Selena Gomez was interviewed by an elementary school student at the NAACP Image Awards. She talks about working on Barney, working on Wizards of Waverly Place, and if she can do magic.
Such an adorable interview, the young kid is so serious with this interview! Selena is so thin though, I know she has always been thin but I didn’t think it was this thin. In my opinion I think she could stand to put on a few more pounds.
Translation
Studentmagasinet Met with Rob in London January 22, 2010
Some ask him to bite them and others hate him. In reality, Robert Pattinson is neither a hot vampire, or a jerk, he is rather an incredibly humble 23-year-old who is one of the world’s hottest actors, right now. And we got to meet him.
When you tell people that you’ve met Robert Pattinson, you get different reactions. Most of the 40-years old people, look at you with a questioning facial expression. But teenage girls (and those who have past their teens) screaming hysterically and often wonder if Rob is just as good in reality as he is on film. But most guys see the most acid one and sincerely hope that Rob is a shit boot because their girlfriends are hopelessly in love with Rob’s “perfect” character, Edward in the Twilight Saga. Most people have preconceived ideas about me, “said Robert, when Student magazine hits on him in the roar luxury hotel Dorchester on Park Lane in London The funny thing is that many young, female fans confuse me with Edward and thinks that we are the same person. Which is to say the least diseased, given that Edward is a vampire.
Robert smiles and says that since he met several fans who have asked him to bite them. Some girls baring his throat and begs and asks for me to put teeth into their neck. I decline politely but firmly and try to explain that it would hurt. The sexy vampire Edward Cullen and Twilight movies has become a mega success worldwide.
When we filmed the Twilight, we had no idea how big it would become. We were in an old school in the middle of the woods in the countryside outside Vancouver, Canada. When the film came out, I and my cast mates became super actress celebrities overnight. It was bizarre and scary.Wherever I went I was met by fans who became so excited that they just stood and cried and screamed. Most celebrities of Roberts calibration hates their fame. But he is more realistic than that
My fame has opened doors, I get lots of offers and I select accurately to avoid falling into a trap where the movie branch only think I can play a sort of role. Vampires are all very well, but I would like to show that I can play other kinds of roles, too. Robert says he admires Leonardo di Caprio. “When Leo became a superstar in the Titanic, he took a break afterwards. He partied and had vacation for a few years before he went to arbeta. I admire him, he is a talented actor who has made many good films.
Robert does not want leave. He argues that he would prefer to strike while the iron is hot. For the moment I work in England with a film where I play against Christina Ricci, Kristin Scott Thomas and Uma Thurman and I have sex with all three! I simply could not refuse.
Robert laughs and drinks the water directly from a two-liter bottle. He wipes his mouth and puts down the bottle on the floor with a bang. Robert, or Rob as his friends call him, is commonly dressed in loose-fitting black jeans, brown wool sweater and black training shoes. He has a full beard, which he first red pillar with while he was talking, and on his head he wears a black cap with the initials LB in gold letters. What does LB stand for? I don’t know. I think that it stands for “Long Beach” but AJG bought that hat in Tokyo. Fashion doesn’t seem to be Roberts thing. He says with a smile that he is an actor who is more interested in making good movies yet to be known as a kind of fashion icon.
Roberts upcoming movie, “Remember Me” is a romantic drama set in New York. His mother in the film is played by Swede Lena Olin, who we last saw in The Reader and the father is played by Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia! And James Bond). In the film, Robert also has a younger sister whom he worships. “I have always liked to have a little sister. I have older sisters, but there is something sweet to have to care for and protect a younger sibling. Peyton List who plays my little sister in the film is a superb actor and a very cute girl. Emilie de Ravin plays Robert’s girlfriend in the movie. Emilie is a really nice girl, we became friends during filming. The guy I play, Tyler, is quite similar to me. He cares about his friends, is quite serious, rebellious, and believe in justice.
When I was younger I went through a period when I was mad at everybody and everything, but I’ve calmed down a bit now. I have more patience and tolerance towards people who think like me and who choose to live their lives differently”.
