Cue September 2013

A GAMBIT PUBLICATION | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3

BLACK & GOLD RAISE YOUR

GAME DISHING WITH

CLEMENTINE HUNTER PEACEFUL

PORCHES FASHION FOR KIDS,

BY A KID

HOME FASHION BEAUTY

it’s why you shop.

Saks Fifth Avenue Allen Edmonds Anthropologie Brooks Brothers BCBGMAXAZRIA French Connection French Sole lululemon athletica Michael Kors Morton’s The Steakhouse

333 Canal Street | 504.522.9200 | Monday-Saturday 10-7 | Sunday 12-6 | www.theshopsatcanalplace.com The Shops at Canal Place

theshopsatcanal

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WOMEN’S APPAREL ◊ HOUSEWARES UNIQUE GIFTS FOR MEN, WOMEN & BABY

629 N. CARROLLTON AVENUE 504.609.2429 ◊ www.soponola.com facebook.com/soponola

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CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 2013

SHOPPING

FASHION

13 23 31 15 17

WHAT GUYS WANT

Ways to smarten up a cool T-shirt

11

COLOR CODES

Richly hued accessories liven up late summer

NEW&COOL

Black and gold for fancy fans

PERSPECTIVES

CUE KIDS

09

FROM THE EDITOR

HOME

35

THE ART OF CLEMENTINE HUNTER

39

SHOP DOGS

Kids’ clothes with a cause

BUILT IN STYLE

The ins and outs of marble

HOME FEATURE

Making your porch your home

Profiles of power

A new pottery line inspired by the Louisiana artist

Custo of Fashion Week New Orleans`

ON THE COVER: PHOTO BY QUE DUONG. MAKEUP BY KISHA WILLIAMS.

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t’s been said by many different people and in many different ways: When you reclaim your power after being victimized, the world is yours. Ruling the world is difficult, but it’s easy to become a victim. You can be victimized by a natural disaster. You can be a victim of disease or poverty. You can even victimize yourself. (I’m particularly good at talking smack to myself about my writing — e.g., “This sucks. What makes you think this should be published?”)

This month, CUE profiles two individuals who were born into tough circumstances — but I imagine neither considers herself a victim. One is Clementine Hunter, born in 1886 to field hands on a Louisiana plantation where she was taught to pick cotton rather than read or write.

Hunter taught herself to paint and went on to create thousands of artworks that hang in museums nationwide and have inspired a new ceramics line (p. 35).

The other is Grace Rose Bauer, a 10-year-old with cystic fibrosis (CF) whose mission is finding a cure for the terminal disease. She’s doing that by designing her own line of children’s clothing and donating proceeds to CF research (p. 31).

It’s impossible to suss out the relationship between challeng-

PHOTO BY JANINE JOFFE | MAKEUP BY MARIA BARREDA

FROM THE EDITOR

I

ON CUE M I S SY W I L K I N S O N |

ing circumstances and achievement, but there’s no doubt that the actions of these two individuals wil help shape the world around you and me. Though one is deceased and the other is still a child, I have a hunch their contributions will reverberate throughout the world in the years to come.

MARGO DUBOS | EDITOR

DORA SISON |

P U BL I S H E R PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

EDITORIAL

CHRISTIN GREEN

K A N DAC E P O W E R G R AV ES

A DVE R TI SI NG C OORD INATOR

M A N AG I N G E D I TOR

4 8 3 -3 13 8

christing@gambitweekly.com

CON T R I BU T I N G W R I T E RS

K AT E G R AC E B AU E R , N I C O L E CARROLL , LEE CUTRONE, EILEEN LOH INTERN

K AT H L E E N A L L A I N

AC C O U N T E X E C U T I V E S

JILL GIEGER S E N IOR ACCOU N T E X ECU T I V E

PRODUCTION

4 8 3 -3 131

jillg@gambitweekly.com

G R A PH IC D E S I G N E RS

SHERIE DELACROIX-ALFARO, LINDSAY WEISS, LYN VICKNAIR, PAIGE HINRICHS, JULIET MEEKS PR E- PR E SS COOR D I N ATOR

K AT H RY N B R A DY

D I S P L AY A DV E R T I S I N G

S A N DY S T E I N B R O N D U M A DV E R T IS I N G D I R EC TOR 4 8 3 -3150 sandys@gambitweekly.com

JEFFREY PIZZO 4 8 3 -3 145

jeffp@gambitweekly.com

L I N D A L AC H I N 4 8 3 -3 14 2

lindal@gambitweekly.com

SHANNON HINTON KERN 4 8 3 -3 14 4

shannonk@gambitweekly.com

MICHELE SLONSKI

KRISTIN HARTENSTEIN

ADV E R T I S I N G A D MI NI ST R ATO R 4 8 3 -3140 micheles@gambitweekly.com

4 8 3 -3 14 1

kristinh@gambitweekly.com

GA MB IT | 3923 B I ENV I L L E STREE T | NE W O R L E A N S , L A 7 0 1 1 9 504.4 8 6.5900 | response@gambitweekly.com

