Our Antonia*

Antonia's Bon Voyage Party

Photo by Denton Taylor

Everyone fell in love with Antonia Hemgesberg, who had come here from Bremen on an internship to work at Beautiful Savage, an online magazine of art and design, fashion, music, under the watchful eye of Debra Rapoport. They first met when Debra was in Amsterdam with Ari Seth Cohen for an Advanced Style Ted Talk and Antonia traveled all the way from Germany to attend. Debra and Stan Satlin took her under their wing when she came to New York City for ninety days. When it came time for Antonia to go back to Germany in early January, Debra and Stan threw a party for her. Antonia, below right, sparkles, as Debra pours sparkling wine.

Photo by Denton Taylor

Creatively dressed as always, Debra is an amazing hostess. (Particularly love the harlequin stockings.) She and Stan, barely visible over her right shoulder, create the closest thing to a modern day salon, where artists and musicians and creative people of all ages can connect. Click here to read Antonia's article about Debra for Savage Beauty,

Photo by Denton Taylor

Stan, left, is wearing a Japanese michiyuki (a coat worn over a kimono) that he received in trade for a Chinese robe he owned but rarely wore.  He paired it with jeans and cowboy boots. Joining him are Carol Markel, in the middle, in a hat of her own design, and Sue Kreitzman, right, in a coat and collar of her own design.  On the back of her coat is a large and hilarious reference to the legendary alligators in the New York sewer system.

Photo by Denton Taylor

Denton Taylor (who kindly allowed us to use several of his & Teresa's photos for this post) wore a vintage Jhane Barnes shirt, and Diana Gabriel paired her new red eyeglasses with red earrings of her own design.

Photo by Teresa Taylor

The guest of honor, Antonia, and Teresa, Denton's wife.  That Antonia wrote all of her articles in English is a testament to her mastery of our language.

Photo by Denton Taylor

Elke Kuhn, left, and Joyce Carpati, whose braided hair when uncoiled is about as as long as her strings of pearls, both wore shades of purple.

Photo by Idiosyncratic Fashionistas

The guest of honor photobombed several pictures during the course of the evening.  (Guests of honor have special privileges.)  Here, she crashes a photo of Nonnie Balcer and Teresa Taylor.

Photo by Idiosyncratic Fashionistas

Antonia, Carol and Joyce.

Photo by Denton Taylor

Yes, if you were wondering, Valerie's dress DOES look like it was made from the quilted paneling used to line elevators and cover armoires when people are moving.  But unlike elevator liners, the dress has pockets, so it's a keeper.  Jean embellished her hat with a multi-colored felt pin from the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

Photo by Denton Taylor

* With a nod and a wink to Willa Cather's masterpiece, My Antonia, in which Antonia travels west from Bohemia.