Robert has become used to being watched and persecuted by the fans, especially young female ones, but there is still great potential to be anonymous when you feel like it. Just such a thing as the rumor that he is dating Kristen Stewart, who is the female co-star in the Twilight movies. Both refused to comment on a word about it and they are seldom seen in pictures together, although they apparently hit their free time.
It is important to keep a low profile. I can walk up the street, with Skrutt clothes and beard, biting your nails and look down the hill. There’s not a soul who will notice me then. I’m just a guy in the crowd. Robert laughs at the memory of how he did a bit on Christmas Eve last-second shopping at HMV on Oxford Street in London. I was there to buy CDs and DVDs for Christmas for my family. The store was packed with people but there was no one who started talking to me or ask me for an autograph. It was a lovely but quite funny feeling to be so anonymous in the crowd. Moreover, it was extra sick because it was Twilight posters all over the shop with my face på.Jag played with the idea to put me next to a poster, pointing to it and shouting “it’s me!”.
Sorry all readers who would prefer to hate Robert Pattinson, he’s actually really nice in real life. He has the distance and his celebrity does not appear to have gone to his head.He seems to thrive quite well with life as a film star. But there is one thing that he does not. “I am a musician, and before I became famous I used to play several gigs a week, but I have stopped doing that.I do not have the time and since I have no desire to act on, it should be made for big deal out of it. If I were to make a small appearance, it would not be a small secret gig. It would be a great thing, people would shoot with their phones and upload it on Youtube, but I would not risk a lot of poorly filmed material with appalling sound ports where the media can put teeth into it and saw me as a musician and songwriter. I would not fix it, and then let me rather be performing. In all cases, temporary.
Translation & Scans by: Gossip-Dance
via Pattinsonlife
At the end of last year the new Paper Sky international blog went live, edited by fellow TABlog writer Vicente and with Sophie, Cameron, etc contributing as well.
The plan is to cover travel in Japan in a “people-centric” way, so we feature creative individuals as a kind of gateway to culture and place in general. There is also a definite alt-cult undercurrent, which we are all very happy to have our fingers in.
My first piece was based on a chat I had with Matohu designer Hiro at the brand’s exhibition last fall.
more about “Trey Songz“, posted with vodpod
NeonLimelight.com:
It doesn’t get much hotter than Trey Songz. The 25-year-old Virginia native is riding high on the charts with hit after club-friendly hit, and just saw his latest album, Ready, go gold in the United States.
To top off his success, he has joined rap superstar Jay-Z on his sold out Blueprint 3 tour as the main opening act. It’s a surreal situation for the young crooner he’s still trying to get used to. “Jay-Z is one of the biggest touring acts in the world, he sells out arenas in minutes and to be a part of that is amazing,” Songz said in a recent interview with Essence.com. “Furthermore, Jay-Z is one of the most influential artists in my career as well as in my life. You know, seeing him go from artist to entrepreneur to businessman to multi-business owner, and to be that close to him is amazing. It’s a pleasure.”
Another Wednesday, another interview.
This one comes straight from our resident programmer and bears a special significance as he will soon be joining me here, writing his slightly long-winded yet greatly humorous thoughts on all matters gaming and ForTheWin. Check him out, get to know him, memorize his answers, stalk him if you must, but whatever you do be prepared because you just might be quizzed at the end of this. Let’s make him feel welcomed here at the blog as he is an instrumental part of the ForTheWin team with his extensive programming skills and hilarious, yet somehow telling car analogies.
Without further delay I present to you Chris, our technical wizard.
Name:
Chris Byler (Diniden)
Position held at ForTheWin:
Head/Lead/led/unfed Programmer
And what exactly does that mean?
It means I basically program games while playing follow the leader with others following me, while not eating.
Well in all seriousness, it means I develop the functionality of the game. My colleagues state something they would like to be able to do, then I sit and stare off into the vast void of dimensions within my head and tell them ‘sure’ or I make up a bunch of confusing terms to explain to them why it’s not feasible for the project. Then if it’s feasible, I make it happen.
