New Year's Day Reflection 2016

In 2015 a lot of things happened. A lot of things.

The HighBoy turned one. Won a business challenge. Won best new design blog for its editorial. Was a finalist at a startup competition. I got a spot at the coveted Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program. And then I walked away.

I turned 35.

I took my daughter to London. I went to Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville, Boston, and New York. Twice for the latter two.

My oldest daughter graduated from elementary school. My youngest graduated from kindergarten.

Many people told me along the way that I couldn’t walk away. But I did.

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When I was in kindergarten, we had an end-of-the-year show in which my class performed “New York, New York” and the other kinder class performed to “Surfin’ USA”. One girl, Shannon Kolinski, got to lead for both classes. I went home and asked my mom: “Why not me?”

I’ve been asking that question for a long time. “Why not me?”

When I was 10, the Miami City Ballet decided to create a new production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. They announced open auditions for all of the children’s roles via The Miami Herald. It was an epic event with a few hundred children showing up. They were so overwhelmed, that entire groups of children didn’t even get a chance to try out, my sister included. I got a role as an “angel.” 

Because I was exceptionally short for my age, all of the other angels were much younger than me. I was not amused. But my mother insisted it would be a wonderful experience to see the professional dancers up close and I stuck with it.

When I found out that one of the girls performing the lead role was one year younger than me, I asked: “Why not me?”

She was the director’s daughter.

The following year, I got the lead role. For the first time I knew, it can be me.

Two year’s later, the ballet master who’d put me in that role suggested I audition for the School of American Ballet in New York City. And I got in, it can be me.

The following year, he suggested I try out for The Harid Conservatory, where the incoming class was 10 dancers. And I got in, it can be me.

While at SAB for a second summer, The Royal Ballet of London was performing at the Metropolitan Opera House. They needed a few supernumeraries and posted a call in a hallway. There were over 100 girls at the audition, girls from all over the country who had already beat out hundreds of others to get into SAB. Girls who went on to become soloists and principal dancers in the country’s best companies.

The audition was on my birthday. Anthony Dowell picked me first. It can be me. It was me.

This year, as I examined my surroundings, evaluated what I was doing and found myself filled with a longing to do something different, something more. A singular thought ran through my head: “Why not me? I know, it can be me.”

And so I walked away. Walked away from almost 15 years in an industry I hadn’t chosen but had chosen me. 15 years filled with exploring and traveling and learning. 15 years of living and loving. But I knew it was time. Time for me to be fearless again. Time to show up and know that I’ll be first. Because it can be me. It will be me. It is me.

It’s 2016.

Featured in Victoria Magazine!

Vintage Dress Forms...what shall they wear?

Vintage Fashions Coming Soon...

Off to the Big Apple

I´m off to New York City next week! Here´s a photo of me at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens last summer for a friend´s wedding. Dress: IRO, shoes: Jimmy Choo, hat purchased at boutique in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Douglas Scott Photography.

Fashionistas Become Auctionistas

The past decade has seen radical growth in the fashion industry worldwide, with web portals allowing fashionistas to practically order clothes straight from the runways. Still, somehow, vintage fashion has long been held hostage from the rest of the world by stylists and collectors in the few capitals where boutiques even exist.

While presenting their newest collections, the major fashion houses are returning to honor the heritage from which they came with Gucci opening a Museum in the center of Florence and Hermes’ ad campaign highlighting the date of their establishment “contemporary artisans since 1837”. The success of the Costume Institute’s Gala, in collaboration with Vogue, and the epic Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art have broadened the presentation of fashion as a living art form to the wider public. And so men and women everywhere have embraced the idea that fashion is art that you wear, an opportunity for individual self-expression; anyone can be an artist, everyday, any day, an idea further reinforced by bloggers such as The Sartorialist or Face Hunter.


And so the moment is right for this niche market to be brought out to the fashion-lovers everywhere who would like to source rare pieces from the comfort of their homes. Auctionata, the first online real-time auction house announces the launch of their newest division: Vintage Couture and Accessories. Fashionistas must now become Auctionistas to participate in Auctionata’s curated, concise auctions featuring the world’s premier vintage boutiques and private collections.

