Twinkle By Wenlan

With the Spring 2010 fashion show and after party and the release of Wenlan’s newest book Twinkle Sews, the past month or so has been beyond crazy at Twinkle HQ. Luckily, I do my best work when most people would feel like their heads are spinning.

Among all the chaos there are a couple perfect moments of solace and pride.

The first moment, was seeing the lovely Janeil strut down the Bryant Park catwalk in the ending look of Twinkle’s Spring 2010 collection (wearing the black & white ‘Second Half’ dress). Seeing everything go according to plan and look amazing, I just knew the fashion gods must have been looking down at us with a giant grin and two thumbs up.

My other perfect Twinkle moment was walking into the after party, feeling the base of whatever the DJ was spinning in my chest, hearing everyone having a fantastic time, and being able to celebrate a job well done with everyone, who I know has worked so hard.

I’d love to say things are calmer, but here at the hive, we’re busy, busy bees and we never stop coming up with ideas on how to make your life “twinkle” just a bit more!

by Chelsea Rae Simmons

It’s only the middle of my second day at Twinkle, and already I can tell this is going to be a great way to spend the rest of my summer.  As a fashion design major, watching designers at work –and helping them!—is an amazing experience.

Yesterday, despite being beyond nervous to start my new design internship, everyone was super welcoming to me as the new kid.  My tasks so far have been great, I was so surprised that I actually got to draw a bit for my first ever Twinkle assignment.  Later in the day I tried to wow with my Photoshop skills, but I wound up accidentally erasing my work, definitely not how I wanted to make a first impression!  Fortunately, day two has gone more smoothly and my nerves have dissipated, thanks to everyone’s kindness.

I have to say, Twinkle provides the perfect environment for a summer internship, as its creative, friendly, and air conditioned!  I’m still learning the ropes but I look forward to getting a taste of what life is like in the (stylish) shoes of a designer.  Wish me luck!

Stacey

In front of the design wall

Instead of my regular get away in March-April, this year I made a trip to Taipei and Tokyo in July. The trip bore multiple purposes - to visit my parents, to do my first ever trunk show in my hometown Taipei and to visit my Japan showroom for future development.  I wanted to mix business and pleasure. And it turned out to be more fruitful than I would ever expect!

Not only were all my missions accomplished, I got to meet high school friends whom I have not seen for years; some of them since graduation. It was almost comical to refresh in my mind how they were then and now - under their grown up faces, although all professionals and highly accomplished, they were exactly how I remember they were back in high school. Nothing is sweeter than seeing old friends!

My first trunk show in my hometown Taipei was also the first of the kind ever for the city. The turnout was surprisingly well. It was inspiring to see a whole different kind of Twinkle girl on the other side of the world. After Taipei, I headed to Japan.

My considerate partner in Japan took me to the local restaurants for fresh sushi and sashimi. I probably ordered everything from the counter. Last time I visited Japan was 8 years ago. The excitement and beauty of the country remains the same even after some noticeable changes. My favorite spot is still Yoku Moku’s garden, where I can treat myself to 4 different kinds of tea and dessert while looking out to the beautiful L’eclaireur’s garden.

There is always a terrible mental gap reconnecting to work after an overseas trip. Being away to somewhere else in the country is completely a different thing than being in another country. Coming back to work this time was not harder but more hopeful, especially as I was back to a completely new office. My wonderful Twinkle staff moved our office to the other side of the building while I was away. All I did on the first day back was walking around, just searching, and, upon discovering all the new file and furniture arrangements, was struck in awe by them.

Before my travel bugs went away, I made a trip to the new IKEA in Brooklyn. One thing led to another and I ended up buying food at the BEST market ever around the corner of IKEA - Fairway. I am in complete agreement with their slogan- “Like No Other Market”. The fresh fish and cheese I got there were true testament to the phrase “cooking can be only as good as the ingredient”- please read this month’s spotlight on Galen so you know what I’m talking about!

