NEW YORK — The Morris-Jumel Mansion, designed in the neo-Palladian style, is the oldest surviving house in Manhattan, an irreplaceable artifact described by Duke Ellington as “the crown jewel of Sugar Hill,” one of the places where Lin-Manuel Miranda composed songs for “Hamilton.” In its current life, it supplies a strange and unwelcome souvenir — pieces of itself. The building has been so badly maintained that it is possible to touch it and walk away with a moist, splintered clump of wood sidin
Style Points is a weekly column about how fashion intersects with the wider world.
When Michelle Obama wore designs by Isabel Toledo and Jason Wu to the 2009 inauguration, it marked a huge moment in the careers of both designers. Over the course of her time as First Lady, the rising tide of her fashion choices helped lift names like Brandon Maxwell,Thakoon, and Sophie Theallet into the national spotlight and the pieces she wore often sold out. It seems that, with their choices for the inauguration events, Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Jill Biden are taking a similar approach and using their platform to help boost the profiles of talented young American designers.