Black Visionaries: Weeksville Then and Now

It was one of my greatest professional honors to serve as the Collections Manager of Weeksville Heritage Center, an incredibly unique historic site and museum in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. And one of my favorite projects was collaborating with Nona Hendryx, Afro-Futurist and legendary musical artist (one-third of the 1970s group Labelle), her talented Dream Machine Studio team, and a coalition of Weeksville staff and scholars. I helped curate imagery from our collection and institutional archives that underpinned a multimedia, augmented reality mural that visually and acoustically told the story of the 19th-century free Black community and the activists who saved it from being forgotten. The May 1st opening gala event was a joy–especially when elders who grew up on the block met and embraced the artists who reinterpreted their experience.

Fresh Sets launch

I’m proud to be the author of the first cultural history of the manicure, but even prouder of how society has come to embrace the subject matter in recent years. Beauty culture and rituals associated with women and communities of color garner more attention and respect, and the team at Prestel (my publisher) recognized that a new volume, focused on cutting-edge artistry from around the world, was due. Fresh Sets author Tembe Denton-Hurst did a fabulous job selecting and profiling a cadre of immensely creative artists–congrats to Tembe and editor Ali Gitlow for adding a beautiful book to lots of shelves and coffee tables!

Warners - a very uplifting legacy

It’s not every day an apparel brand turns 150. I loved working with the Warner’s brand during my tenure at PVH and writing about its legacy of innovation, progressive employment practices, and support for the consumer–literally as a leader in intimates. So it was a welcome invitation when Basic Resources marketing approached me to consult on the Warners 150th anniversary pop-up exhibition and event. (Yes, the brand recently dropped the apostrophe.)

I ensured some of my favorite pieces made it in (those 1930s satin applique bras!) as well as milestones of industry leadership (thank you for co-developing Lycra with DuPont, Warners–we wear it every day.) And it was wonderful to have celebrated the moment with current leadership, partners, and influencers at the opening reception.

Talking head (or hands?) for CNN and more

I was lucky to experience a resurgence of interest in Nails from Summer 2021 through 2022, especially with regard to major media outlets. Perhaps the most exciting was when a CNN Style crew came to my home to interview me for the “As We Are” video series (see Press tab for the final product.) It was definitely occasion to quit my pandemic-era DIY nails and engage my friend and ace nail artist Lolly Koon for her services! Interviews for Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post followed. It’s fantastic that journalists are recognizing the great significance of nails and their stylistic evolution!

WWD article at last!

My team and I had been in touch with Bridget Foley, longtime WWD executive editor, about a profile of the PVH Archives before the pandemic. I’m so excited that we finally made it happen just hours before a snowstorm could have hindered take two! So fun to have worked with Bridget & team, photographer Masato Onoda, and a fabulous model squad. My colleagues and I truly appreciated the chance to publicize the fashion and cultural history we work to preserve; some tear sheets and BTS photos below!

Website cover girl?

I’ve contributed timelines, imagery, and several history-themed articles to the newly-relaunched PVH.com site. Apparently I’ve also contributed my likeness to the company’s Archives page. As the photo implies, I am often filled with wonderment as I dig through the archives or any historical material for that matter!

Guest speaker at Reynolda House Museum

As the archivist/historian for the ARROW brand, I’ve immersed myself in the fascinating history of the Arrow Collar Man, considered by some as the first sex symbol in all of advertising. The fictional character’s creator, the influential, early 20th-century illustrator J.C. Leyendecker, was explored at an extensive exhibition at the Reynolda House Museum in Winston-Salem, NC. I was honored to be a guest speaker during the run of “Leyendecker and the Golden Age of American Illustration.” Thanks to the Reynolda team for the hospitality and for allowing me to address this underappreciated chapter of fashion history and the same-sex partnership that came to inspire a defining moment of American pop culture and masculinity. 

Stiff, detachable collars, anyone?

Podcasts!

2019 marks the 5th anniversary of Nails...time flies! I've been grateful for a surge of interest in the topic this year, and I've contributed thoughts for articles in Vanity Fair, Nailpro, and them, Conde Nast's new LGBTQ platform (please see the Press tab.)

But the newest news is being interviewed for two amazing podcasts this summer, just a week apart. Thanks to a listener question and co-host Cassidy Zachary, Dressed Podcast asked me about the origins of the manicure and specifically, the moon manicure style. Then I was invited to Gimlet Media headquarters to record for Every Little Thing, pictured here. First hitting on the the history of those clever nail polish names we love so much, host Flora Lichtman and I chatted about nails for an hour and a half...like I say, time flies! Thanks to the Dressed and ELT teams for having me as a guest, and watch this space for the final cuts!

Update: I also really loved the C-Curve podcast I recorded with co-host Kristin House AKA Black Dahlia Nails in Fall 2022. As an industry professional, she had great insight into the personal significance and stylistic evolution of nails (see Press tab to listen.)

Nails at the MoMA

As MoMA's first fashion exhibition in 70+ years, Items: Is Fashion Modern? brilliantly examined fashion in the context of society, culture, and technology. Curators Paola Antonelli and Michelle Millar Fisher chose 111 items of clothing and accessories including the manicure, and I was honored to support Michelle's research on nails through my book, conversations, and advisement on object and image selection. Congrats to the whole stellar Items team!

At the exhibition opening

Sets by Bernadette Thompson, left, and Chieko Nakayama, right

Special archives visitor

Vogue's international and most distinguished editor-at-large Hamish Bowles joined me for an impromptu tour of the PVH Archives space. Can I come see your collection next time, Hamish?!