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.
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Rawaan Alkhatib
A genius poet, master pastry chef, and scarf-designing superstar—yah, we’re talking about one person. Born in Dubai, Rawaan Alkhatib spent her early days surrounded by peacocks and gazelles. “This definitely contributed to my animal obsession, which you can find in my writing and design,” she says. In 2002, she headed to Brown University, eventually landing in an MFA program in Iowa. “It’s the only place where you can be at a bar and a stranger says, ‘So are you a poet or what?’—and you can say yes and own it,” she recalls.
In 2011, Rawaan found herself in New York with a fancy degree and, while poking around for jobs, started making scarves. In 2012, this side project went official (oh, and she landed a 9-to-5 at a luxury flash-sale site, too).
Scarves appeal to her for two reasons: She wears them a lot and comes from a culture of headscarves. “Silk is so magical—it keeps you warm when you’re cold and cool when you’re warm. It has a history of being used in luxury items, but it’s functional,” explains the designer, who hopes to add bags, clothing, and stationery to the mix down the road. “I have no real artistic training—merely boundless enthusiasm,” she says. “But this feels the most right of all the harebrained schemes I’ve had.” —alisha prakash
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Around the World with Wanderluster
Tag along to Iceland and San Francisco, on staycations and weekend trips.
When Rammy Lee Park started her jewelry line in June 2011, the name Wanderluster came almost instantly. A hardcore traveler, Rammy wanted her architectural, attitudinal pieces to embody the same sense of adventure that the word wanderlust (and she!) does. And these days, like most everybody, she logs her journeys via Instagram (handle: @xwanderluster). These are some of her most recent worth-a-pic moments. —jiayi ying
TRAVEL CHARMS
“I never go anywhere without this antique porcelain elephant and blue heart—both were given to me by my boyfriend.”
PACKING
“I try to pack in a way that helps me get through security as quickly as possible. These are my go-to bags for trips under five days long. The larger one is Stella McCartney for LeSportsac from years ago, and I’ve taken it to Ireland, Istanbul, Iceland, and so on.”
REYKJAVIK
“Iceland! I went to celebrate my birthday, and it was one of my most memorable trips. I spent most of my time there with my eyes agog at the natural yet surreal beauty of the land and the elegance and simplicity of the architecture. As a result, my fall/winter 2013 collection is going to be all about Iceland.”
COLORADO SUN
“This was taken on Father’s Day, when my parents and I went boating on a lake in the Rocky Mountains. I’m from Denver, but I never appreciated the mountains until after I moved to New York twelve years ago. Now, I try to explore them every time I’m home.”
SAN FRANCISCO
“I’ve been spending a lot of time in SF lately, and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite American cities. I never actually visited as an adult until last year, and since then, I’ve gone four or five times. I’ve been ceaselessly charmed by the riotous colors, the Victorian homes, and the way the streets slope.”
NEW YORK CITY
“I love moments in the city when I feel transported to another place. Here’s this magical little oasis in midtown. #wanderlocally”
WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE
“This is going to make it into a bangle soon. I’m not sure when my NYC-inspired collection will come out, but it can’t be avoided—it’s my home.”
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The Insider: Elizabeth Spiers
We’re willing to bet that Elizabeth Spiers is responsible for at least one of your must-reads. A founding editor of Gawker, the whip-smart New Yorker has helped launch, among others, Fashionista, Flavorwire, and Crushable, and she was one of the very first supporters of this little site, Of a Kind. Here, she talks about her current nearly over editor-in-chiefship at The New York Observer and what she looks for in a statement necklace. —jiayi
Q: Did you intend to get into journalism?
A: No. I fell backwards into it. When we did Gawker, I was working in finance. Then I heard that Gawker was going to be a full-time job—or a business, really, not just a hobby—so it ended up turning into a job for me.
Q: You’ve been working in the publishing industry for a long time now. How do you feel about the digital landscape changing journalism?
