Jenny Graham
I lived in Beverly Hills for about four years in my mid-twenties. I never really said goodbye because I frequent the City of Angels for work and family visits. Those quintessential bungalows of The Beverly Hill Hotel will forever stay in style and I suppose it’s the iconic design’s ability to pique a present day eye combined with the long-term memory of Shelley Long and her troop. I like kitsch from time to time, so let’s give a nod to fun luxury and wrap up in some campy classics.
Word on the JBD street: if you are in Reykjavik you must go to the old harbor district, Hafnarbúdir. It’s the polestar of creativity when it comes to design. I sauntered into Myrin, a well-curated shop of Nordic and Scandinavian style. It even has an attached eaterie, MAR, which offers a menu inspired by South American and Southern European cuisine.
Image Credits: Jenny Graham
A brand new week calls for some brand new style. In the coming days, each designer featured on JBD has created clothing, jewelry or furniture all inspired by Icelandic nature, customs and culture. Kartöfluhúsið is a shop I wandered into while staying in Höfn. From cuffs and capes to bags and scarves, everything is sourced and made locally…and can be bought by contacting the store directly. Enjoy!
Image Credits: Jenny Graham
Inherently cool, effortlessly kind. That is what comes to mind when I think of Jason Schneidman. You may not know him personally, but there is a good chance you’ve seen his work. His coiffing and cutting are carried on by celebrity powerhouses like Hugh Jackman, Bruno Mars, Jonah Hill, Jimmy Fallon and Andrew Garfield. Mr. Schneidman is a Dove Men+Care hair expert and can be found at the Chris McMillan Salon in Beverly Hills when he isn’t globetrotting with high-profile pals. The Men’s Groomer kicks off 2014 on JBD, embodying a California je ne sais quoi. Read on for the final cut!
NAME: Jason Schneidman
DAY JOB: Hairstylist / Barber/ Groomer
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, CA
CURRENT ‘HOOD: Venice, CA
HIDDEN TALENT: Dude Life Coach
SONG ON REPEAT: Treasure by Bruno Mars
INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: @themensgroomer
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS: Obsessive, creative, grateful.
DAILY UNIFORM: Hair in a manbun wearing Levis and boots.
I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT…family, sobriety and a good pair of scissors.
I LOVE A WOMAN WHO WEARS…a wife beater tee to bed…
WHAT WILL NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE? A great men’s haircut.
YOU ARE THE MEN’S GROOMER. TELL US ABOUT YOUR COMPANY. Americana. I’m a stylist who helps dudes find there way on and off camera. It’s face and clothes, head to toe, inside and out. Growing up in Southern California, surrounded by toe head surfers, the cut was always long on top with ’80s wedge short sides and back. I was fearless from the start but needed blending skills!
AN UNEXPECTED MOMENT ON THE JOB THAT MADE YOU LAUGH, KEPT YOU ON YOUR TOES OR FREAKED YOU OUT? I was in London doing Chris Cornell‘s hair for a James Bond movie premiere and his wife asked me to do her hair, too. There was a flat iron voltage issue. Let’s just say her hair fried and turned white…smoke was involved and I was ready to jump out of the window!
YOU ARE OFTEN ON A RED CARPET WITH A CLIENT. WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO SUIT? A Marc Jacobs dark grey fitted three-piece suit.
A MUST-HAVE TRAVEL PRODUCT? Dove Men+Care cool silver deodorant. It has an amazing scent and lasts all day.
WHAT IS THE ONE HAIR CARE PRODUCT EVERY PERSON SHOULD OWN AND WHY? Kiehls grooming creme. After you shampoo hair, apply a small amount to dirty up your clean hair so it does something.
JBD FUN FACT: YOU’RE THE GROOMER WHO CREATED THE FRINGE I CURRENTLY ROCK. CAN EVERYONE PULL OFF BANGS? Anyone can pull off a version of a bang. Long, short, side blunt, wispy or choppy. The trick is to have the right artist make that decision!
DO YOU FIND YOURSELF MENTALLY EDITING THE HAIR OF STRANGERS? Absolutely. I feel I can spot what people need to shine immediately.
BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED? We don’t have problems, all we have are solutions. If you meet more than one jerk in a day, you’re probably the jerk.
