The(un)fair

It's good. It's good to have good friends. It's very good to have very good friends. Cause they care about you.

Ours took us to the artshow The(un)fair on the last Saturday evening.

Almost 100 artworks, artists and performers were gathering in the 52nd street in a 19 century building (that will be completely renovated after the show) in NYC for a guerrilla style art show. The multifaceted art event included paintings, installations, musicians, performers and even elevator comedian.

It was such an inspired atmosphere there!

Paintings and artists that are staying nearby and are willing to talk to you and answer your questions about their masterpieces.

Performance with two professional dancers. They are spinning on the circle plattform for four hours, binded with the strips. Visitors are encouraged to cut the strips.

Creating painting with the body.

Photo masterpieces.

Musicians playing and singing.

A man portrait to that you can add your own colors.

Photo boost.

Eiscreme and popcorn for free.

We were introduced to the curators Mikel Glass,

Jennifer Wallace and photographer Eraj Asadi.

So nice people! I'm totally in love with Eraj's works, he has such a good eye.

Theun(fair) was definitely one of the best art shows we've ever seen. Non-traditional, very good energy and very inspired.

 

Nach den Träumen greifen

Routine. Das Wort hat was Negatives in sich. Eintönig, Alltag, nichts Aufregendes. Das Einzige, was man als mehr oder weniger, positiv betrachten kann, gibt es im Zusammenhang mit den Kindern. Wenn wir die Kinder kriegen, brauchen sie ihre Routine. Steht als Ratschlag geschrieben. Wir gewöhnen uns rasch daran. Und da ist nichts Schlechtes dran. Nur...

Vergesst nicht eure Träume, lebt sie aus!

Eine Freundin hat mir heute von dem Film "Revolutionary Road" oder "Zeiten des Aufruhrs" (deutscher Titel) mit Leonardo DiCaprio und Kate Winslet erzählt. In dem Film schlägt April ihrem Mann Frank vor, nach Paris zu ziehen. Das junge Paar, das in einem schmucken Haus in der Vorstadt von Manhattan in Connecticut lebt, hat zwei Kinder. Seine Arbeitsstelle langweilt Frank, er beginnt eine Affäre mit einer Kollegin. April ist frustriert. Umzug nach Paris erweckt den alten Traum, die Sehnsucht und die Hoffnung. Das Ende ist allerdings tragisch. Frank bekommt Beförderung im Job, gibt den Traum auf, April wird erneut schwanger und stirbt, als sie heimlich abtreibt. Frank kündigt den Job und erzieht die Kinder alleine. So banal, traurig und brutal.

Wir haben nur ein Leben, das so kurz ist. Dann lasst uns unsere Träume leben! Besser versuchen, was wagen, ausbrechen als ein ein sicheres - alles in grau Leben. Und meistens ist das Risiko überschaubar. Wenn es nicht irgendwo anders gelingt, kann man immer zurück. Wenn nicht zu diesem Arbeitgeber, dann zu dem anderen, und wenn nicht zu dem anderen, dann macht man sich selbst zu einem. Der liebe Gott wird schon einem helfen, ihm die Fenster und die Türen öffnen, wenn dieser Eine ein gutes Herz hat und nach diesen Fenstern und Türen eben aktiv sucht.

Und man findet wirklich viele Geschichten, Vorbilder, Inspirationen. Überall.

Ich war neulich auf einer Artshow in Manhattan, "The (un)fair" (werde noch darüber berichten). Eine Freundin hat mir ihren Freund Eraj vorgestellt. Er ist ein ziemlich erfolgreicher Investmentbankier. Seine Passion ist aber Photographie. Auf der Show waren einige seiner Arbeiten vertreten. So cool! Und sagt mir, was ist er, ein Bankier oder ein Photographer? Ganz klar, beides! Das Leben hat eben viele Fassetten und ich finde es super, dass man das auslebt.

Eine Freundin erzählte: Eine Familie mit zwei Kindern sind aus Deutschland nach Hawaii gezogen. Er hat sich von Mercedes für drei Jahre beurlauben lassen und, bitte schön, Hawaii! Warum nicht?! Super!

