Cheap seats for fashion

Even though there are months left in my residency here in the city, I've started thinking back on the other half of my time here. I sort of regret taking advantage of some of the free weekends I've had when I've stayed in my apartment instead of exploring the city and immersing myself deeper in the various bits of culture available to me. But I am pleased to have seen a few very neat things.

One of my favorites so far has been Joshua Bell and the New York Philharmonic. Just a beautiful, fantastic, insert-superfluous-adjective-here, performance. So cool. But unlike the Mahler symphony from the week before, my seat was way, way, way up in the third tier. (For the majority of people in the world who haven't been to Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, that means in the rafters, sharing a seat with the pigeons, looking through a hole in the skylight.) The sound was still good, and it was still a very worthwhile experience.

ButI started thinking about the other things I'm experiencing in a third-tier kind of way. One of the big ones is fashion. I've never been so conscious of fashion as I've been these last few months. Its easy to not care at all what you wear in Austin, especially since its over 90° over 90% of the time. Shorts and t-shirt, done.

But here, fashion is something about which I am much more conscious. I'm sure this is heightened by the fact that I am in a design field. I'm becoming more and more certain that presenting yourself in a fashionable manner is essential to being taken seriously in my field. I used to think it was enough to just be professional in dress when the occasion justified, but something Calvin, the principle, said to my team a few weeks ago really made me rethink that. I paraphrase, but it was something like this: How can we expect a client to believe that we can design something for them that is current and beautiful and fashionable if we are wearing last year's look?

This might seem incredibly vain. I'm trying to put myself outside the issue, but I now agree so strongly with him that I am having a tough time playing devil's advocate. Sure, you can say "the beauty and power of my design speaks for itself," but I think everyone knows that is bullshit. There is no way Le Corbusier sat back in his out-of-style suit and said, "my Villa Savoy speaks for itself." He was a shameless self-promoter, and was definitely very conscious of the image he presented to the public. Why else would he have chosen a pseudonym?

So in this round-about way, I'm getting around to saying that I think I'm going to try to include some 'fashion observations for the frugal-minded' in this blog. I hesitate to say fashion tips exactly, because I really, really don't know much. But just the same, I'd like to offer my observations, partly as a way to codify my own likes and dislikes, and also as a way to incentivize me into paying more attention to fashion. So keep them eyeballs peeled.

Fresh fresh pretty pretty

This weekend I'm going to start a new project. It's going to be pretty ambitious, and it's going to be very cool. I feel like this has been simmering at the back of my mind for a few weeks, and I think its finally time for it to be realized.

No details yet; more Monday.

Danish chairs, 18th century cartography

Reading on the train home, browsing through Design of the 20th Century and saw some pretty excellent graphic design from Knoll Associates in the 50's. It was just a tiny blurb, but the text mentions the effect it had on the branding of the company. I can't wait to get to work with a graphic designer on the branding for my own firm! That's quite a ways down the river I reckon.

Its finally cold enough to wear a coat every day! Its been very pleasant, I enjoy getting to layer. Hopefully it will stay this nice for a few more weeks, at least until Lydia comes to visit. I've got a feeling New York doesn't jump from 80 to 40 in a day like Austin does, so I think we're safe.

I was exploring an incredible website at work today, OasisNYC. There's a tab in the sidebar with historical maps you can toggle on and off. Very cool, very nerdy. Maybe not as interesting if you don't know New York a bit. Its cool to realize that Spring Street used to actually have a spring on it. And Canal used to be a canal. And a new one for me, Broadway dates back to the pre-European inhabitants, the Lenape.

Ending with an incredible chair by the great Finn Juhl: the Chieftain, circa 1960s.

Tape measure

One of my coworkers gave me this tape measure yesterday. A rep from Oasiq, an outdoor furniture company, left it at the office this week. Its a neat little tape measure, and seems like quite a clever leave-behind for a furniture company, as architects and interior designers are constantly needing the dimensions of various pieces of furniture.

Its also a neat thing to have in your pocket when you're designing anything. I find that I can usually guess pretty closely an object's dimensions is if it is in front of me, but there are other things that are so perfectly dimensioned that its easiest to just measure them. For instance, right now, how far back from my screen is my face? How far from my keyboard is my body? How much clearance feels comfortable between my knees and the table top? I think to really be a good designer, you've got to be in touch with the human dimensions of space. That's something I need to think on.

Time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin'...

I can't wait to come back to Texas for Thanksgiving! I really miss home sometimes. I can't wait to see my family when I go back, especially Jacob. We've got some catching up to do! I'm also looking forward to eating some good southern food! I really miss good salsa, soft tortillas and breakfast tacos! (Is it strange that I don't think of those as Mexican food?)

I also miss cheap beer, especially Lonestar! I might have to wait 'til I go back to Austin to get that, since Bowie County is in denial about being a true, beer-selling, Lonestar-drinking Texas county. One of these days they'll wise up...

I'm also really craving some time in the wilderness. My happy place, the place my mind visits when I'm too frustrated or tired to think about work, is a trail leading up into the mountains, just me and my pack and food for a few days.

Some things I do NOT miss. Driving is probably the top of the list! I have not once wished I had a car, or wished I was back in Texas so that I could drive. I also do not miss Olive Garden, Chili's, Texas Roadhouse, Outback, Johnny Carinos, Cracker Barrel, TaMolly's or any of the other chains in Texarkana. (Ok, I sort of miss Chick-Fil-A.)

dreaming about different futures

I saw this out the front window of the office the other day. The blimp was circling midtown and kept passing quite close to the observation deck of the Empire State Building. It made me wish that dirigibles and blimps were actually still viable transportation methods, and that I could book passage right now for a leisurely trip down to Texas.