What a Summer! Finally able to enjoy a girls trip, we hit the ground running in the big apple. From cultural jaunts to the saturation of Barbiecore, my cup runneth over. I love seeing how people live and dress, and this trip certainly showed us what the top of the food chain enjoys. Taking it all in big gulps, I’ve accumulated many must-have trends to share.
For starters, the hype of the ‘Barbie’ movie has washed a pink tide over the country. And it seems I just may be a Barbie girl living in a Barbie world as I’ve long been obsessed with pink. I recall asking for a pink room as a child and even demanded to know why the whole room wasn’t pink when the painter tried to explain that ceilings, doors, and trim were customarily painted white. Bless his heart.
Recently, I painted a set of front doors in Oleander pink by Sherwin Williams. It is such a soothing shade — I’m in love! I did have to look through a gazillion shades to find that one, but what a labor of love.
In my dream girls club house, the kitchen island will have natural and pink stools and placemats to make coffee talk even more lively. And any fan of hit show Ted Lasso will recognize the pink ceramic cheetah from Keely’s office. Oh, and the pink garden hose...genius.
My must-see adventure was the 2023 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York City’s historic Upper West Side. This riverfront mansion did not disappoint, it had us at the powder bath! All the rooms on all 5 floors were freshly curated by 22 top designers and architects, many of whom were on site to discuss their designs. Complete with brilliant blends of Pierre Frey and Schumacher fabrics, personally sourced antiques, vintage Murano chandeliers, and a to-die-for custom canary yellow scalloped coffee table, this home was a visual feast.
At one point we were all huddled in a bathroom admiring the chinoiserie wallpaper and the chippendale vanity chair. We even had to drag out our former beauty queen pal, Pat, AKA Miss Boll Weevil, or she’d still be in there.
Hayley, the editor of Access, graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and chose The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) to visit the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit. There was quite a line and it seemed like every Frenchman and Francophile was there to bask in the glory of Karl’s work. With time to kill, we ventured into The Met’s formidable gift shop. I couldn’t resist buying Hayley a little wooden likeness of the esteemed designer. She was surprised and he now sits on her mantle. It was one of the most beautiful exhibits I’ve ever seen, and I don’t think I had ever really appreciated his talent, vision, and exquisite direction at the House of Chanel until that moment. I’m definitely adding him to my list of people I’d like to dine with in heaven.
As we lingered at every gown, fur coat, and pearl brooch, we were thrilled to see his actual desk. Piled high with his inspiration, it was set up exactly as it was and you could truly picture him creating garments that would find themselves on the most beautiful women in the world. Rumor has it that the desk actually collapsed due to the weight of his inspiration! Afterwards, we found our way to the café and toasted Karl with crisp glasses of rosé.
Of course we saw shows and dined in fantastic places, but our field trips were the highlight of our adventures. Personally, I’m looking forward to figuring out how to mix all these fabulous influences into my home and wardrobe. I hope the following pages filled with my field trip inspired goodies ignite you, too. See you soon on the Barbie-pink carpet!