So in even more broken down form, when you pick up the controller, the fact that stuff happens on the screen when you hit buttons is primarily my fault. Sorry I had to interfere with your life that way! ;~;
One last implication of my title is that I get underlings. Yes. This sounds a lot like zerglings so I will use this to my advantage. I take my cursor (phone), select (call) my zergling (underling), then command (vocally) them to attack (work on) a Protoss pylon (work I have no time to attend to myself such as AI scripts). Once they attack (work on) the pylon (my work) it makes the Protoss (problems in general) send units to destroy (thwart) my zergling (underling). Sometimes my zergling (underling) gets killed (the job encounters some massive errors beyond the abilities of my underling or there was a problem with my strategy in attacking the problem, or there was an error in the main section of the engine I wrote). But sometimes my zergling (underling) destroys (completes) the pylon (yay I now have a new AI script to make the game better).
How did you get into game development, and more specifically working here at ForTheWin Games?
I have been working on games since I was about 5-7 years old. Of course back then they were paper games. I once developed one that had a 72 page document of rules on how to play. No one played it with me to my dismay, but it taught me a lot on how to not overwhelm the user.
Beyond that, I have been involved with the Flash development community since I was a junior in high school. Due to the lack of animators at my disposal I did not actually produce many completed games, but I did actively train individuals in game development quite often.
I made my first monetary gain from a game my sophomore year of college and got it sponsored by Free World Group. This game was N-Tech: Battlegrounds, a sequel to a game I had made my junior year of high school.
I came into ForTheWin Games upon request. The Creative Director said they needed a programmer, and ironically I just happened to be one. So here I am
Do you have a life outside of game development?
This is insulting…OF COURSE I HAVE A LIFE!!!! Really…I do… >_> ……the fact I use ASCII faces in my writing really does not reflect on my character… Well actually I am currently working on my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at UT Dallas, so I am not granted the privilege of having a life. I guess that ends this here.
What’s your all-time favorite game?
I’m a hardcore SNES fan. Like HARDCORE. Like, if our games could be made using those graphics I’d do it in a heart beat. Some top titles that come to mind:
Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan…to us Americans it will always be III though)
Chrono Trigger
Super Castlevania
Zelda
Super Metroid
Secret of Mana
Secret of Evermore
Kirby Superstar
Ok. The question asked for all-time. But really? How can I go and be so biased against any of these classics?
What’s the longest you’ve ever sat playing a game, and what game was it?
Probably Pokemon Silver version. I had caught the flu and just got the new Gameboy color, and I now had this long RPG-type game with over 300+ creatures to catch. What else to do but sit and play for 3 sick days?
What’s the hardest or most frustrating game, or moment while playing a game, you’ve ever had?
Battle Toads for SNES was impossible. I won’t even acknowledge that I ever played the game. Besides that I have played too many games that make you want to eat your guts out because they’re so hard. Some of the more frustrating times may have come from the Contra series, but no RPG has ever frustrated me. Those are lax chill games.
What genre of game is your favorite, and what genre are you the worst at?
I love games that have good traveling aspects to them and a good sense of exploration while using your head. Typically this falls more into the RPG realm, but there are a lot of RPG’s I detest. Zelda has held up for what I like to see available in a game – good travel structure, nice fighting, decent puzzles, and I have the desire to explore all of the ‘nooks and crannies’ in the game.
Really specifying a favorite genre is very tricky indeed so I won’t go and make you think potential lies about myself for specifying one.
If it comes down to what I’m terrible at, I’d say sports are at the bottom of some bottomless depth. I’m not terrible at everything, but if it came down to deciding a sweep formation in golf or going for a touchdown in basketball, I’m a failure. Hopefully you understand why.
Competitive sports weren’t my thing. I was raised climbing mountains, swimming rivers, and being at one with nature or some silly floofy like that. Divisive competition never sat well with me.