GOT AN IDEA FOR CUE ? EMAIL US: cue@gambitweekly.com S E P T E M B E R.2 0 1 3<<<

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METAIRIE ROAD’S

FASHION NIGHT OUT

SHOP + MINGLE + GIVEAWAYS + TRUNK SHOWS + DEMONSTRATIONS

SEPTEMBER 12 5-10PM

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NEW + COOL

AND

CLASSY BLACK GOLD THESE STANDOUT SAINTS-APPROVED PIECES WILL HAVE THEM ASKING, “WHO IS THAT?” BY MISSY WILKINSON

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

SHOPPING

3 1

2

4

Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer “Explosif,” $20 at Macy’s (Lakeside Shopping Center, 3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, 504-484-4605; www.macys.com).

Gold tassel earrings, $48 at SOPO (629 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-609-2429; www.soponola.com).

Sequined black-and-gold cocktail dress, $899 at Yvonne Lafleur (8131 Hampson St., 504-866-9666; www.yvonnelafleur.com).

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NFL regulation-compliant handbag by Stadium Satchel, $40 at www.stadiumsatchel.com.

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Fleur de lis tights, $15 at Miss Claudia’s Vintage Clothing & Costumes (4204 Magazine St., 504-897-6310; www.missclaudias.com).

Black-and-gold 11 mm film camera, $75 at Anthropologie (The Shops At Canal Place, 333 Canal St., 504-592-9972; www. anthropologie.com).

Tufted gold settee, $2,298 at www.Anthropologie.com (available online only).

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STAC K

O N

YO U R

BLACK & GOLD NEW HALO BANGLES 24K Gold Overlay

WWW.MIGNONFAGET.COM MIGNON FAGET

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W H AT G U Y S W A N T

FA S H I O N

DRESSED TO A TEE PAIR T-SHIRTS WITH HIP ACCESSORIES FOR A LOOK THAT’S COOL EVEN IN THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

1 2

3

4 5 6 7 8

BY KATHLEEN ALLAIN

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR LOCAL MUSIC WITH THIS TSHIRT, $25 AT DIRTY COAST (5631 MAGAZINE ST., 504-324-3745; 329 JULIA ST., 504-324-6459; WWW. DIRTYCOAST.COM).

LOCALLY MADE KREWE DU OPTIC CALLIOPE SUNGLASSES LOOK FRESH, $125 AT JEAN THERAPY (THE SHOPS AT CANAL PLACE, 333 CANAL ST., 504-558-3966; LAKESIDE SHOPPING CENTER, 3301 VETERANS MEMORIAL BLVD., METAIRIE, 504-8336144; 5505 MAGAZINE ST., 504-897-5535; WWW.JEANTHERAPY.COM).

ROYALL SPYCE COLOGNE DOUBLES AS AN AFTERSHAVE LOTION, $44 AT PERLIS (JACKSON BREWERY, 600 DECATUR ST., SUITE 104, 504-523-6681; 1281 N. CAUSEWAY BLVD., SUITE 6, MANDEVILLE, 985-6741711; 6070 MAGAZINE ST., 504-895-8661; WWW. PERLIS.COM).

3 1 2

4 5

SHAKE A TAIL FEATHER IN THIS HOMAGE TO SECOND LINES, $25 AT DIRTY COAST.

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TORTOISESHELL READING GLASSES MAKE ANY OUTFIT LOOK COOLER, $75 AT PERLIS. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A ROCK STAR TO ROCK A 1989 BULLETBOYS T-SHIRT, $59.95 AT KULTURE VULTURE (523 DUMAINE ST., 504-410-2322).

THIS LITTLE WOODEN WATCH HAS A BIG MISSION: WITH EACH PURCHASE, WEWOOD PLANTS A TREE, $121 AT JEAN THERAPY.

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AVOID POCKET BULGE. THIS SLEEK LEATHER WALLET IS EQUIPPED WITH A MONEY CLIP, $63 AT PERLIS. S E P T E M B E R.2 0 1 3<<<

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BUILT IN STYLE

HOME

A MARBLE-OUS ELEMENT CONSIDERING ADDING MARBLE TO YOUR HOME? READ THESE TIPS FIRST.

BY EI L EEN LO H

he stone used to create Michelangelo’s David, the Taj Mahal and the Parthenon is now found in ordinary homes. Innovations in marble production have made it more durable and low-maintenance — good news for people who may have balked at installing the pricey but beautiful stone. And although marble isn’t cheap, it’s an investment that can add lasting value to a home.

