The Insider: Elizabeth Kott
Elizabeth Kott has a lot going on. Girl wears a whole bunch of hats (fedoras?): She’s the founder Closet Rich, a site that brings her L.A. cohorts’ fantastic closet castoffs to the rest of us, she’s the chief creative advisor for the cool-kid T-shirt co. Cotton Citizen, and, in her spare time, she hosts an online video series. Whoa, right? Somehow, she found time for a little Of a Kind Q&A-ing. —carlye wisel
Q: What’s your closet-digging holy grail?
A: I’d really love to come across some Tom Ford for Gucci. That velvet two-piece suit with the flared bell-bottoms is so iconic to me—and so represents when I first became really aware of fashion as an art and an industry.
Q: If you could give anyone a complete wardrobe makeover, who would it be?
A: My mom dresses so well and is so put-together that I kind of want to edge her up a bit. I think it would be fun if she’d ever let me, but she never would. She’s so perfectly coifed all the time! I’d put her in…maybe really cute leather pants? And a chunky knit…and a nude pointy heel. Done!
Q: Ok, one outfit forever. What would you choose?
A: Pretty much my daily uniform, which is white Cotton Citizen T-shirt, a skinny jean, a comfy, comfy sweater, and six-inch platforms. I actually think I’m going to dress like that ‘til I can’t anymore.
Q: Have you always been a proponent of uniform dressing?
A: My whole thing is I like to keep it really effortless and easy—but pulled together with accessories that I love. When I lived in Italy for a semester in college, I literally brought two packs of men’s undershirts, and halfway through, I was like, “Woah, I maybe should have brought…another option!” I just keep it simple and utilize an investment piece or jacket that I can feel really confident in wearing all the time.
Q: How can we get our own closets in-order?
A: I recommend this to clients all the time: I bought an Ikea wardrobe and put antique handles on it, and I like to merchandise that wardrobe outside of my closet with the things I’m loving of the moment. It makes getting dressed really easy, and it’s also not as cramped.
Q: Do you own any Of a Kind editions?
A: I have the Bones and Feathers Collective necklace. I love the color for spring. It looks so great with the basic white T-shirt and jeans vibe that I generally have going on.
Q: What would your itinerary be for the perfect L.A. day?
A: Go to The Hart and the Hunter for coffee in the morning, hike, and then go to House of Intuition in Los Feliz to get my cards read. I’d go to lunch at a random hotel, sit by a pool and have a vacay day, and then make my way to the grocery store to cook. I’d have an amazing meal with all of my friends around—drinking wine and hanging out in someone’s backyard.
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The Insider: Taylor Patterson
The floral whizkid and head of Fox Fodder Farm Taylor Patterson creates the sort of moody, jaw-dropping arrangements that make us scowl at the sight of bodega flowers. But before you get mad at her for upping the ante, you ought to know that girl’s about as fly as they come—and is hardly above picking greens sprouting out of sidewalk cracks. More on all that below. —carlye wisel
Q: Do you have any fail-proof tips for keeping flowers alive longer?
A: The big secret, which isn’t even a secret, is cutting the stems every day and changing the water. What kills flowers really fast is the development of bacteria in the water. Another trick is if you put a sugar cube in there or a little bit of Sprite, and then also a little bit of bleach or vodka—but very little, maybe a teaspoon per cup. That helps eliminate bacteria without killing the flowers.
Q: So basically…a teeny-tiny mixed drink?
A: Yeah! It’s like a teeny-tiny cocktail, like a vodka soda. Even tonic works, because tonic has sugar in it. Give it an itty-bitty vodka tonic, and that’ll help to feed the flowers and keep bacteria from growing too fast.
Q: You work on a ton of weddings. Does any one stand out as having the best wedding cake?
A: A friend of mine who got married last October had a wedding cake done by the pastry chef at Vinegar Hill House. One layer was black sesame with coconut, another was carrot—it was not at all conventional, and it was really delicious.
Q: Does being a florist bring down your jewelry game since you work with your hands?
