-photo and interview by Romina McGuinness
In many ways, Nicola Vassell represents the “new” New York way of dressing. The city is ground zero for the credit crunch and has become a place where girls feel guilty for purchasing a showy designer bag or an expensive on-trend piece. 
Vassell in a vintage dress and Max Mara blazer
1) The city
“Manhattan is my passion. I love that there is always something new,” she says. “New York City style is multi-variant; from chic to rugged, avant garde to conventional. And so my way of dressing is much like New York. It’s kind of multi-polar. I’m always experimenting,” she explains.
2) The day ahead
Unlike most people, Vassell doesn’t have a typical workday. She could be in the gallery helping install a show one day, at her desk coordinating interviews for one of the many artists she manages (including painters Kehinde Wiley and Tauba Auerbach) on another, or meeting with collectors at an art fair the next. So functionality is important. “I think about what I must achieve that day. I rarely go home to change for evening, so whatever I put on needs to transition without commotion from day to night,” she says. “So I rely on statement pieces that can go from, say, the belted, well-starched auction house look to the cruddy, unpretentious art party,” she adds.
3) Her personal stamp
Vassell says she’s already been a sucker for trendy trends and doesn’t need to go there again, thank you very much. “I laugh looking back at them. Remember neon color bicycle shorts? Or jean shorts cut at the knee and rolled up? I was a victim,” she admits. “At this point I know what works for me. I think women looking to have a unique personal style should stay away from trends unless she can prop them up in her own personal manner.”
It’s a real sign of the times that one of the fashion world’s biggest events of the year, came courtesy of a fast fashion chain known for its relatively inexpensive wares. Marc Jacobs, Anna Wintour, Jason Wu, Jennifer Hudson and Jennifer Lopez were among the guests who showed up at Balthazar in New York last night to help Kate Moss and Phillip Green celebrate the opening of Topshop. In other TS news, the Guardian ran a pretty hilarious opening day survival guide this week.
