The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) is my favorite movie of all time. I’ve seen it at least 30 times. I’ve gloried to dress as Frank’n’Furter in a corset and fishnet stockings more than once. When the new glass elevators were revealed at the 14th Street subway station, the iconic elevator scene from the Rocky […]
Read MoreThe Salmagundi Club of New York is one of the country’s oldest arts organizations, founded in 1871 by artists and patrons to support one another. The clubhouse occupies a beautiful, landmarked brownstone at 47 Fifth Avenue. Originally built in 1853 for Irad Hawley, president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, and his wife Sarah, it’s the […]
Read MoreThe year is 1973. On the Buses is rolling out of the depot for the last time after a four-year run on the BBC. Daisy the Double-Decker has seen it all. I was the big fan of the show, which introduced me to the depths of the double-decker bus and British humour. So naturally I […]
Read MoreIt’s time for celebration as Travelers Poets & Friends brings the sunny flavors of Italy to the neighborhood. The heartful Italian café market, wine bar, restaurant and bakery is centered between the Pamina gelato shop and the elevated Italian restaurant, Alaluna. The storefront at Sixth Avenue and West 11th Street sat empty for three years […]
Read MoreHello friends, I am delighted to welcome you to the 5th anniversary column of Karen’s Quirky Style! And to announce that my column has been picked up by Straus News! This month’s column appeared in both The Chelsea News and Our Town Downtown, with a combined readership of 50,000! My column is syndicated! New Shoe […]
Read MoreManhattan’s first beach, the unimaginatively named Gansevoort Peninsula, opened in October 2023. When choosing the location for this month’s column, I wanted to keep the beach action going after a quick trip I made to play on la playa in Puerto Vallarta in January, so I decided to head for our new beach on the […]
Read MoreHappy New Year, dear readers. I hope that 2024 will be more Zen for all. For the dramatic look in this month’s column, I was inspired by an article in the New York Times about Sukeban wrestling—a fashionable and fun new Japanese style of women’s wrestling. The women’s costumes, makeup, and signature fat braids are […]
Read MoreThe Erskine Press building at 17 East 13th Street is currently the home of the Singaporean cocktail bar Singlish. But the Village Preservation plaque to the left of the doorway yields a clue to a rich literary history. Butterick Publishing Company I love that in the 1890s, Butterick printed their women’s dress patterns at this […]
Read MoreThis month, I went with my crew to another iconic New York literary destination, which also claims to be NYC’s oldest original bar and restaurant, Pete’s Tavern. This combined many of my favorite things: New York history, literature, yummy cocktails and food, and gorgeous quirky fashion. Pete’s is located at 129 East 18th Street at […]
Read MoreToad Hall is a charming neighborhood pub in SoHo, named after the famous manor in The Wind in the Willows. Drinks prices are pre-pandemic, and there’s a gorgeous pool table in the back. Phil happened upon this little-known spot on a mid-afternoon meander and stayed for a beer. The bar is over 100 years old, […]
Read MoreMy first memory of Elton John’s music is listening to “The Bitch Is Back” at my Aunty Lynne’s house in Penticton, BC. I was playing with my sister Kim and cousins Denise and Sherry, while my aunt and Uncle Dwayne were enjoying a few beers, listening to Elton John on a sunny summer afternoon in […]
Read MoreWith the passing of Tina Turner on May 24 to a place that surely awaits the world’s most beloved entertainers, this month’s column is brimming with celebration and sadness. How to reconcile losing the ones we love? The heart cries out: Let’s Stay Together. An Inspiring Role Model Tina has always been there, an inspirational […]
Read MoreDo you remember the heartbreaking final scene in And Just Like That, Season 1, when Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) scattered Big’s ashes into the River Seine? Just as Season 1, Episode 1, made us cry when Big died, Episode 10 closed off the first year of Carrie’s grief with a call-back to the music playing […]
