Our 5 Favorite Things: Vena Cava's Sophie Buhai And Lisa Mayock
Designers Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock have been friends since they were 17. Since starting Vena Cava on their living room floor in 2004 three weeks after graduating from the Parsons School of Design, the Brooklyn duo's adorable mix of vintage, draped dresses and hand-drawn prints have since become a cult favorite, counting both Natalie Portman and Blake Lively as fans. Below, they give us the scoop on their five favorite things.
1. Favorite Places to Shop: Thrift stores and garage sales. Style can be bought for under $20 bucks! We promise. The best Thrift stores and Garage sales are in L.A. — there were so many old movie stars and costume houses that donated their collections to the Goodwill, it's an amazing treasure land. I swear we found a dress that belonged to Vivian Leigh at the studio wardrobe.
2. Favorite Restaurant: Entrecôte in Paris. All the waitresses wear classic black and white uniforms and you can only order steak and french fries. It's a perfect meal.
3. Favorite Hotel Bar: Old classic ones. We loved the old Gramercy Hotel bar before it was redone — when it was haunted and magical. The bar at the Biltomre in L.A. is pretty classic, as Bemmelman's bar at the Carlyle in New York City.
4. Favorite Road Trip: Big Sur, California. Nothing beats the Hells Angels/New Age capital of the world. The landscape is the closest thing to Lord of the Rings meets the Amalfi coast, and the positive vibrations are electrifying.
5. Favorite Garden The Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, CA. It's incredible how beautiful the cactus gardens are. This is the place we like to take everyone that visits the West Coast. A day there is always a good idea.
