ELYSIAN Women Inspiring Women
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1969 est.
www.tirolergoldschmied.it South Tyrol - Italy
the art of refinement diamond-studdet falconhoods
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• l’été 2021 • readelysian.com
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“Dancers at the Barre” by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas. EVERETT COLLECTION / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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the rehearsal
Venture behind the curtain of Degas’ beloved ballerinas. BY HANNAH SHEPARD
ELYSIAN
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Volume 7 • Issue 2 • l’été 2021
50 Some
Doris Day BY LAURIE BOGART WILES
Giambattista Valli’s haute couture for evening is the epitome of high fashion without excuses or explanation, vibrant and alluring. You either love him or don’t . . . but if you love him, you want him. BY SIMONE BAUDELAIRE-FARROW
the Romance of Bel Paese
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Visiting Italy, the “beautiful country.” BY DAINA SAVAGE
FEATURES
Enchanted Evening
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Inspiring Women Kristy Woodson Harvey page 126 Tanya Trotter page 136 INTERVIEWED BY KAREN FLOYD
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12 the way I see it
Country music sensation Elizabeth Cook
architecture Aquatic artistry. BY CHRISTY NIELSON
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entertaining
The perfect setting. BY KAREN CUNNINGHAM & JESSICA FALCON
DEPARTMENTS
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beauty
A brief history on eyebrows. BY PEARL LUSTRE
mind&body
Unlocking your inner beauty. BY MARTHA WIEDEMANN
shopping my U-turn
Bring Paris into your home. BY SINDIE FITZGERALD-RANKIN
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A “best ever” kind of journey. BY SUZANNE JOHNSON
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change creator
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Piano virtuoso, Joyce Yang. BY EMMA MCCRACKEN
philanthropy
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The house that love built. BY DAINA SAVAGE
back story / the cover
Cover model Elizabeth Cook.
This issue is dedicated to the memory of a wise and beautiful lady, Trude Schonthal Heller, who died May 11, 2021 at the age of 98. I had the great honor of interviewing Mrs. Heller for our Winter 2016 issue as one of this magazine’s very first Inspiring Women. A native of Austria, Mrs. Heller educated thousands of people about the evils and horrific impact of the Holocaust on the Jewish people and indeed, all mankind and proudly called herself a “Holocaust educator” rather than a Holocaust survivor. “My favorite word,” she told me, is ‘love.’ My least favorite word is ‘hate.’” Trude chose love. The world would be a far better place if everyone, too, made that choice. — Karen Floyd, Publisher
PRADA POPCORN CHROMCHROMOGENIC PRINT ON KODAK ENDURA
BY TYLER SHIELDS
igifineart.com
E publisher
Karen Floyd c r e at o r - i n - c h i e f
Ryan Stalvey
executive editor
Laurie Bogart Wiles chief media director
Cindy Bogart
managing editor
Kristen Henson
e d i t o r - at - l a r g e
Ruth Sherlock
editorial director
Rita Allison
social media specialist
Haley Hudson
e ly s i a n i m pa c t d i r e c t o r o f p h i l a n t h r o p y
Kelly Nichols
women inspiring women
Karen Floyd
arts
&
c u lt u r e e d i t o r
Hannah Shepard
l i t e r at u r e e d i t o r
Kathie Bennett
wellness editor
Martha Wiedemann contributing writers
Karen Cunningham, Jessica Falcon, Simone Baudelaire-Farrow, Suzanne Johnson, Pearl Lustre, Emma McCracken, Christy Nielson, Sindie Fitzgerald-Rankin, Daina Savage
copy editors
Diane High, Hadley Inabinet, Baker Maultsby, Phil Randall c o n s u lt i n g e d i t o r
Jason Spencer advisor
Abby Deering director of web design
&
development
Elliot Derhay
d i g i ta l s a l e s d i r e c t o r
Don Bailey
post-production editor
Elise Rimmer
post-production graphics
Ty Yachaina
comptroller
Anna Christian
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ELYSIAN Magazine is published four times per year by Palladian Publications LLC, 113 W. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29306. For subscription information, call 888-329-9534; visit subscriptions@elysianservice.com; mailing address: Subscription Service, Elysian Magazine PO Box 2172, Williamsport, PA 17703 All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
• l’été 2021 • readelysian.com
PHOTOGRAPHED IN NASHVILLE, TN BY STACIE HUCKEBA
d i g i ta l m a r k e t i n g m a n a g e r
During her photoshoot for ELYSIAN’s cover, singer-songwriter Elizabeth Cook dances with the camera. The talented American country music singer and radio host has a one-of-a-kind story made for country music and a hilariously witty personality to boot.
