E-Z Living

grey texting gloves
$22
men's Toddland whitetail deer tee
$30
Mo's bacon choco chip pancake mix
$14
Pac-Man video game kit
$40
In August of 2002 we asked two great designers, Mary Ping and Jonathan Adler to design
totes exclusively for our readers. The bags sold out in a flash! Thanks to everyone who
participated! Watch this space for more tote talks in the coming year!
 
   
Mary Ping
We met Mary Ping at PS1 a couple summers ago. We followed her around for at least an hour before finally approaching her to ask where she got her cute handbag. Turns out she made it! We’ve since become good friends and have always dreamed of working on a project together.

We love your Giant Zipper Tote so much! It's so rock 'n roll! How does music inspire your work?
Thanks! Having good music around really motivates me to create good work. It also just makes getting through the working day all the more enjoyable. Speaking of music, we loved that band that played at your last fashion show. Tell us about them. The Double! Actually they are in transition now as a group. They started off as David Greenhill on guitar and vocals and Jeff McLeod on drums and now have expanded to include Donald Beaman and Jacob Morris. They are really amazing. I had their music on the whole time I was designing my Fall 2002 collection. You can get their music from insound.com. Catch them before they explode! Mary, you're one of the nicest designers we know! We know you went to art school but tell us a little more about your background. Thanks! You guys are some of the nicest I know! I went to Vassar and graduated with a degree in art. Studying art alongside the humanities was a smart move in the end, because it broadened my view and approach to the creative process. I think if I were completely immersed in fashion and its business teachings from the start, it would have been a very narrow street to navigate on. Who are your fashion idols? Balenciaga, old and new, for creating original shapes. Martin Margiela for being so smart. And "old society" tailors and dressmakers for continuing the fine craftsmanship. What music got you through High School? Sunny Day Real Estate and Nirvana. Not for their grunge moods, but for composing and playing new sounds that were just plain good! Hey Mr. DJ! What are you favorite tunes to rock out to when you're designing the hot Mary Ping collections? Right now I've got The Rapture, Clinic, and the musical progressions for my Spring 2003 show on the CD spinner. Benjamin Brake is developing some great digital orchestrations. You'll hear them this September. What's the best thing about being a designer? Running the course of a painful creative process and hopefully coming out of the end with something that will find a place in the world.

08/2002
  Jonathan Adler
Call us crazy, but we’ve always been obsessed about Johnny Appleseed. This gentle pioneer who planted trees wherever he went will celebrate his 228th birthday this September 26th. We approached another Johnny that many obsess about, Jonathan Adler, to make this super cute tote that we call the Johnny Apple.

We LOVE this apple tote!!! It's total high school geek love fantasy, perfect for carrying library books and vinyl... What was spinning on your turntable back in those days? I was totally into Asia, Journey and Rush. I was on the tennis team and before each match we used to listen to Eye of the Tiger by Survivor to get psyched.
Which one of your teachers do you think influenced you the most? I had a totally kooky art teacher who was very sweet and encouraging and totally out of it. We used to make bongs in our ceramic class and call them ikebana vases. When I had to apply to college she was the only teacher I could get to write a recommendation for me. What was your favorite after-school activity? As you can probably tell from my earlier answers, I'm pretty old. So, when I was in high school, MTV was just starting so I would watch videos for hours. Now fess up! Did Mom pack your lunch? Mom made breakfast, packed lunch, and made dinner. I still can't figure out what she did for the rest of the day. Shopped? What would we find in your tote bag these days? I wish I had something kooky and improbable in my tote bag but, sadly, I don't. Typical stuff – gym clothes, keys, cell phone, and, always, one of my catalogs. What sort of things have inspired your latest collection? Lately, I've been totally into surrealism and my stuff seems to be going away from a rustic modern aesthetic towards a more fancy vibe. I'm selling Fornasetti stuff in my stores, and I've done some vases with breasts and lips and faces in white porcelain. I'm also doing some fancy pieces with a platinum lustre. I'm totally into needlepoint too, and I just did the cutest pillows in three patterns: one with the seven deadly sins in fancy fonts, one with a digitized camo vibe, and one called Nixon which is kind of preppy and man's den-ish. What's been your favorite thing about having your own company? I love the fact that I don't have to get anybody's permission to make something. If I want to do a pillow inspired by Nixon's ranch house in San Clemente there's no one to tell me that I can't. I think I would go crazy if I was an actor and I had to rely on a casting agent to allow me to work.
 