YOU ARE ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING HUMAN BEINGS I HAVE EVER MET. IS THERE A SECRET TO CULTIVATING SUCH POSITIVE ENERGY? Thank you for the compliment. Gratitude. Life is a blessing. I love every minute lived. Being nice to people allows me to sleep with a smile.
DREAM CLIENT OR COLLABORATION? Already working with my dream clients but always dreaming! James Dean and Steve McQueen.
A CLASSIC MEN’S STYLE? Americana dude-surf-motorcycle style.
WHAT ARE YOUR MUST DO’S IN LOS ANGELES?
Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach.
Salt’s Cure in West Hollywood because it has the best burger and pork chop you will ever taste in your life!
The Chris McMillan Salon.
Third Point at Malibu’s Surfrider Beach; perfect hundred yard shreddable wave!
Garage Company, a vintage motorcycle shop near LAX.
Hollywood Trading Company, a one stop shop for men who want effortless cool vintage fashion and boots. Americana at its finest.
HAIR TREND THAT IS HERE TO STAY? The messy school boy look. Short tapered sides with a of couple inches on top.
Images c/o Jason Schneidman and GQ.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed.
I hope your days ahead are full of joy. You know, like the kind you got from a carousel ride as a kid. This year, number 2013, really gave me a ride of a lifetime, in the best way possible. My gratefulness extends directly to you, the guys and gals who take time to pop over to JBD. You absolutely make it more fun to write this diary of all things full of delight. High fives to you! And, as we head into 2014, feel free to get in the moment with me on the ‘gram or via a tweet, tweet. Remember: you’ve always had the power, you’ve always had it my dear.
Image Credits: Melissa Murphy and JBD’s Instagram @jennybydesign
“I had an inheritance from my father,
It was the moon and the sun.
And though I roam all over the world,
The spending of it’s never done.”
― Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Image Credit: Jenny Graham // Iceland 2013
Merry Christmas, baby! What do you adore during the holiday season? Hands down, my answer is surrounding myself with a great cast of characters: my family. We share the same kind of funny and not much else can come close to the benefits of laughing with the people you love. So go ahead, get your cast together, be a bit offbeat and laugh the night away. Cheers and love, JBD
Image via Pinterest
With Christmas around the corner and the Winter Solstice behind us, it is a lovely time to acknowledge darkness, while allowing light to continually enter into your life. I felt the majesty of nature while in Iceland and it reminded me of the magic of this season. Have good taste in people; the experiences you live out will be better for it. Look at Mother Nature, she definitely made the right choice in hanging out with Jökulsárlón. This glacial lake is located in Southeastern Iceland, situated at the head of Breiðamerkurjökull, where it developed into a lake after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
I became enchanted with the ever-changing natural light in Iceland. To stand surrounded by floating ice, a coastline and majestic mountains is surreal. And quite chilly this time of year!
The wind strength and gorgeous cloud formations are unique to Winter. I truly felt an inner calmness standing on the land.
Image Credits: Jenny Graham
In need of last-minute holiday gifts? Look no further as I introduce you to a Park Slope favorite of mine, Poppy. I discovered this boutique while on a mission for a classy-yet-sexy date dress. After finding the right frock, a friendship began with Poppy’s owner, Leslie McKeown. A creative force, Leslie immediately gave off a welcoming and whimsical energy. I knew I wanted to interview her for JBD. Almost one year later, the timing is right. Enjoy our conversation and pop into Poppy any time!
You have a passion for fashion. Tell us about your background.
I grew up in a very small town in Canada and was a bit of a fish out of water. In a teeny town in the early ’80s without internet or cable television you really had to search for a connection to something more. Fashion and music were my portals to the outside world. On my turntable was Duran Duran, The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen; basically all new wave. Fashion-wise, Vogue was a major inspiration. In my last year of high school, I did a research project on designer Christian Lacroix’s first haute couture collection, referencing Christian Dior’s “new look” from the ’50s. Needless to say I was the only one with that topic. Also, when I was 14 my mom opened up a clothing store of her own. From very early on I was working on the floor, doing window displays, book keeping and gaining an understanding of the industry.
When and where did the idea for Poppy come about?
