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Downtown
New York, Style

Kelly Rutherford Lives Uptown, Loves Downtown

Published on 5 minutes read
Downtown
New York, Style
Words by Eleonore Condo, Imagery by Kelly Rutherford
"I’d rather wear one really amazing ring and have it be the thing. A necklace like the Nolita is that piece; that’s the work of art."

Growing up on the Upper East Side there was a clear division at school between the uptown kids and the downtowners. The downtown kids took the subway to school, we took buses or cabs. When we got older, the downtown kids had roofs we could party on and little dive bars that didn’t care about our IDs. In short, the downtowners were far cooler than us. It wasn’t until a show called Gossip Girl premiered in 2007 that uptown got its due. When I moved out of the city for college I would devotedly watch GG every Monday night — so homesick for the spots I glimpsed in the background I could barely focus on my homework afterward. When you stripped away the drama and shocking reveals, Lily van der Woodsen reminded me of my friends’ moms, beautiful and hip. It makes perfect sense that her real-life counterpart, Kelly Rutherford, would be just as chic and warm, with impeccable taste to boot. We caught up over Zoom about the uptown aesthetic, the art of accessorizing, and, of course, Gossip Girl.

Eleonore: What would you say uptown has that downtown doesn’t?

Kelly: Uptown just feels bigger. It’s more spacious, it’s a bit more quiet. What I like is it’s close to the park, it’s close to so many museums, and it’s kind of a place of refuge. New York is busy, and I find uptown to be very peaceful. I mean, look, some people probably live downtown and say, “Oh, I find it so peaceful.” I just found the Upper East Side super kid-friendly. There are a lot of schools up there — but it’s so much fun to go downtown to have dinner or to see friends.

Eleonore: Yeah, I grew up uptown, and I always dreamed about moving downtown, so I did after school, and I loved it for a time. But it became a little overrun by transplants. Uptown still feels very New York to me, both the people living there and the places like Zitomer’s and JG Mellon’s.

Kelly: It’s got more of a feeling of tradition, you know what I mean? And you’re right; there are institutions uptown that have just stayed the course.

Eleonore: Exactly. What do you feel is the uptown aesthetic?

Kelly: I mean, it’s kind of mom-chic. It used to be jeans, Louboutins, and a blazer. Up there, you get that old-school, classic, Euro-influence — kind of Loro Piana-esque. Now, it’s probably changed a lot since I was there. Many people who were downtown have moved uptown, so the vibe is changing.

Eleonore: Do you have a favorite museum uptown? Have any shows stuck out in your memory?

Kelly: I like The Frick, and I like the Guggenheim. They’re doable. The Met is always so overwhelming to me. I don’t know why, just walking by it, it’s like the Louvre. You know what I mean?

Eleonore: Oh yeah.

Kelly: Even just walking in and out of some of the galleries uptown is so fun. But I love the Guggenheim, and I love the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice. I really loved that Hilma Af Klimt exhibition. People were so excited about that show.

Eleonore: I love when something like that happens in New York. It’s like when an eclipse happens, and everyone is excited about one very pure thing.

Kelly: Yeah! It’s super cool.

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Eleonore: When Gossip Girl came out, and I moved away for school, everyone I met was like, “Oh, is your life like the show?” I think that’s what TV shows like Gossip Girl or Sex and the City do; they define New York for the rest of the world. Do you feel that any of those representations are true to the city? Did you feel that way while shooting it?

Kelly: Yeah. When I was doing the role, I took a lot of inspiration from old-school New York matriarchs, these women that I grew up wanting to be. So I took much more from the old, traditional side than maybe the newer, hipper side. But yeah, I think it does represent a certain energy of New York and style. And New York is New York — it certainly doesn’t represent all of the United States. I mean, New York is its own—

Eleonore: Country.

Kelly: Country, yes. LA is its own country. Texas is its own country; even though it’s called the United States, it’s different countries.

Eleonore: Absolutely. The landscape of each state alone can feel like a new country. Do you like to dress for locations, or do you just wear what you want to wear?

Kelly: I tend to wear what I want to wear, but what I want to wear can go anywhere. I adapt a little bit depending on where I’m going, of course. If you’re going to the beach, you wear this, and if you’re going to the city, you wear that. Different fashions from different countries definitely influence me. But I don’t think it matters to me so much when it comes to dressing day-to-day or on vacation.

Eleonore: Do you feel like you have a specific look or style?

Kelly: I think it’s always evolving. That’s what I love about fashion. I’m always studying it and taking in new concepts or ideas of what fashion is from different cultures or cities.

Eleonore: Is there anything you’re particularly excited about right now?

Kelly: I’m excited about the more traditional, feminine looks I’ve been seeing — almost modest. We’ve gone so far the other way, which I love, but you know, we did that in the sixties; we’ve done it throughout history. The pendulum swings.

Eleonore: Can you tell us about your elevator selfies? When did you start taking them, and why do you think people love them so much?

Kelly: I started them about a year ago or so because they were easy. In LA, I was doing the mirror selfies in my building, too; it’s just practical.

Eleonore: Do you approach accessorizing any differently than you approach getting dressed?

Kelly: I tend to like very simple things in both clothing and accessories. I don’t like to over-accessorize. I actually have to remind myself to accessorize because I tend to think of shoes and a handbag as accessorizing. Maybe because of my style, it’s almost overwhelming, so I approach it very simply. I’d rather wear one really amazing ring and have it be the thing. A necklace like the Nolita is that piece; that’s the work of art. So, I styled it with a very simple canvas. But then I saw how Carolina was wearing hers with a beautiful, colorful Loretta Caponi dress. You just have to commit.

Eleonore: What’s the best thing about New York? What do you miss when you’re not there?

Kelly: The energy of the people and that anything is possible. People really support one another. It’s a big city and at the same time a small village.

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Kelly wears a Nolita Downtown necklace with an additional Florentine Finish 18k yellow gold sphere.

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Kelly's Downtown

GRAMERCY

Love The Gramercy Hotel.

GREENWICH VILLAGE

Walking and discovering.

NOLITA

Elizabeth Street.

BOWERY

The Bowery Hotel and cool shops.

SOHO

Galleries, restaurants, and shops.

TRIBECA

Uptown-meets-downtown. Very family.

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