“Put marble on everything that will hold still long enough,” says Lindsay Swenson, general manager at Floor and Decor Design Gallery (4 Westside Shopping Center, Gretna, 504-361-0501; 2801 Magazine St., 504-891-3005; www.flooranddecor.com). “It offers tremendous value and it’s so MARBLE COMES IN timeless. You’re not going to see MANY COLORS AND a half-million-dollar home on the STRIATION PATTERNS. market where the realtor is shouting that they have ceramic or laminate tiles throughout. They want to say ‘beautiful marble.’ It’s a value add Swenson says newer innovations in for resale.” marble production and maintenance While nationwide trends show have made the stone more durable. the use of marble in home decor “Upgraded sealers make all the difhas increased in recent years, Swference in the world,” she says. “There enson says New Orleans has been are some really exceptional premium ahead of that curve for a long time. sealers on the market now that really She says the timeless appeal of have made marble more universally marble makes it a popular choice acceptable for throughout-the-house for New Orleans homeowners and use. Between premium grout products designers. “Marble really resonates and sealers, you don’t have to worry with New Orleanians who are redoas much about premature staining ing 100-year-old homes or building and discoloration.” a new home and wanting that feelThat’s not to say you can run roughing of history,” Swenson says. shod over your marble: Swenson advises Marble also is a good choice for a thoughtful eye toward marble placeARABESCATO MARBLE TILES, AVAILABLE people who know they’re going to ment if your house is a hub of activity.

AT FLOOR & DECOR, ADD A RICH, SERENE be in their homes for the long run: “You still have to be careful with it; TOUCH TO A BATHROOM. “I think people really feel confident it’s not for people who have tons of kids that they’re not going to get sick of and dogs and not much time to worry it,” Swenson says. “It’s not going to about maintaining it.” Those homelook trendy or dated in a few years.” owners are best off using marble in places less likely to chip or stain, like decorative In its natural state, marble is limestone that has been crystallized or transformed by backsplashes. And there’s also a composite marble called cultured marble, which is pressure. It looks like most other natural stones until it’s cut and polished. Marble’s stain- and chip-resistant. natural veining, color variations and gleaming quality make it as popular for interior Some tips for people considering marble: Hire a qualified installer. “It’s a more decor today as it was thousands of years ago. temperamental product, and so it’s more important that the proper setting materiThanks to a wide range of tiles, marble can complement any home, regardless of als and techniques are used,” Swenson says. “It’s important that the materials are the design scheme and architectural aesthetic. Carrara marble’s pure white-light blended properly. A good installer makes all the difference in the world. A bad gray color tones are in demand with homeowners and interior designers, but marble installer can ruin a good product. It’s an expensive mistake if someone doesn’t know colors span the spectrum.

“Honed, tumbled, hand-clipped, Old World-style, highly polished, contemporary, what they’re doing.”

Once it’s installed and sealed, marble doesn’t collect dander, bacteria or pollen — vein-cut styles — warm neutral, cool neutral, marble with strong striping or striaa plus for people with allergies or asthma — and it’s easy to clean. tions — there is a marble look for everyone,” Swenson says. “We have marbles that Homeowners with marble surfaces should abide by basic rules to keep them lookcome in unique contemporary shapes and patterns, we’ve got marbles in really fun, ing good: wipe up spills immediately; don’t place hot or abrasive items on them; use contrasting color patterns that pop; mosaic-and-glass combinations that create a mats, coasters and trivets; and clean regularly with products made for stone. contemporary feel. These are for people who want an updated look but want more Many people are willing to put in that extra maintenance for marble. classic materials.”

“It’s a look that people know they’re going to love for years to come,” Swenson Using marble for countertops, fireplaces, bathrooms, backsplashes and anywhere says. “It’s just such a rich aesthetic. You’re getting that luxury look. People know when else you’d use tile has drawbacks. It’s expensive to buy and install, and is quite it’s the real deal.” porous, so it can crack, stain and scratch more easily than harder, denser stone. But

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Unbelievable prices will make your dream a reality.

At Floor & Decor, you have to see it to believe it.

Stop by today and ask about our FREE Design Services.

Carrara White Marble

Reclaimed Heart Pine

Glass Mosaic

DESIGN GALLERY 2801 Magazine Street New Orleans, LA 70115 504-891-3005

4 Westside Shopping Center Grenta, LA 70053 504-361-0501

flooranddecorneworleans.com

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PORCH

DREAMS THREE HOMEOWNERS’ LOVELY, LIVABLE PORCHES … AND TIPS FOR STYLING YOUR OWN SUMMER SANCTUARY. B Y L E E C U T R O N E | P H OTO S B Y EU G E N I A U H L

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ummertime and the livin’ is easy, especially if you have a great porch. As places where indoor and outdoor living merge, porches are used for everything from napping and dining to working and entertaining. We asked three local homeowners to tell us how they make their porches integral to their lives.

