After a tentative fall social season, New York’s charity circuit went on hiatus in December due to the wave of Omicron. Here’s how some philanthropists and civic figures have spent the past month.
Prabal Gurung
Age: 43
Activity: fashion designer
Favorite charities: Shikshya Foundation, Gold House
Where did you get shot?
I’m firmly planted in New York, in an apartment near Washington Square Park. Right after the Black Lives Matter movement started, I knew I was witnessing a historic moment. I wanted to add my body to the protests. I’ve also seen the city come alive in the most glorious of ways – people dancing and dancing in the streets. I miss traveling, I won’t lie, but I’m glad I decided to stay.
Do you have a daily routine?
I am awake at 6 am. I meditate for 15 to 20 minutes, drink my apple cider and vinegar, and make my bed—a habit from my boarding school education. I have breakfast with my mother every day. I listen to a lot of music: English, Hindi, Balinese. I have a karaoke machine at home. I sing.
Will the start of New York Fashion Week on February 11 bring any special challenges?
After 12 years in the business, you know the hardships, the hours it’s going to take. You come to a place where fear is just a given. There is always a crescendo. It’s like being an athlete preparing for this moment.
So it’s just business as usual?
Not at all. Our factories have shrunk. We depend on the supply chain, but everything is delayed. Perhaps the lesson is that we can slow down a bit.
Have there been deeper lessons?
The pandemic makes us realize how closely we are connected. Everything that happens in a faraway country also happens here. We have to be there for each other socially and psychologically.
Have you found other outlets for your creativity?
During the pandemic, my friends and I launched ‘House of Slay’, a superhero web comic series. It’s all about empowerment, inclusiveness and fun. Our goal is to extend it to television and film.
Are you a fan of New Year’s resolutions?
One of my favorite books is ‘Things Fall Apart’, a good reminder of our transience. It was my New Years resolution to finish it. My other New Year’s resolution is to fall in love this year. I have worked a lot on myself to meet someone who has the same values as mine. In life and work, I think, he must have depth and lightness.
Marina Rust
Age: 57
Activity: author
Favorite Charity: North Shore Animal League America
Where did you cry?
I’ve been to my apartment on the Upper East Side. I look out at a row of trees in the middle of my block. It’s very quiet here.
Is that a blessing or a curse?
I’ve been in isolation for years. Quarantine used to be a self-imposition. Taking precautions and limiting social contact is now quite easy for me. Seeing people may be all well and good, but I’ve learned it’s okay to have fewer friends around.
How do you stay connected?
I like to talk on the phone. And I’ve turned to Instagram to connect with old friends in a way I didn’t have before the pandemic.
Did some of them surprise you?
On Instagram I came across a photo from last year around this time. I thought, “Oh, what’s my friend from 1992 doing at the Rebellion?” I think how easily people we had things in common with moved to the other side.
What irritates you nowadays?
I am amazed at the number of people who say they cannot be vaccinated because of their immunocompromised position. As someone who has been dealing with multiple sclerosis for 25 years, that doesn’t make sense to me.
What lifts you up?
I am one of those people who bakes. I wanted to perfect my pumpkin and my cherry pie. I enjoyed watching “The Greatest Events of WWII in Color” on Netflix. It puts things in perspective.
Your 1993 novel, “Meetings”, aroused much interest at the time. Is there a new book in the making??
Yes. The working title is ‘Pre-existing Conditions’, a collection of essays examining the past, present and future – that is, the future of the coming months.
Have you kept your New Year’s resolutions?
I notice that I am winding down. If I don’t have to go to a baby shower, I don’t need a pastel skirt.
Have you turned to a pandemic uniform?
I outgrew all my clothes when I started baking. I replaced my 2020 Frances Valentine kaftan with a white or camel tunic from CO, and wide-leg jeans from Uniqlo. I still buy some nice pieces, one size bigger, and often second-hand. I put it away like a squirrel storing nuts in a tree. If my waist gets bigger again, I’ll have a problem. I need a two month heads up so I can do sit ups before going out again.
Bevy Smith
Age: 55
activity: Writer, actress, radio and television personality
Favorite charities: Harlem United, Harlem Parade, Cool Culture
Where did you cry?
I stayed in my apartment in Harlem. I have an outdoor space. I call it my smoking alcove. When my father died of Covid in April, so many people came to visit me in the alcove. We would drink cocktails and talk. I will never leave this place. They’ll have to get me out. This is my community.
What surrounds you at home?
I collect art, especially African American art. Some of my favorite pieces are by Mickalene Thomas, Derek Adams and of course Kehinde. I just bought a beautiful piece of African art from Sotheby’s in London, and a Kerry James Marshall print.
What keeps you in balance?
I wake up every morning and get to decide what my day will look like. I started acting in a new TV show called ‘Harlem’. My character is Aunt Tammy. She made her debut in December. What I’m committed to four days a week is ‘Bevelations’, my talk show on SiriusXM. Otherwise, I take the time to sit in my backyard and write in my diaries. I am determined to take a step back and really enjoy my life.
In your memoirs“chamfers,” you promised that in your next book you would say more about your personal relationships with Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur and Sean Combs. How does that work?
I will definitely write another memoir. But the book I want to work on in the next few years is a children’s book about Little Brown Bevy. She is a world traveler. Everywhere she goes she makes friends.
Is she an alter ego, made from your experience?
I like to travel alone when going to major cities. If you’ve ever sat alone in Notre Dame, you’ll just want to take it all in. You want to have your quiet time pursuing your nerdy pursuits.
Want to share a New Year’s “Bevolution”?
My mantra is, “It gets bigger later.” I cook with gas at 55. I am fully committed to going with the flow this year. I’m not chasing anything at all. I’ve done the job. Now I’m going to count all the blessings that come my way.
