Jennifer Layne Cardon

It’s a New York story. I was in my regular home-away-from home, office away from the office: Starbucks. Shocking for those of you who know me I’m sure. This perpetually busy Starbucks had its typical perpetual line to the lone restroom. In a related note, kudos on the renovation and adding another one. Countless patrons (as well as non-patrons) appreciate the addition.

When you frequent a place enough, you get to know the regular crowd. As it happened, the usual suspects were congregated in the back. I was holding court. The line of ten-deep for the restroom were a captive audience if they hoped to reach their ultimate destination. I have no idea what the topic was but my recollection was it was fairly humorous. Some in line were listening in, some were busy playing with their phones; needless to say their options were limited.

One person in particular seemed to be mildly engaged in the insanity, smiling at the humorous moments. An eclectic group, one friend leaned over and said “wow, she’s a knockout!” He’s a master of stating the obvious. Line moving slowly, the banter continued. I was in rare form that evening. Perhaps not rare enough but I digress. More than happy to add participants, I rattled off questions for the unsuspecting restroom patron. “What’s your name?”, “Where you from?”, “Are you a model?” (not an odd question for this particular locale) and clearly dressed for a night out, “Where are you off to tonight?”

Playing along and politely answering the barrage, it was finally her long-awaited turn for the restroom. As she came back out, I introduced myself as well to the rest of this ragtag bunch, one of which she clearly recalls thinking was a homeless man. Did I mention eclectic group? For the record and in the event he reads this, he’s not homeless- he just seems to enjoy dressing like one. He probably had his two Apple laptops in front of him, but that did little to alter his impression. I’ve long given up on trying to help him along in the style department. Only in New York.

We exchanged cards so we could connect online and stay in touch. This is how I first met Jennifer Layne Cardon last fall.

As it turned out, we knew a lot of the same people. It was a wonder we hadn’t run across each other before. Perhaps it was inevitable but the circumstances were odd enough to make for an interesting story.

Some personalities are easier to describe than others, although I admit never adequate enough. Jennifer is outgoing, a bit of a free-spirit. She speaks her mind and is definitely fun. Plenty of depth, highly intelligent and always on the move. An idle moment and she begins to get antsy. This I fully understand. Sometimes images can do more justice than words for illustrating someone’s personality, I only hope these begin to do justice for Jen.

A native of Richmond, Virginia she just knew NYC was the place for her. New York is a place where a bunch of misfits in more conservative environments can finally feel free to be themselves. Just as I, she had always felt a bit like a fish out of water. Not so in New York. It’s home; a place where you can be an individual and not be looked at like you have three heads (except perhaps by tourists). Jennifer went to the University of South Carolina. Having spent my fair share of time in Columbia, I know it’s not too different from Richmond; conservative and not quite big enough to remain anonymous. There’s plenty of opportunity for those with the inclination to attempt to squash a free-spirit into their societal conformity. Two years ago, she settled into the City. Taking on a variety of different jobs and working her way up with each one, Jennifer’s enthusiasm and hard work are in Public Relations.

The look. It’s hard to go wrong with white for summer. The dress is has a sexy edge. The white frames her face beautifully with her darker skin tone and hair. The blue platform stilettos are a show-stopper. The blue blouse also was a perfect color for Jennifer. Well accessorized, Jennifer owned this look and did it perfectly.

This is one truly special lady, inside and out. Thanks to Starbucks for that long, slow line. For the chance to meet a great friend I adore, I owe you one.

Special Thanks:

Hair: George Crittenden, Celebrity hair stylist from Pierre Michel

Sultana Perovic, Chanel Analyste

Clothing: Big Drop Soho

Suzy Malick

Suzy Malick

Everyone is unique. That said, there are individuals that fall into an exceptional sub-category. For me, the true artist is a special group. It doesn't seem to make a difference which artistic medium it is, they make them all look easy. The artistic mind looks at the world in a different way; the world is a blank canvas of possibility. Whether it's painting, literature, music or the vast array of other creative endeavors, the artist seems to move with impunity from one to another with an ease that the rest of us find unfathomable. Call it "right-brained" or whatever you wish, I dare say we all know people who fit this description.

All evidence tells me that Suzy Malick is one of these rare exceptional individuals. Beautiful? Unquestionably. It would be a mistake to simply stop at this obvious point, as  pleasant as that may be. 

A native of Detroit, she spread her wings and began modeling at 18; work which took her all over the world. By her own admission, as well as it was going and in the face of high demand she couldn't help but get what some would consider sidetracked. Sidetracked with what? Artistic endeavors of virtually every kind. As a result modeling was on-again, off-again. There seemed to be an artistic void that needed to be filled with more.