Rob Springer
BOUTIQUE IN KING OF PRUSSIA MALL
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIAN LE BALLISTER
PAULAHIAN.COM
PAULA HIAN URSULA JACKET & JOLIE SKIRT PICTURED
PAULA HIAN
WHEN I WAS QUITE YOUNG,
my mother died on Easter Sunday. Knowing the importance of the day, my children gather a couple of weeks in advance to pay homage, in their quiet and knowing way. It was two Wednesdays before this milestone anniversary of 2021, and our twins were coming home for the weekend. I had been in a 12-hour-straight workday marathon, and I wanted to clear my head before I engaged with everyone. I quickly rushed home and put on my “dog walking” attire—a big hat, comfy pants and running shoes. I quickly grabbed the dogs, and as I was leaving our home, one of the twins pulled into our driveway with his puppy, a black Lab named Marlin, who I included on the walk. Imagine if you will, as I was walking and talking on the phone, the three unleashed labs run across our yard and head for the Cotton Wood Trail—a part of my daily routine. In an instant, my husband’s hunting Lab TAR, a stout and incredibly fast dog, changed directions to chase the puppy. Unfortunately, there was one unintended obstacle blocking his path . . . me. In a charged gallop, TAR T-boned my leg, throwing me in the air, causing me to land squarely on the left side of my body. There are so many teachable moments; dogs on leashes . . . no cell phones . . . the universe calling me to slow down, to be present . . . Today, I am recovering from an injured wrist, four hours of trauma surgery and a compound tibia plateau fracture. The natural frustration and impatience from being immobile are expected. The confusing parts of the situation are the “silver linings” that have come into play: clarity and gratitude. I believe God speaks to us if we are only willing to listen. To underscore how timing plays into the “volume of what we hear,” you need to read the Doris Day “Icon” feature, written by Laurie Wiles. As she explains, Doris was trapped in a car and T-boned by a train sustaining two compound fractures in her right leg that would require steel rods being inserted from her thigh to her toes. While the doctors pontificated whether she might walk again, Doris knew she would dance. “Four months stretched to 14 when, toward the end of her recovery, she caught her toe on the living room carpet, fell, and refractured her leg. Bedridden, she sang along to Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Ella Fitzgerald . . . which I believe triggered Doris’s interest in singing.” The rest is history. I read the article when I was unable to walk. For those who have faced something similar, in a strange way, confinement brings CLARITY. Anything insignificant or on the periphery simply falls away. The important things in life; family, work passions, relationships and most importantly love . . . rise to the top. If you are listening to God through your inner voice, you will hear the answers you seek. Daily habits are wonderful because you are not required to think; autopilot is quintessentially easy. Abrupt changes in daily routines caused by injury (and Covid -19) undergird our malaise and depression. When our anchoring “time consumers” are gone, “the unknowns” (which are part of the healing recovery process) disorient, making you feel alone. The physical being is unique which also means we all heal differently, and therefore, no recovery is the same . . . which effectively isolates. I have found that the feelings of loneliness and isolation are the doorway to “darkness.” Over the past several months, I have learned that the practice of GRATITUDE is “lightness,” and the best antidote to isolation, loneliness or “darkness.” Doris Day reminds us of just that: “Gratitude is riches,” she said.