Read MoreCandace Bushnell, Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker… Fabulous women, both real and fictional! Sex and the City (SATC) turned twenty-five on June 6, and Season 2 of the SATC reboot, And Just Like That, premieres on June 22. For my 50th Karen’s Quirky Style column, I want to celebrate the gorgeous, glamorous, talented women of […]
Read MoreBack to the Future at the Bonnet Bash. West Village model Karen Rempel and her pal Jeff Reid duel it out while joined at the hip at the National Arts Club’s 2023 Bonnet Bash, with props from Denny Daniels’s Museum of Interesting Things. Photo by Denny Daniels. This year’s Bonnet Bash at the National Arts […]
Read MoreThe sheer pleasure of summer bliss in a sea of winter men at Fanelli’s Café in Soho. A dear friend from Jersey City took me to the beloved Fanelli Café on an early trip to New York. It was nighttime and glowing spots of candlelight lit the winter-dark café. Mike told me stories about the […]
Read MoreLove for sale? Last August, I learned the sad news that the Meatpacking District’s last remaining “short stay” hotel, the Liberty Inn was up for sale. I hadn’t been aware of the inn, though I’d walked past it many times, but I was devastated that Manhattan was losing another tree in the garden that gave […]
Read MoreKaren Rempel’s artistic rendering of a Philip Maier photo, capturing the alienation of Edward Hopper’s Automat. Hector’s Café and Diner, at the corner of Little West 12th Street and Washington, has been serving meatpackers three squares a day since 1949. Open at 3 a.m., it’s always a beacon in the shadow of the High Line […]
Read MoreAscend the stoop to the Merchant House Museum at 29 East Fourth Street, between Lafayette and the Bowery, and you might be surprised at what you find. No staid merchants in striped pants and tailcoats are in evidence. But there’s a circa-1860s casket and viewing in the front parlor, and a death scene in the […]
Read More“Girls don’t play rock’n’roll,” 13-year-old Joan Jett’s guitar teacher told her. Two years later, she founded The Runaways, together with drummer Sandy West. Don’t tell a girl no! My Uncle Dwayne gave my sister and me The Runaways’ second album, Queens of Noise, for Christmas 1977, along with nine other best-selling albums from that year, […]
Read MoreStop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems… Do you recognize this geometric structure? I am sure every West Villager does—it is instantly recognizable! It is of course the New York City AIDS Memorial at Seventh Avenue and West 12th Street. Unveiled for World AIDS Day on December 1, […]
Read MoreElectric Lady Studios is a mystical Village lodestone with a platinum rock’n’roll pedigree. Founded by Jimi Hendrix in August 1970, the studio opened a mere three weeks before his tragic accidental death due to an overdose of sleeping pills in London. He was 27. If you’ve read Patti’s Smith’s memoir Just Kids, perhaps you remember […]
Read MoreDear readers, you know that I’m proud to be a New Yorker and I love this city passionately. Last Saturday, when we did this photo shoot, was the first time I felt ashamed of my city, and of myself by association. I had arranged to meet photographer Phil and lighting assistant Amy in Father Demo […]
Read MoreWest Village model Karen Rempel gazes across Sixth Avenue, waiting for the Jefferson Market Library to open. Photo by Philip Maier. I stayed at the iconic Washington Square Hotel on my first trip to New York, in 2014, because of its literary history and proximity to the Blue Note. I soon encountered the marvelous Jefferson […]
Read MoreWest Village model Karen Rempel waits for Mick Jagger on St. Mark’s Place. He’s late. Photos by Philip Maier. This corner is obviously the coolest spot in New York City! I’m sitting by a graffiti’d doorway at the corner of St. Mark’s Place and Avenue A. It looks like the bar might be deserted, but […]
Read MoreI don’t watch the Oscars every year, but this year I was working late and I had the show running on another screen to keep me company. I thought overall it was a funny, uplifiting, and moving spectacle. I loved the tributes to movies with signifant anniversaries (Cabaret, The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, as well as […]