What’s your favorite music to listen to when working on a game?
Chill music. Jars of Clay or Dispatch will help my mind put on the brakes and keep me from typing 1000 errors per second since I tend to get ahead of myself.
What shoes are you currently wearing?
Nine times out of ten I won’t be in shoes. Such as now, I’m in socks. And if there is an issue with this reply, please contact my producer and he will help sort out any problems you may have with my character.
Think back… what’s your favorite children’s book?
I read The Chronicles of Narnia about three times before I was nine or ten. I’d say that whole series is way up there, and within the series The Magician’s Nephew and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader were definitely on top.
Horde or Alliance?
I don’t horde things and all I have regarding alliances is a class file that I wrote for our project to define who can hit who. So there.
K___ E____ lives with Episode 1, K____ M_____. For the better part of a year and even after what I declared a masterful Thank-You note, K___ and I didn’t seem to talk much. No Facebook friendship, no “Oh, hey! It’s been a while! What’s up?” at get-togethers. Nothing. It took some reflection on my part to realize I’d definitely talked shit about her while she was in the room New Year’s Day 2009. So I sat down and crafted a masterful Apology note. Next thing you know, we’ve scheduled an interview at the Silver Moon Bakery, which, although it does have some excellent offerings like King Cake and lavender cookies, does not have seats. So, once again, we found a nearby Starbucks. Miss E_____ loves history, has excellent taste in books (at the time she was carrying around a copy of Stieg Larsson’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and prepped by reading Episode 1. Her answers were generally surprisingly quick, but the more we talked, the more I came to realize that the quickness was not just the preparation but also the very good chance that she’s much smarter than I am as well as a better New Yorker.
Chris: Who is your favorite Sesame Street character?
K: Ernie. I loved Ernie so much when I was younger I wanted to name my younger brother after him.
Chris: You had the option to name…
K: My parents asked; they said, “What do you want to name him?” and I said, “Ernie.”
Chris: Wow, that is a lot of power.
K: Unfortunately, he was not named Ernie.
Chris: Well…did they go with Bert?
K: I wish.
[Both laugh]
Chris: So why just Ernie and not Bert and Ernie?
K: I have no idea. I think Ernie was just more all over the place. I identify with that. He’s kooky and lovable.
Chris: He’s definitely the cooler and crazier one while Bert is sort of conservative and uptight.
K: I wanted to name my brother Ernie, so every year for his birthday I tell him, “You could have been Ernie. Earnest E_____.”
Chris: [Laughs] What’d he turn out to be?
K: D__ E_____. D__ E_____ was born on Christmas Eve.
Chris: It’s…so much more alliterative.
K: I know! He’s very much into literature now, all this post-apocalyptic stuff at Holy Cross.
Chris: [Laughs, thinking about how he’s into literature and post-apocalyptic stuff but not at Holy Cross] The strangest thing…Alright, um, what is your favorite movie?
K: [Pauses] I have many.
Chris: Top 3?
K: Probably my most favorite recent move is The Darjeeling Limited.
Chris: That was an excellent movie. Wes Anderson and [Mumbling] uh, assorted characters…[Confidence regained] I really loved the cinematography. Beautiful.
K: I also liked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Chris: Right, Jim Carrey. Classic. Hilarious. Well…
K: No…
Chris: Romantic…
K: Yeah, I was going to say, “Hilarious?”
Chris: Okay, it’s not laugh-out-loud, uproarious, but it is a little…
K: It’s a little dark.
Chris: Some black humor.
K: Let’s see…I can’t watch chick flicks. I can’t watch scary movies. I just like the ones that make you think.
Chris: I can’t stand scary movies.
K: I will be up until three in the morning watching Disney movies.
Chris: I have to put a put a blanket up over my neck so the vampires won’t get me.
K: So no Twilight for you?
Chris: With Twilight, I just find it childish. It’s not Harry Potter, so it’s not cool. [Yes, I’m aware of the irony of this statement.]