A: No! I actually wear four to five rings at all times. I mean, they get dirty, but the rings are pretty simple. One is a gold band with rubies on it that my dad gave me for my 13th birthday. Three are these really pretty, simple silver bands that my ex-boyfriend gave me. The other is this gold pinkie ring that my mom actually found in her garden behind our house—behind our house used to be a dump in the early 1900s. There are all these glass bottles and old tin canisters and things, and she found it back there.
Q: If we were going to make a bouquet on the fly—you know, snipping stuff off trees and stuff—where in New York should we look?
A: It always depends on the season. Right now, we just had all the pear trees and cherry trees in bloom, and cherry branches make beautiful cut flowers. Toward the middle and end of summer, you seen Queen Anne’s lace growing out of the sidewalk everywhere. Greenpoint runs rampant with it, and that makes beautiful arrangements by itself.
Q: What are you working on next?
A: I’m in the process of developing a signature scent of Fox Fodder Farm. It’s going to start out as a perfume, and the idea is that it can be translated into different products, like a candle, room spray, and soap. It’s not a floral-based scent. It’s musky and woodsy, more like dirt than flowers. The bottle is going to be really simple, and it will be roll-on and unisex. And it’s all-natural—no synthetic fragrances.
Q: Have you ever lost an item of clothing that was really important to you?
A: My dad used to play polo, and he had this T-shirt from the seventies that said Palm Springs Polo Club. It was green—worn-in really well—and I used to wear it a lot…and then one day it disappeared. I used to live in Paris, and when I moved, I think it got lost in the move. Or a friend stole it. You know what, my sister probably took it. I’ve asked her about it, and she said no. But I’m, like, 75% sure she has it.
Photo courtesy of Lianna Tarantin.
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The Insider: Britt Aboutaleb
As beauty director at Who What Wear, the so-fly Britt Aboutaleb keeps us up-to-date about face creams (and discourages questionable lash-lengthening tactics). The only downside: Her rad job took her from New York to L.A. (i.e., 3,000 miles away from us). Below, our attempt to get our fix. Also, while we’re here, how amazing are her eyebrows?! —carlye wisel
Q: You just went to Japan! Tell. Us. Everything.
A: Japan was amazing! It wasn’t what I expected—Manhattan feels ten times busier—but the people were lovely. We were in Kyoto during Cherry Blossom, which was breathtakingly beautiful, and had dinner with two geisha, a spectacular and very special experience. The weirdest thing I saw was probably the food—or me in a kimono!
Q: What about the beauty products?!
A: The beauty products were bananas. I spent hours in the drugstores buying things I couldn’t even identify! Everyone’s wearing a cateye in Tokyo and sure enough, their liquid liners are the thinnest, blackest best I’ve ever tried. Japanese women are obsessed with skincare, so there are dozens of masks and lotions to try. There would be four floors of makeup and skincare—and then one small corner of hair products, which was fascinating. I loved the really weird things like nipple balm, heated eye masks, armpit protectors, and face massagers.
Q: The weather’s gettin’ warm, but we’re still pale. What are the best ways to look sun-kissed lickety-split?
A: Honestly? A trip to the beach—I think I’m the only sun worshipping beauty editor! But I’ve been using Crème de la Mer’s new Soleil de la Mer Gradual Tan and it’s pretty awesome. It gives you more of a glow than a tan. If you’re looking for more color, Clarins makes the absolute best self-tanning products.
Q: Be real with us: Are there any beauty products out there you think are a total waste or scam?
A: Anything that claims to make you look, feel, or be skinnier without exercising!
Q: What’s the most memorable perfume you’ve ever worn?
A: Gap Dream. It was my first fragrance, circa eighth grade. I still have a tiny bottle, actually, and whenever I catch a whiff, I’m immediately back at the lockers at Sonoma Country Day School.
Q: Do you own any Of a Kind editions?
A: When I left New York, a few of my very dear friends pitched in and bought me Mociun’s Black Diamond Cut Out Triangle Earrings. That was almost a year ago—which is crazy!—and I still wear them everyday.
Q: What would you consider to be the perfect day of L.A. eating?
