Minimalism/Maximalism: The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology 50th Anniversary Exhibit

photographing a circa 1875 American top hat

The 50th Anniversary Exhibit at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology is themed Minimalism/Maximalism, and pairs costumes from the late 18th century through 2019. The couplings are meant to demonstrate that minimalism and maximalism not only cycle (alternately dominate era by era) over time, but become stylistically more or less distinguishable depending on other elements in the zeitgeist (media, politics, economics, etc.)

Is minimalism just maximalism directed inwards? John Galliano discusses his concept for Maison Martin Margiela’s Spring 2019 collection, “Artisanal”

Listening to John Galliano explain his inspiration for the Margiela Spring 2019 collection (“Artisanal”) was incredibly interesting not just in terms of following another person’s philosophical journey, but also due to his dreamy suggestiveness contrasting so sharply with the remainder of the exhibit, which features explicitly iconic trend pieces only.

Anrealage Fall 2018

Anrealage Fall 2018

Walking through, I had my own revelation— we consumers of fashion take so much of it personally! We credit our desires for less AND more to personal growth/exploration/actualization rather than a heavily manipulated environment; taking on the less/more cycle as a matter of personal choice feels like the correct intellectual step, but also imposes an emotional burden.

Narciso Rodriguez Spring 2011

Comme des Garçons Spring 2018

Narciso Rodriguez Spring 2011; Comme des Garçons Spring 2018

Narciso Rodriguez Spring 2011; Comme des Garçons Spring 2018

The flipside of disempowerment is relief. I don’t like the idea that I have been manipulated by design and marketing trends into self-destructive consumerism, and knowing I hit the dead end of a path that was supposed to lead to self actualization really adds insult to injury! On the other hand, knowing I’m not uniquely stupid or silly or superficial (and therefore I shouldn’t feel uniquely guilty) gives me closure. As I walked the darkened exhibit loop, occasionally stung by nostalgia, I actually went through the 5 stages of grief!

Yves Saint Laurent F/W 1965-66

Yves Saint Laurent F/W 1965-66

Yves Saint Laurent F/W 1965-66; Jil Sander Spring 1996; Akris Spring 2017

Yves Saint Laurent F/W 1965-66; Jil Sander Spring 1996; Akris Spring 2017

Yohji Yamamoto F/W 1991

Yohji Yamamoto F/W 1991

Agatha Ruiz de la Prada S/S 2014

Comme des Garçons Spring 2017

Zandra Rhodes F/W 1981

Comme des Garçons Spring 2017; Agatha Ruiz de la Prada S/S 2014; Zandra Rhodes F/W 1981

Iris van Herpen & Jólan van der Wiel 2015

Christian Lacroix Spring 1991; Etro Fall 2013

Christian Lacroix Spring 1991; Etro Fall 2013

DENIAL: Did maximalism and minimalism really figure as much in my purchasing as practicality? Was occasionally purchasing for my fantasy self to keep my dreams alive really so impractical? Did I really need to re-evaluate my relationship to maximalism and minimalism beyond superficial taste in garments?

circa 1780 French silk waistcoat

circa 1785 French court suit

circa 1785 French court suit

circa 1775-1780 English evening shoes

circa 1808 French shoes

circal 1780-90 French or English suit

circa 1780-1790 French or English silk velvet suit; circa 18033-1805 American cotton muslin dress

Circa 1850 American made “Dandy” ensemble

ANGER: If I hadn’t had an emotionally deprived childhood my material desires wouldn’t be so perversely extravagant! Also, how could I have hurt myself so much, stolen from my future, my health, my pets, my boyfriends, because I preferred to spend my attention and funds on shopping for beautiful things? I could have had a house, a kid, a stock portfolio . . .and all that fancy stuff just makes me feel overwhelmed when I don’t wear it, and a bit of impostor syndrome when I do. An emotional pyramid scheme!