Read MoreThis issue marks the third anniversay of this Karen’s Quirky Style column, which celebrates a love affair with playing dress-up in New York! This column would be nothing without you, dear readers, and I want to give you a big hug and kiss for reading and commenting and just generally adding to the fun and […]
Read MoreMy friend, the fantastic New York photographer Philip Maier, has just released a fascinating book about Union Square. Phil’s photos capture the past 20 years of New York history in this focal point of Greenwich Village. His artistic vision will touch you with humor, joy, grief, sadness, and his tremendous love of the city and […]
Read MoreStorefront fortune tellers are almost as ubiquitous as nail salons in New York. Who among us hasn’t succumbed to the lure of peering into the mists of the future, seeking a hint of reassurance that things are going to be okay? Or guidance to make a choice? Only $10 to gain a moment’s comfort from […]
Read MoreHappy New Year! The days have been cool, gray, and rainy in New York City this winter. Not at all the white Christmas that we dreamt about. But as the hip hop duo Atmosphere so eloquently said, “When life gives you lemons, you paint that sh*t gold.” Life has dealt a sh*tload of lemons lately, […]
Read MoreKeith was an awfully good sport about being comedic fodder for my Catch and Release foray into fiction. When I saw this exquisite jacket from Engineered by Andrea T, I immediately flashed on Keith Richards—he would totally wear this jacket! Check out the glimmer of chartreuse silk lining. Simply gorgeous! So I decided to design this month’s quirky […]
Read MoreI first heard about CBGBs at a party in high school in Burnaby, BC. My friends were playing Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime” and somehow I parsed the word CBGB’s, though it took decades to learn about the Mudd Club. I’m sure all native New Yorkers know that CBGB’s is the birthplace of punk, though […]
Read MoreOf course I was invited to the Met Gala this year! Not!! Being a humble West Village model and style blogger, I don’t have the gravitas of the glitterati invited to the ball-to-end-all-balls. But as you may recall, I dressed in honor of the non-gala last year, and I was fascinated to catch a few […]
Read MoreOn my first trip to New York, in 2014, I ditched the “Search Inside Yourself” course that brought me to the city and headed over to the Hudson River to search outside myself. The first fascinating wonder I saw was Stephan Weiss’s bronze sculpture, “The Apple.” Soon after, I spotted the Statue of Liberty in […]
Read MoreSummer is here and it’s time to put on your coolest whites and head for the mountains, forests, lakes, and beaches. If you can’t get away, the Jefferson Market Garden has never looked more lush. Stop in for a refreshing dose of oxygen, perambulate to view the rainbow flowers tucked into every corner, and visit the koi […]
Read MoreGeorge was waxing philosophical again. “I have a trite aphorism that I offer all the time: men are driven by egos, women are driven by emotions.” The first time he said it, I disagreed, gave it some thought, and disagreed again. Now that I had heard it 48 times, I was beginning to believe him. […]
Read MoreNew York Tough. New York Proud. New York Variant. Rona the virus is drooping. I began tracking coronavirus news daily, obsessively, in March of 2020, as I’m sure many of you did. I even created an email folder for NYC updates related to the virus, testing, vaccinations, closures, and other impacts on the city. In May […]
Read MoreThis month’s look veers into very quirky territory, bringing a confluence of three distinct elements into a unique look that combines disparate sources into a true Rempel original. But before I tell you about the fashion, let me set the scene. We shot this month’s column in the storied Minetta Lane, in a Spanish-influenced doorway. […]
Read MoreGeorge called me the other morning and said he had thought about me when he woke up. “You’re like a steel cube. You only do what you want to do.” I quite liked this image. “I think you should marry a rich man and bump him off.” Impressive—he’s really starting to get me! But his […]
Read MoreGeorge must have watched Marilyn Monroe in How to Marry a Millionaire a few too many times. He always wants to talk about why I’m still single and what type of man would be suitable for me. “You’re beautiful and smart. You should marry a millionaire.” I always say, “I’m waiting for you to ask me.” The […]