A: Steak and eggs at LaMill in Silverlake for breakfast, followed by lunch at Gjelina in Venice (can we order everything?), then drinks at Goldie’s. I’m tequila’s number one fan, and the Golden Girl is the best cocktail I’ve ever had. For dinner, Bestia downtown. God forbid I squeeze a snack in there somewhere, but if you insist: tacos from a truck or ice cream from Sweet Rose. That is too much driving and too much food for one day, but it’d be delicious!
Q: What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn but still haven’t?
A: How to sew! I’m actually desperate to learn. I have so many things I want to make. There are about a dozen languages I’d like to learn, too.
Q: If you could do a wardrobe swap with anyone, whose would you choose?
A: I think Giovanna Battaglia. Or on the total opposite end of the spectrum, Lauren Hutton. (Funny because my initial reaction was to answer, “An Olsen with lots of Dolce & Gabbana mixed in,” which is basically the same thing.) I usually dress like a boy (with heels) and when I don’t, it’s nice to feel like a woman—and it’s hard to find something more curve-friendly than Dolce.
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The Insider: Ruth Baron
Ruth Baron has not one but two romantic-comedy-worthy jobs: Oprah.com editor and young-adult author. Her YA thriller Defriended drops next week—pre-order it now for $9, a.k.a., the cost of a latte in 2015. She’s also one of those girls who just knows everything cool (and, ok, weird!) a good six months before you do—if that doesn’t make you want to read on, we don’t know what will. —carlye wisel
Q: What’s the scariest or most bizarre thing that’s ever happened to you on the internet?
A: I am currently getting several Snapchats a week from these three teenage girls I don’t know. They have usernames with words like luv and lol in them, and I have no idea whether they know each other or if they think they’re Snapchatting one of their friends when they send me stuff. The ones I’ve viewed have all been totally G-rated. But there are 27 unopened photos on my phone, and I live in fear that I am going to wind up in jail because of them.
Q: If you could iChat with anyone from the dead, who would you pick and what would you talk about?
A: I’ve been wanting to write a story that takes place partly in a shtetl, and the research is really intimidating. If I could IM one of my great-great-grandmothers when she was 15, I would ask her about where she gets her cabbage and what her house looks like and who she has a crush on. And she would be like, “Uh, you can look at videos of wild creatures I’ve never even imagined before on this magical box. Are you seriously trying to have a conversation about cabbage right now?? And also what is a video? TTYL.”
Q: What’s the last thing you read that really amazed you?
A: The Orphan Master’s Son knocked my socks off, but I can’t recommend it without also recommending this incredible Catherine Chung essay on why some of the things that I found so imaginative and compelling about it are also kinda racist. I still think the story is brilliant and worth reading, but with some awareness that it’s just as much about American ideology as it is about North Korean oppression.
Q: Do you own any Of a Kind editions?
A: Lots! The ones in heaviest rotation right now are the Mociun black diamond circle earrings, which were a gift from my parents, the Erica Weiner leopard lariat necklace, which was a gift from my brother, and the Cardigan by Lynne Hiriak Charlie sweater, which I bought for myself because I do what I want. My sentimental favorite is the Mandy Coon Ernie bunny bag both because it was their first edition and because I used to bunny-sit for the Ernie it was named after, may he rest in peace.
Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing on your bookshelf?
A: I moved about a year ago and got rid of a lot of junk I didn’t love. The best find was a self-help book called Succulent Wild Woman that had fallen behind a radiator. An old roommate who is still super into self-help had given it to me, and I probably shouldn’t make fun of it because who’s to say that all my problems wouldn’t be solved if only I were more succulent and wild?
Q: You have $200 and two hours off of work. What’s your game plan?
A: Helicopter tour! Getting my pilot’s license is in my five-year plan, but I’ve never flown in a helicopter. It’s crazy-expensive, which I don’t mind in theory, but it’s hard to hand over $150 to fight a tourist for a window seat and then only get 15 minutes in the air. That said, I have no problem spending $150 of *your* money that way. I’d probably blow the other $50 on candy at Duane Reade.
Q: What’s the best thing you’ve ever gotten to write about?
A: Even though the six months I was working on Defriended were really rough due to crazy deadlines and being hilariously inexperienced, it is hands down the most fun I’ve ever had writing. Fiction is cool because you get to decide what you write about, so if Facebook murder mysteries are your thing, then nobody stops you from writing a Facebook murder mystery.