The whole Red Hook area of Brooklyn has got me completely hooked! I realized my old favorite spot in Manhattan- Chelsea Garden- has moved there! I got a chance once more to appreciate the exotic beautiful trees they have again. Just when I felt so surprisingly fulfilled by my unexpected little adventure, the most wonderful excitement topped it all -  it is a pottery studio called Liberty Sunset Garden Center, owned by a couple whom immigrated from Colombia many years ago.  The backyard of their lovely studio has the best view looking out toward Lady Liberty.

I look at the beautiful tree that I received from Gloria, the wife from the pottery studio, now standing behind my new chair.  And I cannot help but whisper to Gertrude Stein and to myself, Taiwan is my country and New York is my hometown.
Wenlan
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Yoku Moku in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo

Looking out Hudson River from Red Hook, Brooklyn

I have been a fan of Galen Zamarra, the chef/owner of Mas (farmhouse). This understated Greenwich Village restaurant is one of the New York’s treasures. It’s my pleasure to have him as my first guest of Twinkle Spotlight to share his idea of cooking and ingredients with us all. - Wenlan
Wenlan: What do you enjoy the most about cooking?

Galen: I get very excited about food, in its raw, natural state. I like everything about the textures, colors and smells of food. So as a chef I want to somehow take those inherent natural qualities of food, and (hopefully) improve upon them, either by some technique or flavor combination for example. So my cooking is always simple, so I don’t lose those natural qualities. It is both the challenge in doing that, and the imagining of the taste of the food in my mind while it is being prepared that I love best. Also, I love to give people the simple pleasure of a meal prepared well. Eating isn’t only something we like to do. We HAVE to do it. So often it is overlooked, or done in haste and not enjoyed. Some people don’t know how to cook, which to me is like not knowing how to swim. So having the ability to give someone that simple pleasure is a lot of the reason I became a chef.

W: MAS changes menu daily as you believe the freshest ingredient is the key to good food. What do you suggest the best ingredient for August?

G: August in New York is when the local farmers are hitting their stride. My two favorite foods this time of year are Corn and Tomatoes.  Corn loses sugar from the moment it is picked. So buying it straight from the farmer is the best way to insure the most flavor. Tomatoes are best when grown in the field, as opposed to a greenhouse. So August is when those tomatoes start to appear. Both seasons are so short, and I spend the rest of the year missing them.

W: Do you get inspired by traveling and try to cook with local ingredient? If so, what’s your most recent creation with a local ingredient?

G: When I am traveling, food is always the number one thing on my mind. I love the opportunity to try new restaurants and cuisines. Also, even though we live in New York and there is every cuisine and ingredient available, it isn’t the same as when you are in that country. Like Italy for example, Italian restaurants just aren’t the same in New York as they are in Italy. I think the culture of food has such an impact on the actual experience of eating it, and that is something you just can’t bring.
We went to Maine last summer, and I got to participate in a big Lobster Bake. It was a lot of fun and very community oriented. The kids gathered mussels from the rocks. The ladies got ready the potatoes and corn and gathered the seaweed. The guys made the fire, got the lobsters from the water and built the entire thing. It took all afternoon. It was a lesson in culture and cooking. Lately I have been thinking about how to recreate that experience in the restaurant, and cooking with seaweed etc.

W: I assume you love wine, but what’s your favorite beer?

G: I happen to love beer, and beer with food. I am very excited to be a part of Craft Beer Week in September, and will have some beer events at the restaurant for it. At Mas we don’t push our beer program much, as we would rather people have wine, but that is just the concept of the restaurant. I grew up in Northern California, which is as much Beer Country as it is Wine Country. I spent a lot of time in brew pubs and drinking craft beers. Anchor Steam has a special place in my heart because I grew up drinking it. For myself, I love Porters, especially with oysters. I also love Six Point Brewery in Brooklyn.

W: You wanted to be a chef when you were very young. Is there any other professions you can see yourself at were you not a chef? And why?