Read MoreAn early casualty of the pandemic, Gato at 324 Lafayette Street closed in March 2020. Owner Bobby Flay said, “As of March 16th, I am closing my restaurant Gato because of the obvious and unprecedented circumstances threatening our world. I wish everyone well.” As businesses boarded their windows, artist Sino began painting murals of his mythical Frank Ape art […]
Read MoreMy publisher George thinks his dating stories are better than mine. “Men can roam more freely than women. I’ve been all over the world.” He told me he dated a French woman (in France), the heiress of a famous line of Armagnac. She lived in a castle, and sadly rejected his offer of marriage, which […]
Read MoreMy love affair with New York began in Washington Square Park. I parachuted into the Washington Square Hotel on my first trip to New York in 2014, drawn by the fact that the Rolling Stones and both of the Dylans had stayed there. Within minutes of ditching my bags, I was walking past the park on my way to […]
Read MoreWhen I was a little girl, I loved playing dress up. In Canada we had a show called Mr. Dressup that was on every weekday morning from the time my family got a television until the mid-90s. His puppet friends Casey and Finnegan were part of the fun, but the moment I liked best was […]
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but I’ve felt like flying since we got the news on November 7 that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been elected the leaders of our country. The cheers, honks, and bells ringing through the streets of the Village made New York seem like herself again—electric and alive. And now […]
Read MoreWest Village model Karen Rempel in bespoke dress and mask by Engineered by Andrea T. Fearless Girl also wears mask with bow by EAT. Photo by Tess Malone. You might wonder how a simple dress relates to women’s empowerment. This month’s photo series is an all-woman effort, featuring this stunningly simple bespoke dress by Engineered […]
Read MoreA killer look often starts with one piece to build on. I put this style together around these luscious cherry wine trousers, which I found for a luxe change-of-season steal at Tiziano Zorzan on 8th Avenue. Tiziano has 3 locations in the West Village, where you can find exclusive capsule collections designed and made in […]
Read MoreIn these days of social distancing, I couldn’t get my dear friend Dusty to take my picture. So this month’s column is my first selfie, taken using a mirrored elevator. And of course with all clothing stores closed, I needed to call on the contents of my fab four closets to put together my Corona […]
Read MoreDear reader, I hope that you and your loved ones (both skinny and furry) are home safe, and enjoying some close time together, catching up on some of those things you’ve been meaning to do. This home time is a time for reflection, and a pause to look at the changes in NYC. This is […]
Read MoreThis Easter promises to be bleak, and nothing is bleaker than an un-peopled Bleecker Street. When Dusty and I headed over to Bleecker for this month’s shoot, we were doing our best to put a bright face on Easter. I chose a soothing fifties-reminiscent outfit in chick-and-bunny colors with ironic white gloves in brave pandemic […]
Read MoreThis month’s look is a mixture of old and new, with contrasting textures and colors. The centerpiece is the striking, shiny black PVC pants by Andrea Thurlow of Engineered by Andrea T. I love their sleek edginess. The next step in putting this outfit together was to hunt through my closets for the perfect shoes […]
Read MoreWith spring still a distant wisp of hope, bright colors can help us bridge the gap in the dead of winter. What a great opportunity to wear this delicious electric-toned dress by Andrea Thurlow of Engineered by Andrea T. Notched cap sleeves and slim pencil skirt bring a hint of Forties elegance to Andrea’s modern […]
Read MoreA friend recently told me about a new book by Sofia Din MD, Do We Really Need Botox? Handbook of Anti-Aging. I read the book, and I am flummoxed about what to tell you. The book offers overviews of various “anti-aging” options, including eating right and exercising. But the premise itself is questionable to me. […]