Inspiring women. (Anecdotal stories)
Our summer issue focuses on literature and music through the personal and professional journeys of our cover model Elizabeth Cook, (country music star) and Inspiring Women, Kristy Woodson Harvey, (“New York Times” celebrated author with an internationally recognized blog “Design Chic”) and Tanya Blount Trotter, (acclaimed Americana vocalist spanning decades with The War and Treaty). Their spirit of gratitude spills onto the pages as each speaks to their unique path and their uncommon perseverance and adaptation.
Graceful living. (Deliberate, spirited and bold)
The deliberate professional callings of women across the globe span this issue with the intentional life choices of amazing women. Rhonda Leonard’s U-Turn career path (from banker to author to artist), the transformative philanthropy of Cathleen Trigg-Jones’s, Trigg House (where foster, adopted children and families are embraced) and the young Change Creator, aspiring and rising star, pianist Joyce Yang, represent graceful living in many forms. The spirited focus of wellness columnist Martha Wiedemann speaks to releasing your inner voice. Finally, bold living is seen through our pieces on architecture (pools), travel (Italy), entertaining (tablescapes), arts (ballerinas of Degas), fashion (Giambianchi Valli enchante haute couture) and much more. I end this letter recognizing Doris Day’s life, with gratitude. She taught us by example: to be as uncomplicated as possible and to recognize that the important thing in life is just living and loving. The ELYSIAN team joins me in thanking you for taking the journey with us.
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With love,
Karen Floyd Publisher
• l’été 2021 • readelysian.com
the way I see it
Elizabeth Cook
S
he is a darn funny woman, quick-witted and uninhibited, a sharp observer and top-notch storyteller. But as most accomplished artists are, Cook is a deeply thoughtful person. Check out her song lyrics. Or delve into her humor—hear her DJ on Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country or see her new TV series, “Upstream”—and get a feel for the humanity behind her jokes, for the real-life experiences that make her stories authentic. In our interview with Cook, she shared some of her key life lessons, words of wisdom and most valued advice she’s received. We are grateful to Cook for sharing her unique perspective. At the very top, she says, “Lead with kindness. And then if that kindness is not reciprocated, continue with kindness . . . or just leave.” Some other foundations of her way of looking at life: DON’T LET ANGER GET THE UPPER HAND. “Reside in love the best you can. Anger is a normal human emotion, but I recognize it as a dragon that shows up to eat my joy. I’m always looking for ways to combat it. I will change my environment with incense, light and sound. Sometimes I will jump in the car and just go to a store for some retail therapy. But if you can shop like I can, that can be a costly coping skill. The simple ritual of making tea has become one of my greatest comforts.” DON’T BRING HER DOWN. “I am fiercely protective over my space. If someone is bringing me down, regardless of history or relation, I will look to limit or remove them. It sounds harsh, but when I am vulnerable, I have learned I have to protect myself first.” FASHION FITS THE MOOD. “Work to be on the outside who you are on the inside. It’s definitely an acquired skill. But fashion and our aesthetic are a huge tell of how we feel deep down. We send messages with our clothes and look, whether we want to or not. Our message can inform how we want the world to perceive and treat us. “If I’m in sweatpants and a top-knot at the grocery store, this is a clear don’t talk to me day. If I’m in a skirt and lipstick, I’m like, ‘Hey world, what’s up?’ Or button-down silk blouse, boots and good jeans—I’m ready to do business. If I’m in one of my catsuit stage costumes, I’m diving in with my muse and we are going to perform for you. It’s all about living true to yourself so you rest at ease in your power. It can even work in reverse to help change my mood. Feeling drab, I’ll reach for something fitted and colorful. If I’m having a hard time relaxing, it’s an old loose cotton dress or favorite t-shirt time to get me in a chill mood.” MOTHER’S ADVICE. “‘This too shall pass’ is the scripture my mother relied on her entire life. And whenever I have been miserable or upset in a situation, she was quick to remind me of her mantra. And it is absolutely true—the only thing that is certain is that nothing stays the same. Depression can feel so endless. But I know if I take care of myself and hang in there, my heart will laugh and smile and feel again.” ■
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architecture
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• l’été 2021 • readelysian.com • printemps 2020 • readelysian.com
RUBBERBALL SELECTS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Aquatic Artistry BY CHRISTY NIELSON
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