Happy 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 so striking, I was smitten.

I happened to have this amazing Nibushiki-style two-piece kimono, a gift that two friends in Vancouver brought back for me from Japan many years ago. And you know how I love trying on new hairstyles and makeup! Let the fun begin…

Of course I already had blue lipstick. Doesn’t everyone? I like MAC’s “Dreampot” baby blue—it smells like baby aspirin. And I have several shades of aqua eyeshadow from my David Bowie “Life on Mars” outfit. I set aside four hours to put this look together, and it was almost enough time! Luckily Amy and Phil are always flexible. I created a little montage of the makeup transformation as I was doing it, which I’ll share later on Instagram.

Doing the braids was quite a challenge, though my hair was actually long enough to weave a few inches into the braid. Thank goodness for Teaira Walker’s amazing braid tutorial on YouTube! She’s gorgeous, super fun, and her braid is AMAZING. My mom always braided my hair when I was a kid, but this is another level of braiding as artform. The sky-blue braiding material I chose comes as a four-foot long frizzy puff that must be tamed into submission. Not easy!

A Zen Garden

I remembered a serene Zen garden that would be the perfect location for the shoot. I discovered the Stonefield Landscape Sculpture, also known as the Stonefield Native Garden, some years ago on a run along the waterfront. It’s just north of Chelsea Piers at West 24th Street and Twelfth Avenue. I made a video of the sounds of silence there as part of my “New York Love Affair” video series. Of course the sound of New York is still a dull roar, even if there are no distinct sounds emerging from the ground of noise.

Our shoot took place on a glorious sunny December day—not nearly as cold as some of our past December shoots! But what was truly surprising was that the garden was deserted on a sunny Saturday afternoon. This is a rarity indeed, to find a tranquil spot by the Hudson River in Chelsea.

The garden’s graceful weeping willows and striking granite stones made a wonderful backdrop for the sky-blue Nibushiki kimono. The raked-gravel court is surrounded by native perennial plants that include goatsbeard, Joe-Pye weed, and blazing star. The artist, Meg Webster, handpicked each large stone from quarries in New York State and northeast Pennsylvania. She arranged each stone to showcase its unique characteristics, unusual sculptural qualities, and individual “being-ness”.

Some of you may know that I studied ecopsychology at Naropa, a Tibetan Buddhist university in Boulder, Colorado. The Stonefield Garden evokes the same profound stillness I experienced in the meditation hall at Naropa. It’s truly a special place.

Style Notes

• Sky-blue Nibushiki kimono with pattern of clouds and cream, raspberry and ochre flowers. Gift from Japan from friends. Example here at Taiko.
• Black wooden Geta platform sandals with padded black floral straps. GK-O on Amazon.
• Colorful two-two Tabi ankle socks. Artfasion on Amazon.
• Sky-blue jumbo braids from the Anytime collection designed by Modu Trading, from material made in Japan. Wigs and Plus, 37 West 14th St.
• Sukeban braid styling advice from Nim at Salon Ziba, 74 Seventh Avenue. Many thanks to Teaira Walker for her awesome braid tutorial.

My Favorite Books on Zen

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig
• Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki
• Everyday Zen, by Charlotte Joko Beck
• Beyond Happiness: The Zen Way to True Contentment, by Ezra Bayda

Dedication

This column is dedicated to my friend Arthur Lambert, who passed away last year. He was ready to go, and faced his death with love for those he left behind and an eagerness for the next adventure. Arthur was my first friend in New York and he supported all of my creative ventures, including this column, with a warm enthusiasm. The more outrageous the outfit, the better he liked it. This was his favorite. I miss him.