New, old friend
I have been meaning to write and the weeks keep getting away from me. It has been a nice seasonal transition, seeing more and new faces in the shop. Propping the door open. Afternoon sun streaming in and casting its shadows around. Life has had its stirrings lately. Loss, change, cycles of life pulling me around. I am grateful to have the constant of Tusk through it all, a place that I hope brings possibility and beauty to people around. A place where I feel found and I hope other people feel that way too.
I have been reluctant to plan many events and things lately. Been wanting to take it slow as much as possible and enjoy some walks in the park and cook meals. As much as I love having new ideas and energies move through the space I am constantly trying to find the balance of doing that and also leaving time for myself. Too many years without a day off between Tusk and my nurse job taught me the importance of that. I know this is true for many. While I am proud of myself looking back, seeing myself holding things together by threads and the tolls that took, and knowing I couldn’t continue on like that in my 40s. I know for my peace I need the days to wander and discover, stare, sift through pebbles and lake glass at the beach, relax and exercise my body, and spend a long afternoon with a friend.
One of my wanderings recently on a day off led me to the thrift store and nobody is surprised. Many of us millennial thrifters complain and talk of days of yore when we would thrift gold every time we walked into any thrift establishment. I agree that it has changed. I think often of things I thrifted in the early days of Tusk and sold for around 100 dollars that are probably worth thousands these days. Many people ask “how do you do it -how do you sell these things?” It has been always so important to me to pick the most special things and have them available at tusk. it’s not always a designer item but maybe there is an unique aspect to it, a history or an interesting material that caught my eye.
Recently right upon walking into the thrift store I was struck by this bright yellow boxy short sleeved shirt. The shirt wasn’t too much to write home about, I did love the shape and color, and it had a unique button. Linen of best quality and crisp. But what struck me the most were the tags. It is the first time I have found in the thrift a garment with the tag for the legendary store Charivari. All of us retail nerds know that this was the end all be all of retail history. A small boutique chain in NY from the 60s to the 90s, It was known for bringing designers around the world to the US for the first time- such as Yohji Yamamoto etc (there is a long list and documentary, if you have not heard of it I definitely recommend reading some on it. I don’t have to go on about it all here but let’s just say if I could transport back in time to a store this would be it.) Beneath the Charivari tag was a tag I couldn’t read right away too easily due to the whimsy of it but I made it out later to say Cinzia Ruggeri. I LOVE this tag by the way.
Soon after a quick search I found out that Cinzia Ruggeri was an Italian artist and designer that mostly worked in garment, and had a small fashion line sold for a short period in the 80s. I almost died going through the images of her work available online- sending them to everyone I knew who would appreciate. I find so much comfort from discovering something new in the wild, especially like this. Seeing images of her work made me feel like I was meeting an old friend from a past life, a kindred spirit. I wished I could have showed her my umbrella dress with glass drops. It also made me reflect on the 6 years of wearable shows I curated with Vincent at Lvl3- Ltd wear (maybe another entry sometime?) anyways a fun discovery that felt life giving, and a reminder of one of the things I have loved exploring at Tusk over the years, the art to wear. (Examples of some of Cinzia’s works below- followed by an image of my umbrella dress with glass droplets by Henry Gross)
Speaking of the art to wear I am excited to soon release a collection of caps for Tusk by the amazing Melina Ausikaitis of Aitis Something. She graciously agreed to work on a collection of hats for me out of my tea towel collection I have been piling up for years. A sneak peak below for the tea towel fans. Will be releasing the collection later this summer!
If you walk by Tusk you have probably seen the new arrangements by Andrew Sokol in the windows. On one side there is a poppy arrangement and the other window shows a tall glorious vase of Fuji mums all made from can. The last weekend of June there will be a *by the stem sale* at Tusk where Andrew will have the beautiful can flowers for sale individually, more to come on that too 🌼
Hope to see you soon🌼
Mary Eleanor