Get to know more of our favorite people on the PLANET here!
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The Insider: Jake Siegal
Jake Siegal is kind of like the Sam to our Clarissa. Or, as he might put it, the spicy bacon to our homemade caramel corn. As the founder of Samplrs and now maestro of food at Fancy, he’s an expert in deliciousness—particularly the type of small-batch goodness that arrives in your mailbox in a bee-utiful package. He also, by the by, gives really good email. Now’s your chance to get to know him—just hope you’re not hungry. —carlye wisel
Q: What unexpected blog can you not live without?
A: I visit the Guy Fieri Dish Generator on Eater at least once a week.
Q: What gadgets or apps are you all about right now?
A: Two phone apps I’m really liking are Timehop and days.am. Days.am is a cool new way to share the highlights of your day, and Timehop reminds you where you were and what you were doing exactly one (or two or three) years ago. It’s a perfect vehicle through which to force some daily introspection.
Q: What’s the last thing you saw that really amazed you?
A: Light Asylum live at Steel Drums. They’re incredible!
Q: You’re into snowboarding, huh?
A: Snowboarding is my favorite activity in the world. I am happiest on a snowboard. Luckily the trees have been good to me, and I’ve kept pretty safe. I sprained both my knees when I was 14, and I fractured my sternum this past weekend visiting my brother in Utah for my birthday. Worth it!
Q: Are you okay? Your sternum?!
A: I’m good! I’m mobile and medicated.
Q: Do you own any Of a Kind editions?
A: Yeah! I have my Maxx & Unicorn Indigo Bi-Fold Wallet on me everyday, my sister got Jesse Kamm’s Beachcomber Sweatshirt as a grad present, and I wish I hadn’t missed out on the Topo Designs Kind Backpack.
Q: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever worn?
A: It’s a tie between a caricature tee of me and with a drum made at a bar mitzvah and a pair of Aztec-pattern fleece shorts that were once my dad’s. I wore the shorts to some Columbia bar where my friend Tiffany was DJing, and the bouncer wouldn’t even let me in!
Q: What would you consider to be your perfect day of New York eating?
A: Breakfast at Russ & Daughters, lunch in Flushing at Lao Cheng Du and dinner at City Grit. It’s pop-up, supper-club-type event run by Sarah Simmons, whose background is mainly in Southern cooking. She also invites the most interesting up-and-coming chefs from around the world to tell their story and showcase their culinary talent through City Grit. It’s a huge treat for everyone involved.
Q: Road trip! You’re heading to upstate New York. What snacks are you packing?
A: King’s County Korean BBQ Beef Jerky, Ovenly Maple Thyme Pecans, Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds, and Brooklyn Hard Candy.
Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing on your bookshelf?
A: It’s a tie between this CD case and a book I bought called Curation Nation.
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The Insider: Lauren Sherman
The writer, editor, and editorial strategist (whoa) Lauren Sherman first kept us in-the-know when she was the HBIC at Fashionista, and her knack for covering fashion from a business angle—Lauren got her start as a reporter at Forbes, and you can spy her byline over at Ad Age, Style.com, and DuJour—makes her our go-to whenever we’re in need of some serious intel. Plus, you know, we just think she’s the coolest and also, P.S., has the cutest dog. —carlye wisel
Q: If you had access to anyone else’s wardrobe, whose would you choose?
A: Oh, I mean, obviously Sofia Coppola. There’s a girl who works at Fashionista named Dhani Mau, and she described her personal style as always thinking before she buys something, “Would Sofia Coppola wear this?” I totally do that, too. It’s hard, because her style is so confident but also so specific. Sofia Coppola’s not going to do nail art; she’s not gonna wear anything that doesn’t feel true to her. She’s kind of the ultimate be-all, end-all for me when it comes to fashion.
Q: Do you have anything hanging in your closet that you’ve never had the guts to wear?
A: I have this navy blue knit romper with short sleeves and red and yellow accents I got at this really cool vintage shop in Portland, Oregon. I was like, “Oh, I’ll wear it with a belt and Keds,” but it’s one of those things where I turned 30 last year, and I feel like I have to decide now: Am I going to be one of those adults who wears rompers or not?
