The Inside Source

15

Jenny Bahn Talks Love in New York

If you’ve been reading The Inside Source for the past year, you’ll recall one of our writers, Jenny Bahn, a young curious spirit with a voracious appetite to sift through eBay and document trends. This month, we’re proud to announce the release of Jenny’s first book, Brooklyn Love Stories. With such a compelling title, we decided to ask Jenny a few questions on love in the big apple today, and how she deals.

Jauretsi: Was there an a-ha moment when you realized you were ready to write your first book? Why this topic?

Jenny Bahn: Because the book is a collection of short stories, it was more of an accidental curatorial process. I started writing these vignettes in October 2010, after getting out of a long-term relationship in Los Angeles and dating in New York for the first time. Let’s just say it was interesting. I think these stories were how I coped with being incredibly (and charmingly) naive?

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One review glowingly described your characters as “kids who belong to the generation that tries not to care.” How would you describe this motley cast of characters?

I think dating in New York is really a beast unto its own. People come here with extreme prerogatives — money, success, career. Love can often seem like the obstacle in the way of the rest of your life. As a result, people get thrown away really quickly and without much thought. It’s on to the bigger and better deal, whatever or whoever that may be. The characters in Brooklyn Love Stories are a reflection of this. Through them, you see the emotional consequences of living in a city that operates like this. They’re trying to be strong and callous, but at the end of the day, they’re just like any other person in any other city who just want to be loved. We’ve all got hearts.

Who do you relate to more? Sex in the City’s Carrie Bradshaw or GIRLS’ Hanna Horvath? Why?

Oh, man. A little bit of both. GIRLS is on point with the current extreme self-absorption I’d like to say dominates our time. There’s a guarded callousness and neuroses that I find totally honest and unique. And for it’s part, Sex in the City really captured the freak show that is dating here. You just meet so many people… so many wrong, wrong people. You get into weird situations. For as tough as it is, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So many stories to tell. Good, bad, romantic, heart-wrenching — you have to live for those stories in your life.

As one of the curators for The Inside Source, tell us your own top 3 essentials you constantly search for on eBay?

I don’t think I realized it until recently but I am an eBay junkie. You can seriously get whatever you want. Like a grab-bag of awesome/weird — sort of like dating in New York!

1) Art books — Vintage or new, I buy a lot of these, especially when I’m doing research for a project. I recently scooped up a handful of books by Slim Aarons for this script I’m working on. Before that, it was vintage children’s books by people like Shell Silverstein.

2) Beauty products — Recently NARS discontinued my skin cream and I went on eBay and bought, like, two year’s worth. I use eBay like my persona </h3> </3) Home decor — My best purchase on eBay ever was a midcentury chandelier that hung in my LA dining room until I moved to NYC. I literally had a nightmare the night before the auction ended that I didn’t win it… which probably isn’t normal.

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Jenny Bahn’s book, Brooklyn Love Stories is available here.

(Photo: Caitlin Mitchell Studio. Q&A by Jauretsi)

48

Jeanloup Sieff

French photographer Jeanloup Sieff got his start — unofficially, of course — at the age of 14, when he was given a Photax plastic camera as a birthday gift in 1947. Thirteen years later, Sieff was traveling to the United States for his work with Glamour, Vogue, Esquire, and Harper’s Bazaar, shooting images like the one seen above. Sieff managed to capture beautiful women not merely posing, but existing in the world for a moment. There is much to learn about Sieff, and if you’ve got a craving to dig deeper, we suggest checking the link below.

Click here for Jeanloup Sieff books and prints available on eBay.

(Photo courtesy of Jeanloup Sieff for Harper’s Bazaar. Text by Jenny Bahn)

18

Artist Alert: Ati Maier

Often inspired by travel and exploring, German artist Ati Maier’s paintings are a vibrant and purposefully chaotic mess of bright colors and swirling geometry. She describes her own work as “science fiction painting”. The result is something wholly unique and otherworldly, reminiscent of both the familiar and the extraterrestrial.