S

MATT D’ABADIE AND RON CLEMMONS Matt D’Abadie, director of banquets at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, and Ron Clemmons, a hairstylist, both come from families with a history of planting crops

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and gardening. Matt’s military family lived in a historic antebellum home with graceful double galleries, so he grew up with a keen appreciation for beautiful porches overlooking the green spaces so dear to his life.

When D’Abadie and Clemmons decided to renovate the rear of their early 20th-century Carrollton home 10 years ago, a porch was a must.

“We wanted to open up the whole house to the garden, and we wanted to add a porch,” says D’Abadie, who is a gardener. “And we wanted to do it correctly. We wanted it to look authentic with the rest of the house.”

The couple sketched the L-shaped porch and garden (which contains crape myrtles, azaleas, camellias, ferns, vines, palms, caladiums, hydrangeas, Egyptian night-blooming jasmine and more) and worked with their friend, architect Peter Waring, to bring the porch to life.

The idea was to outfit the addition with all the makings of a porch that would have been original to the house 100 years ago. The windows, doors and posts were purchased at architectural salvage stores, and the rails and spindles were hand-milled as they would have been in the early 1900s. Even the bolts for the old cypress French doors were specially made. The blue color of the bead board ceiling is traditional in the South. There also are ceiling

fans, wicker furnishings (a swing, settee and chairs), gas lanterns and plenty of greenery from the yard.

Every view was carefully considered. To one side is a brick patio used for grilling and as a dance floor, the other is a quaint guest cottage used as one of several outdoor bar areas when the couple entertains and to the front of the house is a lush, meandering garden.

“We call it the secret garden,” D’Abadie says. “It has a secluded, private feel to it.”

For D’Abadie and Clemmons, the porch and garden go hand in hand — and so does sharing both with friends and family.

“We live the way we were raised,” D’Abadie says. “We sit out there every evening. And we use it to entertain.”

ABOVE: PALMS, PALMETTOS AND FERNS INSULATE THE PORCH FROM THE SUN AND LEND IT A TROPICAL KEY WEST ATMOSPHERE. D’ABADIE AND CLEMMONS FURNISHED THE PORCH WITH WHITE WICKER AND CUSHIONS IN SHADES OF YELLOW, GREEN AND RED.

FEATURE PAULETTE AND MANNY RIVAS When Paulette Rivas and her husband Manny renovated their Uptown Victorian 28 years ago, they added a porch. The footprint and flowerbeds of the Rivases’ backyard were in place when they purchased their home. They landscaped the flowerbeds, edged them with brick and covered the lawn area with aggregate to create a patio that’s often used as a dance floor during parties.

Though the house was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and had to be renovated, the back porch remained intact. Today, with added touches like outdoor heaters, air conditioners and awnings that unroll to seal out the cold — not to mention Rivas’s keen eye as both a decorator and abstract artist — the space is used year-round.

The same finesse Rivas wielded in decorating the home’s interior is carried through to the porch, where she mixes antique and new furnishings.

“Anything that made it through (Hurricane) Katrina stayed,” she says, referring to

HOME

the two black outdoor sofas on one end of the porch, the wrought-iron coffee table purchased at a Paris flea market, an iron sconce and one of her favorite pieces: a Rococo-style table she found in a used furniture store. The Rivases, who entertain frequently, use the table as their official outdoor bar. Across from the bar, Rivas combined a pair of reproduction mid-century chairs purchased on Magazine Street with a delicate iron table from Dop Antiques. Nearby, several wicker chairs and a ceramic garden seat, one of three on the porch, form another seating area.

The porch’s manicured elegance is suited to solitary pastimes like painting, which Rivas does, but it’s also the perfect setting for parties and special occasions like weddings. The Rivases have a large family and have hosted six weddings over the years. For the family’s annual Christmas Eve party, the back door is opened. If the weather is cold, the awnings are lowered so guests can move between the interior and exterior venues.

“We wanted it to be a comfortable outdoor space,” Rivas says. “And I think we accomplished that.”

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“

We wanted it to be a comfortable outdoor space.