Q: Have you ever lost an item of clothing that was really important to you?
A: When I first moved to New York, I really wanted to buy a nice outfit. I had a job at a business magazine, and I got it in my head that I wanted a suit. Phillip Lim had done this gray skirt suit with exposed stitching and grosgrain ribbon around the waist, and it was heavily discounted at Barneys Co-Op. But I still had no money, so I took a cash advance to buy it. I ate black beans with hot sauce on them for lunch every day because I just wanted that suit so badly. It was amazing. I got so much wear out of it—I still wear the blazer to this day—but I dropped the skirt off at a dry cleaners without a computer system and was kinda lazy about picking it up. When I finally did, they were like, “We don’t have it. You never dropped it off here.” It just went off into the ether! That’s the one thing I wish I could get back.
Q: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve witnessed during your time in the fashion industry?
A: Fashion is just full of weirdos, and pretty much every moment is weird. My favorite weirdo is James Goldstein, this rich, tan, cowboy-esque guy who attends a lot of European fashion shows, as well as NBA games. I went up to him at a Fendi party in Paris once—Duran Duran were playing. He totally thought I was hitting on him.
Q: You’re trapped in an elevator with Kate Moss for five full minutes. What do you do?
A: Pull out my phone, hit the recorder button, and start asking questions.
Q: What one fashion collection sticks out for you?
A: So many! Growing up, it was Marc Jacobs’s Fall 1998 collection. I know grunge at Perry Ellis in 1992 made him famous, but Fall 1998 taught me that runway clothes could be super wearable, too.
Q: Who is your dream client?
A: Eh, the New Yorker. Because it’s the New Yorker.
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The Insider: Winnie Au
You know that pick-up line that goes, “Girl, you must be tired, cause you’ve been runnin’ through my mind all day?” Winnie Au’s kinda like that for the internet: Once you start spotting her photography, you’ll see it everywhere—over at Refinery29 and Target.com and on our edition pages. Now’s your chance to get to know who’s behind all that awesomeness. —carlye wisel
Q: What’s the last thing you saw that blew your mind?
A: I just visited Puerto Rico and went to Vieques and visited the Bioluminescent Bay, which is filled with glowing micro-organisms. It’s beautiful! It’s hard to photograph or show in a video, but it’s nice to experience something for which you have no reference or preconceived idea about. The micro-organisms glow when there is movement, so as we kayaked through the water at night, you just see sparkles everywhere. The sparkles even appear on your hand if you put your hand through the water, so you finally get to experience what it’s like to be Edward from Twilight! Okay, that’s not why it was amazing, but it’s definitely a magical experience.
Q: What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever made with your two hands?
A: I made fresh goat cheese at a farm in France while i was WWOOFing—working on a farm in exchange for room and board. We milked the goats, heated the fresh milk, added rennet, poured the mixture through cheesecloth into molds, let it sit, and voila—delicious cheese!
Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing you have in your apartment?
A: Three different corgi mugs, a corgi calendar, a corgi pin, a corgi umbrella…and this is just the beginning.
Q: Do you own any Of a Kind editions?
A: I don’t yet, but I’m eyeing Sarah Frances Kuhn’s camera straps—they are amazing! And the perfect accessory for every photographer. I love finding cute versions of photo gear, and these are really special.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Utilitarian, cute, comfortable—I like prints and stripes, casual dresses, jeans, and pretty colors like seafoam green and coral pink.
Q: Do you have any solid beauty advice?
A: I’m scared of the sun slowly making my face melt away, so I try to wear sunscreen on my face everyday. I have a cream from Origins called A Perfect World SPF 25, and whenever I’m at the beach or out all day, I use SPF 50.
Q: Okay, your dog portraits are crazy-cool. How do you make those guys sit still?!
A: With lots of patience! Well, and I usually request that the dogs I photograph know how to sit on command. This doesn’t mean that they’ll sit in the spot I want them to, though. Treats are, of course, always helpful, too.
Q: Finish this sentence: In the future, we’re all going to…
A: Wear Google Glass that will have facial recognition and will finally help me remember everyone’s names! It’ll be just like phone numbers today—no one will remember anyone’s names anymore because you won’t have to.
