like Norm Abram, Alice Waters, and She-Ra all rolled into one.

Meet more peeps we luuuurve. Here!

Photograph by Carly Piersol.

How Alynne Lavigne Draws Inspiration…From Dirty-Girl Rap

Hope you’re ready for some major GIF action.

Get a load of that Rye Rye backdrop.

Some listen to Tchaikovsky while they work, but Alynne Lavigne prefers to keep it real. While creating just-tough jewelry, she binges on videos from old- and new-school hip-hop heroines, from TLC to Rasheeda. “It’s really an attitude we’re inspired by,” says Alynne, speaking for herself and Eve Tobolka, the Salt to her Pepa. So sit back and take in some of her favorites, in all their GIF glory. —jackie varriano

Ciara featuring Ludacris - “Ride”
“The styling in this video is so badass—Ciara’s wearing all these gold rings like they’re Band-Aids. Also I love the baseball hat-jewelry combo.” 

TLC - “Girl Talk”
“I can’t wait for early-2000s style to come back. Can you imagine?”

Rye Rye featuring M.I.A. - “Sunshine”
“Such a good summer anthem! Check the amount of chunky gold jewelry Rye Rye is wearing in this video—it’s bouncing all over the place while she dances! LOVE!!!”

Salt-N-Pepa - “Shoop”
“Classic jam! I like ‘None Of Your Business’ better, but the video sucks. This video, on the other hand, has everything I need. What is that pajama hat? Very necessary.”

Rasheeda - “My Bubble Gum”
“This song is so dirty—I love how the video takes place in the daylight in the suburbs. I daydream about the hoop collection Rasheeda and her friends must have.”

Read to see what jewelry Alynne created from here? Come back tomorrow!

Track Star: Elena Tonra of Daughter

The Vibe: Angelic vocals, experimental beats, and lush, textured melodies fuel this indie folk trio’s brand of brooding love songs.

The One-Song Intro: “Still”

The Look, Recreated:  Vintage-inspired pieces with off-kilter English touches, like a button-up top with a Peter Pan collar from Something Else, high-waisted pants by Wood Wood, and an unexpected necklace by Vim Beget. —liza darwin

Want more “Track Star” action? Head this way.

The Insiders: The Jane Doze

Great things come in pairs, and Claire Schlissel (left) and Jen Mozenter of dynamite DJ duo The Jane Doze are are total power twosome on par with marshmallow fluff and peanut butter. The next big things in dance music—get a taste of their ready-for-the-weekend jams—are also total best-friend material. (And we’re ready to fight you for them.) —carlye wisel

Q: When you guys get *gigantic*, what’s going to be on your dream rider?
Claire: I’m just gonna go really off-the-wall bougie and say those $10 bottles of cold-pressed juices.
Jen: I was thinking something a little bit silly but also awesome—like, they should fly in Wawa for us, no matter where we are. For sure.

Q: You guys are always outside—in the sun!—and have perfect hair. Explain.
Claire: I shampoo it, and I never brush it. I don’t own a hairbrush. I just dry it with a towel and blow-dry it and sometimes curl it.
Jen: I think if I added up the hours of my life I’ve spent doing my hair, I’d be depressed. I straighten it with a very good, expensive straightener, and the important part is that it’s the half-inch plated—because otherwise you can’t get up to the root—and mine doesn’t have the curved edges, it’s flat. Makes all the difference.

Q: If you could have access to anyone’s wardrobe, who would you choose?
Jen: I gotta say, I like a lot of Nicole Richie stuff. I would. House of Harlow, if you see this!
Claire: We have this friend, Elizabeth Kott. Every time I see her, she has at least one item of clothing on that I want. Every time!

Q: What game show do you think you guys would have the best chance of winning on?
[Same time]
Claire: The Price is Right.
Jen: The Newlywed Game.

Q: I think you just lost The Newlywed Game by saying that.
Jen: Ha! True. What’s the one where you have to fill in the blank?
Claire: Family Feud? We could probably crush at Family Feud.
Jen: I think we would kill on the fast trivia at the end.

Q: What’s the most remarkable remix you’ve ever heard?
Claire: I really love a lot of Skrillex’s old stuff. He did a La Roux remix, he did a Lady Gaga “Alejandro” remix—I don’t like the original song, but I love his remix.

Q: Besides you guys, who should we be listening to right now?
Jen: Betty Who. She’s amazing. Tove Lo—she’s from Sweden. The world should get ready for the June 17th premiere of Cash Cash’s new single featuring Bebe Rexha—it’s that good.

Q: What’s one thing we’ll never see you wearing onstage?
Claire: One thing? I can think of a lot of things! Personally heels. But the other thing would be anything that might have a tendency to malfunction. So, like, some kind of bustier top. That would just not happen, ever.
Jen: I would definitely wear that—because like, a nip slip? That’s good for press!

Get to know more ridiculously lovable people right over here.

