Interior Decorator; Writer; Editor; in New Orleans
"I do like to purchase one really nice thing at least once a year, or whenever I get a big, fat paycheck. It makes such a difference, that little bit of luxury. It’s just so... nice." Sigh. We hear you, Sara.
We'll back up a little bit now—who are we talking about? How the hell did we end up in New Orleans? The woman behind the above soundbite would be Sara Ruffin Costello—founding creative director at Domino, present day interior decorator and T Magazine contributor. And the sentence preceding this one pretty much captures the reason behind our visit to N'Awlins (hear that? That was the sound of every New Orleans native ever shaking their heads at us); Costello, as she aptly puts it, "recently moved from New York for adventure and square footage." Sounds like reason enough to us.
Welcoming us into her immaculately-outfitted abode (she's her own best endorsement, really), we made ourselves right at home. That said, given that Costello's entire professional raison d'être is more or less centered around the home, we knew better than to arrive empty-handed—hence the hefty rack of Bloomingdales' best and brightest spring stock that we toted along. Costello rifled through the rack (those days put in at Vogue have a way of making themselves handy) and masterfully selecting a mix of neutral separates, all-over-print jumpsuits and maxi dresses for herself. A slick of glossy red lipstick and a little barefoot run through her backyard later and we had the shot—you know the one. After a little rapid fire question-and-answer ("wine, or cocktails?" "Cocktails!", "Tequila or vodka?" "Tequila!", "Tequila or gin?" "Tequila!", "Mezcal or Blanco?" "Blanco!") and we knew exactly how we would celebrate our wrap. Sure, bourbon might have been a little more geographically appropriate, but who are we to complain?