Eine junge Studentin aus New Zealand, bei der ich irgendwann ein paar Englischstunden genommen habe, erzählte von ihrer Mutter, die eine Zahnärztin war, dann aber bei einer Bank angefangen hat.

Man muss wirklich mal aus der Bequemlichkeit raus. Weil nur die Herausforderungen im Leben bringen uns weiter. Und nicht vergessen, positiv zu denken!

Mein älterer Sohn hat zur Zeit ein Lieblingsspruch: "I started from the bottom". Mein jüngerer Sohn hält dagegen mit :"I didn't start from the bottom. I'm starting from the top." Die Sache der Perspektive eben.

French interview

What comes to your mind, when you think about France?
Everybody knows these clichés about French food (very delicious), French wine (fine), French women (elegant), French men (good lovers). And probably some other terms and ideas.

I asked my friend Caroline, who is (just by occasion!) French and lives in United States for 10 years (last two years in Tenafly and before that in Atlanta) with her husband Vincent, who is working for Credit Suisse, their two nice kids Aubin (7) and Zélie (8) and their big black dog with a French name, that I can't remember, doesn't matter, how many times I tried, to give insights in a French culture.

Caroline, how would you describe French food?

Elegant.
You have to understand, each meal is an expression for us. Eat is a reason to live. We are obsessed with eating. We think about it all the time. During the breakfast Vincent is asking already, what we'll have for lunch and dinner. We are doing also huge grocery shopping.
We have three meals a day. In the morning it's usually bread, butter, croissant and jam. For kids - cereals.

And what are you going to have for lunch today?

Today we'll have lettuce, mushrooms with olive oil and vinegar, salmon in parchment and cheese, fruit or yoghurt for dessert.

What is your meal schedule?

We eat together for breakfast and dinner. That's important for us. At that time we also discuss our days, what's going on etc. Our meal schedule looks like this:
At 8 am - breakfast
1 pm - lunch
8 pm - dinner.

That's it?

Yes, that's it.
Sometimes, when the kids are too hungry, we can start earlier with the dinner. Between lunch and dinner at 2:30 kids are allowed to have a small snack. It could be a fruit plus three cookies. That's, what I usually give to my kids.

And for adults?

No snacks for adults.

But, dear, how do you survive between lunch and dinner? Seven hours - it's so long?

You don't have hunger in between. Well, you not supposed to have. (Caroline laughs.) And we think, it's also ok to be a bit hungry. We believe, there is a right time and a wrong time to eat. And you know, each meal is a full one: appetizer, entree, dessert, glass of wine. So you really don't get hungry so soon. Also the meals last very long, minimum one hour, but often up to two hours.

And the kids?

Well, they have their snack between lunch and dinner. And when sometimes they don't want to eat, we let them to miss the meal and wait until the next one. Vincent is very strict with the eating rules. Recently Aubin was late out of bed on Saturday and he missed his breakfast. He came to us at 10 am, asking for a breakfast. Vincent said, no, wait until lunchtime. So the children learn, sometimes in a hard way, to pay attention to the meals, to eat well during the mealtime and don't to snack.

Do you often go to a restaurant?

Yes, it is common to go to the restaurant for a lunch. It's not really expensive. Appetizer, entree, wine and coffee cost 8-9 Euro. And all the restaurants are full with people.
Many companies offer for their employees "restaurant tickets" in value for 10-15 Euro. Most of the restaurants accept them. You can use this vouchers for lunch or save them for a weekend dinner.

At L'Artusi, french restaurant in Manhattan.
One of my favorites

I have also this picture in mind: French are sitting in cafe outside and drinking cup of cappuccino.

We love to go to cafes and take a cup of cappuccino. My dad goes every morning to his cafe and drinks two-three espresso. He has a coffee machine at home, but he prefers cafe.

So we sit at cafe and enjoy. And then everybody is late because the lawyer, the doctor, the patient,- they all are sitting in the same cafe and drinking their cappuccino and are late. (She laughs).