The inaugural auction, which will take place on October 18, 2011 will offer 65 vintage handbags with designer labels such as Hermes, Chanel, Prada, YSL, Gucci, and Judith Leiber to name a few, all without reserves. The category will continue to expand with plans for an exclusively Louis Vuitton auction followed by a vintage Chanel auction next on the calendar.

To take part in this groundbreaking event, register now by clicking here.

My Recent Trip to Vienna

This blogpost could have also been titled: "major changes in my life" but considering I´ve frequently announced that I´m turning a new leaf or going in a new direction and it hasn´t always panned out, I didn´t want to sound ridiculous. But the truth is, I am now starting a completely new adventure.


Last week , I went for the second time in the last few months for a visit to Vienna, Austria. It is an amazingly beautiful city, so different than the French cities I know so well. I´m going to have to switch my profile description from Francophile to Europhile because I feel the former is just too limiting at this point.


So what is the new direction? I am now the official "category manager" for "Fashion and Accessories" for the new online auction house Auctionata. Haven´t heard of it? You will. Just wait.
Now, you are probably wondering how I went from antiques and design to fashion and auctions. It is actually a very logical transition so here goes the explanation in a nutshell.


If you have been an avid follower of this blog, you have from time to time experienced my posts about a Chanel fashion show at the Grand Palais or shopping for vintage dresses from Les Merveilles de Babellou. You also know that for some time I have carried a vintage jewelry collection at Alhambra (Antiques). The auction world and the antiques world have always been very closely intertwined with many dealers buying solely through auctions or selling at auction. My experience with auction houses has been limited due the way our business was modeled, but I did attend an auction here and there in Paris or Lyon or New York. That world peaked my interest again when I read Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton, in which the opening chapter on auctioneers and the vital role the auction house plays in the art market candidly revealed many insider secrets long held sacred.
Every year at the annual Original Miami Beach Antiques Show, I seem to meet someone intriguing (John Mayer, Michael Bruno, etc), and 2011 was no exception. I was miserably ill but managed to man the booth the entire length of the show even being interviewed for the morning news and being featured in the Spanish version of the Miami Herald
but in the end it was a brief acquaintance with one of the founders of Auctionata that sealed my fate. I hope you enjoy the ride...in the meantime click over to www.auctionata.com and register to watch my inaugural Vintage Handbags auction on October 18th.

(All photos taken by me on location in Vienna.)

Home and the American Dream

A funny thing happened to me after a few months of having gone from homeowner to renter. I slowly became less and less interested in anything that had to do with the aesthetics and improvement of my living space. Where in my previous two homes—which we owned—I was constantly thinking about potential improvements that would benefit my daily quality of life, all of a sudden I thought the piles of shelter magazines to which I subscribed were wasteful and superfluous. This emotion became so prevalent that I even began to disparage my profession, my writing, and participation in the world of design. Home, really is a funny thing.

For a long time my husband had been adamantly opposed to the idea of becoming renters. But this idea—that it makes a difference in your daily life whether or not you own your home, did not become tangible to me until nearly two years later once we began looking for our own home again.

Sure, the house we have been living in has been lovingly maintained and decorated beautifully, but that transitory feeling prevented us from ever gardening (something I now really miss) or re-thinking how furnishings should be arranged and the like. Then, came the time when our landlord notified us that we should be moving in 3 months due to the sale of the house we have been occupying. As soon as I began looking at houses to buy and began visualizing myself living in each of them, feelings of creating a home with a specific atmosphere, ambiance, function all quickly began to invade my mind. 24 hours a day I thought about rooms and color and landscaping. I literally dreamt about our new home.

So, what is it about owning a home that makes this switch turn on and off? Is the prized goal of achieving the “American Dream” so embedded in our psyche that we cannot control our feelings regarding the matter?