K: Watch what you say to one of my roommates about that.
Chris: I tend to avoid discussing all things I dislike with girls since most of the things I don’t like are just Twilight and Lady Gaga.
K: I don’t think you can hate on Lady Gaga too much.
Chris: We don’t have to fight about it, it’s just…I don’t agree with everything she does.
K: Being in PR, though, I see it from a different perspective.
Chris: Right. She makes…
K: She gets her name in the press.
Chris: Exactly, she is a PR machine, she’s really doing a great job for herself, her music, her career, her albums, her visuals…she’s got it all encapsulated. She’s doing a great job, but I’m not going to go out and buy the album. But that’s just me. [That is, I don’t like her, but I don’t hate her—I get my fill of her every time I’m listening to someone else’s iPod]
K: [Possibly disgusted by Chris’ willful ignorance and “Not a Gaga Fan” bandwagon membership] If I had to pick another movie, it would be Roman Holiday.
Chris: Oh! I still haven’t seen that one. Cary Grant?
K: No, Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. It’s okay [that you haven’t seen it].
Chris: They’re riding around on a Vespa, right?
K: Yes, that’s one of the scenes. It’s a classy movie.
Chris: Classy broad for a classy movie.
[Both laugh]
K: When I see modern chick flicks, I’m just like, “Oh, God.”
Chris: Have you seen Definitely, Maybe?
K: I’ve seen parts of it. I’ve heard that would be one I could get behind.
Chris: I watched When in Rome and I found it to be…
K: [Scrunches face in disgust]
Chris: Yeah, that’s the face I had when I came out. I feel like a lot of chick flicks these days are overly gushy and romantic and just…cheesy.
K: I need something smart. Did you ever take the film class at Holy Cross? I can’t remember his name now…
Chris: I didn’t take it.
K: He just made me love films. I took it my last semester of Holy Cross. It gave me a new perspective about movies.
Chris: Have you seen All about Eve?
K: No.
Chris: Well, that’s my favorite movie. It’s basically just all dialogue and it’s all about movies and…Eve.
K: Wasn’t that a remake?
Chris: [Perplexed] No. Not that I know of. There was a remake? Uh, it’s from like…the thirties…black and white…uh…
K: I’ll have to look this up.
Chris: It’s very, very good. You like smart movies—it’s whip-crack smart. Almost even a little diabolical. Lemme see here…Do you have a favorite band?
K: I really like Kings of Leon.
Chris: Excellent choice.
K: I got turned on to them two Novembers ago and I haven’t stopped.
Chris: With the…was it their third album?
K: They’re on their fourth, I believe.
Chris: Right, they’re on their fourth, but which song was it…
K: Current favorite is “Fans.”
Chris: Third album, Because of the Times.
K: Yep, “Ragoo,” and “True Love Way.”
Chris: “Ragoo” has a little piece of my heart…like, forever.
K: Really? [Laughs] I also like, on their fourth album, “Manhattan.”
Chris: Yeah, that one grew on me. I was really there for the first four songs and then “Manhattan” would come on and I would be like, “Weeeeeelllll, alright. I’ll give you a listen.”
K: [Laughs] I do have to say, and I think my favorite part of the last album—and I can’t remember the name—on their last song…
Together: “Cold Desert.”
K: Yep, just how it cuts back and they do a kind of encore.
Chris: [Laughs]
K: [Smiling] I love it, I love those guys. I’m so happy they won Grammies.
Chris: Did you get to see them when they came to Madison Square Garden?
K: No, I really just started to get turned on to them before Madison Square Garden and I was going to buy tickets, but, at the end of July, I got laid off.
Chris: [Inhales sharply]
K: Had to kind of cut back on my funds. You know, maybe pay rent.
Chris: I hear that’s pretty important. I also hear it’s pretty expensive [from Episode 1].
K: Maybe eat.
Chris: I was going to go, but I was working. I did have a friend who went and he was saying that their actual encore was…you know…
K: “Cold Desert?”
