Photographed by Piera Gelardi
Full disclosure: This pic was taken roughly a decade ago, by my then CITY magazine cohort, Piera Gelardi. Yes, the very same Piera who is now R29's executive creative director (and my eternal creative partner in crime). Upon first glance, when she first brought it in, I thought...DAMN, my skin looks GOOD! Upon second glance, I thought, so very happily, about how far we two have come. It's been almost eight years since we hooked back up to join co-founders Justin and Philippe in bringing Refinery29 to life. In digital years, I think that's like 108. But in reality, it feels like the blink of an eye.
That site, the R29 you've come to know and love, keeps on growing up, changing, and getting better, as evidenced by our recent redesign, which debuted just last weekend. It was—and is—a big moment for us. As we continue to blossom into the global lifestyle destination you're reading right here, we're staying firmly tied to our beginnings as an indie fashion- and personal-style site, too. You told us what you think, and so much of your sharp and sincerely thoughtful feedback has already made its way to our tech, product, edit, and creative teams' road maps. The truth is, this site is forever a work in a progress...as, perhaps, all things in the digital world should be — and can be. Beautiful, funny, irreverent, surprising, and always inspiring. At least that is our goal, and always what we think about when we're creating the content and experience we'd want to immerse ourselves in. Case in point: Our new Sunday FUNday newsletter, what we hope will serve as the perfect little stylish cheat-sheet to kick off your week with a smile (and maybe some sarcasm, too).
Yes, that's me and Elvis, ten years older and wiser. You can't see it, but there's a very good chance I'm wearing some TLC-style Miss Sixty cargo pants in that shot (talk about a work in progress!). Happy Sunday everyone! xxCb