Meet more crazy-talented people right this way!
Photo by Florent Bariod.
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The Insider: Mollie Chen
In the Baby-sitters Club version of our lives, Mollie Chen would be our Kristy—not because she’s always wearing turtlenecks or getting all bossy, but because she’s just so good at stuff. Editorial director of our favorite beauty site Birchbox by day, Mollie is also a ridiculously good cook—to the point where you question when and how much she sleeps. And while we still don’t have the answer to that query, Mollie did share her tip for at least looking awake. —carlye wisel
Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing on your bookshelf?
A: I’ll stand by any of my books—a mishmash of contemporary writers, the odd Hunger Games or One Minute Manager, and tons of cookbooks and food memoirs. But I also have weird stuff I haven’t gotten around to throwing away: a roll of Chinese toilet paper that my dad gave me upon landing in Shanghai and made me carry around for the entirety of our three week-long family trip; a Step Up 2 DVD (cinematic genius); and an empty Hitachino Nest bottle that I drunkenly took from Momofuku because I thought it was pretty (now housing paper flowers).
Q: Since you’re a master home chef, do you have a clutch recipe for last-minute dinner parties?
A: Roast chicken. Seriously. I never understood the appeal of chicken until I made it myself, using Thomas Keller’s can’t-fail method. Add a hefty salad and crusty bread, and you’re set. Anyone can—and should—cook. Seriously. Just buy some eggs and greens and get your hands on a cast iron pan. I’ll teach you how to make a frittata.
Q: No, but seriously, Mollie: How do you make vegetables taste good?
A: During the colder months, I roast everything at high heat until it’s just shy of burnt. This works with sweet potatoes, cauliflower, fennel—you name it. In the summer, I love raw shaved salads or simple grilled veggies. And salads don’t have to be boring. I think secret is twofold: fat and texture. Add tahini, avocado, or cheese for creaminess, and chopped up apples, toasted nuts, or crisp sprouts for crunch. If all else fails, consult Yotam Ottolenghi or Suzanne Goin for inspiration.
Q: What’s the last thing you saw that really amazed you?
A: I was familiar with George Bellows but hadn’t seen any of his paintings in real life until the Metropolitan Museum show this fall. I was blown away by the depth and range of the paintings, and the way they captured the color and life at the edges of New York life in the early 1900s.
Q: Is there anything hanging in your closet that you’ve never had the guts to wear?
A: No, but I definitely have things in my closet that require a week’s worth of kale and chia seeds to wear. (They don’t come out very often.)
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I wouldn’t call it a style, but I’ve definitely cornered the market on silky printed things and skinny belts. I almost never wear black.
Q: Do you own any Of a Kind editions?
A: So far, I only have Kindah Khalidy’s Cotton Candy Clutch (a birthday gift), but I have my eye on many others—and I’m hoping the Swiss Camo Tote comes back before summer!
Q: What’s your one solid beauty secret?
A: Face oils. As someone who had oily skin as a teenager and a frustrating bout of mid-twenties acne, I never, ever thought I’d learn to love face oils. But I find that they keep your skin balanced year-round, and feeling amazingly light and healthy—kind of like a green juice for your complexion. Under-eye brightener (YSL Touche Eclat or Benefit’s Ooh La Lift) is the fastest way to look awake and pulled-together. Cream blush has a velvety texture that you don’t get with powder—I adore Jouer’s Cheek Tints and RMS Beauty’s Lip2Cheek. Whoops, that was three.
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The Insiders: Youngna Park and Jacob Krupnick
Prepare yourself to meet a couple that just oozes artistry: Jacob Krupnick and Youngna Park are both crazy-talented photogs who co-created a mesmerizing feature-length music video (more on that below). Oh, and they also made this mini Of a Kind film about the talented and articulate sisters behind Lizzie Fortunato. Basically: RENAISSANCE TWOSOME. —carlye wisel
Q: What’s the most remarkable photograph you’ve ever seen?
Jacob: I saw this Margaret Bourke-White picture at a gallery in Soho in the early nineties, when I had just moved to NYC and had started taking pictures. It’s called Hats in the Garment District, and it captures the time of a place just perfectly.