A: I don’t feel like it’s changing it that much because you’re still reporting and conducting your journalistic activities in the same way. What I do think happens is that if you want to be a reporter, the internet is probably the best thing that’s happened to you—it allows you to break stories as you get them, and you’re not really tied to the publication schedule. The internet offers a lot more reads, too. With a print newspaper, if we want to scale up the number of subscribers, we have to increase what’s called the rate base, which means, “How many copies are we printing and how are we distributing it?” With the web, you don’t really have to worry about that.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I like things that are very tailored, but with a little punk accent. I have a necklace that’s beaded and has neon threading through it, but it also has bullet casings on it. I like things that have a little edge.
Q: Do you have any favorite up-and-coming designers?
A: Very early on, Claire and Erica had an Of a Kind edition by Lizzie Fortunato Jewels. I love their stuff.
Q: What are some of your favorite places to shop?
A: There’s a little store on Bleecker called Sucre that I really like. They have some clothes, but it’s mostly a jewelry store. The woman who runs it has a good eye for stuff that’s unusual and a little bit difficult to source.
Q: What would be your advice for up-and-coming journalists?
A: You have to figure out a way to get your work out there. I think the web is a great space for that. If you have time to start a blog, you should. It builds up a readership, and it differentiates you from other people who are just sending in resumes with random clips. If you want to write about something specific, what you should do is to assign yourself articles and just write them. If you come in to interview with me and tell me you want to write about fashion but all you’ve been doing so far is covering community board meetings, I have no way of knowing if you’re capable of doing that. There’s no reason why you can’t start a blog and do that sort of thing yourself because then you can demonstrate that you’re capable of doing it.
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A Guide to Alex Bell and Shira Entis’s Favorite Flea Markets
These two New Yorkers know where to get all the good stuff.
It’d be downright cruel of us to feature Alex Bell and Shira Entis of Fleabags without asking them to put out on the flea-market front. After all, the two seasoned veterans started their bag line to satisfy a desire for well-designed, structurally sound totes to stow their finds. “We love the idea of discovering something that’s so valuable that it’s been passed over by several people and having it live on,” Alex explains. “And the negotiating part of it is pretty fun, too.” Check out this guide to the very best near-NYC markets that they’ve had the pleasure of digging through. —monica derevjanik
Shira’s Brimfield haul.
+ Best Place to Satisfy a Food-Obsessed New Yorker: Brimfield Antiques Show in Brimfield, MA
“The last time we were there, we had a lobster roll, amazing cinnamon-apple donuts, and a Del’s frozen lemonade, which is a Rhode Island specialty. This is New England’s largest antique market, so you will have to fight the crowds. Since the vendors located near the streets are usually the most expensive, we like to wind our way away from the street to find the better deals.” —Shira
+ Best for a Weekend Getaway: Golden Nugget Antique Market in Lambertville, NJ
“This is perhaps our favorite market. It starts very early in the morning and is best on Sundays, so we love to drive down on Saturday and make it a full weekend trip because the town of Lambertville is adorable. Some of our favorite finds are a leather printer’s rolling pin that dates back to at least the 1920s, a wooden cash drawer from the 1890s that has a cool metal gargoyle drawer pull, and a diamond-shaped hole puncher that was originally used to punch tickets on the railroads.” —Shira
+ Best for Authentic Farmhouse Décor: Madison Bouckville Antiques Show in Bouckville, NY
“This market is quite a hike from Brooklyn, but it is worth visiting, especially if you’re looking for a great upstate destination in the middle of August! I bought a 19th century wood farm table and a 1920s hot-dog holder there.” —Shira
+ Best for Real Scores: Shupp’s Grove Antique Market in Adamstown, PA
“Adamstown is an antiques destination, and you should try to coordinate your trip for one of the summer weekends when Shupp’s Grove is open. This is a real picker’s market: There is a lot of junk there, so you need to love to dig. Luckily we do! I bought these awesome vintage Czech rhinestones.” —Shira
+ Best Deals for Vintage Clothing: Chelsea Outdoor Market in New York, NY
“We can’t travel every weekend, so we frequent the fleas in New York City as well. Our favorite is the Chelsea Outdoor Market, an old staple that has been there for decades. We go so often that we have become friends with several of the vendors. A lot of the clothing is heaped in piles on tables or on the floors. Shira found a Chanel jacket, and I bought vintage Gucci loafers—both for prices that would make you too jealous if we revealed them.” —Alex
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Weather Vain: Fire Island, New York - 73 With a Chance of Thunderstorms
Ok. You guys. SUUUUMMMMMMMER IS HEEEEERE! And that means beachy weekends and fireflies and toasted marshmallows. If you’re heading to Fire Island to celebrate the occasion (like the designer behind Dusen Dusen is—hi, Ellen!), here’s what you should pack to take down any T-storms. —erica
Clockwise from top left:
+ A Dusen Dusen tote (duh!) in a very washable denim in case you have any sunscreen incidents.