G: If I was at all good at it, I wish I could be a Yankee. But I was destined to be a baseball fan, not a player. As a kid, I was also in love with the ocean, and considered Marine Science. I spent most of my youth at or in the ocean. I am fascinated with it and aquatic life. If I could study Killer Whales it would be a dream come true. But ultimately cooking is where I headed.

W: Will you publish a cookbook? If so, what approach the book will have for home cooking?

G: I will publish a cookbook, but I just haven’t had the time. I have a few ideas for them. Since I have had kids recently I realized how important proper food for children is. So I would like to write a cookbook about that. My other “more serious” book I won’t go into detail with but it involves seasonal cooking of local ingredients, just like what we serve at Mas. Hopefully it will inspire people to buy local and eat seasonally. I am less interested in teaching people how to cook, as I am to teaching them how to buy and eat sustainably. When you go to the grocery store, even Whole Foods, there is one aisle of fresh foods, and twenty aisles of produced/packaged foods. We need to be brought back to nature, not just for the environment, but for our own health. We are just finding out how horrible all the food is for us. People need to cook at home again, and cook real food, not processed food.
Mas(farmhouse)
Downing Street New York, NY 10014
tel:212.255.1790
Galen’s Bio
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I have been eating French toast for breakfast for years. My mom, naturally, makes the best French toast I have ever tasted; but part the “going away to college” growth process is learning to things yourself, in your own way, without any help. So while nothing beats French toast at home on my mom’s snowman plates, I’d have to say that my variation is a pretty darn good substitute! Combining the zest of summer with a certain spice that only comes with fall, this breakfast is a perfect way to eat your way to autumn.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1/8 cup milk
¼ tsp. vanilla
¼ cup orange juice
4 ¼ tsp. cinnamon
6 tsp. (2 tbsp.) sugar
4 slices of potato bread
Pam Cooking Spray (also can use butter or margarine)

1) Whisk together egg, milk, vanilla, orange juice, and ¼ tsp. of cinnamon in medium bowl.
2) Lay one slice of bread in the bowl. Flip when liquid has coated that side of the bread; remove when liquid has coated the other. Do this for each slice.
3) Grease frying pan. Place on medium heat.
4) Lay two slices of bread in frying pan. Cook until side is deep brown; flip and repeat. Remove from heat and set aside.
5) Cook the remaining two slices in the same way. Remove from heat.
6) Sprinkle each slice with 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 ½ tsp. sugar.

Serve with maple syrup, honey, or plain. Enjoy!

by Lauren C.

Orange Cinnamon Toast

In the end of June 2009, Wenlan came back to Taipei, her hometown. At the same time, I was in Taipei for summer vacation. I’d got the chance to work with Wenlan on all the media events and meetings. The experience was totally different from that in NYC office when I was a PR intern at Twinkle by Wenlan. During her visit in Taipei, I was a personal assistant to Wenlan and we worked together day and night. We met people from local retailers and press. Wenlan gave a speech to an audience of 100 people about her fashion experience in NYC and I was assisting the preparation and the speech. Two day before Wenlan left for Japan, we held a trunk show in Taipei to accept pre-order on holiday 09 and resort 10 collection which was the first of the kind for Taiwan consumers. For me, most of these things are really interesting and fascinating. It’s my pleasure to do these things with Wenlan, which is really helpful and enlightening to me. The most impressive scene in this trip is that when Wenlan talked about her fashion business to some journalists, her facial expression was full of confidence, wisdom, and gratification. This inspired and encouraged me that nothing is impossible, just give it a try, someday I might have a great business and then do something helpful and meaningful to my hometown and even the whole world =)

Ryan

Wenlan during an interview

Wenlan giving a speech in Taipei

Everyone in the Twinkle office loves fashion.  Everyone here also loves food.  And, even though we’re all very enthusiastic about both, I think it’s a given that no one here shows their love of food quite like our furry friend, Milan.

