The Authentics
"It's not ever the easiest path to be Authentic, and I think it requires a tremendous amount of courage.” This is one of my favorite quotes from Johnson Hartig, the creative force behind Libertine, found in the pages of Melanie Acevedo and Dara Caponigro's latest collaboration: "The Authentics".
I agree with Hartig's sentiment 100%. It's hard to be different in a world where conformity is the norm, where being accepted often means following the crowd. Even as a kid, I rejected the idea of "sameness". I didn't want to look like anybody else (except Denise Huxtable. OMG! I lived for her wardrobe); I dressed differently from most of my peers and used fashion as a way to express my individuality. One day you might see me in the halls at school wearing a ripped Sex Pistols tee and a vintage lace shawl. The next day, I might be rocking a tropical print Norma Kamali dress (that I worked my arse off to pay for). It didn't earn me a seat at the cool table, but I was lucky to have a small group of friends who also marched to the beat of their own drums. As I got older, this expression of creativity naturally extended into the decor of my first "real" apartment--and later in the homes I have shared with my husband and children. We’ve never hired a decorator/designer--I have furnished our home intuitively and it has evolved over time.
"The Authentics" had been lying around my office since November. Luckily, a snow day last week provided the perfect excuse to curl up on my couch and get lost in the pages. What I love most about the book is that it offers a glimpse into the homes and lives of some of today’s modern trailblazers. Unlike most glossy coffee table books, the beautiful images are accompanied by personal insights about creativity, enjoying simple pleasures, and defining life on your own terms.
Art and design books are two of my favorite guilty pleasures. If you enjoy the pictures and quotes below, then I highly recommend adding this gem to your collection. You can find "The Authentics" at your local bookseller or here.
Meredyth
I had this track coach in high school, and he would always say to me, “Bethann, stay in your lane and learn to run your own race.” I think that’s good advice for life too.
— BETHANN HARDISON (FROM 'THE AUTHENTICS" BY MELANIE ACEVEDO AND DARA CAPONIGRO)
A bedroom in the sixteenth-century palazzo that environmentalist Jane Da Mosto shares with her husband Francesco.
The colorful West London home of jewelry designer Solange Azagury-Partridge.
“Beauty is a totally subjective thing and comes in many forms. But when I see it, I just want to keep looking.”
Laura di Collobiano's sixteenth-century manor house in Tuscany.
Quote by Cabana Magazine founder, Martina Mondadori.
The home of designer Anne-Marie Midy
“I stay authentic by living in the moment and focusing not on what others are doing and saying but instead on what is happening in front of me” ”
Johnson Hartig
* feature photo:Details from the home of Bethann Hardison
