“Why Don’t You…?” was the famous over-the-top expression of Diana Vreeland, the Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief who revolutionized the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. Diana was a style mentor to me all my life with her amusing, over-the-top “Why Don’t You…? quips like:   “Why Don’t You… rinse your blond child’s hair in dead champagne to keep it gold, as they do in France?”   “Why Don’t You…Have your bed made in China—the most beautiful bed imaginable, the headboard and spread of yellow satin embroidered in butterflies, alighting and flying, in every size and in exquisite colors?”   “Why Don’t You… conduct your affairs primarily from the bath?”

Random, cheeky and HYPERBOLIC, yes, but random, lush, funny, inviting and expansive vision is EXACTLY what gets our attention and drives intriguing stories,
the cornerstone of business and success. 
 
As a brand strategy and creative services agency, we are passionate about following timeless proven patterns of growth and evolution to guide our work with personalities and lifestyle brands in art, culinary, fashion, film, health, home, luxury, media, pop-culture + travel.

 In fact, we are thrilled to welcome our new client, Freck Vreeland, Diana’s son. This extraordinary man is a former US diplomat; close advisor to JFK; friend of Jackie O; CIA spy during the Cold War and an inspiring, globe-trotting bon vivant writing his well-anticipated memoirs. Strategy, site and social media for this stellar man is happening,

He’s now on Instagram,too.

in honor of Diana…
WHY DON’T YOU
let us help you imagine, refresh or rediscover YOUR STORY
with Custom Branding, Strategy + Content?

WHY DON’T YOU
See our 9 Favorite Cheeky Brand Tips TO INSPIRE?
Let our case studies spark ideas on how we can help you reach your goals.

#1
WHY DON’T YOU GO DIRTY + FUNNY WITH
THE RICH + FAMOUS?

DESIRE.
Every creator desires to connect to their next level of business in order to go bigger, richer or famous-er. The rule is that you must break the rules to get Mr. Big’s attention, and sometimes that means playing dirty. Let me explain…

SOLUTION. TELL A NEW STORY.
Confession, I’ve personally tested this theory. I was a jewelry designer, and the aim was to connect our earthy, goddess jewels to couture designers. Based on an actual dream, in order to make an impression for our first appointment with Bill Blass, we filled a suitcase with actual dirt to present and pull our jewels from.  

KPI.
Bill Blass was a little shocked at first, then clearly amused. He said yes and commissioned our jewels and shawls for his runways which put us on the map. The runways of couture designers Oscar de la Renta and Mary McFadden were next. Bigger things, like international reps, media, and sales followed.

CTA.
WHY DON’T WE present YOU and your “precious jewels” like lotus flowers rising pristine from the mud, Grasshopper? Let’s create your “break the rules” ideas and strategies. Design and product development? We love those too…hit reply to this email to schedule and inspired call towards making an IMPACT.

#2
WHY DON’T YOU DO EVERYTHING
AS IF YOU WERE IN PARIS?

DESIRE.
Are you twitchy to up-level and create massive, Eiffel-tower-sized, engaging content?  

SOLUTION: TELL A NEW STORY. 
Our client, Paris personal shopper @whatimlovingnow, Susan Tabak, desired to share more of her styling adventures and to build her brand. We responded, “LET’S DO IT IN PARIS.”  

KPI. 
Our team launched Susan’s book with an event at the Louis Vuitton Soho NYC shop and created her style blog. But when we told her story in a video series that filmed dreamy and electric runways, parties, and places in the frenzy and fabulousness of Paris Fashion Week, this really launched her videos series and raised her profile.  

“There was a time when Americans loved Paris!” boomed The Kaiser #karllagerfeld as our cameras rolled!  

CTA.
WHY DON’T WE reel, story and video together? Paris is fab, and globally we’ve produced videos in places like mystic New Orleans to the misty Highlands of Scotland. We’ve produced expert interviews, cooking, fashion, health and music videos and even special lifestyle reports for ntv, the CNN of Europe.

Do you desire a video strategy? We can help you! Take a look at our agency Vimeo page featuring videos we’ve produced, styled or directed. From reels for Instagram to brand video series … let’s strategize your exciting video programming! RSVP to this email, Merci!

#3  
WHY DON’T YOU PLACE AN ENTICING DOORWAY
IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE?

DESIRE.
Want the world to flock to your door? An unexpected opening creates engagement, notoriety and sales. How about flinging doorways across acres of Brazilian mountains?

SOLUTION: TELL A NEW STORY. 
Pioneering wireless resort owner, Emmanuel Rengade hired us for original ways to call attention to his newest resort, Fazenda Catucaba, on a former coffee plantation set on 1000’s of acres in São Luís do Paraitinga, Brazil. Sure we introduced him to media, but it was our visionary introduction to the artist Pasha Radetski to create land art that put the resort on the global map with media coverage from Architectural Digest France to Casa Vogue and Departures.