A lot of times, you’ll find that someone has left a treat – cookies, chocolate, chips – on our white round table to share with the rest of the office.  And if Milan is in the office that day, you can bet that you will hear her whining (we think she sounds like a pigeon) and see her watching that food very carefully, hoping that someone will drop a crumb for a snack!

Milan

Everyone knows that New York City becomes a little bit frenzied with fashion shows during Fashion Week in the Fall and Spring.  But what about the time in between?  New collections of clothes are coming out all the time – and, as I’ve learned, designers can’t possibly wait for those two crazy times of year to debut them all.

So that’s why Twinkle by Wenlan hosted a presentation last week to show off our brand new Holiday 2009/Resort 2010 collections.  To prepare, we sent out email invitations to stylists, fashion directors from magazines, and more.  We emptied our entire showroom of our Fall clothes/knits/Twinkle Living pillows and blankets, brought in the Holiday and Resort racks, rearranged the tables and jewelry, moved the mannequins from their perch by the window and changed their outfits (and I didn’t drop any of the arms this time!).  We also booked two models, Roza and Dierdre, to wear all of the clothes throughout the afternoon.

Bright and early on the day of the presentation, a makeup artist, hairdresser and photographer arrived to do their own tasks: the models had to be ready for photos so our design team could create a “look book” – a collection of photos of each outfit we have to make it easier for magazines and stylists to see all of the clothes that Twinkle has to offer.  And our own preparation continued down to the very last second: even just 10 minutes before the presentation began, I was busy steaming all of the wrinkles out of the clothes while the other interns were in the office making sure the models’ shoes, pantyhose, and accessories were all in order.

Making sure that we were completely ready to host the presentation was really hectic, but once we were out in the showroom greeting guests and in the office helping the models get changed, it was all worth it.  On the ride home that day, I was sleepy but really satisfied: working as an intern at Twinkle and helping to make all of this exciting stuff happen convinces me more and more each day that this busy, high-speed, crazy fashion industry is definitely where I’m meant to be!

Twinkle Holiday/ Resort Presentation

It’s been a week and a day working at PR department at Twinkle. Incredibly, I feel like I’ve been here for a long time. Believe or not, there was no nervousness on my first day. Twinkle has such a super duper familiar atmosphere.
As a person who majored in law and Business Administration, it was never easy to get a chance working in the fashion field. I really appreciate that I can work with passionate fashion people and amazingly helpful with the other PR interns.

Working at Twinkle can’t be bored! Because everyday different missions are waiting for us.  Like Stephanie told me on the other day, “PR is all about details”. Yes, we have to be well organized as much as human being can. That’s truly right. I’m slowly growing up with exciting Twinkle job and people in here.

So far, my first intern experience is pretty hilarious with Twinkle =)

Ellie S. Jo

Ellie in Twinkle Showroom

Whenever I start my very first day at a new job, I always feel the same way: a little nauseous.  It’s a dash of nerves and a ton of excitement that mix together and make me so ready to get to work…but that, at the same time, make me sort of want to turn around and forget about the whole thing.
But I’m always so glad I didn’t, especially with my new internship with Twinkle by Wenlan’s Public Relations team!  Believe it or not, my first day included going through racks of clothes (to get familiar with all of Twinkle’s pieces, fabrics, and styles, and to help display some of Twinkle’s new Holiday collection), reading magazines (to learn all about each magazine’s personality in case they request clothes to use in an issue), playing with a dog (Milan, Wenlan’s mischievous and very adorable French Bulldog), and going on Facebook (to brainstorm ideas for Twinkle by Wenlan’s official Facebook page). Really, who wouldn’t want this job?
While I know every day here won’t always be filled with tasks like these, I am beyond thrilled to discover all that working for Twinkle will teach me this summer.  Even on my train ride home on my first day, I was already excited to go back!  There’s so much to do and so much to learn…and I can’t wait to get a little more experience every day.

Lauren Carney

Lauren’s First Day at Twinkle