Joy and the City

The other day as I took an afternoon stroll through Soho I saw the most beautiful young woman coming towards me. She must have been about a block away when I first noticed this almost heavenly glow emanating from this splendid creature. Then I was struck by a bit of panic as I thought to myself, “She must be a model, and God knows I am not in the mood to spend my afternoon with random industry chatter.” But it was too late to duck into a store front or cross the street into moving traffic. Instead, I decided to pick up the pace and to walk by this lovely being with an air of hurried destination in the hopes that a smile and wave would be my toll. What struck me as odd was this young woman had also picked up her pace and I was now relieved to think we would pass each other, designer vs. model, without even having to bother with social niceties. As we began to come within perhaps 10 yards of each other I made a futile attempt at turning my head in order to look into a store window. Now I know you might all be saying to yourself, “What drama just to avoid saying hello!” But the truth is that I am very shy believe it or not and very often find certain forced or unplanned social situations a bit uncomfortable and taxing. I know – weird but true!

Okay, where were we??? Oh yeah, beautiful young woman, walking swiftly, attempting to avoid eye contact, etc… Got it… Well before either of us could turn our heads and/or slow down our accelerated pace we shared that moment when fate forces your eyes and consciousness to connect with your fellow human being. Suddenly we were both stopped in our tracks... Then there was the familiar, yet annoying, scream/screech that comes when you encounter a long lost friend or pal. There standing in front of me looking like sunshine incarnate was none other than the stunning and glorious Ms. Joy Bryant.

You see I have known Joy for almost eight or nine years but somehow we always seem to lose track of each other. As New Yorkers these are the sorts of infractions we become accustomed to when we know how busy our own lives are and therefore can imagine or project the same on our friends or pals. Did that make any sense? If so, then you are a New Yorker or another workaholic just like me. Well Joy and I stood on the corner of Wooster and Spring (that’s Soho for my non-New Yorkers) for about 20 minutes chatting, hugging and laughing. Joy still has the spirit of an angel and the sass of a Bronx born vixen. Not to mention Joy has always been one of the smartest models I have ever met and speaking with her is always an exciting experience. This young beauty didn’t get a full scholarship to Yale for nothing…

I think what I love about Joy the most is her effortlessness… Even as an actress she hasn’t allowed herself to become one of those Hollywood types that fit into their cookie-cutter mold. I also believe what separates Joy from the pack is that she crosses all cultural, racial or stereotypical lines. Joy Bryant is truly an original.

As we stood on this busy New York City street corner with passersby whispering her name and taking constant double-takes, Joy (without a stitch of make-up and flawless skin) didn’t even seem to notice that she had become the center of attention. She truly has no clue that she has garnered a cult following of hipsters, hip-hoppers and fashionistas.

Of course in this small space of time I wanted to know everything -– What she was working on? Where is she living? Who she is dating? And so on, and so on… Then she hit me with it - Ms. Bryant is engaged! I later found out that I was very late on this news/gossip as every blogger under the sun had already reported this tidbit as well as supplied viewers photos of her fiancé (pictured above). Of course, I am sure this meticulous being has already picked out her wedding gown, but I promised to make her a pretty dress as a wedding gift. She took this as a high honor because she knows I don’t give celebrities anything for free. But Joy is not a celebrity in my eyes, she is a friend.

I kept telling Joy how proud I was of her and how I always knew she would make it… I knew it from the first time I ever spotted Ms. Joy Bryant in Paris many years ago as she strolled around backstage at John Galliano’s fashion show with her own personal hair and make-up team she had imported from New York City (from Brooklyn and The Bronx to be exact). Joy had decided to bring her own glam squad as she believed that no one in Paris knew how to make black girls look pretty on the runway and she wasn't taking any chances during her Paris debut. Now you tell me if Ms. Bryant did not have all the makings of a star!

Joy and I must have embraced three or four times that other afternoon as instinctively we both knew it might be another long while before we would see one another again. I do not know why life is this way, but I do know this is just a part of being in New York City. I swear this city can appear so big and scary sometimes but for the focused and determined New Yorker it gets even smaller and much more isolated. As we walked away with well-intended promises to stay in touch, I bumped into a young freckled faced red-head with a bright Kid-Robot shirt that I had noticed earlier walking in the opposite direction. Before I could say sorry to this kid he was already in mid sentence, “Was that Joy Bryant? Yo, that girl is so sexy and fine? I am her biggest fan!!!” I simply smiled and said to him, “Yes that was Joy and if you hurry to catch her I can guarantee you she will be happy you stopped to say hello.” In that moment I realized that Joy was no longer a model-slash-actress she had become a cultural ambassador.