Chris: Phenomenal. No, no, no, it wasn’t “Cold Desert,” but it was…the drummer comes out on stage, shotguns a beer, throws the can against the wall and just starts playing. I think he said it was “Use Somebody.” Starts the drumbeat and then everyone comes back out…
K: I love those guys—I think they’re great. I’m so glad they came around; our generation needs someone like that. We can’t rely on U2 forever.
[Both Laugh]
K: Because they’re gonna die.
Chris: Well, I mean…
K: Eventually.
Chris: Not in our hearts.
K: No, not in our hearts.
Chris: Just in real life.
K: We need someone kind of…
Chris: Youthful?
K: Mmhmm.
Chris: Southern?
K: Americans would be nice. I also like Muse, but…
Chris: Oh. Oh, my; excellent decision.
K: My other favorite is probably David Gray.
Chris: My goodness, you’ve stumped me. I don’t…
K: He’s more folk.
Chris: Is he like…Okay. Is it acoustic guitar…
K: Yeah. You’ve heard the song.
Chris: …singer/songwriter…
K: Yeah. “Babylon.”
Chris: Oh, okay. I know who you’re talking about.
K: I saw him in concert in Boston a couple months ago. Really good.
Chris: I know the song, I don’t really know him, his whole oeuvre.
K: No, that’s okay. I have a younger brother who’s into music and he’ll give me bands and I just…[motions, “It’s all over my head.”]
Chris: Yeah, I have a younger sister and it happens all the time. Is there anything you love unconditionally?
K: I’m so glad I read your blog beforehand so I could prepare for these.
[Both laugh]
Chris: The warm-up lap.
K: I have to say—besides the obvious—probably wintergreen mints. I don’t know why.
Chris: That’s an interesting pick.
K: Like, the wintergreen Lifesavers. I just find them delicious and even though they give me a stomach ache, I’ll still go back to them.
Chris: They give you a stomach ache?
K: After eating bag or so.
Chris: Whoa, slow down.
K: That or milk. I’ll always love milk, too.
Chris: So, maybe a tie? Or…one more than the other?
K: I drink like a gallon a week.
Chris: Me, probably like half a week. For a while, I was trying to get quarts…slow down
K: Nope, I need it.
Chris: It’s pretty important for breakfast, lunch, cooking…
K: I need it for everything. If I come back from a run then I’ll go water, but after a while, I’m like, “Oh, this’ll quench my thirst.”
Chris: I can’t re-hydrate with milk. It reminds me of college when I wasn’t drinking, I was playing lacrosse, I was on the team…and there was a drink-up.
K: Oh my God, I remember this.
Chris: I was the milk guy.
K: [Laughs] I remember hearing about this.
Chris: As a result, sports and milk…not friends.
K: Oh, I know that. But after you eat something really salty…
Chris: [Laughs] Do you ever add anything to your milk? Strawberry milk? Chocolate milk?
K: I’ll do chocolate milk, but that’s it.
Chris: [Flummoxed] No strawberry milk?
K: No strawberry. My mom grew up in Rhode Island so everything is coffee. When we were younger, we were eating coffee ice cream (when it wasn’t popular). She loves coffee, coffee milk, coffee milkshakes, so my mom would probably add coffee syrup to our milks but we wouldn’t notice.
Chris: [Awed] I…coffee syrup? [It sounds glorious. Want.]
K: I guess it’s a Rhode Island thing.
Chris: I wouldn’t say it sounds like a local thing, but it’s very…different [i.e., awesome].
[Both laugh]
Chris: I prefer my coffee to taste like my coffee ice cream.
K: Yes. Although sometimes you just really need something strong in the morning.
Chris: Yeah, particularly when you have to be at Victoria’s Secret to work.
K: Yep, or Anne Taylor and you’re supposed to be nice and sit there going, “Yes, let me take all your shit…”
[Both laugh]
K: “…while you sit there and scream at me.”
Chris: Yeah, the most frustrating thing about working in the service industry is how often I’m belittled or treated like a dumbass.