KPI.
Our curation of Radetski’s “Portal do Sul,“ placed doorways across thousands of acres for a vast landscape installation. This premiered the art residency program at Fazenda Catucaba, followed by projects by two of the most famous Brazilian designers, the Campana Brothers and homes by Marcio Kogan.

This visionary project made the Top 100 and the Top 8 in the Landscape category in the CODA Awards, an international competition for design projects that demonstrate the most successful integration of commissioned art. Plus, the installation was covered in the media by international trend platforms, Trendhunter.com and PSFK.com.  

CTA. 
WHY DON’T WE plant your groundbreaking vision AND open new doorways? We love to make business introductions and facilitate artist/brand collaborations! Reply to this email and let’s explore new exciting openings together.

#4
WHY DON’T YOU INSTANTLY UPSTYLE EVERYTHING WITH ONE POTENT SYMBOL?

DESIRE.
“You gotta have style. It helps you get down the stairs. It helps you get up in the morning. It’s a way of life. Without it, you’re nobody. I’m not talking about lots of clothes,” said Diana Vreeland.

We say one symbol can make an icon.

SOLUTION: TELL A NEW STORY. 
In the “Breaking The Law” music video (over 400K views) starring David Rogue and directed by Andreas von Scheele, actress Liz Fye’s character was glamorous, dangerous and a master of disguise.  

As stylist for the video, I created a big, blood-red satin rose necklace (enticing yet thorny) paired with traditional demure pearls. Campy movie star glam for hair and makeup along with the flowery dress added a humorous, polished energy for the tongue-in-cheek video, which also starred legendary producer, Ben Barenholtz, and actress, Rebecca Blumhagen.

KPI. 
Let our 30+ years of style help you become somebody! Whether it’s our vision for personalities (like Olympic athletes, hip-hop moguls and TV experts) or style for ads in the New York Times to designing costumes, video sets and retail stores ~ we love the power of style. (Hey, we’ve even styled pajamas for Cher.) 
 
CTA.
WHY DON’T WE venture a guess that you or your marketing is definitely missing is the power of an iconic, Operatic visual punch?  Let us help you create a new, stellar image for your personal style, place or brand. Style builds brands. Click here to see the stellar style icons we’ve worked with or reply to this email to get stylin’!

#5
WHY DON’T YOU LAUNCH YOUR STARTUP
LIKE A DIVA OF THE OPERA WOULD?

DESIRE.
How to make the world pay attention to YOU and YOURS?
Do it like an opera diva!

SOLUTION: TELL A NEW STORY. 
With a strategy fit for a diva, we launched Lake Como Italy’s first new 5-star luxury resort in 100 years, The Castadiva resort, now known as the Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como.

The resort is the re-imagined home of soprano diva Giuditta Pasta, the protégé and muse of the famed composer Bellini. The house was a meeting place for many artists, composers and singers in the 19^th century and we were chosen by an Italian agency (now our project partner) to bring editors, writers and influencers to the 20^th century, glamorous re-opening of the Diva’s home.  

KPI.
Key guests at our media luncheon and media tour in Italy included editors from Vanity Fair; Conde Nast Traveler; Travel & Leisure; Departures; Allure; Aishti, the glossy from Bierut; concierge travel directors from Quintessentially, The Metropolitan Opera and the Smithsonian. Our guests also included the famous Fischers, of Fischer Travel.

Media: we placed features in Urban Daddy; Delta Sky; Wine Enthusiast and Afar magazine, and an Access Hollywood feature airing to 3 million people and the writer’s 1.4 million twitter followers. Spafinders, the industry leader, named Castadiva’s spa in the top 10 trends forecast for its pink Himalayan salt room.  

Celebrity Visits: Yes, George Clooney now enjoys Castadiva. Tyra Banks is a spa and restaurant regular. Emily Blunt and John Krasinski spent wedding time at the hotel so we whispered to Us Weekly who picked up the story for their 1.9 million readers and their even larger online audience.  

CTA.
WHY DON’T WE brainstorm the key media and influencers you want as your audience and design the engaging, OPERATIC strategy, content and experiences to reach them?!  Let’s have a call, just reply to this message!

#6
WHY DON’T YOU… SAY THANK YOU…
RANDOMLY? A LOT!

DESIRE.
To be seen. To be valued. We all want to be known for our unique gifts. It begins by investing in gratitude at all levels of your brand and business.

Receiving the above Thank You note from our client was a surprise, while underscoring how refreshing gratitude is for the soul!  

SOLUTION: TELL A NEW STORY. 
Soulful solutions. Every new story placed as a seed in the world begins with gratitude. Gratitude must be built into brand strategy.

The best part is that it works both ways, whether giving it or receiving …Thanks.

Both channels are key to a brand’s social media and PR today and thankfully our agency has been creating healing brand messages way before selfies.  

KPI.
As a yoga practitioner since age 16, I have three decades in wellness work. From creative direction, content and project management work with brands, experts, B2B shows, products and experiences, click to see our wellness clients here.  