“

ABOVE: THE RIVASES USE THIS ROCOCO-STYLE TABLE AS AN OUTSIDE BAR. THE TABLE ORIGINALLY WAS IN A HOTEL BALLROOM; PAULETTE RIVAS FOUND IT IN A SECONDHAND FURNITURE STORE. RIGHT: THE RIVASES USED THE HOUSE’S ORIGINAL CYPRESS SHUTTERS AS ARCHITECTURAL ACCENTS FOR THEIR PORCH. THE CERAMIC GARDEN SEATS ARE FROM ORIENT EXPRESSED. S E P T E M B E R.2 0 1 3<<<

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HOME

FEATURE

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MARIA AND ROBERT SIEGEL

THE SIEGELS’ FRONT PORCH FEELS LARGER THAN ITS 121 SQUARE FEET, THANKS TO DOORS ON THREE SIDES. SIEGEL CREATED THE VINTAGE COTTAGE-MEETS-GREENHOUSE LOOK USING WICKER, WIRE AND WOODEN FURNISHINGS ACCENTED WITH POTTED PLANTS, BIRDCAGES, BIRDHOUSES AND OTHER GARDEN ACCESSORIES. SHE FOUND THE WIRE TABLE IN MICHIGAN.

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When Maria Siegel and her husband Robert bought their house five years ago, she decided it needed a screened porch. She had fond childhood memories of an aunt’s screened porch in Michigan and recalled more than a few porches where she, her husband and their two children had played games and hung out during vacations.

The house had the perfect spot for an airy enclosure. Sometime in the mid-20th century, the single-family cottage had been formed by joining two neighboring shotgun houses — one a single and the other a double.

At the time, a den and kitchen were built to link the houses across the center, leaving a charming U-shaped courtyard between the two structures. Siegel recognized the bricked courtyard as the perfect place for her screened porch.

“I think every house ought to have a screened porch, especially in New Orleans,” she says. When the Siegels transformed the courtyard into a porch, they added several sets of French doors leading into the house.

Though the porch measures just 11 feet by 11 feet, the French doors make the porch and the house’s interior feel larger.

“We can open the two pairs of French doors to the dining room and the den and the house feels almost twice as big,” Siegel says.

For the color of the porch, she chose a more pigmented formula of the house’s exterior paint. “It’s subtle, but just enough to make it warmer and cozier,” she says.

For furnishings, Siegel began with pieces from the family’s previous home. A wicker chair, a table carried back from a Florida vacation and a large mirror framed with a motif of gilded roses and ribbons set the comfortable and inviting tone. Most of the other wicker pieces were purchased from a local bed-and-breakfast owner who had been collecting wicker for years.

Siegel’s birdcage collection adds to the wicker’s vintage-cottage feel, and seashells underscore a vacation-like atmosphere.

The office sign is a nod to the fact that the porch is where Siegel does her most creative thinking. But it’s also a favorite spot for entertaining.

Friday night cocktail gatherings with friends — each party featuring a special cocktail — are a signature event.

Siegel’s love of screened porches even inspired the name of her burgeoning business — The Screening Room, which renovates houses into furnished corporate rentals, each with its own screened porch.

“Our porch is the best hangout space,” she says. “It’s the place where everyone feels the most relaxed.”

WHOLESALE TO THE PUBLIC OVER 15,000 SQUARE FEET OF EUROPEAN ANTIQUES CARRYING THE FINEST: FURNITURE LIGHTING MIRRORS • RUGS DECORATIVES

300 JEFFERSON HWY + ACROSS FROM LOWE’S + NEW ORLEANS + 504.231.3397 + WWW.DOPANTIQUES.COM

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• LADIES CLOTHING • ACCESSORIES • COSMETICS • AIRBRUSH TANNING • EVENT MAKE-UP

FALL INTO FINI

A BEAUTY BOUTIQUE

6250 GENERAL DIAZ • LAKEVIEW 304-0633 • WWW.FINIBOUTIQUE.COM

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COLOR CODES CRACK THE STYLE CODE WITH VIBRANTLY HUED ACCESSORIES

BY M I S SY W I L K I N S O N

P H OTO S BY ROMNEY CARUSO

fierce

SNAKESKIN CLUTCH, $149.99, BRONZE BACKBONE CUFF, $375, BOTH AT FEET FIRST. PYRAMID BELT, $68 AT A GIRL IS A GUN.

neutrals

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autumn

hues WOVEN LEATHER CLUTCH, $250 AT YVONNE LAFLEUR;CHAIN NECKLACE, $65 AT RISE; SUNGLASSES, $300 AT ART & EYES; BOW PUMP, $179.99 AT FEET FIRST.

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in the

noir CHUNKY CHAIN NECKLACE, $199, BROOCH, $79, BOTH AT YVONNE LAFLEUR; VEGAN GUNAS BAG, $210 AT A GIRL IS A GUN; RETRO SUNGLASSES, $295 AT ART & EYES.

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CUE 25

Sain ts & Angels a boutique with Heart + Soul

ALL JEWELRY

On Sale!