K: I just wanna throw a hanger at you but I can’t.
Chris: It’s frustrating that I have a bachelor’s degree…
K: …from a good college…
Chris: …and I’m getting yelled at by someone who [speaks to me as if they] might not have graduated from high school.
K: Yeah, it’s quite unfortunate, but I do think everyone should work in retail once in their lives because a) it humbles you and b) it teaches you how to sell quickly, how to think on your feet. You can only engage someone for two minutes. What they wanna hear; they hear.
Chris: It’s also made me realize that there’s only so much I can do to sell to them. It’s made me reconsider what’s important to different people. Many times when people come in, they’re coming in for what they want. Besides, I’m just a dude in a lingerie store. I can’t force this stuff down their throat.
K: We’re having that trouble right now. We downgraded a little and the new manager’s kinda pushing us, but we can’t force the customers to buy. It’s also interesting seeing this—as the new store opened—because it was an excellent example of what not to do in marketing.
Chris: [Laughs]
K: This new store was not promoted, wasn’t marketed (nobody in the neighborhood really knew what was going on); and now we’re not selling much. I’m like, let’s think about this: “A) We’re selling spring clothes in the middle of winter. B) Nobody really knew about this. C) Your clientele who used to come in all the time…isn’t coming in.”
Chris: Punxsutawney Phil said six more weeks of winter…shoulda known. [Laughs]
K: It baffles me, but I see it as a “this is what you don’t do.”
Chris: I think that’s one of the more important things I’m learning: there are so many things I can’t control.
K: Mmhmm.
Chris: I can see all these things happening, but the only thing I can do is tell my superior. I’m not in the PR department. I’m not managing.
K: [Laughs] I love it though when they start to consult me on the quality of the designs. I’m like, “Yes, corporate comes here all the time and asks me—what do they say to you?”
Chris: [Laughs, pauses for coffee] Oh, corporate.
K: I do have to say, though, one great thing about working in the store is it made New York more home to me. I would have just relied on the Holy Cross Bubble in New York. Wherever my friends moved, I would have moved.
Chris: Oh yeah.
K: It’s definitely grounded me a little more. I’ve met different people.
Chris: Yeah, the Holy Cross Bubble is so weird. For New Year’s I went to Boston and the Holy Cross people tended not to do much talking with the non-Holy Cross people…sort of insular.
K: I know some people infiltrate the group, but…I tried to explain it to a friend who went to a different college and just moved here: “Well, I kind of stay.”
Chris: “I have my friends.”
K: “And then other Holy Cross people will come in from out of town …do we accept them?”
[Both laugh]
Chris: “They’re foreigners. They don’t know their way around.”
K: “I know we once knew each other…”
Chris: “Do we have to hold their hands?”
K: I have a disclaimer when friends visit—I love it when they do—but I am not going to Times Square. You go there on your own.
Chris: “That’s your thing. I’ve had my fun there…”
K: Oh God, I don’t even go there.
Chris: [Laughs] Well, that actually makes for a good…
K: Segue?
Chris: Transition. Yes, segue. Better word. What’s your favorite thing about New York?
K: [Gathers her thoughts] I think I have two favorite things about New York: that I can get on the subway and get off in a new place I don’t know anything about and learn about that neighborhood…
Chris: Oh, God yes.
K: …and when I see New York in movies, TV, pictures (of the Empire State Building, downtown, so on) and I get to think, “Oh. That’s my place.” Everything in New York is personalized; I love my social life.
Chris: So it’s totally accessibility and culture?
K: I moved to New York and I told my parents, “Five years and I’ll move back to Boston.” But I think it’ going to be more like ten.
Chris: I was terrified of coming here.
K: Really?
Chris: Everybody was always like, “Everything’s so big, there’s so many people, so many things are going to happen,” and then, after about two months, I realized, “I kinda think I wanna stay here the rest of my life.”
K: After a month I think I realized. For the first six months, all I was doing was getting on the subway, going to work and coming home. It wasn’t too bad, but I love it. Every interview I go on, I tell them, “I love it here. I like my social life.”