I remember at one moment while being a tenant that the issue of taxes came up. Someone mentioned that the federal government was considering eliminating the deduction of mortgage interest for homeowners. As I reflected on the subject, I thought, perhaps this is just. Why should I pay more taxes this year because I am in a transitory stage in which I do not own a home? Surely that doesn’t seem fair. In addition, this deduction or incentive must have fueled the fire of the crazy real estate boom in which people who could not afford to buy homes were buying them. So, I thought, yes, let’s get rid of this incentive in order to level the playing field for all hard-working Americans, whether or not they are currently in the position to own a home. Perhaps it would alleviate a bit of the shame all those Americans who have lost their homes feel, now that they have lost these coveted “privileges.” I realize this would never be a politically advantageous move for any lawmaker as all Americans dislike taxes more than they dislike just about anything I can think of. Taking their money is like outright refusing certain unalienable rights.

Now that I’m buying a house, I will be looking forward to next year’s interest deduction but could I live without it if I knew it were for the greater good of my country? Probably.

So I’m still trying to understand what it is about the human psyche that makes us want to own our little piece of earth. And isn’t that desire ultimately the source of countless wars and disastrous social experiments, such as communism? Or this is a Western construct?

Yes, now that I’m hoping to close on a house sometime soon, I think I’ll be blogging again too. How ironic and funny that thing called home really is.

Steve Williams' Show Opens This Thursday

I'm very excited about the new artists I have had the opportunity to exhibit and represent once we made the front portion of our store a gallery space. The first artist we showed in June and July was Asser Saint-Val. His work is surrealist with a whimsical nature that really captured me. He works with all sorts of media trying to achieve an array of textures. This collection was known as "The Melanin Project." I had to take home two pieces. Here are a few we showed:


I have also shown the work of a ceramist named Gerbi Tsesarskaia. She makes all her work out of soda fired grolleg porcelain which means it can be used functionally as it is safe to eat on, or aesthetically as art.

This Thursday is our opening reception for Steve Williams, who created a show entitled "Currency" for us. For those of you who may not know, I also maintain a blog on our website where you can read more about Steve and how he created this exhibition. If you're in the area I hope you will stop by to have a little wine and cheese with me, this Thursday, January 27th at 7 o'clock.

More random thoughts and commentary

A few days ago I attended a lecture given by a few very successful bloggers in the interior design field. One of the questions that came up was what parameters they applied to their blog subjects/writing. All three said that they only say positive things. If they see something they don't like, they simply won't bring it up on their blog. Sort of a "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything" rule. While I completely understand the logic behind this attitude, I simply can't subscribe to it. Is that terrible? Sure, I'm not going to go out of my way to blast someone personally, but I feel that the whole purpose of my blog is to have a personal space where I can feel what I feel and say what I want to say. That includes being self-deprecating from time to time or commenting on something I find ridiculous. And, the posts in which I have been most honest have been the ones that elicit the most responses from my readers. That said, I don't have "over 5000 subscribers" as one of the panelists said she does. But for me, that's ok, I want to be me, and if that means less people like me, so be it.
That said I am going to be outright critical of something I saw recently. This is the cover of the current issue of Town & Country:

This is a case in which I feel that the Editor should have applied the "only positives" rule. "What he really thinks about your plastic surgery?" "The divorce of the year" "I wish I'd married rich". WHAT!!??? Thank you T&C for underlining everything wrong with our society and putting it in bold letters on your cover. You have successfully alienated every non-gold-digging-plastic surgery boycotting-married woman in the United States. And yes, the editor in chief did lose his job this week so thankfully I wasn't the only one who felt something is very wrong with this picture.
I hate to make promises I won't keep, but one of my new year's resolutions is to write more often--and not to have any parameters. Hope you enjoy the ride....dancing through my figurative Paris.

Art and The Artist (thoughts on the subject)

For a while now I’ve been trying to understand the definitions or categories of what is “art”. Or as a corollary what it means to be an “artist”. For some art forms, this description is very clear. Or I should say if one finds success, then it is very clear. A person who paints and can sell his or her works at a price on which he or she can make a living is easily defined as an artist. A musician who finds employment in a band or orchestra, likewise. But what if an artist cannot make a living with their art and so takes on other responsibilities, does that mean they are not an artist?