CTA.
WHY DON’T WE help YOU focus on your gifts, your personal branding or cause marketing as a way to give back to the world? How about enjoying creating projects in a thriving appreciative relationship that only makes it all more powerful? If you like to work this way, give me a ping and thankfully we’ll ping ya back!

#7
WHY DON’T YOU BECOME THAT
FAMOUS AUTHOR…NOW?

DESIRE.
“Your book is your hook!” Now is the perfect time to stop wishing for fame and make your book a reality now!

SOLUTION: TELL A NEW STORY. 
Whether you are ready to declare your identity as a famous author like our client, Jennifer Solow, and have Terry Richardson take your picture  …or you are a major brand like our client, Design Within Reach, reissuing a 1973 classic How To See, by George Nelson the famous designer, or you are a future famous new author, like our client, Emily Wolf, who tasked us with designing her branding, book cover and site, … making an impact with a book is a smart, thrilling adventure for you and your brand.  

KPI.
For Jennifer Solow, we secured endorsement blurbs for her book from icons the likes of Simon Doonan and Arianne Phillips, Madonna’s stylist.

For Design Within Reach, in just 3 weeks, we made George Nelson’s book the season’s hot design book via a New York Times style section write up; placements in the LA Times; and the magazines-In Step Design; Metropolis; ID and NPR. Just in time for the holidays, the buzz led to book sales!  

For new author Emily Wolf, our brand guidance and our cover design for her debut novel, My 31^st Year has her over the moon!

CTA.
WHY DON’T WE work together on your BOOK? From concept to media, we love helping authors with book proposals, editing, writing, content re-purposing, design and illustrations to styling author photo shoots. See some of our book clients here and schedule a free call.

#8 
WHY DON’T YOU SPRINKLE SOME
“FENG SHUI IN TIMES SQUARE”?

DESIRE.
“Feng Shui in Times Square” is my metaphor for a game change.

Let me explain. Most people think Feng Shui means endless white walls, flowing organic, hemp drapery and a lot of pasture-raised plants. So yin, so Snoozy! The opposite of Yin, Yang energy, is equally a quality of Feng Shui. Times Square is one of the most Yang, Western-bling places on earth. Thus, we kinda love that our Feng Shui concepts and consult brings balance, supporting the designer of a new, HUGE luxury hotel in Times Square.  

SOLUTION: TELL A NEW STORY.
How it started: Interior Designer of high-rise penthouses for titans of industry to homes for 3-star Michelin chefs, Marie Aiello came to us to fix her website to support her intentions for her business to grow and to add a major hospitality project to her portfolio.

We gave her total brand a refresh with our 9 Star Passport method, A GPS for life utilizing ancient/future Feng Shui + Yoga secrets, plus our stellar web team.  

KPI.
How it’s going: Marie’s business grew and she is now designing the hotel for Times Square’s most intriguing, massive new property, TSX Broadway.

CTA.  
WHY DON’T WE design, create or refresh your brand and content with natural symmetry and even some “Feng Shui in Times Square” moves? Go for it…learn more about our brand exploration method developed over 30 years of study with masters, The 9 Star Passport. It is the first of its kind, gifting pure client-inspired vision for brand packages. websites, logos, design assets, social media images, and more. RSVP “READY” here.

#9
WHY DON’T YOU KIBBUTZ WITH EXPERTS?

DESIRE.
Yes, I do know Kibbitz is Yiddish for chat or small talk …but when we concept and create a panel, it is more of a Kibbutz, Yiddish for a community. I love “kibbutz” as a verb. Thus, my last brand tip…kibbutz with your community!  

SOLUTION: TELL A NEW STORY. 
After 20 years of Feng Shui practice and the development of my 9 Star Passport method, A GPS for life utilizing ancient/future Feng Shui + Yoga secrets, I realized the day had arrived for this ancient/future trend that married wellness and interior design. I wanted to explore that idea, along with other trends and ideas with leaders in the field.  

KPI. 
And so I concepted and successfully pitched a talk for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, ICFF Talks, called Across Perspectives: Design Futures, with a stellar lineup of industry pros led in conversation with Suzanne Slesin, publisher and editorial director of Pointed Leaf Press. The panelists included: Scott Sanders, interior designer;  Ellen Fisher, VP for academic affairs and dean at the New York School of Interior Design; Ingrid Abramovitz, features director, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Veranda; Rio Hamilton, design and fashion blogger and marketing strategist; and with us in spirit, Chad Oppenheim, principal architect at Oppenheim Architecture and myself, Jade Dressler, creative director, designer, and Feng Shui expert.

We had a full house on a Sunday morning at Javits Center and were featured in an article on the industry site, BOH, Business of Home!

CTA. 
WHY DON’T WE kibbutz? Let’s brainstorm ways to expand your audience and connect with others in your field for a cross-pollination of ideas that inspire. Let’s talk!

Click, click here to schedule your free explore/discover call with me to kibbutz.