The best French tea selection

Do you eat sweets? For dessert or on weekend?

No, it's not common. In generally we don't eat sweets.

The best macaroons. They are not sweet, right?

Caroline, as you were visiting us, I noticed, how good your kids behave at table. They are very polite and obedient.

Oh, thank you. We start to teach the kids from very early age to eat properly at table. Don't to put elbows on the table, how to use knife and fox. With one year most of the children can eat by themselves. With two they learn to use a knife. Once we had an American schoolmate of Aubin for a lunch. He started to eat steak with the hands. I was shocked. I can't stand it out.

We also don't like when adults are running after children when we are sitting at table, eating and talking. Children are not supposed to interrupt adults.

Learn to cook French

Ok, let's talk about wine. Is it true, that French drink a lot of wine?

Yes, we drink wine. A lot. My dad, who is 60, drinks a bottle in a day. It's common. In our family we don't drink so much, but a glass for lunch and a glass for dinner are usual. On Friday and weekends we can drink some more. And on vacations of course. Sometimes we give a sip to children to try. "Try this, it's a good one." So they learn to feel the difference.
Red or white wine - it really depends from meal. Usually we'll prefer white wine - before meal.
In summer we drink also beer.
And traditionally we have aperitif.

Tell, what do you call aperitif?

Usually it's a light alcohol drink - wine, beer, Campari and a few finger food. We have aperitif before dinner at ca. 7 pm.

Caroline, what is your picture of French woman? What is different about her?

She is catching your eyes. She colors her hair and goes to her hair master every 3-4 weeks. She is always dressed on top of the fashion. The people in France don't have so much money, therefore you can't see so many brands there. French woman is not so about sport. And everybody is doing diet, especially after Christmas time. You can barely see fat people on the streets in France, we don't tolerate them. I think, it's also more difficult for fat people to get a job.

You know, people say, French men are good lovers. Are they?

(Lightly embarrassed) I don't know. Probably.
In any case they are much better dressed than Americans. They smell good. They are dressed very fashioned and use good perfumes.

Party. What is a good party for you?

The table will be set very nice, for sure. And then, it depends.
In summer time we can have a BBQ. But in a different way, as Americans do it. Very good meat, salads, potatoes, green beans.

But as for us, Vincent and me, we prefer formal dinner. It includes aperitif, appetizer, entree and dessert.
When we have dinner on Saturday for eight people, I will start cook on Friday. We will begin at 7:30 - 8 pm with aperitif and end at 12 - 0:30 with dessert. We'll stay at the table for very long. Sometimes we dance. In the background we often let a nice music playing.

What music do you like? What singers are your favorites?

Currently is Benabar very popular. His songs are like small stories. He sings, "We have a dinner and I don't want to go" and everybody can relate to it.

And I love also the classics like Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg, Thomas Dutronc and of course Charles Aznavour. Everyone knows four - five songs from him by heart.

Personal French collection: Rose and Charlotte Guinsburg 

Why are you staying at table for so long? What are you doing?

Well, we talk. We talk a lot. We love to have discussions. We are not afraid of having fights at table. We talk about everything: politic, economic, culture. And everyone has his opinion, starting from 12 years old, just everyone. We bring it often in an expressive way. But next morning we can call and talk to each other without any problems.

It's interesting, we talk about politic at the table, but not at work. We don't have this vote signs like in America in front of the house "Vote for Obama" or "Vote for Mitt Romney".
Often children have the same political opinions as parents they have. It's really seldom that children will vote for other political party as parents.

France is left. But Obama who is left here, would be considered as right in France.

Although France is a catholic country, religion doesn't play any role. We don't go to the church, we don't marry at church. Now we have a big topic with muslims in France. We have 65 Million people, and there are 3-4 Million muslims.

Back to the party, Caroline. What would you wear for it?

Very simple: jeans, a cute top and high heels. When you are wearing a dress, the people will think, you are overdressed.

