The Guest Editor: Kelly Murphy

IRL

The Guest Editor: Kelly Murphy

October 19th, 2018

Tuckernuck girl Kelly is a close friend from the founders’ days at University of Pennsylvania, and although a math major and finance guru, Kelly has always dazzled us with her unique, chic style and creativity. Did we mention she could be a vintage clothing buyer? Most of her wardrobe consists of beautiful vintage pieces she casually finds on weekends while perusing second-hand boutiques and antique markets. Hailing from Pasadena, CA, our go-to gal for all things travel, food, culture and style inspiration gave us some of her latest inside tips while rocking her favorite Tuckernuck pieces in London. Photography by Alex Board.

Kelly browsing furniture shops and galleries on Columbia Road, Sunday morning in East London.

"My favorite Sunday ritual is to head to the Columbia Road Flower Market in East London – which only happens on Sunday mornings. Even on rainy days (which aren’t so rare in England!), it’s brimming with Londoners, florists and tourists alike. Aside from the flowers, there are darling shops and galleries along the street as well as one of our favorite furniture stores, 2 Columbia Road, where we have gotten a number of great mid-century pieces for our home."

Arranging flowers from the market in her living room, amongst furniture pieces bought at 2 Colombia Road.

"My style in 3 words; black, white & buttoned-up. I wear a lot of high necks and button-downs buttoned all the way to the top. A classmate of mine in business school once asked me if I dressed this way ‘for religious reasons’ - I responded, ‘no, for fashion reasons.’ I’ve been incorporating more colors and patterns into my wardrobe recently, but when in doubt I usually stick to black & white & stripes."

Kelly posing in our Harper Bell Sleeve Blouse during a work lunch break in the middle of London.

"I work in the investment industry as an equity analyst for a large US mutual fund company where I help to research investments for the funds. What I love about my current job is that I get to essentially learn for a living. I spend my days trying to learn as much as I can about the industry or company I am looking at - interviewing CEOs, CFOs or traveling to meet with suppliers and competitors - all with the aim of understanding whether I think a company would be a good investment."

Kelly's charming townhouse in Canonbury North London, build in 1830.

HOME TOWN

Pasadena, California

WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU APPRECIATE THE MOST IN YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS?

A sense of humor and people who don’t take themselves too seriously.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL MOMENT?

It’s so hard to pick a favorite travel moment, but I think my favorite trip that my husband Cameron and I have taken was to Vietnam a few years ago - it was the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation - and Vietnamese cuisine is one of my favorites so I was in heaven having pho for breakfast every day. I have been trying to make that a thing in London and it’s not really working - shockingly.

WHAT IS YOUR MAIN FAULT?

For the past two years my New Year’s resolution has been ‘no phone at the dinner table’. How’s it going, you ask? Let’s just say I’m going to try again next year...third time’s the charm?

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?

I have outsourced this question to my husband. He’s still thinking about it...

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF HAPPINESS?

Travel or an amazing meal with the people that I love. Earlier this year my brother, sister, husband and I had a sibling dinner at Eleven Madison Park in New York.

FAVORITE FLOWER?

Ranunculi followed closely by dahlias and peonies depending on the season. I also love having more plant-type arrangements in our house, like thistle or eucalyptus.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE HEROINE IN FICTION?

Is it embarrassing to say Hermione Granger? I’m going with it. She’s smart, tenacious, fearless, and ends up with the ginger in the end. My hero. (editor’s note: Kelly’s husband is a redhead).

FAVORITE ARTIST/DESIGNER?

I find myself quite drawn to photography and we have collected a couple of great pieces over the years. The two larger ones in our living room are by Jessica Eaton and Matthew Porter - both of them are incredible. A lot of Eaton’s work is very abstract, you can barely tell it’s photography, which I find quite cool.

FAVORITE MUSUEM IN LONDON?

The Tate Modern is incredible and just across the river from my office. On the smaller end, I love personal collections like the Wallace Collection in Marylebone where you get to see a beautiful range of art from medieval to Renaissance and beyond - all set in a gorgeous 19th century London home. For history buffs, I always recommend Churchill’s War Rooms.

WHAT'S ON YOUR READING LIST RIGHT NOW?

I’ve read some great books in the last year, many of which were recommended by some of my friends who have a book club in NYC - my favorites were A Little Life, Educated, and The Great Alone. I tend to read mostly fiction since I do a lot of non-fiction reading for work, but I’m currently reading Bad Blood, which is the story of Theranos, and it is fascinating. Other books on my list right now are This is Going to Hurt, which is another non-fiction book about the NHS, and The Idiot, which was a runner up for the Pulitzer in fiction this year.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ITEM THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN TO YOU?

My mom has an amazing collection of beautiful high necked white blouses from the 80’s when she was working for a Austrian clothing company that made them. They have beautiful embroidery and great tailoring with interesting shapes, like exaggerated puffed sleeves.

STYLE ICONS?

Jenna Lyons.

What’s on your fall bucket list?

To watch the Dodgers in the World Series and to see some fall foliage.