Or take the instance that is a bit closer to home for me. I recently had a discussion with a friend in the same situation. I trained for many years to be a dancer. As performers, dancers certainly fall in the category of performing “artists”. But then, I stopped. Or my friend, got injured. From one day to the next we weren’t dancing anymore. But does this mean that overnight, we were no longer “artists”? So then that would mean that to be an artist is not to “be” something but to “do” something. Both of us feel that we are still artists. Artists without an art form, but still artists.

My former classmate Sara Webb in Stanton Welch's "TuTu" (Houston Ballet)

Then there is the whole question of the limits of sanity. Or perhaps I should say, the praise for what has gone beyond sanity. I recently saw the film “Black Swan” and read many critiques on it both before and after. No writer fails to discuss the fact that artists are expected to push beyond what is humanly possible in the name of “art”. And that somehow that is perfection or “absolute art”. In the scene at the end of the movie when “Nina” has reached that supernatural point, her only words are “I was perfect.”

Yet, what exactly did her performance achieve?

Did the audience experience the same supernatural euphoria that she was feeling as she was spinning her way into a physical transformation?

What was the purpose of her “art”?

Why do we have such a fascination with the abnormal?

And if it’s not beyond the limits, then is it not art? Is a dancer who is not mad, less of an artist than one who is?

Is no one really crazy, just very creative? Or the reverse, are some of the things we categorize as art just something totally insane?

This was a question I pondered more than one while walking the halls of the many art shows during Art Basel week here in Miami.

Alhambra Antiques Opens New Exhibition to Much Acclaim

Paintings by Asser Saint-Val hang over a vintage composite stag

Olga Granda-Scott stands amidst the work of Eric Besson

After undergoing aesthetic renovations during the spring, the repurposed Alhambra Antiques space in downtown Coral Gables hosted a vernissage on June 16^th with a new look and fresh vibe. A cross between antiques store, art gallery, and cultural space, the “new old” Alhambra Antiques is an intellectually stimulating experience. The current exhibit has been curated to include unparalleled vintage, antique, and select contemporary offerings with innovative creative artists Asser Saint-Val, Eric Besson, and Fiorella Chelini showing selections of their work.

Art collectors, designers, and aficionados gathered at the event to benefit the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a charity which has always been dear to the hearts of directors Olga Granda-Scott and Douglas Scott. Attendees included interior designers Jim Murphy, Diane Sepler, and Kevin Gray; Vizcayans president Don Kress, art dealer Marvin Ross Friedman, artist Asser Saint-Val, and celebrity columnist Daisy Olivera.

“The way the space is staged makes walking through the store a mysterious adventure. Humor, wit, and curiosity can all be used to describe the creative vignettes” said attendee Cristina Romney Espinosa. “I’ve come to expect the unexpected every time I visit—as well as a great party!”

As part of the new three artist group exhibition, the surrealist paintings of Asser Saint-Val brought much color and life and were particularly well received. The Haitian artist, who lives and works in Miami and has sold works to important collections including the Rubell family, hesitated before showing his works in a non-traditional gallery space. But once he saw the way they could be juxtaposed with some of the very elements used to create his fictional characters, he loved and appreciated the tension created.

“Asser’s work is a bit of reality spun into a whimsical character which spoke to me when I saw it. I love incorporating humor into my installations, and I felt that he had embodied that sense of blurring the lines between practicality and fiction” explained Olga Granda-Scott. “It is a very exciting process to be able to find interesting work and expose our clients to a new way of living and collecting.”

The exhibition will be on display through August 15^th, when a new roster of artists will be unveiled.

Alhambra (Antiques) Brings New Life to an Old World Space

Alhambra (Antiques) continues to redefine the boundaries of the antiques trade with their latest offering: the design works of contemporary French artist Eric Besson. At a time when many antiques stores are closing their doors, Alhambra (Antiques) continues to take their 20-year venture in ever-expanding directions.

“We don’t offer only antiques,” says Olga Granda-Scott, “my hope is that we offer the unconventional – items and objects of distinction. We appeal to people who have a strong sense of individuality – and of course good taste.”