I think, we have more originality in every day clothes. So we are not going crazy to dress us up. Make up is a must. We use very good brand cosmetic. The same with perfumes.

Where do you buy your clothes?

In casual clothes we prefer Italian brands. They are just the best. For kids I love to shop here at Target, but I bring also a lot from France. For 30-40 Euro you can get a complete look, original, funny and in a very good quality. Usually we shop together with Vincent. It can take 4 hours and more. And he is a good adviser and helper for me.

This girl is pretty French, wearing shoes from
Jacardi and Overall from Petit Bateu

How do French women combine work and family?

Honestly, I don't know how they do it. Most of women, about 80%, are working. And Wednesday we have day off at school.

What? Why? That ridiculous!

Well, it's supposed, that on that day children can go for their sport activities or hobbies. For example, elementary school schedule looks like this:
8:30 - 11:30 (inkl. 30 minutes break) and then from 1:30 - 4:30 (inkl. 30 minutes break).
On Saturdays kids have school from 8:30 -11:30
Every six weeks we have two weeks vacation at school.

What are the kids doing during the two-hours break?

It's a lunch time. About the half of children would be taken home for lunch. And then come back. The other kids would stay and have a good lunch at school cantina.

But how can you do this?

Grandparents help a lot. And babysitters of course. Women who are working for government (and they are many), often have day off on Wednesday.

From what age does the school start?

From 3 till 6 years kids have pre-school. It's mandatory. From 6 - 10 is elementary school.

Now they are trying to reform school hours. But it's so difficult by us. Because they strike every time, they don't like something. It's really obsessed.

What school system do you like more?

I like school system in France. I think, it's much better than in US. What we are not good at, is languages. But, you know, few months ago they started to show movies in original language.

How to make friends in France?

There is a big difference between South and North France. In North it's more difficult to make friends. but when you find them, they will stick with you forever. In South it's more easier.
I think, schools are always good to find some friends. You can show also interest to food and wine.

What should I bring with me, when be invited?

Flowers are always good. Wine is good as well. Champagne of course. And don't forget, never come on time! 15-30 minutes late are must be.

New York and New Yorker: love confession

Ah, there is no other city on the planet, that is so crazy, vital, unique, tough, different, creative and surreal as New York. Either you love it or hate it. On Saturday, as we were in the City, it really attracted my attention. I love this City, I feel it, it amazes me. And the people make it. It's a mass of people here, for sure, but on the other side, everyone is different. And I didn't see any other place where every single individual will try to stand out so consequently.

And here you go!

The Barnes & Nobles bookstores http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnes_and_Nobles. It's a huge company. Currently under pressure of Amazon (yes, internet is disrupting traditional businesses, including centuries old book publishing), but still carrying 689 bookstores across the country. This store is located on Union Square.
You see, people are sitting and reading.

Is it me or the people? Somehow it feels, well, I don't know, they are so many and they are sitting for so long... They don't just come to buy a book and go home. No, it's another culture. It's just so freaky!

On the other floor with children's books there is a large space for playing for kids.

Like an indoor playground, right?

And of course, there are some special events the store is offering.

Not bad, right? Chelsea Clinton and Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, one of the most powerful women in this business. 2012 magazine Times called her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
And here, in NYC everything happens right here, right now. And everything is possible.

On the third floor in this bookstore locates Starbucks cafe. It's also typical. Barnes & Noble have a strong cooperation with Starbucks. The first Barnes & Noble store to feature Starbucks was in New Jersey in 1993. And since 2004 all cafes there offer WiFi. I think, that was a crucial point. People come here and work and sit and sit for hours. You barely can find a single free chair, don't even talk about a free table.

Nowhere you can see people like here.

 I was always wondering, how to wear white tights
so they look? Here is an answer!

Psst, be quiet! Someone is sleeping...

In the time another one is studying

And someone is bored...

Ok, you read, you eat and you went on the street.
And you see

This group is like coming from pages of a
magazine. But they are real.

Look at this man! He is looking at me! Oh!