Track Star: Emily Haines of Metric

Weather Vain: Nashville, Tennessee - 77 and Partly Cloudy

God, what a ridiculously gorgeous day in Music City. Here’s what to wear if you’re lucky enough to be bopping (boot-scooting?) around town. —erica

Clockwise from top left:

+ Madison Harding wedges that would go equally well with jeans from the local hotspot Imogene + Willie.

+ A Rebecca Taylor dress that could hang onstage at the Ryman.

+ Sunglasses from Kate Spade Saturday—beautiful-weather, hang-outside essentials. 

+ A IIIBeCa bag the color or a buttery biscuit (with or without the gravy)

+ A Delfina Delettrez ring as hot as a reservation at The Catbird Seat.

+ Earrings—from Vanessa Mooney—ready for a late night at Tootsies.

Want more “Weather Vain?” You got it.

Szeki Chan, Former Pop Star (No Joke!)

What do Britney, Xtina, and Szeki have in common?

Szeki Chan only sings in the shower these days—and, ok, maybe every now and again from her shop in New York’s Lower East Side—but in a past life, she was a geniune pop singer. For a period of two years when she lived in Hong Kong, the 7115 designer tried to make it big. Here’s the scoop. —carly pifer

“This is a clipping from when my debut album took number one on the HK charts, along with a picture of my live performance. I used to do a lot of short gigs at random venues—and go to a million shopping malls to promote them.”

“I am admittedly a terrible dancer, so I got embarrassed any time I had to dance. Which was a lot. This piece is from a live TV performance—even scarier.”

“This is a picture from a newspaper about the shooting of my very first music video. Looking back on it, the hair and outfit is…beyond words. I think the frustration of having to wear these crazy outfits has really informed the pared-down, grown-up aesthetic that I design with now.”

Szeki’s shift dress is like music to our ears. Get yours right this minute.

A Rough-and-Tumble Canoe Playlist

Bring on the Waylon Jennings and the Merle Haggard.

Willie! And friends!

Is there a musical genre that sounds more badass (and pure awesome) than “outlaw country?” Because that’s what inspires Natalie Davis and her line of handcrafted leather goods, Canoe. Below, a dozen songs—many by artists who live around her neck-of-the-woods, Austin, Texas—that get Natalie going. Listen to the whole shebang on Spotify! —meghana gandhi

“Mother Blues” by Ray Wiley Hubbard
“‘The days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, those are really good days’—this is my mantra for 2013.”

“Just Breathe” by Willie Nelson
“Cover of a Pearl Jam song—and a beautiful rendition. Willie is the patron saint of Austin and a living legend. Last year, I saw him perform for the first time in Canyon Lake with my mom and my husband, and it was truly amazing.”

“Born to Be Loved” by Lucinda Williams
“Lucinda’s songwriting is really poignant and raw, and her voice is slightly rough and beautiful.”

“If I Needed You” by Townes Van Zandt
“My husband and his mom danced to this at our wedding, and it was really touching.”

“Bowspirit” by Balmorhea
“I listen to the Austin-based band Balmorhea when I am writing or thinking through tough problems.”

“Waltz” by Mother Falcon
“Another Austin-based group—an ensemble orchestral band with amazing energy that’s so fun to see live.”

“Dancing Barefoot” by Patti Smith
“Thanks to my roommate from freshman year of college, I was indoctrinated with Patti Smith daily. I am so thankful for that. She is always in the back of my mind while I am designing—what would Patti Smith do?”

“Good Hearted Woman” by Waylon Jennings
“This song embodies the classic country theme of sacrificing for love. I love the live version with Willie Nelson singing with Waylon.”

“My First Gun” by Crooks
“This is an Austin-based band that I’ve gotten to see perform in some classic honky-tonks around town. The first time I met the frontman was at the farmers’ market, and I thought, ‘This guy must be in a country band.’”

“Clementine” by Sarah Jaffe
“I listen to this on repeat and find myself humming this song while tooling leather.”

“Emmylou” by First Aid Kit
“These girls have my heart. They’re Swedish folk singers who really capture the spirit of the Southwest. Their songs get stuck in my head for days at a time.”

“I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink” by Merle Haggard
“When I’m having one of those days where nothing is going right, I put this song on. You can’t help but tap your foot and sing along.”

See what Natalie made while humming along. These two-tone leather wallets are really something special.

Inspirationale: Jesse Kamm Meets Her Muse

The first day of spring is just under a month away—time to refresh, reinvent…or, you know, maybe just re-paint the living room and buy some new sandals. Whatever your modus operandi, a little motivation never hurt, so we’re asking some of our awesome designers to share what’s inspiring them right now. First up: artist-cum-designer Jesse Kamm, who is a big fan of not trying too hard, as her line, choc-full of easy, effortless pieces, proves. —keely thomas-menter

“I met Debbie Harry backstage at a show. She is still insanely beautiful. She pumps me up. She is one of those women, who has “IT.” It isn’t contrived. A stylist did not make her that way—she just is. That is the thing that inspires me most about a person—an originality, an effortlessness. There are few true icons that I think I would go gaga over. But give “Rapture” a listen—you will be driven to love!” —jesse kamm