circa 1855 American dress

circa 1883 Worth evening gown

circa 1883 Worth evening gown

circa 1908 Suzanne Talbot hat

circa 1908 Suzanne Talbot hat

Callot Soeurs circa 1909; Brooks Brothers circa 1907

Callot Soeurs circa 1909

Callot Soeurs circa 1909

Callot Soeurs circa 1909

American cycling hat circa 1895

Madame Agnès cloche circa 1929; American cycling hat circa 1895

circa 1916 American denim walking suit

circa 1929 French wool ensemble

circa 1916 American denim walking suit; circa 1927 silk Gabrielle Chanel dress; circa 1929 French wool ensemble

America panne velvet circa 1925

BARGAINING: From now on I’ll be minimal in my number of garments, maximal only in their nature. Starting now I will keep a steady weight so I don’t waste money buying wardrobes for iterations of myself in a 50 pound range. Once my body is right I will set a strict budget, research trends and plan my seasonal purchasing. I will only buy blue chip pieces I can easily resell . . .

circa 1928 American flapper dress

circa 1928 American flapper dress

circa 1928 American “Flapper” dress; circa 1926 American evening dress; Cheney Brothers curtain panel circa 1930

Fenton Footwear circa 1929

circa 1922 French evening bag

circa 1925 American headband

circa 1926 American evening coat

Muriel King 1932; Elizabeth Hawes 1930

circa 1930 American evening gown

circa 1930 American evening gown; 1938 Elsa Schiaparelli handbag; Jeanne Paquin 1939

circa 1930 American evening gown; Jeanne Paquin 1939

1938 Elsa Schiaparelli handbag

Elsa Schiaparelli 1938

Adrian suit circa 1945

circa 1945 Gilbert Adrian label by Pola Stout suit; circa 1952-3 Claire McCardell dress; circa 1938-40 American sandals

DEPRESSION: I’ve already lost the war. I’m almost 40, broke, with little to show for it. I have no one to look beautiful for, nowhere to wear my beautiful things. I can’t even show off my best stuff to the internet void because most doesn’t fit me and I don’t have the confidence anyway. Will I ever get my body back? It was all a waste of money and hope., and facing these facts is making me feel lots of anxiety and causing dysfunctional levels of procrastination and guilt.

Hardy Amies circa 1948

circa 1948 Hardy Amies evening gown

circa 1948 Hardy Amies evening gown

Anne Fogarty 1952; Pierre Balmain 1959

André Courrèges moon boots 1965; André Courrèges couture dress 1962; Marcello jumpsuit 1970

André Courrèges moon boots 1965; André Courrèges couture dress 1962; Marcello jumpsuit 1970

Bill Blass, 1967

Michael Mott for Paraphernalia circa 1968

Wastebasket Boutique by Mars of Ashville paper dress 1968; Michael Mott for Paraphernalia circa 1968

Wastebasket Boutique by Mars of Ashville paper dress 1968; Michael Mott for Paraphernalia circa 1968

Peter Max for Randy, 1969

Bloomingdales jacket 1969; Thea Porter dress 1973; Larsen Design Studio upholstery 1971; Peter Max for Randy sneakers, 1969

Bloomingdales jacket 1969; Thea Porter dress 1973; Larsen Design Studio upholstery 1971

Bloomingdales jacket 1969; Thea Porter dress 1973

Mr. Fish 1972

Mr. Fish 1972; Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche 1976

Dr. Scholls 1974

Jordache jeans 1976

Stephen Burrows 1973; Halston 1976

Stephen Burrows 1973; Halston 1976

Elsa Peretti 1971

Elsa Peretti 1971

ACCEPTANCE: I guess it’s not entirely my fault, zeitgeist and societal pressures do exist, and also I’m human, not a crystal-ball-slash-mortgage-calculator. I had little support or guidance in life AND I’m hardly alone. My hard-won wardrobe should be giving me joy and confidence, not taking it away from me, and I have the power to make either happen. I also possess the poise to not hate myself even when I can’t cope as quickly or well as I’d like, and when I make mistakes. Most importantly, I’ve really learned something here and can let that simmer in my subconscious for as long as I want.

