Girl American: Lindsay McCown

Lindsay is a true California girl: born and raised in rural Missouri, she forged West to strike gold and ended up finding herself along the way. That's why I've chosen her as my first Girl American for 2010. 

Her original blog was titled "Lindsay Needs Coffee", but I disagree. This girl has more energy and optimism than a field of java beans could ever produce. A tireless volunteer for hospice and cancer patients, she imbues her personal style with practicality and ease of movement. She has no time for clothes that slow her down, and that refusal to be inert or restrained is an inspiration.

"That Brooklyn bullshit, we on it."

On Sunday Samantha and I went to the Brooklyn Flea to kill a couple hours and inspire ourselves. 

Prost! A toast...

Kate Huether, my original Girl American, flew to Mexico last week and came back with an engagement ring. Ever the style star (even in a post-proposal daze) she is already filling her blog Joy & Cake with amazing photos of nuptial inspiration. I am so excited to see what this girl pulls together for her party of a lifetime, and undoubtedly Saint Louis' chicest wedding. Many congratulations to her fiance Deni and best wishes to Kate as she begins this exciting new chapter in her American history.

Emilio Grossi's New England

He just might be the greatest American photographic artist whom no one has ever heard of. For five decades Emilio Grossi's minimalist portraits of life along the Seaboard have captured history and emotion without wide angle lenses, without color, simply by highlighting the texture of window panes and gray shingles or a wrecked barn in Rhode Island. 

Doorway, Milford

How can a solitary sand dollar move me to tears? Zooming in on the headlights of an old Chevy truck, paint chipped, tree branches reflected in the paint on the hood, Grossi makes America mythic - from the beaches of Key West to the strands of Cape Cod.

Check out more of this master (and my Grossi-inspired get-up) after the jump.

Jessica L. Pizzo: Girl American.

Through a tangled web of Newport connections, I recently made the acquaintance of Jessica L. Pizzo, globe trotter, tennis champion, designer of Tartan Hugs, and world-famous Cupcaketologist. We bonded over a shared love of the sailing capital's dashing sailors and now collaborate on blog projects and pipe dreams (to buy beach houses and fall off the grid).

But more than anything else it's Jessica's impeccable, effortless sense of style and wild appreciation for the Eastern seaboard that make her this week's Girl American.


Read my interview with Jessica and scoop her sartorial secrets after the jump.