3300 Magazine St. • Suite B

(Next to Hemline) • Uptown 504-570-6649

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS + INFO

probst design studio INTERIOR DESIGN

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

3 3 0 0 M A G A Z I N E S T. UPTOWN • NEXT TO HEMLINE • NOLA • 504.895.2094

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PAGE 25

ALLIGATOR CUFF, $250 AT SOPO; FEATHER CUFF, $60 AT RISE; SQUARE CLUTCH, $74.99, ROUND-TOE HEEL, $129.99, BOTH AT FEET FIRST; VINTAGE SUNGLASSES, $600 AT ART & EYES.

shades of

blue STORE INFORMATION

A GIRL IS A GUN (6010 MAGAZINE ST., 504-891-4475; WWW.AGIRLISAGUN.COM) ART & EYES (3708 MAGAZINE ST., 504-891-4494; WWW.ARTANDEYESNOLA.COM) FEET FIRST (526 ROYAL ST., 504-569-0005; 4122 MAGAZINE ST., 504-899-6800; WWW.FEETFIRSTSTORES.COM)

RISE ( 3650 MAGAZINE ST., 504-304-5485) SOPO (629 N. CARROLLTON AVE., 504-609-2429; WWW.SOPONOLA.COM) YVONNE LAFLEUR (8131 HAMPSON ST., 504-866-9666; WWW.YVONNELAFLEUR.COM) S E P T E M B E R.2 0 1 3<<<

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buy.sell.trade

3312 Magazine St. BuffaloExchange.com #iFoundThisAtBX

2900 ELYSIAN FIELDS TUESDAY - SATURDAY â&#x20AC;˘ 10:00 am-6:00 pm

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O Y S T E R P L AT E S & A C C E S S O R I E S

4843 magazine street | 899.4843 oysterianola.com

CUE K I D S

FA S H I O N

FOR

DRESS CF

TEN-YEAR-OLD GRACE ROSE BAUER IS HELPING FIND A CURE FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS, ONE DRESS AT A TIME. BY K AT E R O S E B AU ER ou know, Mom, this is sometimes just an inconvenient disease to have,” my 10-year-old niece Grace Rose says of her cystic fibrosis.

She’s a girl with talent and life experience beyond her years — so much so that my family jokes she is 10 going on 30.

Grace Rose has outlived the life expectancy predictions doctors made when she was born. She has lived in two cities, starred in countless theatrical productions, excelled in fifth grade, danced in a professional troupe for the E League, a Los Angeles-based celebrity basketball league, and rubbed elbows with Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson and Olivia Holt.

Now, with her new fashion line Rosie G, she’s adding “clothing designer” to her list of accomplishments.

On the morning of Nov. 27, 2002, my pregnant sister Leah (Grace Rose’s mother) had her 36-week checkup.

The baby, in utero, was on the monitor — heart beating, legs moving — when a neonatal specialist noticed something abnormal.

“This isn’t right,” he said. “Her abdomen is distended. We need to get this baby out immediately.”

Grace Rose was born that day at 3:30 p.m. and was rushed to Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery to remove the meconium ileus blockage in her large intestine. Grace Rose and Leah came through their surgeries with only my mother nearby, because at the time my family was spread across the globe. My brother lived in Germany, my oldest sister lived in Los Angeles, I was spending a semester abroad in London and my paternal grandmother was in Boston battling advanced breast cancer with my father by her side. Always one to play by her own rules, my mom sneaked Leah out of Touro Infirmary so she could be with her newborn daughter at Children’s Hospital. Grace Rose was in the neonatal intensive care unit for a month before she came home.

Our family learned Grace Rose’s cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that attacks the respiratory and digestive systems. Grace Rose doesn’t produce the enzymes that break down mucus and absorb nutrients from food.

She and other CF patients are prone to

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lung infections and can get blockages in their intestines. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis.

“I take over 30 pills throughout the day and have to do two breathing treatments in the morning and evening,” Grace Rose says. “It eats up a lot of time.” To say that Grace Rose is a warrior would be an understatement. She

(LEFT) GRACE ROSE BAUER DESIGNED HER CLOTHES TO REFLECT HER PERSONALITY: COLORFUL AND FUN.

(RIGHT) YOUNG GIRLS MODEL GRACE ROSE BAUER’S NEW LINE AT HER ANNUAL CYSTIC FIBROSIS FUNDRAISER. PAGE 33

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is one of the strongest people I know. Very early on, she made a decision that CF would not define her. She believes a cure will be found, and she wants to be responsible for finding it.

How does a 10-year-old work toward curing a terminal illness?

Every year Leah and I host the GR4CF (Grace Rose for Cystic Fibrosis) fundraiser in New Orleans.

“My fundraiser has always been about fashion, because my mom’s a designer, and it’s a way I love to explore my creative side,” Grace Rose says. This year, Grace Rose unveiled samples of her very first full collection. Her line, Rosie G (www.rosiegstyle.com), debuted as a 25-piece assemblage of her personality in clothing form: bright, colorful and easygoing.