Larry LeGaspi 1979

Thierry Mugler 1979

Larry LeGaspi 1979; Thierry Mugler 1979

Versace Fall 1991

Bob Mackie 1989; Versace Fall 1991

Bob Mackie 1989; Versace Fall 1991

Karl Lagerfeld suit 1984-85

Gianni Versace Couture bag Spring 1991

Karl Lagerfeld suit 1984-85; Gianni Versace Couture bag Spring 1991

Prada circa 1990s

Prada 1990s

Comme des Garçons 1983

Comme des Garçons 1983

Calvin Klein 1996

Calvin Klein 1996

Donna Karan Fall 1985; Giorgio Armani Fall 1985; Calvin Klein 1996

Maison Martin Margiela F/W 1990-91; Helmut Lang F/W 1994-95

Maison Martin Margiela F/W 1990-91; Helmut Lang F/W 1994-95

Maison Martin Margiela F/W 1990-91

Hussein Chalayan 1999

Hussein Chalayan 1999

LOL! So I did feel relief by the time I left, but also a residual longing to look better and get closer to my fantasy self. We all talk about ‘getting back to ourselves’ after both tragedies and happy setbacks, but do we actually mean retreating to our old dreams, vices, delusions, routines?

Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen F/W 2001-02

Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen F/W 2001-02; Givenchy Couture by Alexander McQueen F/W 1997-98

Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen F/W 2001-02

Givenchy Couture by Alexander McQueen F/W 1997-98; Undercover S/S 2005

Undercover S/S 2005

Manish Aurora Spring 2006

Undercover S/S 2005; Manish Aurora Spring 2006

Louis Vuitton by Takashi Murakami 2003

Louis Vuitton by Takashi Murakami 2003

Giorgio Armani Privé Fall 2007

Undercover S/S 2005; Manish Aurora Spring 2006; Giorgio Armani Privé Fall 2007; Louis Vuitton by Takashi Murakami bag 2003

Undercover S/S 2005; Manish Aurora Spring 2006; Giorgio Armani Privé Fall 2007; Louis Vuitton by Takashi Murakami bag 2003

Stella McCartney Spring 2009

Stella McCartney 2009; Phoebe Philo Pre-fall 2012

Calvin Klein Collection by Francisco Costa Spring 2009

Calvin Klein Collection by Francisco Costa Spring 2009

Bao Bao Issey Miyake 2015

Jil Sander by Raf Simons S/S 2011

Jil Sander by Raf Simons, S/S 2011

I don’t have anything else to say about this exhibit (wink). I did enjoy it! All photos watermarked by the museum were taken by Eileen Acosta.

Cushnie et Ochs Fall 2015; Ellery 2016; Julia y Renata Spring 2019

Adidas 2018

Céline Fall 2015

Céline Fall 2015; Carolina Herrera by Wes Gordon Fall 2019

Richard Quinn Fall 2018

Sacai by Chitose Abe Spring 2016; Gucci Spring 2017; Richard Quinn Fall 2018

Balenciaga 2018

Balenciaga 2018

At least I’ll never be decadent enough to wear these atrocious Balenciaga sneakers!

For inspiration or to donate, check out the Museum at FITs online collection here: http://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/

Also, they have a Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMuseumatFIT

TC Cannon: At the Edge of America

TC Cannon was a Native American (Kiowa/Caddo/French) painter, poet, musician, and Vietnam vet. His Kiowa name was “he who stands in the sun”, he trained in the Southern Plains style of painting at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and he passed away in 1978 at the too young age of 31. During his lifetime his work was often interpreted as political and subversive; now it’s clearly so much more: earnest and insightful portraiture; aesthetically emblematic of its era; plaintive and relatable on a personal level. The feeling strongly impressed upon me by his work was patience.