Wanna know, what I was wearing?

Bright colors: orange and marine blue.
Actually I got some compliments from the people
on the street for this look.

How jauntily this guy is wearing his coat and
scarf. And the bag of his companion looks fancy.

This gentleman is so cool!

And how cranky is that! Free advice for free people

Millions of people.
Every day.
Millions of stories.

Pay, play, pray.
Take me for a walk.
New York, New York.

Clara Kasavina: conversation with a great jewelry and handbag designer

I met Clara Kasavina, a small charming woman with a warming and positive aura in a small cozy cafe. Not so long ago I discovered for myself her unique jewelry and stunning handbags. I was absolutely amazed and wanted to learn more about her success story.

Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Clara left her home country, as she was 27. Clara and her small daughter Anya made some stops in Austria, Germany and Israel, usual way to travel for Soviet immigrants of the time. Three years later they finally arrived in America. “When I first came to the United States,- Clara remembers,- I came to Manhattan and looked around just like that, I knew: ”One day one of these windows will be my office”.  And the story began.

1979 Clara met her husband Misha. Clara recalls: “When I was 9 years old, my mother took me every summer to Ukraine, where we rented a dacha (summer house). We travelled to Zhitomir. One year my mother took me to dacha, Misha was also there. His whole family is from Zhitomir. We remember, that we met each other as children. Then years later we meet again in America. Very strange. Mystical.”

How did Clara start her business.
“I believe you have to have goals in your life to achieve.”

The young couple got together and shortly after Misha lost his job. Being confronted with the reality of unemployment, Misha took freelance work. One of the projects he brought home was a sculpture of a horse. He made this sculpture into a belt buckle. Clara says: “When I saw the horse, I knew, how rare Misha’s talent was.” Realizing, that it would be very difficult for a talented person like Misha to find a suitable employment, Clara suggested “we’ll have to go into our own business.”

At that moment Clara was working as a computer programmer. She sold her apartment in Israel and invested the money from the sale into their business. She continues: “We rented a small office in NYC on Madison Ave. With my very broken English I started calling belt manufactures, from the yellow pages, so that my husband’s beautiful creations could be viewed. Everybody wanted to see, what my husband was doing. And we went to show his work. And I must say, any place we went, the doors were open. The people were interested in what he was showing. We started to produce belt buckles for the belt industry.”

Clara further: “We were selling thousands of buckles through brand names such as Liz Claiborne, Calderon Belts/ manufacturer for Anne Klein, etc. It was an amazing pleasure to see people in NYC wearing our buckles. Because of our success with buckles in 1983 we decided to branch out into the custom jewelry market. 1994 we started our handbag collection.”

About the name Clara Kasavina. “Let’s go Kasavina”.

Clara says: “Misha likes my name and he wanted to have it as our business name. It is customary for designers to use their names such as Judith Leiber or Donna Karan. Misha’s last name is Berger. But my previous married name is Kasavina. Clara Kasavina. We played around with the name and liked it. And so it became Clara Kasavina.”  

Clara makes a short break, takes a sip from her tee and continues:
“There is also a story behind the story. My grandparents have the same name like me and my husband. Clara and Misha. They were silversmith people back in Old Russia, producing jewelry. Today Misha and Clara are doing the same, we also produce jewelry. Mystical.” 

  

                                                     

Did you feel any obstacles because of your Russian origin or did it not play any role?

“Yes, I felt obstacles. My accent was not always understood and I lacked American business education. However we were lucky. The American dream was achievable at the time we started. Nowadays, I think, it is even more difficult to start a business.”  

About the business. “Proud of making everything in New York”.

Clara Kasavina creates, produces and manufactures all their products (handbags, jewelry, belts) in Long Island City, New York. Clara proudly says “We make most everything by hand in New York, while most manufacturers produce in other countries. We didn’t go this road. We are proud of making our products here. It’s very important for us.” She adds: “Because we design unusual, happy, I would say, desirable products. And because we are different, we were able to survive all these years. We have been blessed to be able to do what we love for a living.”