After undergoing aesthetic renovations during the spring, the repurposed space will open again with a new look and fresh vibe. A cross between antiques store, art gallery, and cultural space, the “new old” Alhambra (Antiques) is an experience not to be missed. Exhibits will be curated to include unparalleled vintage, antique, and select contemporary offerings sprinkled with innovative creative artists who share a similar aesthetic.

The first exhibit, opening on June 16^th, will feature hand-forged furniture by French artist Eric Besson. Mr. Besson works with pieces of industrial repurposed metal creatively mixed with vintage elements. His work has been selected by leading designers for important commercial projects, including the flagship John Varvatos store in New York City. The collection exhibited at Alhambra (Antiques) features furniture works with sleek lines adorned with letters from old printing houses.

Mr. Besson’s work will be exhibited alongside the whimsical sculptural work of Italian artist Fiorella Chelini, the surrealist paintings of Asser Saint Val, and the arrival of a new shipment of antiques from all over Europe.

The New Old Alhambra (Antiques)

Interesting read: An Interview with Richard Wright

I came across this interview a few weeks ago and appreciated the depth of many of Mr. Wright's answers. Here is the entire interview.

No Glass Ceilings: Four Women in the Arts

I haven't written in a while simply because I have not been inspired. I have also been putting together some projects which I will announce in due time. But last night, something happened. I went to a monthly meeting of a group I joined several months ago called "ArtTable." The ArtTable is an association of professional women in the visual arts, founded in NYC but with branches in most major US cities. Last night's meeting was a panel discussion on the brilliant Christo & Jeanne-Claude "Surrounded Islands" installation in Biscayne Bay in 1983. While the work of art was provocative and moving, what was magical for me was to witness four heroines of the early days of the Miami art scene come together to share their amazing experiences with us. The four women were: Paula Harper, Ruth Shack, Helen Kohen, and Margarita Cano (as pictured right to left-note that two women wore hot pink in honor of the installation!).


To give some of you some insight into the event here is how the invitation read:

"Surrounded Islands" was to be a temporary art event, but what transpired during the preparation of the project and what its gorgeous unveiling on Biscayne Bay meant to Miami still reverberates today. The dressing of 11 spoil islands in pink plastic was the catalyst that turned a culturally sleepy town into a vital city, home to art and artists. The panelists for the May ArtTable program, participants and monitors of "Surrounded Islands", will share their memories of the roles played by individual citizens and special interest groups during those contentious days leading to the "live" exhibition portion of their uncommon, common efforts.

Margarita Cano: As head of Art Services at Miami's library system, it was her initiative that gave us the first glimpses of what "Surrounded Islands" might look like when Christo's earliest drawings and sketches of the project were exhibited at Main Library in 1982.

Paula Harper, Ph.D.: Professor of Art History at UM, and the Art Critic at the Miami News during the period under discussion, she is a well-known Christo scholar, familiar with most all the couple's projects about which she has both written and lectured.

Ruth Shack: Recently retired President and CEO of the Dade Community Foundation, she was a Dade County Commissioner from 1976 to 1986, in the "hot seat" during the time the Christo project was the focus of attention from local, state and national governmental friends (she was one) and foes (there were many).

Moderated by Helen L. Kohen. Art Historian, Critic, Consultant to Main Library's Vasari Project [an archive of the visual arts in Miami from 1945 to the present]

I should say that the only thing contrary to my title "No Glass Ceilings" was the brief discussion that at the time of the project, credit was only given to Christo as an artist. His wife and partner, Jeanne-Claude, was president of their corporation, and was the person who made everything happen, but as he was the one behind the drawings, models, etc, he was considered the sole "creator." It was not until 1995, that the couple changed the accreditation of ALL their works to "Christo and Jeanne-Claude," acknowledging that without the logistics, all of their ideas would have remained just that, ideas.
Lastly, I sat next to Dr. Carol Damian, the director of the Frost Museum at FIU, and another pioneer in Miami's art scene. I left inspired by these women, let's just see where that inspiration takes me.