TC Cannon with his father in Vietnam

If you’re interested in all the academic takes on TC Cannon, and want to hear his poetry read aloud, this is a great playlist

I care deeply for the preservation of indigenous American peoples and their cultures. It has taken so long for mainstream perceptions of colonization to change from ‘a fight they lost and we won’ to . . . .the genocide it was. Going to the annual Bear Mountain powwow with my grandfather (who also snail-mailed me related anthropology and archaeology articles, yup, I’m old) helped me learn the difference between considering a cultural outgroup and consuming it. Decades later, as the cultural appropriation debate rages, I find myself reaching back for clarity in the distinction.

This is a TC Cannon song ‘handed down’ in the family of one of his buddies

I’ve never visited the Southwest or the Plains but hope to someday. In his work I see a lot of Gaugin, a very little Catlin. I’d love to see the settings.

His sister still sells his work and manages his estate: http://www.tccannon.com/

Support the Native American Rights Fund: https://www.narf.org/

Go to the Powwow I went to as a little girl: https://www.crazycrow.com/site/event/bear-mountain-powwow/

The Cooper Hewitt + Cube Museum 2019 Design Triennial: NATURE

Fantasma by AnotherFarm: transgenic silk (injected with coral DNA to glow red) dresses

As per the website:

With projects ranging from experimental prototypes to consumer products, immersive installations, and architectural constructions, Nature—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, co-organized with Cube design museum, presents the work of sixty-two international design teams. Collaborations involve scientists, engineers, advocates for social and environmental justice, artists, and philosophers. They are engaging with nature in innovative and ground-breaking ways, driven by a profound awareness of climate change and ecological crises as much as advances in science and technology.

Tree of 40 Fruit by Sam Van Aken: using centuries old grafting techniques, 40 varietals are incorporated into one living tree

Choreography of Life by Charles Reilly: depicts ATP synthase harvesting the metabolic energy stored in ATP bonds

Bioreceptive Concrete Panels by Marcos Cruz, Richard Beckett, Javier Ruiz, Nina Jotanovic, Anete Salman, Manja van de Worp: a natural method of fighting air pollution

Cillia coat by Jifei Ou, Hiroshi Ishii, Fabian Neumann, Sen Dai: 3D printed hairlike structures on the coat can be programmed to provide warmth, act as sensors or aid movement

Bamboo Theatre by Xu Tiantian: with a little help from an architect, local Chinese bamboo basketmaking knowhow helps villagers build stable architectural structures for community gatherings

A World of Sand by AtelierNL: a sentimental statement about teamwork and diversity?

AIR (Avoid-Intercept-Redesign) sneaker prototype for Adidas by Parley for the Oceans: running shoes made entirely of marine plastic waste

3D-Painted Hyperelastic Bone by Adam E. Jakus and Ramille Shah: hydroxyapatite (a form of calcium found in bones) makes these implants porous, flexible, strong and recognized by the body like real bones, aiding faster bone regeneration and tissue integration with low or no immune response

The Substitute by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg: CGI animation and DeepMind behavioral software is used to recreate the extinct male northern white rhino

Project Coelicolor by Natsai Audrey Chieza: Textiles dyed with pigment producing bacteria eiiminate water waste and pollution from the process. Colors are controlled by pH, oxygen exposure and time.

Bleached (II) by Erez Navi Pana: this salt-crystallized loofah and wood stool symbolizes changing human perception of natural commodities.

Cisterns by Hiroshi Sambuichi: displayed in old city cisterns around the world, this installation transposes the experience of visiting the Itsukushima Shrine (in Miyajima, Japan) onto local environments

Biocement Masonry by Ginger Krieg Dosier: made of mixed sand, nutrients and microorganisms, these bricks are as strong as standard bricks and are grown and dried in molds, eliminating high carbon emissions typical of the standard firing process.

Warka Water Tower by Arturo Vittori: collects potable water from dew, fog and rain

Aguahoja II by Neri Oxman: made of biocomposite materials made from shrimp shells and fallen leaves, these “skin and shell” structures can be 3D printed and programmed with different mechanical, optical and olfactory properties, including timed decomposition.

