State of Summer: Week 3
The vision and heart behind your favourite hotel's favourite hotel; the human side of AI at Google; and responsible for the best place to get lost, Co-founder & Editor of Byline
Ingrid Chen-Mandonnaud 🏝️
There’s a sense of effectiveness and forward movement in encounters with ICM - an easy smile and arresting laugh followed by a quite serious and useful point.
Ingrid is imagining and cultivating a new relationship with luxury lifestyle at the famed hotel group which counts legacy properties The Carlyle, Hôtel de Crillon, amongst many new modern openings. All substance, All sophistication.
Ingrid Chen-Mandonnaud, VP at Rosewood Hotel Group, Hong Kong
How are you spending your summer ?
Away from crowds, in open space, close to water, surrounded by family.
We will road trip from Carry le Rouet in France to Portofino and Cinq Terre for a bit of seaside stopover before heading up to Castiglion del Bosco to stretch our arms and enjoy our lazy summer days.
What will we find you wearing ?
The two dresses I love that brings me back to last summer’s quiet retreat in Velsen Zuid. I bought them at Plantage Rococo. The daughter of the founder sourced them during her travels to South Africa.
Is there anything that you’re particularly engaged in at the moment ?
Cixin Liu’s earlier work Of Ants and Dinosaurs. The story is told like a child’s fable which I enjoyed.
The sentiment in France amidst their summer being enveloped by snap elections and Olympics.
Square-toed footwear
Marie Oliver’s Wild Geese to hold me over before the holidays begin.
What gives you comfort ?
Swimming in the bay attached to a wild beach from my house
Acupuncture
Bare feet
Scratching my Shiro socks with the Shiro lint shaver
Thank You Ingrid !
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https://www.rosewoodhotels.com
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Justin Li 🤖
Making compelling where most eyes gloss over with the whisper of “eh…” requires patience, thick skin, and belief. An impressive work path driven by what is personally interesting, who matters, and how to best live.
He once sent me an invitation for a chat with 8 minutes allotted time which I took offence to; however in hindsight, it’s perfect ! 6 calls/hour with 2 minutes brain reframe. I would never but he’s right, as usual.
Justin Li. Creative Director, Google DeepMind & Co-founder of HelloAstro, Amsterdam
How are you spending your summer ?
Going back home to Ottawa, Ontario to see my folks and give my kids a taste of a Canadian summer. We'll be back middle of August for a family trip to Sicily to meet up with friends at a house in Noto. It'll be our first European summer holiday in a few years so we're excited!
What will we find you wearing ?
Alternating between black leather Birkenstock Bostons and white Salomon XT-6s - which I wear for everything now: running errands, working out, golfing; Outlier shorts - which I also wear swimming in front of our home in Amsterdam; plain-coloured t-shirts - the basic cotton v-necks from H&M are still my favourite fit and I don't care when they get stained with sunscreen and ice cream.
Is there anything that you’re particularly engaged in at the moment ?
I've been thinking a lot about the commercial side of the hip-hop music industry from a few different angles. First, brand collaborations: Future for Lanvin, Kendrick and Chanel, Travis Scott and Dior. Are they moving the needle for these brands? Second, guest features. Does Beyonce charge for a feature on a Travis Scott song? If they're friends, is that an awkward conversation? Third, Soulja Boy was one of the first rappers to leverage the power of the modern day Internet. He seems well positioned to leverage the Internet of today (social content, crypto, AI-whatever) to repeat that success, but hasn't popped, why not?
What gives you comfort ?
Right now, it's the fact that our business had a very good start to the year, meaning I can reduce my working hours to part-time for the summer and enjoy more time with my family. I take comfort in that.
Thank You Justin !
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Megan O’Sullivan 🗞️
Co-founder of New York’s media darling, byline is a print and online publication that covers nuance, NYC, heart things, and new/old/good/bad woven together with a confident and charming energy.
Contributors “are encouraged to explore the topics that invigorate them most.”
Megan O’Sullivan. Writer & Co-Founder/Editor at Byline, New York
How are you spending your summer ?
I'm slowing down this summer. After a fast and furious year (Byline is officially 1!), I'm sleeping in, doing face masks, cooking more, spending time at home, visiting friends upstate, and still... working. I'm hoping to finally crack open a few fiction books I've been wanting to read, like On All Fours by Miranda July and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I'm also looking forward to being in Copenhagen for the first part of August!
What will we find you wearing ?
I've been reaching for comfort, the kind you can leave the house in (and not sweat to death in). It's an all-American basic look, but that's what I'm feeling right now. Basic t-shirts, Tekla's drawstring pants, an Araks tank (they have the best tank I can find right now), Gap baggy jeans and ringer tees, Birkenstocks, Tory Burch's T-Strap Mary Janes, the Salter House jelly sandals. It's nothing fancy, but it always looks good.
Is there anything that you’re particularly engaged in at the moment ?
Hmmm... I have been a little obsessed with this idea of Americana dressing trending as a form of re-examination of American culture, especially as we enter an election season. I recently spoke with a wonderful fashion historian, Emma McClendon, about how the return of craft and prep dressing as a mainstream trend could be seen as a reflection of where we are politically and economically in the U.S., and how returning to these trends is a way of reconsidering what makes American culture, and are there any good parts of it worth holding onto? I'd argue American heritage fashion is maybe one thing we have going for us in this country right now. Otherwise, I'm particularly engaged in rest. I love to rest.
What gives you comfort ?
Free time gives me comfort. It makes me feel like I have some sense of agency over my life and how I want to design it. I juggle a few jobs and sometimes it piles on, so big blocks of free time or days off make me feel like I'm in control. I'm really protective of that now. Otherwise, it's the things I prefer to do in my free time that give me comfort. Rest, time with friends, time with family, time outside and in trees. That's what I really love.
Thank You Megan !
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