My (not-very) Devil Wears Prada stint as an editor in New York
Living in the Big Apple, trash TV, what to buy and much more!
Back in the early noughties, I was working as an editor on a travel magazine in London, when my boss offered me a transfer to the New York office. I didn’t need to be asked twice. I’d been desperate to live abroad for years.
The company didn’t offer help with finding accommodation (which feels very, “a million girls would kill for this job”), so I turned to Craigslist, which I’ve since realised is basically a murder site. Luckily, I found Becky, an American the same age as me looking for a roommate in Brooklyn. There was no Zoom or even Facebook back then to do some gentle pre-move stalking. Just a quick phone call and that was that.
I arrived at JFK with one suitcase and absolutely zero common sense. Somewhere between customs and the taxi rank, I realised I didn’t actually have my new address written down anywhere – nor did I have a phone. It was to be the first of many conundrums that come from being a slightly spoilt 20-something who assumed that someone would always swoop in and save her.
To be fair, they usually did.
A few days later, when I left my purse in a cab, the massive security guard at Bed, Bath & Beyond paid for my journey home. And the following week, the purse turned up - posted by the lady who climbed into the taxi after me and painstakingly dug out my details. So much for the mean streets of New York.
Still, most of the time, I felt wildly out of my depth. New York felt cooler than London. I felt impossibly prim with my stupid English accent. On the second night, Becky invited me to go out drinking with her Williamsburg friends, who all looked like they belonged in an indie music video. When we finally made it to the front of the queue, I realised that you always needed to carry ID to get into bars. My passport was back at the flat. We were all turned away. The shame!
I never properly worked out the subway system either, and more than once found myself trying to style out my mistakes on the streets of Harlem or wherever I’d ended up. One morning, as I sat waiting for a train, I saw a pair of bare feet walking past me, looked up and there was an entirely naked woman walking up and down the platform. Nobody else batted an eyelid.
Work was where I felt most at home, and thankfully my American boss, Orion (“like the stars”), was about as far from Miranda Priestley as it’s possible to be. I’m still friends with him today. His dog, Kawaii, a giant labradoodle, used to come into the office and sit by my feet while I wrote.
At lunchtimes, I’d wander around an empty Dumbo (long before it was gentrified enough to have its own Soho House) looking out over the skyline, wondering how on earth I’d ended up there.
For months, I lived on an inflatable mattress in Becky’s apartment, in limbo about whether I should commit to staying (and therefore buy an actual bed) or go back home. Typically, I’d met someone just weeks before I left and we were in contact every day.
Eventually, he came out to visit, and booked us into the W Hotel in Union Square, which at the time I found impossibly grown-up. We did all the Manhattan things I’d been desperate to do since I arrived – cycling around Central Park, shopping at Bloomingdales, drinking cocktails in strange little basement bars. Then he flew home and it was back to Brooklyn and my blow-up bed.
I made plans to move back home a few weeks later. Ultimately, I was lonely. I never did end up working on a fashion magazine or becoming the next Andy Sachs, but thank God, because travel journalism had its own perks — and a new life in Hong Kong was waiting in the wings.
HOME COMFORTS WITH… OLIVIA VON SIEMENS
This week I’m interviewing my cool cousin Liv, who moved out to New York last year and is making a much better job of it than I did! She lives in Brooklyn, not far from where I was over 20 years ago, with her new wife Soph. Over to you, Liv!
Where do you live and how long have you lived there for?
I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NYC. I moved here in July last year with my wife Sophia and our two cats Shy and Lux. Shy came with us from London and Lux is our new rescue baby!
How did you find your home?
Through hours of online searching! We were set on the area so it took a couple of months to find the perfect place.
Your favourite thing about the house and your biggest niggle about it!
The view, it’s postcard Manhattan skyline and looks cool all day and night. The only thing I don’t love about the space is how small the bedrooms are.
What’s the most ‘New York’ thing that’s happened to you so far?
Honestly so many things! Just two nights ago I met Gwyneth Paltrow in the bathroom of The Polo Bar (she shared the burger and wedge salad with a friend for anyone wondering). I also LOVE seeing them filming on the streets, they have code names for privacy. Last summer I was In Cobble Hill and saw them filming for “Cerulean” which was The Devil Wears Prada 2. Sadly I didn’t see Anne Hathaway or Meryl Streep.
Where did you grow up? Did anything about your childhood home inspire your current home?
I grew up in Cheshire in the English countryside. It doesn’t get more contrasting than that!
What’s your current TV obsession?
I binge watched I Love LA. I’m just generally obsessed with Rachel Sennott and anything she does.
Best home comfort meal?
Is it crazy I don’t have one? We are not big on cooking and there are so many amazing restaurants around. Cozy Royale takes my no.1 spot, their vodka rigatoni is insanely good and Checchi’s in Manhattan is a close second! I judge restaurants largely by their martinis and fries. If we’re ordering in, then it's usually sushi or pho. I do miss a good roast though!
Book currently on your bedside table?
Bad Summer People, but it’s functioning as more of a coaster at the moment!
Background noise in your house?
“The Humpty Hitlist”. Every year my friends and I make a collaborative Spotify playlist and spend the year adding songs we’re loving listening to. I have it on in the background all the time at home and it basically becomes the soundtrack to the year. I love going back to old ones because they instantly bring back memories of that time. We’re on year seven now!
My garden is….
Non-existent, but we do have a great rooftop with BBQs and sunloungers overlooking the city.
Have you ever lived elsewhere in the world (or country) - what was the most memorable thing about your home there?
I lived in London for 10 years before moving here. Our flat in Hackney had a little sun trap terrace that we renovated one summer and I had so many fun times out there.
Your favourite home from home?
A lot of cities in the UK feel like home to me for different reasons. It would be hard to choose between London, Manchester and Newcastle.
Is there anything in your apartment to remind you of London?
We had a few pieces of furniture shipped over from our London apartment, they arrived before we bought anything new so it instantly felt like home! We have a big London map artwork in the office and a guide to East London book front and centre on the coffee table. The vibe in Greenpoint really reminds me of our neighbourhood in London so it feels like home without trying.
TV STUFF
Should I Marry a Murderer?
Why am I – and so many of my female friends – attracted to these Netflix murder documentaries? It’s a sociological study waiting to happen. Anyway, this one is about Caroline Muirhead, a Scottish doctor who hooks up with Alexander, a farmer, on a dating app and is engaged within weeks. Before they are married, he confesses to her that he once killed somebody and buried the body in a hit-and-run. I won’t tell you the rest but it’s totally insane.
SALLY’S HIGH STREET PICK OF THE WEEK
My most fashionable friend (and fashion buyer extraordinaire) wants you to know about this shirt.
“You can’t beat a crisp new shirt in a new season stripe. I’m loving the new SS M&S collection (have a look at their first-ever catwalk show in Ibiza if you haven’t already!) and this shirt is fab with its fashion sleeve. I’m wearing mine with some off white barrel leg jeans.”
Ok - gotta dash! Enjoy the week and I’ll see you here next time.
P.S
📰 You’re reading the free version of Nesting which I send out twice a month. If you upgrade to a paid subscription you can read it every week. Ah go on.
Enjoyed your tale of being an innocent abroad in New York. Often the fastest way to learn! Glad the streets weren’t as mean as their reputation.
Also ‘lived’ in NYC for the summer when I was 18 and stayed at the NYU halls of residence. Living abroad is the best thing ever.