Curiosity Cloud by Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler: hand fabricated replicas of different insects that would not be found together in nature are united, and triggered to flutter by human movement

Made by Rain by Aliki van der Kruijs: textiles dyed by rain interacting with their ink are “fingerprints'“ of location, date, time interval, and millimeters of rainfall

After Ancient Sunlight by Charlotte McCurdy: this petroleum free algae-based plastic raincoat is manufactured in a manner that metabolizes atmospheric carbon rather than emitting it

Personal Food Computer by Daniel Poitrast and the OpenAg team at MIT: a tabletop sized, robot monitored chamber creates environmental conditions yielding desired phenotypic expressions from plants

Visualizing the Cosmic Web by Kim Albrecht: how are galaxies in our universe related? mapping their connections with different models helps us better understand the history of our universe, or potential multiverse

Monarch Sanctuary by Mitchell Joachim and Vivian Kuan: a vertical meadow with glass facade and carefully temperature and humidity controlled interior helps replete dwindling Monarch butterfly populations

I hope against hope that some of these carbon negative and pollution upcycling technologies become standard before we ruin Earth’s habitability.

Old, Old Houses in New York City: Dyckman Farmhouse, Sylvan Terrace, Morris-Jumel Mansion & Hamilton Grange

A sunny day in Morningside Park, very much engineered to look like a Hudson River School painting

I love visiting historic houses. I find them inspirational from an interior decorating point of view, but also love soaking up their vibes . . . I don’t feel voyeuristic, I feel right at home!

Dyckman Farmhouse, built 1784

Recently, I’ve gotten a couple Inwood listings (for those of you who don’t know . . . my day job for the past 8 years is as a professional real estate agent, a perfect match for me as a native New Yorker) and so have been traveling quite a bit up and down the west side. It is time consuming to get to these neighborhoods, so I thought I would fold in visits to uptown sights I’d always meant to see . . . . but hadn’t.

First up, the Dyckman Farmhouse between 204th and 207th streets on Broadway. This is a Dutch Colonial style farmhouse continuously occupied by one family and donated to the city as a museum in the 1910s. The sisters decorated it in an early 19th century fashion, as they remember their grandparents keeping it.

It’s two floors and a cellar. The cellar is, of course, the kitchen; the first floor is the main entertaining space and upstairs are bedrooms. In undecorated rooms throughout there are vitrines of colonial artifacts that were either donated or unearthed in the vicinity. One silly touch is that many of the items are labeled with their name in Dutch (it’s not a stole, it’s a stoel!)

Out back, dug into the hill, is a Hessian hut. These were used to house George III’s Hessian mercenaries. New York is terribly cold in winter and terribly hot in summer, and was almost completely Tory during the revolution. The hut predates the house.

Walking north on St. Nicholas Ave. from 160th St., Sylvan Terrace looks like a Wild West movie set. It’s actually 20 rowhouses built in 1882 with maintained facades (the interiors are rarely even partly original). They go for around $1.6 million these days.

At the top of Sylvan Terrace is Jumel Terrace, and the Morris-Jumel mansion. Built in 1765 by one of the wealthiest men in New York, it is quite different in character from the Dyckman farmhouse.

Morris-Jumel mansion, built 1765

Like the Dyckman farmhouse, the Morris-Jumel mansion is decorated in the early 19th century style; obviously, it’s a much grander house.

Dare I say I find the juxtaposition of 1820s-40s wallpapers and carpeting against Georgian neoclassical decorative elements horrifying?

Apparently when in France the Jumels socialized with Napoleon, so there’s a lot of that Empire style of decor as well.

The house has a bit of history: this is where George Washington planned the Battle of Harlem Heights; this is where Aaron Burr and Eliza Jumel shared their marriage of convenience (her benefit being the maintenance of social standing, his the spending of her fortune).

The upstairs bedrooms are furnished with a natural feeling jumble of furniture and decorative objects from the mid 18th through mid 19th centuries.