Chris: “I like being here. I like my friends here. I like being here.”
K: I tell them that. I also tell them, “I’m not leaving New York. I’m here for a while. I have a stable group of friends here.”
Chris: That’s the weird thing for me (if going home was to happen), it would just be friends from high school. Where’s the Holy Cross Bubble and how am I going to live without it?
K: That was hard for me because my parents live 15 minutes away from Holy Cross and I went to school in Worcester even though we live in a town outside. Even during the summers, I hung out with Holy Cross people because people stayed around. I don’t really keep in touch with high school friends; I have one really great friend that I became better friends with after high school, but if I go back, I won’t really have anyone from Holy Cross to hang out with. What would I do?
Chris: It seems like there’s a diaspora.
K: Thankfully, yeah.
Chris: Like everyone wants to…not live with their parents.
K: Where are your parents…where are you from?
Chris: I’m from Texas, they’re from here…I don’t know, they went where their industry took them, just as I [am making an attempt to].
K: Interesting.
Chris: I should end this, shouldn’t I?
K: That was the five questions?
Chris: That was it, yeah.
K: Wow.
Tucked away in Chicago, is an unparalleled boutique style vintage store called Deliciously Vintage. Beyond selling rare, designer clothing and accessories mint condition; this luxuryesque shop has twist in the shopping experience—personal stylists. Operating for roughly a year, the owners/stylists Law Roach and Siobhan Strong are proud parents of this one-of-a-kind store. I was recently able to go behind the seams and speak with one of the owners, Siobhan Strong about Deliciously Vintage.
Liggy: How was Deliciously Vintage originated?
Siobhan Strong: Several different methods. First Law was selling vintage (clothes) with our other partner Nick in New York City. They had a small boutique there originally called Deliciously Vintage New York. It was a collection built from working on movies and theater.
Then Law moved from New York to Chicago to focus on styling in Chicago. When he moved here, Tiffany, the original owner of this store called the Garment Room (which was also a vintage store) wanted to leave the location and move back to New York by December 2008.
And I said lets take over the store [laughs].
L: There are a lot of vintage stores scattered about in Chicago. How would you define your vintage store compared to others?
SS: Premier vintage boutique, more upscale. Not thrifty. A lot of stuff has been reconstructed to make things more relevant to fashion. It’s a cohesive collection, even from the décor. Everything is organized by color, making it easier to shop.
L: Can you explain your background in fashion?
SS: We are both wardrobe stylists from No Wire Hangers. I worked with Kanye West, Darrin Henson, Chicago athletes and I did reality show-“My Model Looks Better Your Model” [laughs].
L: How do you get your garments?
SS: Basically we go to state sales, put postings up for people who want to get rid of stuff but 95% of we buy from private owners.
L: Since this a boutique, how often do you get you merchandise in?
SS: Weekly for the most part. We have something new in at least once a week. But it varies—20 pieces to just 4.
L: DV carries luxury and designer labels, how do you go about authenticating it?
SS: Most of the stuff we know (off hand)-Gucci, Louis Vuitton, YSL. Other stuff we research it or go to the design house.
L: For people who don’t live in the Chicago-land area, do you have an online website of your items?
SS: It’s just a homepage right now. We want people to come in to get the experience. We both are wardrobe stylists, so its like a package—a personal stylist at no extra cost. We have people come in and ask for tips about key pieces for the season, trends even questions about hair, make-up.
We do have a DV Facebook page in which we have pictures of garments that we carry and Twitter page so people can know about events/promotions.
L: What is it like operating a small business?
SS: We are blessed to open a business in this economy. We just started feeling the effects of the economy around the holidays. And February 13 will be a year since we opened. It’s our, well my first business. You learn as you go and it’s just going to get better.
L: Future plans for DV?
SS: We want to expand, not just in Chicago. Ultimately, we would like another store in New York, Atlanta and possibly Las Angeles.
