ON QUARANTINE—WITH TWO LITTLE BOYS
I’m currently staying at our family beach house in Springs, New York. We bought a charming (in other words rundown) bayfront cottage back in 2012. Though we enjoyed every bit of our old house, our end goal was to build something of our own. My husband Scott and I wanted it to be modern, airy and simple but warm and inviting. We hired Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects to materialize our dreams and they did a superb job. I have 4 year old and 4 month old boys. Ian, my toddler, is an extremely active child requiring a lot of physical activity throughout the day. We feel fortunate to be able to go outside without me having to scream “Don’t touch!” every 5 seconds. Being in nature and having a view of the water is definitely healing. Just staring outside and seeing the trees budding comforts me and hopeful that this shall pass and we’ll be OK.
Being in nature and having a view of the water is definitely healing. Just staring outside and seeing the trees budding comforts me and hopeful that this shall pass and we’ll be OK.
ON STYLE IN QUARANTINE
For me, not much has changed in terms of how I dress. More significantly, having a baby has changed the way I dress: I’m breastfeeding so it’s all about easy access. So I like button down shirts, slip dresses, and tank tops with pull-on pants. I feel more comfortable about my body after giving birth and am much less concerned with trends. I know better what suits me and what doesn’t. For me everything has to be absolutely comfortable and practical. If I don’t feel comfortable in it, it doesn’t make the cut.
ON FIRST IMPRESSIONS
When I met my husband for the first time I think I was wearing a skimpy blush colored shift dress made out of cotton jersey. It was 2007 and pre-Tinder or whatever dating apps I never got around to explore. We met in the Meatpacking district when I tried to snatch his cab (so it was pre Uber too). We ended up having a conversation over potentially sharing the cab (no Via) and now we are raising 2 Shetland Sheepdogs and 2 boys.
IN THEIR WORDS
Scott has witnessed my style evolving for the last 13 years and has always been very supportive. Though he kind of stopped commenting around my new harem pants from Pleats Please. Ian is so sweet and he replaced Scott and started to make compliments on my outfits. It melts my heart when he says Mommy I love your dress!
ON CLOSING HER BELOVED BOUTIQUE
I closed my Brooklyn shop Pas Mal last week and it's like getting out of a long term relationship. The shop was a part of me for the last 5 years. It defined and completed me in a lot of ways and now that the shop is closing I'm going through an identity crisis of some sort. I'm sure a lot of mothers go through something similar. Being part of the community and connecting with my customers was such a joy. Seeing them come in and have a tactile connection with the garments was such a joy. I feel the landscape and scenery of retail might have changed but the way we think about fashion will remain the same. Dressing oneself has been as essential as eating, sleeping and drinking. It might take a more conservative turn but people need to compensate for their anxiety one way or another! And retail therapy (via online) still works for me now more than ever.
THREE THINGS WITH SUN SINAWI
Three things helping you cope during quarantine:
My favorite cocktail: San Francisco Handshake from Hotel Delmano (5 part thyme infused gin, 3 part lemon juice, 3 part st germain + a splash of fernet branca)
Our beach house
Family
Three things you wear every single day:
Scott’s worn out T-shirt (as a nightgown)
Hotel slippers
A rose gold bracelet Scott got for me from Paris
Three small businesses you admire and want to support during this difficult time:
Hampton Chutney for breakfast dosas, coconut chicken curry over rice & cardamom coffee
Bostwicks for crab meat stuffed flounder, baked clams
Carissa’s bakery for a loaf of honey oat bread & prosciutto/cheese croissant.
Thank you, Sun!
