fashion is love: August 2019

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

fashion is love

a new week begins. as a nation, we have barely processed the tragedies of the past weekend, our hearts heavy and our souls scarred yet again. our anger real.

then the call came to me on Monday from a former Bloomies colleague to share the impossible news that we had lost our dear friend Tamera to her long struggle with Lupus disease, a battle which i have come to learn was more brutal than Tamera ever let on but not brutal enough to keep her from her equally fierce recent fight on behalf of human rights, active in her local Bay area and vocal in the name of those around the globe. she gave a damn. Tamera was too young, had too much more to do, and too many of us to inspire with her love, loyalty and light.

i am so grateful to have literally bumped into her a few years back during New York Market Week where we stopped in our tracks in the Javits Center upon recognizing one another, immediately parked on the base of a few display mannequins, and chatted and hugged and laughed and promised to meet up again.

Tamera was by then the proud owner of Kostum, a fashion consignment boutique she had acquired from a prior owner in Piedmont. she of course also heavily promoted emerging talent with small accessories buys and in store events, true to her Fashion Office roots at Bloomies and her accomplished industry career savvy. clearly, the store was a passion project she led with both her head and her heart, sharing the entrepreneurial venture with her devoted husband, Robert, a true creative talent, and embracing the contributions of her dedicated staff.

when Tamera and i did meet up a season or so later, emailing and following one another on social media in between, it was aptly during September Fashion Week. following a fresh fall rain, i dragged her to an intimate trunk show event at Canon, a new boutique on Sullivan Street, and she coordinated a group dinner at Palma in the Village with another Bloomies alumna, the exquisite Ms. Gerry.

at the store party, Tamera enthusiastically talked small business with Stacia, the shop owner, and introduced her brother in law, Udo, a global fashion photographer, to the crowd, making new contacts and authentic connections left and right.

later in the evening, from across the rose strewn, votive lit dinner table, i can remember nothing but the music in her sweet voice, the life in her infectious giggle and the magic in her sparkling eyes. at one point in our conversation, she did reference her medical trials and just as quickly, shrugged them away, expressing pure joy at currently feeling healthy and strong enough to take on a Manhattan buying trip and realize her vision for her store.

this morning, social media revealed that we had lost another beloved, writer Toni Morrison. my first thought was disbelief, and then a kind of instant calm. i could only think that this larger than life being must have followed Tamera for a really worthy reason and that the two divine women will join forces to serve us and to guide us from a better place.

Ms. Morrison once wrote, "at some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. you don't need to photograph, paint or even remember it. it is enough." sublime. and peaceful. and yet, i have these few photos snapped during the special city reunion with my friend which i will, for the time being, cherish.

i miss you, T, sister, friend, role model, and will always honor your brave, beautiful, creative life! D