Miss Manhattan Hangs Out with Angela Quinche
Get your mood boards ready.
A cardinal fact you must accept is that wherever you go, whatever you do, if Angela Quinche is there she will look cuter than you. I know because I have been there, at costume parties, concerts, and cocktails wishing I had stepped up my game. But I use it as fuel–to be more creative, to sink my teeth into my closet and try something new. She is, in short, an inspiration!
The day we hang out, Angela compliments me on a recent fashion foray, and it makes my day. She is a person who notices, not just for herself but for others, and thoughtfully considers how to express herself through style. And damn, the girl can sew–I’ve seen her craft everything from dog costumes (for her beloved Panela, a chihuahua-dachsund mix) to bright red pencil skirts accented with zippers.
Angela is a costume designer. You may have seen some of her literal handiwork on the Broadway stage at Buena Vista Social Club or on Sam Smith at the Met Gala. She’s also worked as a stylist and an image consultant. Currently, she’s building a new project that focuses on sustainable fashion–how to both restore vintage and keep your own clothing alive to avoid the colossal (and often non-biodegradable) waste mass-produced fashion elicits.
Accordingly, Angela has selected for us a day of thrifting along Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. When I meet her at Swallow Cafe for coffee, she is reading George Orwell’s 1984. Smart girls love fashion–it’s an intellectual pursuit, and anyone who tells you otherwise is mistaken.
The shops lining Atlantic Avenue have that beautiful look of another era, long glass windows and ornate mouldings. We stop at a high-end vintage clothing store that bills itself as sustainably focused but also sells old Levi’s for $150. We thumb through several shirts and jeans before whispering to each other on our way out, commiserating about the wildness of the price tags–yes, you’re saving the environment, but that doesn’t mean you’re not also an asshole.
Our next stop is Out of the Closet, a chain of thrift stores I know well from South Florida, but this is my first time in Brooklyn. Angela finds several treats on the racks, a leopard miniskirt, a Christopher John Rodgers for Target dress, a pair of Ulla Johnson jeans, and leaves with a (sustainable) bag full of goodies. It is toasty outside and the sun is shining, but at around 5pm it is perfect for an early cocktail.
The Little Pig is a petite bar also on Atlantic, and it is girly but not in an annoying way. Angela sips a bright red cocktail I forget the name of and I have a tiny glass of red wine. We gossip, probably too much, and talk about The Devil Wears Prada 2, the outfits in it we liked and the ones we thought were ridiculous. I realize I don’t get to do this a lot–most of my friends are not fashion people–and what a joy it is.
