We’ve long been fans of The City Sage blog, and are delighted to interview Anne Sage, creative visionary and founder of The City Sage who uses her discerning eye to treat us to the latest and best in fashion and interior design. Anne’s the friend everyone wants to have with an incredible sense of style and humor and is here to share it with us today.
How did the City Sage come to be?
I attended college at Stanford University, where I majored in English and History. After completing my undergrad degree I moved to New York City, where I planned to pursue a Masters of Interior Design at Pratt Institute. I lasted about six weeks before realizing I wasn’t cut out to be an interior designer–I kept trying to turn my design assignments into written essays! So I found a job at a boutique advertising agency, where I worked doing public relations and consumer strategy.
But my dream–really since high school–was always to work at a magazine. I stalked the job boards and applied for every editorial position under the sun, all to no avail. Finally I threw up my hands and said, ‘Well, if no one will hire me to work at a magazine, I’ll just start my own!’ And that’s how The City Sage was born. It’s my own little daily magazine, and I’m the editor-in-chief, the art director, and the producer all rolled into one. I love the freedom I have with the blog; the only limits are the ones I place on myself, and even those are fewer and farther between!
How would you describe your personal style in fashion and home decor?
Fashion wise, my personal style is ‘elegant modern’. I gravitate towards solid pieces with top-notch materials and no frills construction. I like pieces that are feminine without being girly and I definitely focus each season on investing in one or two high end pieces, instead of several trendy throwaway items. I love Vince, J Brand, Elizabeth and James, and Alexander Wang for casual basics; Stella McCartney, Lanvin and Bottega Veneta for dressing up; Miu Miu, Chanel and Loeffler Randall for shoes; Tom Ford and Oliver Peoples for sunglasses; Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent for bags.
When it comes to decor, I love the weathered old-world class of an aging Parisian atelier; the spare, relaxed vibe of a mid-century Scandinavian space; the glitz and graphic glamour of Hollywood Regency style. I’m exposed to so much inspiration every day, it’s hard to decide for my own home so right now my apartment is a hodgepodge of flea market and vintage shop finds.
What trends are catching your eye this season?
For fashion, I’m craving wrinkled, tough-luxe leathers; military-inspired hues like army green and khaki; throwback 1970′s silhouettes such as platform heels or drapey tee shirts tucked into high-waisted trousers; and anything leopard print.
For interiors, I’m obsessed with walls, ceilings and upholstery in a shade of midnight blue so deep it’s almost black; using iconic pieces in irreverent ways (I totally wish my bathroom were big enough to fit a wishbone chair and tulip table next to the tub!); and a faded Edwardian granny vibe complete with chintz, cabriole legs, and antimacassar doilies.
Let’s get to know Anne a little better with a quick-fire round of questions:
- Blogs I frequent are: Plush Palate, DesignLoveFest, {frolic!}, Coco + Kelley and This Is Glamorous.
- My favorite color is: a difficult-to-identify shade of mauve. The color of a mouse’s ear where it fades from pink to the grey of his fur.
- My first job was: working as an elf at a shopping mall Santa booth.
- I cannot live without: fruit. I think I was a rainforest bat in a previous life. Grapes, cherries, strawberries, watermelon: I haven’t met a fruit I don’t love!
- The best advice I ever received is: a friend of mine before I left home for college said, ‘It’s okay if you don’t like it.’ And in the ten years since then, I’ve recalled her words every time I feel like I’m forcing myself to do something I’m not passionate about. As a consummate perfectionist, I have to remind myself that it’s okay not to like everything, not to be the best at everything, to put my energy into only the things that truly make my heart sing.
- My favorite guilty pleasure is: weekly manicures and pedicures–I splurge on the extra 10 minutes of leg massage, and I choose my polish colors based on the names I like best. Lately I love Lapis of Luxury!
- A cause I care deeply about is: animal welfare. I’ve always loved animals but since getting my two sweet kitties a year ago, I can’t imagine my life without them. I can’t wait until we have a larger house and can adopt more needy furry friends into our brood!
Be sure to check out Anne’s blog The City Sage and the rest of the storyboards and photo credits for “Over The Top Girly Glamour” that is shown above – we’re sure you’ll love it as much as we do!
February is the month of love, and as tradition holds full of reds, pinks, hearts, and flowers. But what is there for those of us who do not fit the norm? Those of us who are inspired by the modern and refreshingly eclectic? In these days of reinvention a valentine takes many different shapes, and the possibilities are endless. Inspire us Hostess.
