SOMA Magazine May 2012 : Page 10
White Noise Text by Jay Riedl YesterYear Dresses for toDaY Janice Huminska claims that her dress designs appear fully realized in her dreams. She never sits down to design a season of clothing, instead making dresses as they appear to her mid-slumber. Providing she has been sleeping well, you will always find something new when you visit the Huminska shop on Mott Street in the NoLIta neighborhood of Manhattan. After graduating from art school in the ’80s, Janice found herself unable to afford art sup-plies. Her career as a painter may have been short-lived, but it instilled in her an overwhelm-ing desire to create with her hands. She fell into millinery, learning her craft from master hatmakers at Roth Imports who had been making hats and bridal headwear since the ’30s. Janice eventually created her own hat line, which in turn led her to clothing design. This May, she celebrates 20 years of designing apparel, but the classical detail from her early apprenticeship as a milliner can still be seen in her dresses today. The dresses have a dreamy, ethereal quality, strongly influenced by the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’70s, yet with their own modern take on a vintage aesthetic. Essentially feminine yet unusu-ally wearable, there is a Huminska dress for almost any occasion. The solid-colored wrap is a perfect day dress ($395). Cowl necks and exotic prints lend an air of sophistication to cocktail hour. Floor-length silk designs make beautiful ball gowns and bridal dresses. The best thing about these gorgeous dresses? They flaunt curves if you have them and create the illusion of curves if you don’t. Entering the Huminska boutique is like stepping back in time. The charming shop also houses a design studio in the basement, to where Janice will sometimes disappear, only to return with a freshly finished creation. She has an uncanny ability to suggest the perfect dress, often unlike anything you’d normally wear. Huminska delivers a singular experience—the opportunity to be personally styled by a designer who knows how to dress your body in the most beautiful and imaginative ways. huminska.com Text by Jay Riedl Photography by Che Thomas Carr Not CYCliNg, but CruisiNg The Dutch do it, the French do it, and now New Yorkers can do it, too—zip around the city with style and ease on a bicycle made for commuting, errand-running, meeting for coffee, and handling mean city streets. The cruiser—a style also known as the urban, the commuter, or the Dutch—does what mountain bikes and road bikes cannot; it makes city cycling effortless. Created two years ago by former Wall Street trader Ryan Zagata, the Brooklyn Cruiser was an instant hit with locals and beyond. It’s easy to see why. The bike is built for style and comfort. Ryan explains that as a biker, he had found himself overwhelmed by choice. He had a mountain bike and a road bike, yet neither served him well when he wanted to pedal around town free from special shoes or special gear. His wife, tired of storing multiple bikes in their New York City apartment, said he could get a new bike providing he got rid of all the others, and so he did. The Brooklyn Cruiser is fantastically simple and available in two models, one for women and one for men. The 2012 version, due to launch at the New Amsterdam bike show on April 28, features vintage lines, puncture-resistant cream-colored tires, swept-back handle bars, leather grips with a matching saddle, and a handy wooden carry box on the rear rack. Other design touches include front and rear brakes, a chain guard to keep pants safe, full front and rear fenders to prevent splashing, and a Sturmey Archer three-speed internal hub to help riders up hills. The upright positioning makes for an extra comfortable ride. The handlebars sit higher, and the length of the frame is shorter. Brooklyn Cruisers are designed to fit the urban and the stylish, and are available in black, tangerine, ivory and Columbia blue (for women). Cruisers cost $549 and are sold at bikes stores nationwide and online with a money-back guarantee if the buyer doesn’t absolutely love the bike. So far, they haven’t been taken up on the offer. brooklyncruiser.com 10
Yesteryear Dresses For Today/ Not Cycling, But Cruising
Jay Riedl
Janice Huminska claims that her dress designs appear fully realized in her dreams. She never sits down to design a season of clothing, instead making dresses as they appear to her mid-slumber. Providing she has been sleeping well, you will always find something new when you visit the Huminska shop on Mott Street in the NoLIta neighborhood of Manhattan.<br /> <br /> After graduating from art school in the ’80s, Janice found herself unable to afford art supplies.Her career as a painter may have been short-lived, but it instilled in her an overwhelming desire to create with her hands. She fell into millinery, learning her craft from master hatmakers at Roth Imports who had been making hats and bridal headwear since the ’30s.<br /> <br /> Janice eventually created her own hat line, which in turn led her to clothing design. This May, she celebrates 20 years of designing apparel, but the classical detail from her early apprenticeship as a milliner can still be seen in her dresses today.<br /> <br /> The dresses have a dreamy, ethereal quality, strongly influenced by the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’70s, yet with their own modern take on a vintage aesthetic. Essentially feminine yet unusually wearable, there is a Huminska dress for almost any occasion. The solid-colored wrap is a perfect day dress ($395). Cowl necks and exotic prints lend an air of sophistication to cocktail hour. Floor-length silk designs make beautiful ball gowns and bridal dresses. The best thing about these gorgeous dresses? They flaunt curves if you have them and create the illusion of curves if you don’t.<br /> <br /> Entering the Huminska boutique is like stepping back in time. The charming shop also houses a design studio in the basement, to where Janice will sometimes disappear, only to return with a freshly finished creation. She has an uncanny ability to suggest the perfect dress, often unlike anything you’d normally wear. Huminska delivers a singular experience—the opportunity to be personally styled by a designer who knows how to dress your body in the most beautiful and imaginative ways. Huminska.com<br /> <br /> Not CYCliNg, but CruisiNg<br /> <br /> Text by Jay Riedl <br /> <br /> Photography by Che Thomas Carr<br /> <br /> The Dutch do it, the French do it, and now New Yorkers can do it, too—zip around the city with style and ease on a bicycle made for commuting, errand-running, meeting for coffee, and handling mean city streets. The cruiser—a style also known as the urban, the commuter, or the Dutch—does what mountain bikes and road bikes cannot; it makes city cycling effortless.<br /> <br /> Created two years ago by former Wall Street trader Ryan Zagata, the Brooklyn Cruiser was an instant hit with locals and beyond. It’s easy to see why. The bike is built for style and comfort. Ryan explains that as a biker, he had found himself overwhelmed by choice. He had a mountain bike and a road bike, yet neither served him well when he wanted to pedal around town free from special shoes or special gear. His wife, tired of storing multiple bikes in their New York City apartment, said he could get a new bike providing he got rid of all the others, and so he did.<br /> <br /> The Brooklyn Cruiser is fantastically simple and available in two models, one for women and one for men. The 2012 version, due to launch at the New Amsterdam bike show on April 28, features vintage lines, puncture-resistant cream-colored tires, swept-back handle bars, leather grips with a matching saddle, and a handy wooden carry box on the rear rack. Other design touches include front and rear brakes, a chain guard to keep pants safe, full front and rear fenders to prevent splashing, and a Sturmey Archer three-speed internal hub to help riders up hills.The upright positioning makes for an extra comfortable ride. The handlebars sit higher, and the length of the frame is shorter.<br /> <br /> Brooklyn Cruisers are designed to fit the urban and the stylish, and are available in black, tangerine, ivory and Columbia blue (for women). Cruisers cost $549 and are sold at bikes stores nationwide and online with a money-back guarantee if the buyer doesn’t absolutely love the bike. So far, they haven’t been taken up on the offer. Brooklyncruiser.com
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