Of course, the kitchen is again in the basement. When I reflect on my childhood, I remember spending an inordinate amount of time in colonial kitchens learning about how people cooked and ate in the 18th century. Isn’t it so silly, looking back? Isn’t it the part of history that matters the least?

The grounds of Morris park are very small but removed and peaceful. The plantings are authentic to those that would have been used in the colonial Americas. When I visited they were past their bloom, but the heirloom roses here are known for their strong and lovely scent.

I hate to say it, but Hamilton Grange (at St. Nicholas Terrace and 141st St.) was a disappointment. Firstly, it’s not on its original site, and it’s hard to contextually appreciate in the corner of granite rocks it currently occupies.

The cellar floor is a small museum for schoolchildren using a few artifacts to map out Hamilton’s biography. The piano nobile, which I’ve photographed here, contains few if any of Hamilton’s belongings. The third floor bedrooms are inaccessible National Park Service offices. In other words, a waste of a beautiful historic house! This is technically the Hamilton Memorial, rather than a historic house museum, so my hopes were likely unfair expectations.

A lot of the furniture is repro and the entry way floor is LINOLEUM! At least the palette isn’t as offensive as the Morris-Jumel mansion’s. Also, I have to give it to the basement kiddie museum: if you are quite familiar with the musical Hamilton, you will laugh at how some lyrics are pulled line for line from the 90s educational video played down there.

Would I revisit any of these houses? No, although if I’m in the neighborhood on a sunny day I won’t hesitate to take my lunch to the Morris-Jumel garden to sit and relax in tranquility.

the Museum of the City of New York

I’m a Native New Yorker. It’s the second sentence in my professional bio. It’s about 70% of my personal identity (New Yorker first, dog lover second, art/culture/history fan third, Buddhist fourth, Real Estate Agent fifth, Youtuber sixth, aspiring world traveler seventh . . . friend and sister eighth?!?! yikes . . . all other social roles of incidental significance . . . )

I’ve also been one of those white ladies you would truly regret asking about her ethnicity, because my family goes all the way back in the city. My heritage is a rather perfectly proportional reflection of the second generation rise of various immigrant populations into socially acceptable circles, from the arrival of the Dutch in New Amsterdam onwards. I’ve seen enough eyes glaze over to now lightheartedly summarize with “standard East Coast blend,” “lots of white,” “history’s a mystery!”, “miscellaneous Euro”, etc.

All this to say, I didn’t think anyone could tell my anything about the history of New York I hadn’t learned from the explicit and tacit teachings of my grandparents. i was wrong! The Museum of the City of New York has the best teaching exhibits I could imagine on both the demographics of the city over time AND its social, political, economic and cultural evolution. I spent many hours there, and could spend MANY more.

New York has unfortunately always been rife with nativism, classism and prejudice. I wish more New Yorkers would visit this museum to learn some FACTS. Perhaps the part I enjoyed most was seeing tourists from many different countries (I heard German, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Polish?, Spanish and Italian spoken in the galleries that day) taking the time to deliberately watch the detailed, map intensive video exhibits, and then discuss what it meant to go from being whatever-they-are to being an assimilated New Yorker.

In this country we often ask what it means “to be a real American,” and so often ignore the far more important question of what it should mean to become American. This is a question us citizens can answer constructively, together, without judging each other’s ancestry.

I may always cringe when I hear myself on voicemail or see myself on film, with the nasal, lockjawed pronunciation and incessant supra shoulder gesturing that will mark me as a New YAWKUH for the rest of my days. I may want to go far, far away for as long as I can. I do still love the city though, and this museum does a great job explaining it. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

If, as a native, I could choose one essential takeaway for anyone visiting, it would be this: please remember New York City’s history of peaceful protest and social advocacy!

My First EPIC Depotting Project: From 46 Palettes to Just 7

What a joy it was to depot over 40 different palettes and compacts into just 7! I really mean that; I found the practice almost meditative.