Leading up to 9/11 I was working, not very happily, in the dot com industry. As with many people, that event shook up my world and I began to examine what I really wanted to do. There was the aha! moment when I realized that fashion was what I was really interested in. I dropped everything for an opportunity to work with an up and coming fashion label. After a year or two I was ready to do something of my own. Despite being in the fashion capital, I had never found my own go-to boutique. I wanted to create a shop with a homey, comfy environment. One where we would know customers by name and grow with them, where I could curate an edited selection of small known contemporary brands and introduce new ones. Thus, Poppy on Mott Street in Nolita opened in the fall of 2003 and had an amazing ten year run!
Your Park Slope store is so welcoming and well-curated. Are you constantly keeping an eye out for new designers?
Yes! Buying for the shop is probably the thing that takes up the most of my time. I see so many collections each season. In fact, there is probably not a day that goes by that I am not looking at something. Good buying makes or breaks a boutique! You can have the coolest looking store but if its not stocked with things people want to buy (when they want to buy them) it does not matter.
Which designers are your go-to’s?
Lauren Moffatt has been one of my main go-to designers pretty much since the beginning. Her aesthetic is a perfect match for Poppy. I love her as a person and every season she blows we away with what she does from the cuts to the fabrics…
Christmas is around the corner. What five items are perfect for gift-giving?
You can never go wrong with gifting someone a gorgeous, yummy sweater. This season there are so may great sweaters! There is a Paris brand called Fine Collection where all the styles are loose in the body and fitted in the arm, a personal favorite cut. Jewelry is always an easy gift like this inexpensive necklace from Tomboy.
One of the great things about relocating to Park Slope is that the store is bigger. I am able to offer more gift items which is something I have always wanted to do. Going super luxe, this alpaca blanket from Jonathan Adler is amazing.
Rob Ryan is a British artist and I love how his work has been incorporated into porcelain plates and cups. Also unique, I love the retro feel to this man’s manicure kit and bike repair kit.
Accessory every woman should own?
I generally tend to dress in wardrobe building blocks. On the bottom: skinny jeans or boyfriend jeans. On top: white tees or tanks, silk blouses, black blazer, slouchy v-neck sweaters. Fitted leather or denim jackets. A trench in the Spring, a cargo in the Fall, a parka in the Winter. A couple of good dresses for good measure. Very basic. So accessories-wise, it is all about a shoe that makes you feel amazing as well as a great scarf. Oh, and a bunch of necklaces all jangling together.
What will never go out of style?
Jeans, a white tee, great shoes and a great bag! And wearing them with confidence!
If you could meet any designer, who would it be and why?
If we are talking wish lists, it would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall during the heady times of Yves St. Laurent’s career in the ’70s and ’80s.
What are your favorite blogs and magazines for style secrets and inspiration?
Much less into magazines these days. Vogue,etc no longer resonate with me. Style magazines I do buy are more home and design related. House and Home from Canada is awesome, Living Etc from the UK is so inspiring. I visit so many blogs. Some include Miss Moss, Garance Doré, Design Love Fest and Le Catch.
What are your regularly visited Brooklyn spots (aside from Poppy, of course)?
Since I live four blocks from the shop, this ‘hood is my world! Faves include Prospect Park and Annie’s General Store for gifts and unique home pieces. For restaurants: Blueprint and Stone Park Café both on 5th Avenue and for bars it’s High Dive on 5th Avenue and Mission Dolores on 4th Avenue. Cycle Bar has crazy hard cycling classes just around the corner from my house. Another favorite is The Community Bookstore on 7th Avenue.
Best advice you’ve received?
In terms of business, my mom always said that her approach was to treat someone coming into her store as if they were coming into her home. Not only is this being welcoming and warm to everyone that enters, it extends to creating an environment and an attention to detail (music, décor, lighting, scent) that would make someone enjoy being there and to return.
When in doubt…?
Smile!
Notes: For more details, check out Poppy here. // This interview has been edited & condensed. // Images courtesy of Leslie McKeown.
Before I unlock a series of posts dedicated to Iceland next week, let’s take a look at our own backyard. My brother’s girlfriend helped launch the Natural Areas Conservancy, a new non-profit formed to protect and restore New York City’s 10,000 acres of forests and wetlands. These natural areas are a vital resource for all New Yorkers, improving air quality, buffering communities from storms and flooding, and providing incredible recreation opportunities. With the holidays upon us, I’m mentioning this important and natural gift. Please consider supporting the work of the Natural Areas Conservancy by making any amount of donation. No amount is too small! Donate and get more information right here.
Image via Natural Areas Conservancy