Better late than never....April Food Month

I often like to recommend some of the blogs I enjoy and one of those is Meg Fairfax Fielding's Pigtown Design. She is quite an interesting person who has lived many adventures in Europe and beyond and is Baltimore's greatest fan. Her "real" job, other than maintaining not one but two blogs, is at the oldest orphanage in the US. Due to this day-to-day work with poor, neglected, and often abused children, she is very aware of the hunger issues many children in America experience today. She, and another blogger Chris, then decided to create "April Food Day" so that bloggers across the country and world would raise awareness (and hopefully lots of money) for Feeding America. Happy Easter Season.

Lent 2010 goes on...

Lent is almost coming to a close and I have to say that it has been a somewhat tumultuous one for me on several levels. Even though I promised I would write everyday, the store quickly got turned upside down when we decided to paint the entire locale--including the ceilings. This meant removing EVERYTHING off the walls and covering EVERYTHING underneath. Now that may not sound so bad except that we have literally hundreds of items in our store. The good news is that I think we made a great decision and the store is going to look much bigger with white ceilings than it did with black. It also looks more modern and a little industrial--which is what it was when we bought it--one huge storage warehouse. All this moving around is not conducive to my thoughts, it just gets me going in a thousand directions and when my office is completely out of order-forget it, I simply can't think. I've now moved my office back to a closed room at the opposite end of where I previously was. I had been in this location several years ago when this room doubled as the nursery for Cecilia. I'm happy to be back in this space because it has a window. That might seem like a small commodity but my last office began to feel like a dungeon after years without natural light. I also like that I can close the door. If I need/want some privacy, it is possible!
Then, in the middle of this transition chaos. We went to France. Talk about putting me in the zone. Trains at 6am, walking and working ALL day. Forgetting to have lunch. Finally eating at 3 o'clock. Being exhausted by the time you get to the hotel, only to sleep in a not so comfortable bed that is never like your own.
But yes, at least there was some GREAT food! Foie gras from La Table de Marie, fresh poisson, a few ducks, and not just a few pain au chocolat. When in Paris, you also cannot forget to go to Pierre Herme for the world's best macarons.
In all this madness, I think that the real reasons of the Lenten season got drowned out in my world. Faith is a complicated thing you know. And like all relationships, they take a lot of nurturing. With three kids, a husband, and a job, the things that aren't flashing bright lights are the ones easy to forget. And when you stop struggling, you stop remembering what you believe in, and that is dangerous. Yet, conflicting views come from every corner and I'm too mentally exhausted to sort them out. So this Easter weekend, I pray that my faith becomes a little more tangible again. That I know what to believe.

Enjoying some buying and dancing through Paris

I've been off on a buying trip for the past week and a half...here are a few quick photos from my trip:

Theatre de L'Odeon (right across from our hotel-sorry about the big white truck!)

Crossing the Seine to the Ile des Impressionistes

My favorite Fois Gras Stand

Magret de Canard at Brasserie Fernand (permanent stop on every trip)

Place Saint Sulpice-6eme Arrondissement

Redesigning our Home (again!)

Hopefully you recall what our living room looked like the last time I featured it:

Most of the items at our home (with some important exceptions) we maintain actively for sale on our website, so we frequently have to start over again with the design of living spaces. The first thing to sell was the great industrial coffee table, gone to Greenwich Village in NYC, via 1stdibs. We are still in need of a great coffee table. Those are really hard to find. My husband had seller's remorse after that sale. The next thing I changed (not because of a sale but just because I liked them better) was the pair of white-painted armchairs. Instead, I took home this pair of comfortable French bergeres:

But alas, those are now on their way to Hong Kong, so I decided to bring home some rough leather moustache club chairs for a totally different look:

The same week I sold the charming white settee to a designer from Illinois. So off that went and my only choice was this more formal gilt settee which I upholstered in a light burlap to dress it down. I think it makes a fun contrast with the club chairs.

I never really liked the proportions of the little table in the corner with the pink table lamp next to such a big mirror...

so I brought home this amazing antique processional statue. I'm sure you've figured out by now that I have a weakness for religious pieces, though part of what I love is its sculptural qualities.

She is sitting on this appropriate gothic style side table (also originally for processions):

I don't have pictures of the new room because my camera was stolen (grrrr....) but I'll have a new one soon, I promise!