+ The sort of Lizzie Fortunato cuff that will make you feel like you got dressed up for sunset dinner at Maguire’s.
+ A lightweight Ace & Jig poncho that has a certain Wet Hot American Summer vibe.
+ A no-nonsense (but cool-as-all-hell) Dsptch camera strap that matches the sand.
+ Summer rain shoes! Brought to you by F-Troupe.
+ The easiest little chambray shorts in the whole wide world—ideal for rosé sipping—that Atelier Delphine made just for Of a Kind.
Want us to give your locale the “Weather Vain” treatment? Tweet @ofakind or email info@ofakind.com.
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Lindsey Thornburg
Lindsey Thornburg always wanted to be different. Growing up in Aspen, Colorado, in the nineties, she took up snowboarding—a new-ish sport back then—listened to underground punk, and scoured vintage stores for the tiniest T-shirts she could find.
After design school, Lindsey moved to New York, where she pieced together flowing dresses out of scraps of vintage fabrics. But it was a trip to Machu Picchu—spurred by a “quarter-life crisis” (her words!)—that really molded Lindsey’s aesthetic into what it is now. Combining traditional Incan costume silhouettes with the motifs of her Western upbringing, she began cutting up her grandfather’s old Pendleton blankets, turning them into amazing Technicolor dream cloaks. “It’s really comforting to have a blanket around you all the time,” she says. “It feels good; it lifts your spirit.”
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Meet Lindsey Thornburg
How a trip to Machu Picchu changed everything.
Lindsey Thornburg always wanted to be different. Growing up in Aspen, Colorado, in the nineties, she took up snowboarding—a new-ish sport back then—listened to underground punk, and scoured vintage stores for the tiniest T-shirts she could find.
After design school, Lindsey moved to New York, where she pieced together flowing dresses out of scraps of vintage fabrics. But it was a trip to Machu Picchu—spurred by a “quarter-life crisis” (her words!)—that really molded Lindsey’s aesthetic into what it is now. Combining traditional Incan costume silhouettes with the motifs of her Western upbringing, she began cutting up her grandfather’s old Pendleton blankets, turning them into amazing Technicolor dream cloaks. “It’s really comforting to have a blanket around you all the time,” she says. “It feels good; it lifts your spirit.”
That beatific philosophy has stuck with Lindsey as she’s grown her line to include otherworldly dresses, breezy sweaters, and David Bowie-worthy blazers—her designs are at once defiant and respectful. “It’s important to get down to the roots of nature and the planet,” she explains. “Just sitting by a tree and tripping out on why that tree is so beautiful…and taking all that information back and putting it into clothing.” —raquel laneri
Lindsey’s jaw-dropping edition is here! This super-light cashmere wrap is straight-up stunning.
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Of a Kind
Elbow patches and cinnamon-colored maxi skirts—in other words, meet your fall uniform, courtesy of the New York line Porter Grey. —jiayi
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Baron Wells
When Mads Madsen [right] and Dominick Volini launched Baron Wells in January 2010, the look—an amalgamation of an outdoorsy aesthetic and a classic, East Coast menswear one—was hugely important, but so was the idea of building a business they both wanted to work for. The two childhood pals, who bonded over both board sports and artsy pursuits growing up, had had divergent career experiences that made them want to build something really special. “I worked in real estate finance at a big bank at right about the time when banks were starting to fail. It taught me a lot, but it was uninspiring in terms of the way that large corporations function,” Mads explains. “On the flipside, Dominick was working for Burton, which was a very large company but one that had managed to maintain its culture and feel like a family.”
But before the twosome could worry about