DIARY ARCHIVES: fred friends Estelle, Lights, One Night Only, Rye Rye, next BIG thing! 2008, Jesse McCartney, Jonas Brothers, Top Model's Sarah Vonderhaar, Jack Mackenroth, Think Pink writer Lisa Clark, Kit Pistol, Au Revoir Simone, Supayana, What the Buck, Peter Bjorn and John, Ratatat, next BIG thing! 2007, shoe designer Jeffrey Campbell, Erika Forster of Au Revoir Simone, heartist Chris Uphues, Alison Kelly of Dahl, Stephanie Deleau of Noisette, Marilyn Patrizio of M.Partizio, Liam Sullivan of Kelly "Shoes", Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, next BIG thing! 2006, Jill Bliss, next BIG thing! 2005, Loop NYC's China Young, Sukie, The Donnas, Vinnie's Tampon Case, Leah Tinari, Peach Berzerk, The Sperber twins, Jennifer Worick, Cody, Patch NYC 2, Chip Wass, Angela Adams, Venue, Jack and Lulu 2, All Girl Summer Fun Band, 31 Corn Lane, Charlotte Ronson, Three by Three Seattle, Princess Tina, Imperial Teen, Built by Wendy 2, Dana Carlson, Sweden, Jack and Lulu 1, Bob's Your Uncle, Mary Ping & Jonathan Adler, E-Z Living, Built by Wendy 1, Endicott Five, Patch NYC 1, media blitz Mod*Mom, Aya Kanai from Nylon, Grace Bonney of Design Sponge, Samantha Moeller of Missbehave, Marie Kare of The Sampler, Pink Is The New Blog's Trent Vanegas, Martha Stewart Kids' Jodi Levine, BUST's Debbie Stoller, YM's Elizabeth Kiester, Cargo's Ariel Foxman, teeter on tour back to brooklyn, she's so rad, double handsome, wild pony, enchanted treehouse, beanz-n- rice, wide open road, crush Teeter Sperber, Kelis, Jennifer Garner, Kylie Minogue, Charlie Brown, Scarlett Johansson, employee of the month Julie, Jen, Sammy Joe & Joe Sammy, Amy, Vanessa, Tim, Anne, Chanel, Josh, Lauren, Diane, Charles, Lillian, nancy drew review the haunted bridge, the whispering statue, the mystery of the ivory charm, the message in the hollow oak, the clue of the broken locket, password to larkspur lane, the sign of the twisted candles, nancy's mysterious letter, the clue in the diary, the secret of red gate farm, the secret of shadow ranch, the mystery at lilac inn, the bungalow mystery, the hidden staircase, the secret of the old clock, lulu in the city lulu luvs, extra! extra! read all about it!, pink Christmas, thanks, new york!, single in the city, spooky lulu, roller girl, jersey girl, no lights, big city, it was a "red hot" summer!, miss independence, billyburg shopping guide, lulu and the kitty, in like a lion, out like a lamb, my best friend joe, hotpants!, the queen of brooklyn, summer in the city, the anniversary party, garbage & neighbors & mice...oh my!, lulu in the city, cheap & cheerful give thanks, hula hoops, a piece of pi, cupcakes, fred fleur, tommy: mini mode happy summer days, it's a mod, mod world, good night, sweet dreams, my girl, keep on marching, one fine day, supermodels Dana's Lucky magazine shoot, hi-fi holiday honeys, supermodel Hillary's Warhol, fallfabulous, supermodel challenge, covergirls, fred on tour Paris Dispatch: Eiffel Awesomeness, Paris Dispatch: Just Strollin', Paris Dispatch: From Colette w/ Love, Paris Dispatch: Marie & The Moulin, Paris Dispatch: Bonjour, Peeps!, behind the music, San Fredcisco, LA Flare, chartoppers: the 80's 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, chartoppers: madonna Hard Candy, Confessions on a Dance Floor, reinvention tour recap, reinvention contest winners, Madonna, Like a Virgin, True Blue, Like a Prayer, I'm Breathless, Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, Music, American Life, top 50 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, window shopping 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, sales and events Store Cute Grand Opening, Fall Sample Sale 2008, Carnival of Cute: Holiday 2006, Fall Sample Sale 2006, Pool Party 2006, Holiday Sale 2003, let's skate, Holiday Sale 2002, Holiday Sale 2001, Holiday Sale 2000, Spring Sale 2000