Neo-Trad of the Week
May 14, 2010
Name, Age, Location
Brooke Ely Danielson, 24, New York City
(Pictured above with her mother, Barbara)
My cliff-note autobiography…
Life thus far has treated me well! I grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia on a farm with horses, pigs, and cows. Being the middle of five children kept things lively. Eventually I was off to New York to study Fashion Design at Parsons and intern for Vogue magazine (an experience I will forever cherish). I live to travel and have made stops around the globe including Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Russia… Everyday I wake up with a smile and remember how precious life is. We must embrace it!
Things that make my heart flutter…
Miles Aldridge photographs, vintage books, Van Morrison (specifically Ballerina), Corfu Greece (my heaven on earth), Ander Zorn’s pencil sketches, Vogue, pink peonies in turquoise vases, Coco Chanel (she sparked my love of fashion at the age of seven. I will never forget my first encounter with Chanel—Grandmother, thank you).
My dream dinner party…
My dream dinner party is in a garden at night in upstate New York. The food is all organic as we dine on local produce. The menu includes fresh mint mojitos, garden salad with fresh tomatoes, quinoa salad and salmon, and for dessert, vegan cupcakes (whilst sipping Reisling!). The table would be long barn tables with vintage floral table cloths complete with turquoise vases filled with multi-colored peonies. My guests would include Katie (soon-to-be) Armour, Princess Diana, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Pappy O’Daniel, Yves Saint Laurent, and the woman who taught me to love life, my grandmother, Frances Anderson (she married her college sweet heart at age 73 after having been separated during the war). We would dine by candle light and take tequila shots until last man down!
In ten years I will be…
Running my own clothing line, happily married, playing with my children! I hope to be splitting my time between the city and the country—-gardening, swimming, and teaching my little ones the important lessons my parents taught me. I would also love the opportunity to travel the world doing philanthropic work. My ideal day in ten years would include gardening, cooking, and painting with my children. We’d end the evening with dinner in the garden, sitting by a fire—-laughter until we tumble into bed! Did I mention I will be drinking an fantastic bottle of Silver Oak while all this goes on?
I am neo-traditional because…
I love to sew, read, and have great zest for life. My first crush was Cary Grant! I am from the school of thought that you take one day at a time. Do something you love, no regrets.