After trying many different methods, this is what works best:

1. Soak the edges of the pan with high percentage rubbing alcohol (don’t worry about ruining the makeup; the texture of the product won’t be different once it’s dry again)

2. Wait 20-30 seconds for the glue to soften

3. Use a slender, sharp tool to dig between the metal makeup pan and the plastic compact; make sure that you have really wiggled your tool UNDER the pan rather than just piercing its side

4. If the makeup cracks or shatters, soak the pan with the alcohol, press the makeup down firmly with a paper towel to repress it, and keep working on its removal. you can do this as many times as necessary

5. Lift the pan out of the compact and clean excess glue off the bottom with the alcohol. i find it helps to flip the pan over, spray a little alcohol on, wait 30 seconds, and rub off as much as possible with a paper towel. i repeat as many times as necessary and will scrape off stubborn glue with my fingernail

6. If the pan had to be repressed, leave it out to air dry overnight

7. If the makeup is dry, test to see if the pan sticks to your empty magnetic palette. if it does, great! if not, put a magnetic sticker on the back of the pan, place in your palette and voila!

The Supplies I Highly Recommend (and I tried a few different duds that are not mentioned here):

1. Empty Magnetic Palettes from Shop Miss A: These are the cheapest palettes I could find that are still both attractive and effective. I like organizing my makeup by using one print per product type; so, for example, all my blushes from now on will go in multiples of the black palm print palette, while all bronzers will go in the faux wood print palettes

2. Rubbing Alcohol: I like 91% because the goal is to find a balance between having as little water as possible (water is what ruins makeup textures, not alcohol) and not having it dry up too fast. Rubbing alcohol typically comes in 70%, 91% and 99%+ concentrations, and I prefer 91%. Also, don’t underestimate the amount of alcohol needed for the job! To do this project I used about 5 oz.

3. Spray Bottle: I find smaller (8-12 oz), lightweight plastic bottles the easiest to handle, but to each their own, The most important thing is that it shoots more of a stream, not a fine mist

4. Paper Towels or Napkins: Toilet paper, facial cotton or similar are too soft and will leave filaments in repressed product

5. Depotting utensil: It’s not necessary to buy specialized tools if you have something that works (like my jacked up dollar store scissor!) but they’re undeniably better at the job. Similarly, one spatula will do and once you’ve practiced, you will get better and better at not damaging pans. But if you want every pan to come out as perfectly as possible, different shapes of spatula can’t hurt.

6. Magnetic stickers: Buy more than you think you need, and make sure to get two sizes: the standard 1 inch rounds but also the half inch rectangles. Too big stickers on tiny pans are a waste of space in your space-saving palette!

Behold, all the makeup worth keeping:

Powder Foundations:

Laura Geller Balance N Brighten in Fair

MAC discontinued Careblend Powder in Light

Physician’s Formula CC+ SPF 30 Powder in Light

Contour Powders:

Rodial original Instaglam Contour Powder

Rimmel x Kate Moss Sculpting Palette in Coral Sands

L’oréal Infallible Pro Contour Palette

Face Powders:

Elf Tone Correcting Powder in Cool

Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Setting Powder

MAC Limited Edition Trolls Collection Beauty Powder in Play it Proper

Stargazer White Pressed Powder

Highlighters:

Wet N Wild Limited Edition Lilac to Reality

L’oreal Lumi discontinued highlighter in Ice

Deck of Scarlet subscription

Mini Face Palettes:

Wet n Wild Catwalk Pink

Milani Strobe Palettes in Candle Light & Sun Light

Physician’s Formula All-in-1 Nude Shimmer Palette

Bronzers: 

Laura Mercier Ritual

Physician’s Formula Original Butter Bronzer

Physician’s Formula Vegas Strip Light

Wet n Wild Dulce de Leche

Blushes:

H&M

Ulta Melisa Michelle original palette

Japonesque: #2

Tarte Glisten

Nars Goulue

Bobbi Brown Coral

Milani Luminoso

Lancôme Rose Fresque

Eyeshadows:

MUFE Artist Palette Volume 1 Nudes You Need

Too Faced Cat Eyes

Estée Lauder Currant Desire

Wet n Wild Limited Edition Hieroglyphic Heart

MAC Justine Skye Limited Edition Iridescent Powder

Physician’s Formula Nude Shimmer Strips

Pat McGrath Dark Star 006 kit

Edward Bess Prismette in Cosmic Bliss

A Quiet Walk In A Rainy Garden

The formal garden in Central Park on a quiet, empty, rainy spring day:

CAMP: Notes on Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I’ve only seen the line for a Costume Institute exhibit this long twice before in my lifetime of Met membership: Jackie O, and Alexander McQueen.

Camp was fun, obvious, and waaaaaaaayyy too heavy on Jeremy Scott for Moschino.

Or, “Camp is JUDY GAAAAAAHHHHHHLAND,” as one of the dramatic piped in soundbites (I think it’s Simon Doonan?) quips.

The crowd was great . . . lots of fashion people, lots of insta handle exchanges.

Quick Visit to El Museo del Barrio

About 10 days ago my psychiatrist said getting out and exercizing, even if it’s just walking a mile or two, is an essential curative action for my depression and grief. Despite my new 20mg Lexapro subscription, I’ve been spending about half my days in bed, in a darkened room, feeling bad, so I decided today to take this advice to heart.

El Museo is small and friendly and all about how tough it was/is to be a Puerto Rican in New York. There are fewer but similarly inspired works by Dominican and Mexican Americans also.

I wish I could say spending a good 40 minutes considering the systemic oppression of Latinos made my personal problems seem small by comparison, but it didn’t. Aren’t all catastrophes essentially personal?

It was a nice experience and reason to get out of bed nonetheless. Kind people, good art, good restaurant, and the entrance to the area of Central Park with the formal garden and duck pond is right across the street.

I walked around the pond a bit despite the rain. That was the theme of my day: sometimes it rains; sometimes it’s dark and gray; whether it’s the weather outside or the weather in my mind, from now on I won’t let it stop me.

The obstacles I’m facing are pretty serious, but the world didn’t end today.

Gritty Sh*tty Tribeca

I . . . never loved Tribeca. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t turn down a multimillion dollar cast iron palace à la Blake Lively and Harry Styles, but the reasons celebs love it tend to be the very reasons plebes hate it. Street life is nil . . . many brunchy bistros, all with very expensive potted plantings rotated biweekly; the occasional superbougie toy shop or book store; dive bars, dollar pizza places, graffitied vacant storefronts, and brutalist highrises mix indiscriminately with the sedate, darkened lobbies of luxury condo buildings made from gutted Victorian factories and warehouses.

Façades remain deliberately gritty and retail deliberately shitty for the discreet, impressionist lifestyles of the überrich: going about their business in chauffeured black cars, they do not participate in street life; from afar (say the huge windows of a $20 million loft apartment) the graffiti and grime are picturesque and “old school New York.” Dollar slice shops are headspaces to glance at punk teenagers and daydream, NOT a dietary option, symbol of class polarization, or symptom of an urban food desert.

For all my disdain, I understand how the neighborhood remains aesthetically inspirational for many. So here are some themes I like in Tribeca!

1. The neon lighting shops along Canal. This has been an electrician source place for at least 70 years, and they don’t bother doing anything with their windows at all, which is fun!

2. Graffiti . . . this is what the tourists come for!

3. Brutalist architecture and public sculpture

4. Art Deco

5. City Hall Park. Small enough for a peaceful pretty stroll, and the golden statue Civic Fame is visible from almost anywhere in the neighborhood, calling like a beacon of serenity.

And here are two unique spots I just like:

1. The Ghostbusters fire station? How have I lived 36 years as a native New Yorker and not realized this?

2. Philip Williams Posters. Local legend since 1973 and he’s in the shop every day, a decorator MUST