“I was inspired by the two places I call home: the beaches in Los Angeles and the bayou in New Orleans,” Grace Rose says. “It’s beach meets bayou.”

This idea spawned drawings and designs that we took to a seamstress, who brought the samples to life. The dresses consist of two panels — one panel over each shoulder. Each is a different pattern in a complementary color.

The Rosie G collection allows the wearer to mix, match and choose her own unique look.

“I really like easy, soft and comfortable fabric,” Grace Rose says. “I hate labels — they itch — so each label is a heat-sealed iron-on.”

Grace Rose also designed maxi skirts, tops, palazzo pants and dance pants that set the collection apart from most children’s lines.

A percentage of sales benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on Grace Rose’s behalf to help find a cure for CF. The first Rosie G collection will be available at Pippen Lane in spring 2014.

Grace Rose and Leah have launched a crowd-funded campaign to raise money to produce Rosie G’s first full collection.

This project has given our family the next chapter to anticipate. It’s rare for a child to understand the concept of giving back to move forward, but fortunately, Grace Rose knows it’s just as important to create a future for herself as it is to help others suffering from CF. Grace Rose’s collection, Rosie G, is her first step toward finding a cure … with style.

For more information about Rosie G, visit www.facebook. com/rosiegstyle.

DESIGNER GRACE ROSE BAUER TAKES A BOW AFTER HER GR4CF FASHION FUNDRAISER.

ROSIE G DRESSES CONSIST OF TWO PANELS IN COMPLEMENTARY PATTERNS. A PERCENTAGE OF PROCEEDS BENEFITS THE CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION.

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PLATE WORKS OF ART PAINTINGS BY LOUISIANA ARTIST CLEMENTINE HUNTER ARE TRANSLATED INTO A NEW CERAMICS COLLECTION.

BY K ATHLEEN ALL AIN

T

ARTIST CLEMENTINE HUNTER

here’s been renewed interest recently in the works of Clementine Hunter, a self-taught black artist born in 1886 and known for her depictions of Louisiana plantation life.

In September 2012, Tom Whitehead and Art Shiver published Clementine Hunter: Her Life and Art. In January, Robert Wilson premiered his opera, Zinnias: The Life of Clementine Hunter, and in June, Jennifer Moses wrote an article in The New York Times, “Looking for Clementine Hunter’s Louisiana.”

This month, Doug Gitter (www.gittergallery. com) releases a collection of ceramic dishes handpainted with reproductions of Hunter’s artworks.

“I’ve been working on the ceramic line for a few years,” Gitter says. “It was quite challenging because you’re taking a piece of artwork that’s flat and putting it onto a three-dimensional surface. To get it right on ceramic — to make the dresses the right color, the feet different colors,

the hair the right look — was very difficult.”

Hunter’s art is characterized by textured brushstrokes, bright colors and figures with detailed outfits. Gitter conveyed these traits by adding relief (a raised plane) to the pottery and hiring artists to paint the pieces and match them to the original paintings. The result is rich texture and vivid details: You can almost feel the sun’s warmth and see the zinnias on the womens’ hats in “Baptism on Cane River.”

After Gitter perfected the ceramics line, he got an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement from Hunter’s estate to reproduce her works, under the condition that a percentage of proceeds returns to the estate to promote Hunter. The images she created reflect her memories of life on a Southern plantation and a world that existed prior to mechanization.

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has since vanished,” Gitter says.

“World War II changed it all,” says Tom Whitehead, co-author of Clementine Hunter: Her Life and Art. “When mechanization came to agriculture, there were no more jobs. What took several hundred people to do, now 10 people could do. We have to completely think about life before modern attributes like air conditioning and washing machines. To me, it seems like a hard life, but Clementine enjoyed the camaraderie and that’s what she painted.”

Hunter was born in 1886 in Natchitoches Parish at Hidden Hill Plantation in Cloutierville. At age 15, she moved with her family to Melrose Plantation, where she

worked in the cotton fields. In her 50s, she moved into the “big house” at Melrose Plantation, where she switched from picking cotton and pecans to chores like cooking and cleaning. There, she stumbled upon leftover tubes of paint from Alberta Kinsey (a New Orleans artist who visited Melrose Plantation) and began painting on shoebox tops and anything else she could find.

While many people in the South lived on plantations, Hunter was unique because she was able to document her memories through painting.

“Not many people [who worked on a plantation before mechanization] had a way to tell their stories,” Whitehead says. “They didn’t have access to cameras, and they had very little schooling so they couldn’t read and write. Clementine told stories that other people weren’t able to document and share.”