Clara’s usual working day is hectic and busy. It could be divided between office, production and working on a new line. While Misha is consistently working on models and molds by hand, Clara
is always on the move. She says: “I would be not able to sit.”

About creativity. “I never knew, that I was creative”.

As a computer programmer by profession, Clara says, she never knew, that she was creative until she met Misha. “He saw my potential and talent and gave me the confidence to create.”

Clara’s life is full of stories. Once again she is looking back and recalls the mystical happenings of her life:
“When I was 15 years old back in Saint Petersburg, I worked at a jewelry factory. My job was to glue stones. And today I teach my girls at the factory to glue stones using the same technique.”

Further in our conversation, answering my question about her favorite part in her job, she says decidedly: “Creativity. For me that’s like a game. When I design, I always look around what I have and then I create a story. My designs are very fast and spontaneous.”

About passion to vintage. “Love it, love it, love it!”

Clara says, “I always had a passion for vintage pieces. It was once very popular, it’s gonna be popular again. That’s what I believe.”

Since her childhood Clara was fascinated with vintage. Here she takes her inspiration. But she  also collects different kinds of vintage things: handbags, hats, gloves. She looks for them on garage sales, flea markets, stores. With a twinkle in her eyes she says: “I love beautiful things. Maybe when we’ll stop running our factory, I will sell my vintage collection.”

Recognition, celebrities, awards

Clara says, “We have been very lucky to get editorials in major publications. We are also very proud, that our Romeo Minaudiere won in 2011 an Independent Handbag Red Carpet Designer Award.” 

Recently the designer couple had a honour to create a project for the Metropolitan Opera in NYC. Moreover Swarovski promotes the Clara Kasavina brand at their exhibitions. Clara says, that she is always amazed and grateful, when she sees celebrities wearing her merchandise. Rihanna, Hayden Panettiere, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez are some of the stars, that have worn Clara Kasavina. 

   

Right now Clara is working on a new collection, consisting of three parts. One group is influenced by South Africa, the second one by Asia and the third group is inspired by Anna Karenina.

Our conversation took a short break, as Misha walks in to the cafe. Clara smiles: “I love my grandchildren. I love my daughter. I love my son-in-law. Family is very important to me, the most important. If the family is okay, then I can play”. A dog Kesha, 16 years old Whitney terrier, belongs to the family as well.

I use the opportunity, asking Clara about working together with Misha. “Misha is the maker.”

Clara says emphatically: “Misha is a maker. Misha is multi talented. He is a graphic designer, sculptor, architect, engineer. And that’s why he knows how to make a quality model, how to make a quality product. He is very modern. His designs from 80s are selling now as well as in the past.” She continues: “I think, what keeps us going forward, is respect to each other. Of course we love each other. For both of us family is very important.” She stressed, that not every couple would be able to work together, but in their case it works good. Clara opens her secret: “We give each other space. Sometimes we have fights, not without that. But we never go crazy at the same time.”

About her daughter’s Anya Rubin decision to become an artist. “I believe in Anya’s art.”

“As a child Anya loved to watch Misha while he was drawing his designs. One day she said “Papa, you are so lucky! I would love to have some kind of talent like you have!” In Judaism we believe, you have three seconds to make a wish. Probably there were her three seconds.

Clara says, “I believe in Anya’s art. I predict, that my Anya will be a very important visionary artist. Because what I see in her work, it’s not just a painting. Anya is philosophical and very smart. She is a workaholic. And I think, she can achieve a lot.”  

About a woman, carrying a handbag from Clara Kasavina. “Woman, who wants to be noticed.”

“I think, a woman who wants to be noticed, would wear Clara Kasavina bag.”  As to the age group of Clara Kasavina buyers, Clara says, there are no limits for her products. I’m sure, Clara can dress up every woman from 18 till 100. Her products are so lovely, special and diversified!

Clara, what advice can you give to all women?

“Women should be confident, knowledgeable, beautiful and brave! Take chances, believe in yourself, make goals and achieve them!”