Tag Archives: Brooklyn

The Tie Tailor

Posted on September 5, 2012 by in Brooklyn, Fashion & Design, New York, People, Style

A profile of SKINNYFATTIES founder Joshua Brueckner. Written and photographed by Dan Mims.

Joshua Brueckner, founder of SKINNYFATTIESI’ve been saying “skinny fatties,” but I’m getting the feeling that, though acceptable, it’s not necessarily the preferred pronunciation. Joshua Brueckner, founder of SKINNYFATTIES, has been nice about letting me say it only my way up to this point, but now that I’m introducing him and his work to friends at Fontana’s in the LES, he offers an annotation. “You can also say it, ‘skinny fat ties,’” he states, before adding, “Either way!”

“Skinny fat ties” actually makes a little more sense—or at least delivers more descriptive precision. Under the SKINNYFATTIES label, Brueckner takes your old wide-load, 3.5-inch-plus neckties and converts them into the slimmer, more youthful cut preferred by today’s men-about-town. For those of us who have kept our ‘90s-chic wide ties until now, despite believing for the past several years that we’d never wear them again, Brueckner is our savior. Read More…

Gluten-Free Gluttony

Posted on July 16, 2012 by in Brooklyn, Food & Drink, New York, Restaurants, Vegan

A review of Park Slope eatery Sun In Bloom by Nell Alk.

The Bella Devine Salad at Sun In Bloom

They say good things are hard to find, but vegan, mostly gluten-free, raw-happy Park Slope gem Sun In Bloom is pretty easy. For this Chelsea-dweller, it’s just four travel directions: across the street, down the Brooklyn-bound 2-3 line, off the Bergen Street stop, down the block. Non-red-liners can take the 4, 5, B, D, N, R, or Q trains to Atlantic Ave, which means just a short five-minute stroll during the home stretch.

Then again, the relative convenience is almost irrelevant. As founder Aimee Follette noted during our visit, SIB is a destination restaurant; many of its loyal customers don’t live nearby, at least by NYC standards. After a recent lunch there, it’s easy to see why they’re willing to travel. Read More…

Heading Toward the Light

Posted on June 21, 2012 by in Activism, Arts & Entertainment, Food & Drink, New York, Nightlife, Vegan

Written by Dan Mims. Photos #2-4 courtesy of Derek Goodwin.
a custom light fixture atop the roof of Aurora Lampworks

Like many good things, Aurora Lampworks, a lighting restoration and custom fabrication house (see example above), is a little hard to find. 172 North Eleventh Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is the address, and that’s good enough for determining the block. Along that stretch, I walk right by the narrow, nondescript door that looks at best like a side entry, not for public use. Failing any likelier options, my feet wander back and eyes scan around, finally settling upon a tiny wooden sign high above, adorned with a lightbulb carving. Read More…

Spring Cleaning for Your Temple

Posted on April 23, 2012 by in Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Los Angeles, New York, vegan-friendly

Written by Nell Alk. 

Body & Eden

If there’s one thing I can’t get enough of, it’s fresh fruits and vegetables. But unlike processed and refined products (known to some as “frankenfoods”), which are repeatedly modified and rebranded as the latest and greatest, organic goods in their natural state rarely receive the ever-popular “new-and-improved” makeover campaign. Read More…

Going Medieval on Convention

Posted on April 6, 2012 by in Brooklyn, Food & Drink, New York

Written by Nell Alk. Photos #1 and #2 courtesy of Maimonide of Brooklyn. 

Maimonide Interior

Not far from an all-star lineup of subway lines on Atlantic Avenue, vegan-friendly restaurant Maimonide of Brooklyn has been discreetly serving since December, though a launch party officially announced their presence in March. Maimonide’s menu and space are steeped in character—in fact, the place is an odd bird, even in a city known for odd birds, even in a borough known for especially odd birds. Maimonide’s directors—or perhaps more aptly, its visioneers—clearly feel zero compunction about doing their own thing. Read More…

Where the Heart Is

Posted on March 29, 2012 by in Beauty, Fashion & Design, New York, Style

Written by Nell Alk. Photo #1 by Bridget Laudien. Photo #3 by Erin Yamagata. 

Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart, Vaute CoutureLike the beautiful, innovative, animal-friendly winter coats she makes via her fashion label Vaute Couture, anyone who knows her (and even the legions of fans who technically don’t) can see—can feel—the warmth, the vibrance, the compassion of Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart. Amidst a glow like that, and because she makes it all look so natural and effortless, it’s easy to overlook Leanne’s most remarkable quality—her resilience.

She’s singlehandedly raised an indie fashion label, where the workload today is always too much and tomorrow promises an increase. Add to that the capital-intensive nature of the fashion biz and the often monumental challenges of both doing and convincing other people to do the right thing, as Leanne does with her animal-honoring policies and messaging, and we’re only beginning to appreciate her accomplishments and vexations. “I’ve been doing this by myself for three-and-a-half years and I outgrew [that aspect] before I even launched the label [in 2009]. This fall/winter season in particular nearly killed me.”

It also made her stronger. She and VC turned a huge corner this month with the unveiling of the label’s first boutique, called Vaute Here, in trendsetting Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Opening a store is the milestone that officially declares any fashion label’s legitimacy to (or, perhaps in VC’s case, at) the fashion establishment. Read More…