Acting came naturally. Even with all the natural talent in the world, tremendous hard work must accompany that talent to become successful. Suzy works hard, no issue there. Her acting career blossomed as her modeling career had. Commercially a dual threat- what next?

In idle moments some people like to do crossword puzzles or play solitaire on the computer. Suzy wrote poetry; she just enjoyed doing it. Expressive, enjoyable and a natural thing to do. One day a friend pointed out that music and poetry are in many ways one in the same. The seed that was planted began to grow and eventually bare fruit.

Suzy Malick's first live concert was... in front of 40,000 people. Thrilling? Oh yes. Nerve racking? You better believe it. She thanks God it was for a song she wrote and for her acting experience to help get her through it. She came through with flying colors. Currently she has music which she wrote and performed coming out in a few new films. She's working on two more singles at the moment and will be releasing her first album. 

Suzi has been and will continue to make touring appearances with EMI Music's Latin-crossover band "Sussie 4" for their new CD. The new CD, "International Sonora" was nominated for the best disco/dance album by the Indie Awards only 3 months after its release. Appearances with the group have been taking her back and forth to Mexico on a regular basis and shortly she'll be going back for a 6-week stint. I didn't detect the Mexico appearances bother her in the least as she's found an oasis on the Yucatan Peninsula coast. It sounds unspoiled and serene... so I won't spill the exact locale.  

Her website is still trying to catch up to her but should be worth keeping an eye on. One of Suzi's singles, "Sunday" from Sussie 4's album "International Sonora" is available, so its worth a visit.

Couldn't go all this way without noting the look. She's wearing a beautiful and classic dress designed by New York designer Elliot Mann, who has a boutique in Manhattan's East Village. The color works perfectly for her hair and skin tone. The dress has a subtle sparkle to it which is a nice touch (you may need to click on the image to enlarge and see the detail). As your New York Sartorialist, I'll be planning a trip to check out the rest of the line and report back. Overall, a classic look that transcends time and "fashion".

Did I mention she's still modeling? A little "oh by the way"... in the next couple of months Suzi will be on the cover if Maxim Magazine in Latin America with a multi-page spread and interview. May take a little looking but I'm confident we'll find a copy in the international newsstands. It's OK if we can't read the language, we got an interview here- we can just enjoy more photos. Now we know how much more is behind the beauty.

Suzy Malick

Takara Sewitt

Takara Sewitt

In the middle of a marathon of work that looked to be stretching into a 36 hour day, I caught up with up-and-coming actress Takara Sewitt.

Her look underscores how simplicity in dress can really work. Seemed like the only simple thing for her in this day. Next stop was a 7:00 PM to 5:00 AM shoot for an independent movie. Growing up Takara didn't envision a life in entertainment, she thought it would be in business. Along the way she started acting and found she had a tremendous passion for it. Whoever thought being an actor or actress was easy have been greatly mislead. Tough, tough business. Even on no sleep and none to come soon, there were no complaints. Passion works that way.

For all practical purposes, Takara's a native New Yorker (family moved here when she was 6). She mentioned her mother was Australian, so I asked an otherwise unusual question- "So how did your parents meet?". I'm glad I asked.

Turns out her father managed KISS and they were in Australia on tour. Her mother was a beautiful model and was asked to come to dinner with the band. Running late to dinner, in Takara's words "she got stuck sitting next to my father". That started a long-distance relationship that led to her mother moving to the States four months later. Taking a big chance on a wing and a prayer, it obviously worked out. Now that's cool!

Tired but still moving forward, next stop- that 7:00 shoot. After that? We'll have to watch. 

A Walk in the Park with Kerstin Lechner

Kerstin Lechner

I've tried to imagine what I would have felt. You grow up in a small town in Austria that virtually no one else has heard of. At the age of 18, you have a dream. To pursue it, you pack your bags and move to Milan. Then Paris. Then Miami, New York and Los Angeles. The culture shock(s) would be incredible. On top of the geographics, you find a way to thrive in each environment. It would take a special person and personality to have the guts and passion to pull it off.

Kerstin Lechner did just that.

After moving and settling in New York, she finally felt at home and would never leave. She was thriving. Within the last year Kerstin started spending some time in L.A. and loved it. A feeling came over her that if she didn't move to find out if that was the place for her, she would always regret it. I understand, I've felt that way twice before as well. Ironically, the first time was L.A.. Of the two times, one worked out and the other didn't- but I'm happy I did both.

I was thrilled to grab her during a 5-day trip back to NYC for work and take a walk through Central Park and catch up. One of her recent jobs will be bringing her back once a month so she can get her fill. Happy, at ease and feeling peaceful- the more laid-back lifestyle is doing her good.

As much as I love Manhattan, I've long realized we have to get off this little island to really appreciate it. A weekend, a trip or even an extended stay somewhere else breaks up the monotony. After-all, it takes contrast to have gratitude.

