CITY WALK 001 with Stella Pyles
An imaginary walk down 6th Avenue with a creative pragmatist
Welcome to the first installment of a new column from the desk of ECF. This time we are taking it to the streets. Introducing: the city walk series.
When I first created this Substack two years ago, it was born out of one of my favorite weekend morning routines: reading blogs and magazines in bed with my coffee. I wanted to push myself to write and publish my own version of the things that I wanted to read about. And maybe some of you would find it cool along the way. I can’t believe there are 60+ of you reading this now…like imagine if all of you came over to my apartment and I blabbered on about what was on my mind that day…crazy cool. Anyways, something I used to love reading in high school was the J.Crew catalog. Each month I’d flip through to find the editorial-style column where they interviewed a friend and showed a day in their life in the city (wearing J.Crew, naturally). What stood out to me the most was not the fashion, but rather the spirit of the city lifestyle. The charm of reading about this or that person’s favorite spots and what they did on their own weekends in the city. It showed me a big city dream that could (and did) one day become my reality.
Now, as an urban planner, a placemaker, design strategist, and an overall creative being (hopefully one day a “creative director” for something, who knows?!), I strive to understand the city at the eye-level, on my own personal, human scale. And through this blog, I hope to help each of you and your curious urban minds become more thoughtful and observant of the world around you. Because ultimately the best spaces in cities are those that evoke personal identity and belonging, and that inspire the imagination.
So, in the absence of having my own column in Dezeen or Monocle (if you’re somehow reading this, call me!), I have decided to create my own version of my dream city walk column here on my Substack, where we will be taking an imaginary walk down different people’s favorite streets. And yes, I know I was born too late to watch Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, so don’t worry - I won’t be putting on a cardigan (unless Saint Laurent wants to send me a chic navy sweater to wear, I’d happily oblige). This imaginary city walk will be an opportunity to understand why a particular street or space makes you feel a certain way. And, of course, it will also include various opinions and interruptions to discuss art, culture, design, style, creativity, etc. etc.
Consider this new series now part of your required cultural (and architectural) review reading.
And maybe if you like it, let me know. I’m curious about what you are curious about, and I’d love to brainstorm who to take a city walk with next.
Let’s go…
ETHAN FLOYD: Oh hey, Stella! What city street are we taking an imaginary walk down today?
STELLA PYLES: We’re taking a walk down 6th Ave—running through the West Village.
ETHAN: Why did you pick it? What do you love about it?
STELLA: It’s one of my favorite streets in the city—my friends and I spend so much time on and around that street. It’s where I would meet up with my now best friends for breakfast when we all first moved to New York and barely knew a soul, it’s where we hop from wine bar to wine bar on a Friday night looking for an open table because no matter how many times we learn this lesson, we never make reservations. And it just so happens to be the location of the office of my very first job in the city—it was tucked away in a little garden, and one of the most magical places I’ve ever seen. It made me so excited to be starting my career in New York.
ETHAN: 6th Avenue, especially as you get away from more of the corporate buildings in midtown and closer to the Village, the architectural expression changes. It moves to a lot more of a human-scale. The buildings are _________.
STELLA: Warm. Like you can breathe a little easier as the buildings turn from galvanized steel beams to ivy-covered brick.
ETHAN: That reminds me of how Jan Gehl would assess a street. It’s sticky…in a good way. The design at that part of 6th Avenue that you’re describing has the ability to make you linger around. I love your memories of the garden. I think more streets need secret little gardens. It also helps that Breakfast by Salt’s Cure is nearby. So whether you’re waiting for a brunch table or need a mini break from the work day, a well-rounded street (by design) with places to linger creates this sort of relatable ecosystem. How much do you think about the built environment, or urban design, when you are going about your day-to-day in New York?
STELLA: Subliminally, I think a lot. I think it really affects the way that I move through the city, bringing different aspects of my personality to the surface depending on the scene. Sky-high buildings uptown make me feel inspired, proud to be here, and yet so small at the same time. When the buildings get smaller and more historic, the little girl that grew up in a small town in Virginia takes up more space, and it makes me feel more sentimental. Both environments bring out a, “I can’t believe I get to be here,” feeling—but in different fonts.
ETHAN: You mentioned this street and the surrounding area were your ol’ stomping grounds when you were an intern. I’m guessing you’ve graduated from the intern role since then. What do you do now?
STELLA: I work for a luxury fashion brand as Senior Content Monetization Manager. It’s a lot of digital content strategy and ideation. It’s my dream job.
ETHAN: And you are absolutely killing it! I love reading your writing on Substack. I remember reading your post from The Creative Pragmatist, and I was like “Woah, I have to meet this Stella!” and then I think I just cold dm’d you on a Thursday afternoon hahaha. And here we are now!
STELLA: And that’s the beauty of this city! I think sometimes, especially in the beginning—whether you’ve just moved here or you’re just starting out in a new industry, it can feel like such a large landscape, but it’s so interconnected. That’s one of the best things about my job, is connecting with other people through writing, work, common interests.
ETHAN: One thing that I’ve found interesting lately is this discussion around retail storefront vacancies and the trend towards retail experiential design, as opposed to it being solely about making a transaction, especially in New York. What do you think makes a good retail space in a city today?