Read MoreYou might not recognize me this month with my new hair color. Even though the color has changed with each month of this column, this time it is a real surprise. Brunette! When she first saw it, my friend Rhonda at LifeThyme said, “Karen, what happened, your hair is normal!” She was shocked. The brunette […]
Read MoreMy first commercial print modeling gig has born fruit on Sixth Avenue on the Juice and Joy sandwich board! Lots of friends have mentioned seeing me on the TV screen inside the cozy juice bar on Sixth. Now I’m out on the sidewalk as well. Minor fame in the West Village! Many thanks to Mo […]
Read MoreHaving trouble getting in the spirit this holiday season? I hope that Karen’s Kinky Christmas outfit, complete with Grinch-green wig, will put you in the mood for some holiday hijinks. Come on, tell Karen, have you been naughty or nice? I have a holiday gift for you if you can guess what I am holding […]
Read MoreThe dearly awaited December issue of Vogue came out, and there was Phoebe Waller-Bridge on the cover. OMG, this was the issue I might be in! Even though, as I wrote previously, it seemed chances were very slim that I was in the shot, HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL. When my friend Simitra sent me a text […]
Read MoreSo inspiring! I just finished Anna Wintour’s Master Class on Creativity and Leadership, and my heart is bursting with creative ideas. There were so many inspiring photographs of fantastical scenes in the class, and style tableaux that my eyes literally wanted to drink up. So many details—such richness and beauty—that I wanted to keep looking […]
Read MoreWith apple-picking season flying by and Thanksgiving fast approaching, I brought out my cowboy boots for this month’s adventure on Bleecker Street. The weather was still so warm on the day of the shoot that I decided to pair the boots with flared black shorts and fishnet stockings. (Think Beyoncé at Coachella! Love this incredible […]
Read MoreI never thought I would be the mother of a gorgeous group of Kardashian stunners! But last week I got an email asking if I was available to do a shoot with The Face magazine. Of course I said yes, and a couple of days later, there I was on a set in mid-town. You […]
Read MoreYou might have guessed based on my personality and love of unique expression that I am a big fan of David Bowie. He’s definitely an influencer on my quirky style. I’ve previously mentioned conducting the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra dressed as Bowie. You may not know that I also ran the New York Marathon dressed as […]
Read MoreThe Shot That Never Was… Being Discovered… It was like a fairytale. I was walking up 6th Avenue after Barre3 class, a bag of groceries slung over my shoulder, on my way to meet my friend Robin Hirsch for a glass of wine at Spain Restaurant on W. 13th Street. It was raining fairly heavily, […]
Read MoreI had a fantasy dream come true on a recent Sunday, modeling couture designer Engineered by Andrea T’s gorgeous creations on Bleecker Street. Which is your favorite? Red dress with purple accents – eye-popping color! Mod winter-white dress with “grass” vinyl print on hem and straight black stripe down the front center line Garnet red […]
Read MoreI saw the Pierre Cardin Future Fashion exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, and loved his fascinating future-forward clothes. Cocktails at the Norm The exhibit was very dimly lit, to protect the fabric, so unfortunately these photos are all somewhat dark. Anyway, I thought it was worth the trip to Brooklyn, because it’s a fun […]
Read MoreI attended the opening of the new Pace Gallery in Chelsea this week, and had a great time checking out the 7 floors, including outdoor terrace with great views of Chelsea and downtown Manhattan. The event was covered in the New York Social Diary, in a fantastic article by Jill Krementz. Patron of the arts […]
Read MoreWith her dark hair curving against her alabaster cheek in a 1920s bob, and her signature hat, Linda Zagaria is instantly recognizable. Influenced by the stars of the silver screen, her elegant dresses and constant pearls evoke the era between the wars. Her passion for the Art Deco period led her to assume the role […]
Read MoreDiana Broussard is a creative force of nature. She’s a true pioneer in fashion design, from Calvin Klein’s eponymous underwear for women to the latest in wearable tech—exclusive, sleek handbags with customizable video displays. She has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Dior and Gucci, and started her own line […]
