There’s been so much to see and do here in NYC that my updates have gone astray a little….my last day at the agency was amazing; I witnessed a new business pitch for a private jet company and learnt how King & Partners approach presentations – unsurprisingly with enviable style and gravitas.
I flicked through their portfolio of past client work and it reads like a who’s who of fashion and luxury retail which started with Tony’s time at Gucci and includes the names below……all the website designs holding a unique DNA yet each one bespoke and credible in its own right. The designs are elegant and the functioning simple. A little like how the business is run; no clutter, no waste, no over engineering, professionalism and focus….and ultimate elegance.
Hunter
Mario Testino
Phillip Lim
Victoria Beckham
Bergdorf Goodman
Kenzo
Bottega Veneta
Bulgari
Marc Jacobs
J Brand
Balenciaga
Nina Ricci
The day ended with lots of hugs from the lovely team, and a couple of welcome returns (“Yes!!!!”)….and then I hit New York Pilates for a reformer class which I do in Poole.
In the home of Joseph Pilates, it felt appropriate to find a studio and give it a go. I was pleased to find a really cool centre very close to the agency and hold my own in an advanced class with Heather, a small bleached blonde in the era of early Madonna who chimed “Good work” every few minutes. I loved it and felt I was now indoctrinated as a bone fide local!
Since the family arrived we have maxed out our time with subway runs to Central Park, the American Museum of Natural History (which really is like walking into the set of ‘Night at the Museum’), Times Square which is crazy touristy but has to be done and the Statue of Liberty which overlooks New York’s massive and stunning Port.
At Ellis Island I found the records of my grandad from 1923 when he arrived by ship from Plymouth to establish an exciting new future in the USA as a young man of 23. I was overwhelmed when I found his inventory which identified his hair and eye colour, height (he was short at 5’2”) and the fact he intended his stay to be permanent. My grandmother was to join him and had her passport ready…but the depression hit and he returned home with dreams of a new life with his brother already settled in the US clearly not meant to be. On both my parents sides of the family there are links to the US as my father spent his first few years in California…..I think this is why I feel a strong connection to this amazing country…….
By Liz Willingham