(Image courtesy of Fouladi Projects. Text by Jenny Bahn)

34

David Bailey

Since the beginning of his career in the early ’60s, British photographer David Bailey has been considered one of the best in the business, shooting everyone from Sir Michael Caine to The Beatles to Mick Jagger. His work was so impressive, in fact, he was contracted by Vogue at the ripe old age of 23. Though he is best known for his work capturing “swinging London” at its height, as well as his countless images of model Jean Shrimpton, Bailey is still around today, shooting for the likes of i-D Magazine and GQ.

Click here for David Bailey photographic prints available for purchase.

(Photo courtesy of David Bailey. Text by Jenny Bahn)

47

Insta-Peep-O-Gram: Born at Sea

If you’re like any of us over at The Inside Source, then you’re probably counting the days until summer is here in full effect. Needing something to tide you over until you can pack up and head to the beach? Check out the Instagram feed of @bornatsea, where you’ll find a veritable inspiration board of palm trees, white sandy beaches, and surfboards. And don’t worry, you won’t have to live vicariously for too much longer.

(Photos courtesy of @bornatsea via Instagram. Text by Jenny Bahn)

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A Different Animale

Looking for a new swimsuit that is a little bit scandalous, totally unique, and potentially hazardous when it comes to bad tan lines? Minimale Animale is your best bet. Started in 2011 by stylist-turned-designer Cassandra Kellogg, the line favors untraditional elements not often seen in even the sexiest suits: zippers, multi-layers, even those nearly iconic barely-there palm tree cut-outs. Feeling adventurous? eBay has a seller who is listing multiple pieces right now.

Click here for Minimale Animale swimsuits available for purchase.

(Photos courtesy of Jason Lee Parry for Minimale Animale. Text by Jenny Bahn)

31

Smarter Cubes

Now, this might be a task for someone handy. We love the idea of these cubist shelves, simply lined with wood that you could find at the local Home Depot. The wonderfully basic design serves as the perfect enclosure for your most colorful and decorative of books. Though this version has been built into the home, it looks like the type of thing you could recreate without having to remodel your whole house — perfect for a transient, space-starved place like NYC.

(Photo courtesy of Contemporist. Text by Jenny Bahn)

16

Artist Alert: Bast

Brooklyn-born artist Bast employs a style in his work that seems all too familiar — the type of thing you might see on a subway station wall in NYC, perhaps. With pronounced graphics, layered collage, and reanimated pop culture figures (everyone from Paris Hilton to Mickey Mouse gets a turn), Bast takes ordinary images and turns them into a mashed up and chaotic social commentary. Though his work is shown in galleries throughout the world, you can actually find some originals on eBay. Check them out here.

(Image courtesy of The Outsiders. Text by Jenny Bahn)

28

Swiss Nooks

Located in the Bernese Oberland, the 200-year-old Swiss chalet housing this blue-hued reading nook was lovingly restored by Bergdorf and Nick Ruef. The space has maintained its old, wooden bones, but has been given a contemporary face-lift with splashes of mint paint, spartan furniture, and modern lighting, like the lamp seen here. Looking to decorate your own chalet? Check out the great selection of mid-century lamps on eBay.

(Photo courtesy of Yellow Trace. Text by Jenny Bahn)

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In Development: Sofia Fisher

This British-born model, currently repped by DNA in New York, has been in the game for a few years already, but she certainly started off on the right foot, walking the runways for Chanel, Marc Jacobs, and Louis Vuitton. Fisher’s luscious pout is in good company: she joins the ranks of fellow pillow-lipped beauties Hailey Clauson and Ashley Smith, both of whom really made their modeling mark in the last two yeras. Let’s see if Miss Fisher can make a similar impact on the fashion world.

(Photo courtesy of V Magazine. Text by Jenny Bahn)

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