Read MoreKaren’s Quirky Style is all about expressing our inner joie de vivre through color and fun combinations of clothing and accessories from different sources and time periods. I love walking down the street and seeing people’s faces light up with delight at the unexpected sight before their eyes. (Namely, moi. Haha.) The outfit I’m wearing […]
Read MoreThe Met has a new exhibit in The Costume Institute‘s “Fashion Wing,” called Camp: Notes on Fashion. The above was my favorite quirky look in the exhibit. I like the mashup of elements: Mannequin holding baby Mannequin wearing glasses Plastic rainhat Chiffon ballgown with yellow birds on it
Read MoreCheck out this stunning dress at Balmain on Rue Saint-Honoré. The pleats and folds in this ivory satin asymmetrical number are exquisite. That’s me in the mirror in a magenta raincoat and fantastic pink satin sneakers by Diana Broussard. (A French designer in New York.) Style Notes My colorful tote is by Tiziano Zorzan, an […]
Read MoreSo exciting to see the Chanel shop in Paris. You know I love quirky style, but this look says Chanel is past it. That white dress under the classic Chanel suit is ugly, I’m sorry! Adding expensive accessories doesn’t redeem the ugliness. IMHO. But the make-up “glasses” on the mannequin is a cool touch… How did […]
Read MoreEverything old is new again, but the newest introduced at Paris Fashion Week this year is Le Petit Chiquito by French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus. It’s beyond the tiniest handbag you’ve ever seen, with room for ONE of these items: a single mint or piece of gum a housekey a folded-up twenty for cabfare Now […]
Read MoreFall is in the air—my favorite time of year. What a great opportunity to wear this delicious jewel-toned dress by Andrea Thurlow of Engineered by Andrea T. You may recall the story about the “Dominion Day” dress in the July issue of WestView. Andrea made this dress using extra yardage of the “Dominion Day” custom […]
Read MoreThe drag queens and fashionistas in the West Village will laugh when you hear about my awkwardness with ballgowns. I may have worn a ballgown when I was seven years old and playing dress-up with my neighbor friend’s lovely box of treasures. Certainly I dressed my Barbie in lovely floor-length gowns when I was a […]
Read MoreThis guy is carrying the opposite of a mini handbag! Hobo pants and carpetbag evoke an early quirky era. But is that a Patek Phillipe watch? Quirk-o-rama! Photo by Rosanna Magarelli. On location in Geneva with my gal pal Rosanna, we are staying at Hotel N’vy, which is stuffed with quirky artwork from European and […]
Read MoreConfession time. I’m a shoe fanatic! I have a friend who decides what she’s going to wear on a given day based on which pieces in her remarkable jewelry collection she feels like displaying. For me, it’s all about the shoes. I will often pull together an outfit based on which of my dearest pair […]
Read MoreFor me, having fun with fashion is about finding pieces I love at the most unexpected moments, and then combining them with old favorites to come up with an entirely new, unique look. I call this “Karen’s Quirky Style”: You won’t find these ensembles in Vogue They don’t cost a mint No one else wears […]
Read MoreThe National Arts Club celebrated Jo Weldon’s new book, Fierce: The History of Leopard Print, in March, with a leopard-spotted event that had stylish New Yorkers turning out in truck-loads of faux pelts adorning every imaginable garment from boots to hats. Touted as a “neutral,” leopard prints might have been invented as nature’s camo, but […]
Read MoreI met actress Bettina Schwabe at a party for an investor club at VNYL in the East Village. She asked me where I got my jewelry, so I’m dishing a few secrets here to share with you… Style Tip Style doesn’t have to be expensive. One of the signatures of Karen’s Quirky Style is to […]
Read MoreI saw Advanced Style at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2014, right before my first trip to New York, and writer Ari and writer-director Lina were there to talk to the audience. All the women in the audience showed up wearing their couture and outlandish rigs, and it was a celebration of our unique […]
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