Faran Krentcil

Once upon a time when I was interning for a local indie designer on east 9th street,A cool chic southern belle with top notch style lived across the street,making her my neighbor. Her name was April Hughs and she was a fashion stylist/editor at Elle Magazine. I would see April at all the major shows during fashion week and she'd stop in to pull something at Cynthia Rowley where I was interning as well. I'd be backstage dressing the models and she'd be rubbing elbows with the designers. Back then I was 18 and she 25 which used to be an adult in my eyes. Later on April became the leading fashion editor for this new hip magazine in town with editorials to die for. That magazine was NYLON MAG!!! This brought April to new heights in my young girl fashion hungry eyes...

This story being said,it's pretty clear why Faran Krentcil is editor worship worthy in my book,since currently she is on top of NYLON MAG hierarchy !!!

Faran Krentcil is a friendly fashionista on the trend-setting circuit. She was a major key player in bringing Fashionista.com to new heights, "Thank God for Fashionista!". Her curly blond hair and inviting smile makes her super approachable and equally adorable. I am overjoyed to have Faran as an addition to my blog full of female gems.

-Kristen May

Faran Krentcil

NYLON MAG Digital Director/Taste Maker/Unpretentious Fashionista

-Are you an uptown girl or a downtown girl?

I'm a downtown girl with a midtown library card and an uptown wish list.  How's that?

-That's fabulous,you are a girl after my own heart...Where do you live and why?

I live in Soho, because I got an invitation that I couldn't refuse.

-Best place to brunch?

A good guy's bed.  Second place: Westville East on 11th St; amazing sweet potato fries...

-Best place for a cocktail?

Morning: The Bloody Maria at La Palapa, East Village

Afternoon: The Peach Bellini at Mercer Kitchen, Soho

Evening: The Mulled Wine at Cafe Gitane, the Jane Hotel, West Village

Late Night: The Tequila Gimlet at Cabin, East Village

Always: The best place for a cocktail is underneath my desk.

-Which are the coolest concept stores here in Manhattan?

The Nike Sportswear store on Mercer Street is incredible for its design. Opening Ceremony is brilliant for its high-low merchandise and its cool-but-not-aloof staff.  Inven.tory understands that stylish and curious kids need outfits to match, with prices they can afford.  And Wonderland Beauty Parlor in the Meatpacking District is so fun  They have crazy makeup, cool jewelry, insane scratch-and-sniff wallpaper, plus incredible hair stylists - it's a must-visit!

- Tell us what it is you do and why you love it.

I'm the Digital Director for NYLON Magazine.  That means I'm in charge of bringing the NYLON Universe online through stories, images, videos, music, and nights of no sleep.  I love it because I get to be creative every day. I love it because I work with incredible people who aren't afraid to tell me when I'm wrong.  I love it because it gives me an excuse to carry my camera everywhere. I love it because when I was 17, I bought a copy of NYLON in a supermarket, and for the first time I felt like somebody, somewhere, knew who I wanted to be. 

- What is the toughest thing about being a hot young editor on the rise?

Um... being called "a hot young editor on the rise."  But also, it's probably the same thing that's tough for anyone who's ambitious and working in a big city - you have to learn it's not a race, and that someone else's success doesn't mean your failure.  You have to learn that what you want is going to keep changing, and chasing that fulfillment is the fun part.

- Best place to watch it girls in their natural habitat?

The dressing rooms at Kirna Zabete and Barneys Co-Op.  People really let their guard down when they're shopping for Stella McCartney.  Strange but true.

- If a young girl wants to be a fashion editor in NYC when she grows up what is your advice on how to pursue that path?

Study it!  Be a nerd about it!  Seriously.  Read the weekly fashion stories by Lisa Armstrong in the Times UK and Cathy Horyn and Eric Wilson in the Times NY. Check out "The Beautiful Fall," "The End of Fashion," and "Sample" in your library.  Subscribe to European fashion magazines to learn about international designers.  Take a foreign language.  Use the internet and read NYLON, Dazed Digital, Style.com, WWD Online, Fashionista.com, all the street style blogs...  And get a job.  Any job.  Save all the money you can while you're in high school and college so you can afford to intern all summer in NYC.  Don't use any of that money for shopping - buy a vintage handbag, a great-fitting pair of jeans, and you're golden.  Just get to the point where you can intern, and then be prepared to work harder than you've ever worked in your life, for no money and (usually) no gratitude.  And then if you still love it, you'll know. (And if you don't love it, guess what? You're young, you're strong, you're smart - the rest of the world is dying to hang out with you.)

- What has been your best NYC moment yet?

Seeing my first byline in The New York Times.  It was only a 500-word story, but I cried.  I bawled right there in the middle of the bodega.  Best morning ever.

- How do you wind down and relax?

I'm kind of bipolar about that: Half the time, I want to go out (and out, and out) with my friends.  I'll dance and drink until 5 am, and I'll be thrilled with it.  But the rest of the time, I'm very solitary - I'm working on a play, so I'll hide out and write.  Or I'll lock my bedroom door and jump on the bed to Led Zeppelin records.  I do that a lot. Actually, my bed's kind of broken because I've been jumping on it so much... well, someone else was on it too.  He definitely helped.

- Tell us who your favorite up and comers on in the area of fashion,art,music and film and so on.

Music: The XX, Yacht, Metric, Animal Kingdom, Lissy Trullie, Kurt Vile, The Noisettes...

Film: I can't wait for the Serge Gainsbourg biopic to get here from France... Mia Wasikowska was so excellent on HBO's In Treatment so Wonderland should be fun... It'll be interesting to see if Zoe Kravitz makes a name for herself with Twelve... Zoe Kazan scares me because we look alike, so I'm dying to know what she'll do next... Bryce Dallas Howard is exceptional in The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, and I always want to see more of her... I hope Alia Shawkat kicks ass in The Runaways...  There's a young director named Lily Greenfield Sanders who's absolutely amazing. We went to high school together, so I've always thought so, but really, check her out.  Also, I'm still obsessed with Rebecca Hall from Vicky Christina Barcelona and Frost / Nixon - I think she's going to be huge.

Art:  I defer this question to Melissa Bent, who's terrifyingly smart and should be your next interview subject.

Fashion:  I mean, it's ten degrees outside.  Just throw on a pair of jeans that actually fit you, a pea coat, a genuine smile, and call it a day.

-What can we expect from you in the future.

I'm writing a book.  You should expect to read it in the future.  Also: spontaneous combustion. 

- Give us advice on romance

1.  Question friends who think that having a boyfriend is an accomplishment or goal.

2.  Flirt early.  Flirt often. 

3.  Marriage may not be for life, but tattoos are.  So be careful.

4.  Romance is good.  Love is better.

Comments

[BCC]

Amazing woman with amazing answers. Good job with the interview!

[Stephanie]

Wow, love/wanna be this girl!

[rose]

Faran is awesome!

[Sarah]

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky his is to have you.... The one who turns to his friends and says, 'that's her.' ;)