With titles like “Fish Fry” and “Wash Day,” each platter or bowl reveals the daily grind, as well as the social and religious aspects of life on Melrose Plantation. Although it shows hard labor, Hunter’s artwork is upbeat. Hunter enjoyed the social life surrounding these strenuous endeavors, and it shows in paintings like “Pecan Picking,” where kids hang upside-down in trees, arms flailing.

“Even her funeral paintings and wakes are bright and cheerful.

I guess you had to have that attitude to survive,” Whitehead says. “She always found happiness in hard work, and she always said, ‘Picking cotton is easier than painting pictures.’”

When Hunter moved out of Melrose Plantation and into a house across the street, she sold her paintings for 25 cents and popsicles for 15 cents on her screened porch.

Some say she charged 50 cents to look at the paintings in her house. Gitter plans to keep this notion of affordable art for the collection.

“I want to take something that was once affordable and make it affordable again,” Gitter says of the Clementine Hunter ceramic pieces, which range from $118 to $168 at Hazelnut (5515 Magazine St., 504-891-2424; 2735 Hwy. 190, Mandeville, 985-626-

6070 MAGAZINE STREET NEW ORLEANS (504) 895-8661 1281 N. CAUSEWAY BLVD. MANDEVILLE (985) 674-1711 PERLIS.COM 36 CUE

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CLEMENTINE HUNTER’S “BAPTISM” IN PLATTER FORM.

When the role of African-Americans in American society was being more appreciated and more published, Clementine was there, and she was there as an artist.

“

“

8900; www.hazelnutneworleans.com).

Hunter has become one of the most coveted folk artists from the South. Her work is featured in museums including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and the American Folk Art Museum in New York.

She was the first black artist to have a solo exhibition at Delgado Community College.

“Clementine’s career paralleled the civil rights movement,” Whitehead says. “When the role of African-Americans in American society was being more appreciated and more published, Clementine was there, and she was there as an artist.”

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FAVORITE THINGS ...

CHICKEN JERKY AIR KISSES BARKING “WHO DAT!” DOGGY PERFUME ROLLING ON CRAWFISH SHELLS

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY NICOLE CARROLL hen fashion maven Tracee Dundas heads out, she rarely leaves behind one favorite accessory: Custo, her 10-year-old Maltese. “The moment I pick up my bag or he hears the jingle of my keys, he perks up … and he’s ready to go with me,” Dundas says.

Dundas is the founder and creative director of Fashion Week New Orleans (FWNOLA), which she introduced in 2011. After Hurricane Katrina, Dundas found herself brainstorming new projects. Her extensive fashion background led to the idea of putting on a fashion week. “I saw there were regional-sized fashion weeks happening in different parts of the country,” Dundas says. “And I was like, ‘You know what, we’ve got a lot of good designers and retailers.’”

With FWNOLA (www.fashionweeknola.com), Dundas aims to bring together Gulf Coast designers and boutiques to enrich and showcase the region’s fashion industry. By including both new and established designers and retailers, FWNOLA creates a network for collaboration.

“We’re hoping to create a new synergy and a rapport between the two,” she says.

When she is not spearheading FWNOLA, Dundas keeps busy with other fashion-related endeavors. She is fashion editor for New Orleans Magazine, a freelance stylist and has a weekly fashion segment on WVUE-TV. She can be found working on projects ranging from boutique styling or photo shoots to costumes on a movie set.

Custo is often right beside her, taking in all the action.

“If I’m working a photo shoot and I know it’s going to be a long day, I’ll bring him along,” Dundas says.

W

Custo also enjoys conferences Dundas conducts from her home office. “He’ll kind of bark and let me know, ‘Listen, I need to get my opinion about this situation or about these fashions,’” Dundas says. Although Custo is not a prissy dog (he’s known to roll in crawfish shells), Dundas says he enjoys fashion industry perks.

“He insists on getting a wipe down and spritz with his doggy perfume after being walked,” Dundas says of Custo, who was named after Spanish fashion label Custo Barcelona. He also loves to give “air kisses” by licking the air in front of peoples’ faces.

In his downtime, Custo enjoys watching New Orleans Saints games, barking along with the “Who Dat!” chant.

After the Saints won the Super Bowl, “Who Dat!” could be heard all around the city. Dundas and friends joined in on the chant from her porch, and Custo responded.

“Next, thing you know I’ve got him barking,” Dundas says. “When I say ‘Who Dat’ in a chant, he will typically bark.”

Although FWNOLA happens annually in March, Dundas produces smaller fashion events throughout the year, including Strut + Swim poolside fashion shows at W Hotel’s rooftop pool on Poydras Street. The last of these free shows takes place at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25. It’s all part of Dundas’ efforts to grow the local fashion industry and keep it exciting.

“We’ve created something that’s going to have our own New Orleans flavor to it,” Dundas says. “The city has embraced it. Our fashion world has embraced it.”

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