Youngna: We just saw a Joel Sternfeld retrospective at C/O in Berlin, and the image McLean, Virginia, December 1978 from his American Prospects series really wowed me.
Q: What game show do you think you two would have the best chance of winning?
Jacob: We’d destroy Double Dare.
Q: Do you own any Of a Kind editions?
Jacob: Not yet! I was dying for the Dorian Tie, but *alas*, she’s all sold out. Youngna’s in love with the Kroller Tote (by Love Mert). Our friend Chrysanthe has the floral Clare Vivier clutch, which we both ogle pretty regularly.
Q: Do you have any easy-peasy tips so all of us iPhone photogs can make our pictures look a smidge better?
Youngna: Shoot near windows in natural light.
Jacob: The Camera+ app lets you adjust exposure and focus in a way I really like.
Q: What’s the last great book you read?
Jacob and Younga: This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz. Joint answer!
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever made with your own two hands?
Jacob: Our movie, Girl Walk // All Day. Self-aggrandizing, but true.
Q: What’s the last thing you saw that really amazed you?
Jacob: On the shocked side of amazed: We were in Beijing this January while the pollution broke previous records. The weight of the air, the taste of the air, the effect of the pollution on the light, and the speed at which it swept into the city have had us thinking and talking about it since we got back.
Q: You’ve got $200 and two hours off of work. What’s your game plan?
Jacob: Ride bikes to Fairway in Red Hook; blow all the cash on fancy cheese. Save $4 for a rosemary-apricot bar from Baked.
Q: What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn but still haven’t?
Jacob: How to speak another language with panache. And how to tie a bowtie. [Ed: Here’s your chance, ℅ The Hill-Side!]
Youngna: I wish I could sing.
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The Insider: Maris Kreizman
Bookworm as a compliment? You betcha. Our girl Maris Kreizman masterfully mashes up your favorite TV habits with literary goodness on her epic Tumblr, Slaughterhouse 90210—if you aren’t following it already, what in god’s name have you been doing?! Here, what she’s contemplating when she’s not pairing The Voice with Philip Roth and Gilmore Girls with P.G. Wodehouse. —carlye wisel
Q: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever worn?
A: There’s a photo of me all dressed up for middle school orientation. I’m wearing Z. Cavaricci-esque jeans rolled up with a denim button-down on top and white socks rolled with scuffed Keds. I have my hair in a side ponytail using my best scrunchie (black-and-white striped), and my mom had helped me tease up my bangs to great heights. It was terrible and glorious—I’m from New Jersey.
Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing on your bookshelf?
A: I love books, all kinds of books, and I don’t embarrass easily. But I will say that Stop Being a Hater and Learn to Love the O.C. is rather preposterous. (But still, Seth & Summer 4eva.) The author of that preposterous book went on to write one of the smartest books about TV I’ve ever read: The Revolution Was Televised.
Q: If you could go on a cross-country road trip with three people, dead or alive, who would you pick?
A: Let’s make it an all-ladies road trip: I want Hillary Clinton driving, Nina Simone DJing, and Dorothy Parker cracking jokes.
Q: What’s one TED talk that doesn’t exist yet that you wish you could watch?
A: “Danson: A Television Journey from Cheers to Damages and Beyond.”
Q: What’s the best thing you’ve ever gotten to write about?
A: I love doing the best books of the year post for Slaughterhouse 90210. It’s where I get to evaluate my year in reading and do a lot of gushing. This past year, I got to gush over some of my friends’ books, some big-buzz books, some quieter ones, and also Ke$ha. I love gushing about Ke$ha.
Q: Favorite Of a Kind edition at the moment?
A: I’m eyeing the Gatsby necklace to wear for Slaughterhouse 90210’s fourth anniversary party at Housing Works.
Q: What website can you absolutely not live without?
A: Vol. 1 Brooklyn is my favorite literary/cultural site around. It manages to be super smart without ever being stuffy, serious without forgetting to have a sense of humor.
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever made with your own two hands?
A: I’m pretty proud of my “The Many Ties of Adam Scott” Pinterest board. Does that count?