The Black Swan ~ Chapter II

Alexa Winner

Be sure to read The Black Swan (Chapter 1) 

Sometimes to discover where the boundaries are you have to cross the line to find out.

Alexa Winner and I were having a great time pushing on to get better and better shots in Black Swan (Chapter I). Creativity, adrenalin and a mood of infallibility sets in.

Unfortunately (or fortunately for the story), the lawn area at Washington Square Park was fenced off with some dismal excuse that they had recently seeded  the grass (not true). Ironic shots are always fun so we (Alexa) had the great idea to get a shot in front of one of the signs, clearly snubbing the rules. One sign had fallen over so I stepped over the fence, boldly went to pick it up and carried it over to a spot of our liking. At least it was visible now! Seems I was, in part, being of service.

Placing the sign in the brick-hard ground was difficult, I hadn't thought to bring heavy equipment with me for the job. Finally barely in the ground and balanced to stay up, Alexa laid in front of the sign and we began shooting away. Mind you the park is crowded, the barrier fence rung with people. As if on a stage in full display, we didn't care. You don't go to these lengths to not get the perfect shot so we kept clicking away.

For the 5th time, the sign fell over from the small indention in the ground I was able to muster. Stopping to walk over and straighten in back up. I look to my right and walking across the lawn directly towards us was a lone NYC Parks ranger. Uh oh.

Given the humorous irony of the shot, I really was expecting a half-smiling request to move on to join the little people side of the fence. We got that half-smile, but it wasn't so easy. "I'm not sure if this is serious or just a test!", Ranger Rick uttered. Does the NYC Parks Department routinely send undercover rule-breakers out just to see how their employees respond? I guess this would have been a good cover. Flagrant to the inth degree. A beautiful sexy woman. Beautiful woman tend to get out of a lot more trouble than the rest of us. That's the aristocracy of beauty.

Alexa Winner

Ranger Rick is serious about his job. I can tell you with certainty he's been on the job for nine years since he mentioned it five times. For whatever reason it struck him that fact was important to us. No, not so much.

He asked for my I.D. OK, unless I'm driving or going somewhere I need to prove my age or identity- I don't carry my I.D. with me in NYC. Showing what I had... a credit card, my gold Starbucks card with my name engraved on it (sad I know!) and my business card didn't suffice. Ranger Rick turned to Alexa and asked for hers. Nope. Nothing.

Asking for all our critical information, he said he was going to call it in and if it didn't check out he would call NYC's Finest to come get us. Now we have a threat of going to jail. Pressure was really on to remember which past residence I was living in when I had my license renewed. He called in but mentioned nothing about our identities, just a courtesy call to make sure HQ knew he had a big bust taking place.

Sure enough, he's writing a ticket. Two tickets actually. For heaven's sake. I'm not sure if laughing was helping matters. Writing his ticket with full concentration I mouthed to Alexa "Oh, I've got to get a shot of this!". She smiled, nodded and mouthed back, "Oh yea!". While working on her ticket with the occasional question, I slowly started nonchalantly moving back to get a full frame. He's a serious guy. We're in trouble. I can't take pictures of him (I must assume it must be a rule). For the second time in 10 minutes, this falls under the "It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission" rule. This is priceless. MUST... TAKE... PICTURES.

In position, Alexa started doing her thing. He must be deaf in his right ear and blind out of his left eye- he never looked up. Above is one of the great shots. For the record, Alexa could be an actress with all the emotions she was channeling for the camera.

We got our tickets and the inevitable request to move to the other side of the fence. We were nice to Ranger Rick. We understood. He's important and we were breaking rules, we deserved to be punished. Then again, we looked at it differently. It was the cost of doing business. How much would it cost to hire a model to dress in uniform, get a ticket pad, clear the lawn and get this shot otherwise? A lot more than the tickets.

The Visa ad came to mind. Taxi fare to go meet Alexa: $8.50. Two tickets for "Failure to comply with signs": $100. Getting the perfect shot and memories for a lifetime: Priceless.

Alexa Winner and Michael Cress

Laughter all the way as we moved along. We're done. Out of curiosity, I had asked Ranger Rick if a fountain shot would be lawful, he said it would be. It wasn't necessary. How could we beat this?

Back out on 6th Avenue, perhaps the 6th person stopped us to ask if he really gave us a ticket. After answering, we asked if he would mind taking a picture of the both of us. The integrated fashion degree showed again for Alexa as she quickly made a bangle out of her ticket. For me, a new pocket square... er, rectangle.

Like I've said, style has a story. Our parents will be so proud.

Dress: Rolando Santana
Gold Cuff: Stephen Mikhail
Headband: Made by Alexa
Shoes: Bordello (Spraypainted gold by Alexa)
Stylist: Alexa Winner of course!