STELLA: I know for myself, when I walk into a store (I love window shopping) I want to remember it after I leave. A lot of my thoughts about what makes a retail space really effective is drawn from my experiences working in a small boutique in my hometown during college. I would do the window displays, merchandising, social media—and it was all clearly handmade. I think that really resonated with my clients. They knew that when they walked into the store, they were meeting a real person, browsing products from brands that my colleagues and I knew personally, and they were becoming immersed in an environment that was curated by real human hands. Does that make sense?
ETHAN: Totally! That’s funny, I also used to be a retail associate at a local boutique on my small town’s main street. Do you think fashion design can take inspiration from architecture or urban design? And vice versa? What’s the creative overlap between the two?
STELLA: I’m not a designer, and there is so much about fashion design that I can’t even wrap my head around—architectural design, too. I am in marketing, though, and I will say that when I’m looking at a fashion campaign, I can’t help but notice how important the set design is to convey the message of the collection. Whether it’s a building, a living room, abstract structures, who knows. So, from that perspective, I think the two are intrinsically intertwined.
ETHAN: You recently explored the idea of applying the creative pragmatist scale to interior design, tell me more. …
STELLA: Like I said, I’m not a designer by any means, but interior design is something that I love talking about. My mom’s house feels like a perfectly curated museum—not in the sense that everything is perfectly just-so, but that it so perfectly exudes the essence of who she is. That’s something that has always inspired me, and I always try to do the same with my own spaces (many pieces borrowed from my mom…sorry, mom!). The beautiful thing about the CP Scale is that it applies to so much more than just clothing, and playing around with what each level would look like depending on where someone might land on the scale was such a fun exercise—it really made me think about the little characteristics in each of our homes that communicate who we are.
ETHAN: Ok since you work in the fashion industry, I have to ask about your outfit. What are you wearing today for our walk down 6th Avenue?
STELLA: I’m wearing my tried and true uniform. On most days, no matter the season, I can be found wearing a white t-shirt, my black Tropical Wool Max Blazer, a pair of men’s jeans, and loafers.
ETHAN: What are your three adjectives?
STELLA: It’s funny, if you had asked me this same question even five years ago, I would have found three synonyms for the word “edgy” and claimed those to be my three adjectives. Right now, I’m definitely leaning more classic and feminine, soft maybe. I think that’s reflective of where I’m at in my life—Strong, refined, uncomplicated.
ETHAN: If you could have dinner with one fashion designer and one architect together, who would they be?
STELLA: Shocker (said sarcastically) but it would be Frank Lloyd Wright, and maybe Jonathan Anderson. I used to live in a little suburb with houses inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and it had such a big impact on my design preferences. I think the three of us would have a really interesting conversation, given that both artists have such different but somehow complementary aesthetics.
ETHAN: Ah, I love that combo. I want to join for that dinner, too. I recently thought about Jonathan Anderson’s journey and how it can offer an anecdote for young creatives no matter what industry they are in. What’s one piece of style advice you wish you could give to everyone?
STELLA: Oh geez. There’s so much, but I think if I had to pick just one piece of advice, it would be to just wear what makes you feel like yourself. It’s not about your seasonal colors, or which trend has “core” tacked onto the end of it. Just wear what feels like you.
ETHAN: What fuels your creativity?
STELLA: So many things. Ironically enough, trips to my hometown always leave me feeling so creatively fed. Going to estate sales with my mom, helping her swap the art out on her walls, flipping through her endless coffee table book collection. Talking to my friends—sometimes those winding conversations are the only solve for my creative blocks.
ETHAN: How do you stop yourself from spiralling into too many tangents when your creativity becomes a storm? AKA How do you manage to consistently, creatively produce at a high level?
STELLA: In a professional capacity, I have a pretty good system. Lots of note-taking, bouncing thoughts off the brains of my colleagues. Just starting—sometimes it might end in a different direction, but it always gets done. In my personal life, goodness…it can take me three weeks to write a Substack post. I haven’t quite figured that one out yet.
ETHAN: What advice do you have for fellow young professionals or creatives?
STELLA: The basics of course—wear a blazer, demonstrate behavior that you would want to see in your own employees someday. But also the things that you aren’t necessarily taught—to really embrace where you’re at in your career. It’s very hard to grow and progress when you haven’t fully explored every aspect of your current role. It’s good to fill the shoes you’re in. And then when you grow out of them, you’ll thank them for getting you from point A to point B, and get a bigger pair. And embrace ambiguity. That’s some of the best advice I’ve ever been given.
ETHAN: Okay, back to 6th Avenue, what’s one thing you’d like to see added, changed, or altered in its urban fabric?
STELLA: Hahaha. More outdoor seating!!! I want to be parked outside in a chair with a glass of wine and debrief with my friends.
ETHAN: What are your favorite spots on the street?
STELLA: Right on 6th Ave, one of my favorite places is Olio e Piu. My sister and I used to frequent it and those were some of my favorite times in the city. Right off 6th Ave, there’s DomoDomo (best sushi I’ve had yet) and Breakfast by Salt’s Cure—lots of sweet memories here, many of which involve meeting people that I would consider chosen family today.
ETHAN: Lastly, if you could send a postcard from 6th Avenue to yourself to read 5 years from now, what would you write?
STELLA:
Something short and sweet. To the point. Something along the lines of:
“Writing you from one of your favorite spots in the city, thinking about how far you've come since now. In five years, I hope you’re still doing work you’re proud of, surrounded by people who get it—and still doordashing the same overpriced sushi every Sunday.
Soak it all up. Stay sharp. Stay open.
See you in five.”
—You
