Saying Goodbye to Jeffrey
A Socially Distant Las Vegas? What Are the Odds?
May 26, 2020At Home Newsletter: Finding a Balance Between Solitude and Loneliness
May 27, 2020This post was originally published on this site
The fashion industry is in a state of emergency. This has been made clear not only by the mounting bankruptcies of big-name retailers, but also by the closure of beloved smaller businesses. These are shops that won’t bounce back.
“This is going to be the center of New York City,” Jeffrey Kalinsky thought, standing on West 14th Street during the summer of 1999, having his photo taken for an article on his namesake boutique’s imminent opening. He remembers what he was wearing: a Lacoste polo, a Jil Sander belt, Gucci sneakers.
Twenty years later, this scene would be unremarkable. Current social distancing restrictions aside, it has become nearly impossible to walk through the meatpacking district without bumping into a fashionable person posing for a picture.
But Mr. Kalinsky made his prediction when the area was still an industrial zone populated by butchers and B.D.S.M. clubs. When he arrived, opening his modern designer boutique on his 37th birthday, “no cars would go down there,” Mr. Kalinsky said. “Trucks would park in the middle of the street. It didn’t matter.”
Jeffrey’s overnight success helped trigger the transformation (and extreme gentrification) of the Lower Manhattan neighborhood, now known as a high-end shopping district with a clubby aughts heyday, sandwiched by the Whitney Museum to the west and Google to the east.
“There used to be so many people in the store that I wondered what the safety risk was,” Mr. Kalinsky said.
He was often visible on the floor or in the fitting rooms, where he’d help women into clothing and proffer his opinions. And not just any women. “I’m this kid from Charleston, S.C., and there I am in a dressing room with Gwyneth Paltrow,” he recalled.
While he appreciated the celebrity clients, Mr. Kalinsky took particular delight in dressing well-heeled girls and their mothers for personal big moments, like weddings and bat mitzvahs. “Making people feel beautiful is what I think I enjoyed most,” he said.
This tradition of super-intimate retail service has long been declining, but for many it still felt like an era’s end when, on May 18, Jeffrey announced it would permanently close in New York, Atlanta — Jeffrey’s first store, nine years older than the meatpacking one — and Palo Alto, Calif.
The decision was made by Nordstrom, which bought Jeffrey in 2005, “due to the impacts of Covid-19,” Mr. Kalinsky said when he broke the news on Instagram. He will also be retiring from Nordstrom, where he worked with designers in a variety of executive roles while still running Jeffrey.
In both realms, Mr. Kalinsky built a reputation as a tastemaker. For young designers, this made his seal of approval exceedingly meaningful.
Frequently Asked Questions and Advice
Updated May 26, 2020
How can I protect myself while flying?
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?
Over 38 million people have filed for unemployment since March. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.
Is ‘Covid toe’ a symptom of the disease?
There is an uptick in people reporting symptoms of chilblains, which are painful red or purple lesions that typically appear in the winter on fingers or toes. The lesions are emerging as yet another symptom of infection with the new coronavirus. Chilblains are caused by inflammation in small blood vessels in reaction to cold or damp conditions, but they are usually common in the coldest winter months. Federal health officials do not include toe lesions in the list of coronavirus symptoms, but some dermatologists are pushing for a change, saying so-called Covid toe should be sufficient grounds for testing.
Can I go to the park?
Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home. Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.
How do I take my temperature?
Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.
Should I wear a mask?
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
What should I do if I feel sick?
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
How do I get tested?
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
How can I help?
Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.
When Brandon Maxwell showed his first collection to buyers, he still felt insecure, he said, having transitioned from being a stylist with no formal schooling. But when Mr. Kalinsky placed an order, “it legitimized me in a way that I had not yet allowed myself to feel legitimized,” he said. “He has a very special way of making you feel seen.”
Outside fashion, Jeffrey may best be known for being parodied on “Saturday Night Live” in sketches involving two cool salesmen insulting their less cool customers.
At the time, the lampooning was hard on Mr. Kalinsky, who said he wanted to “welcome everybody into this friendly and democratic place that just happened to sell expensive things.” He dreaded waking up on Sundays to phone calls about the previous night’s mockery. Now, he said, he realizes it was an honor.
To Mr. Maxwell, the “S.N.L.” Jeffrey just made the real-life Jeffrey seem even more chic and important. He still remembers spending one of his first adult-in-New York City paychecks on Chanel sneakers at the store.
“There was nothing like the feeling of walking out with that little white bag,” he said.
