
Mother Stories
Vena Cava’s Lisa Mayock Introduces Baby Lucien
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Maria Del Rio
May 13, 2014
Every mama knows having a good sense of humor is essential. Which is why we have no doubt Vena Cava designer Lisa Mayock is going to ace this motherhood thing. From her personal style and collections (she and design partner Sophie Buhai were once inspired by orthopedic shoes) to her home decor and commentary on it, it’s clear this woman knows how to take life not-so-seriously. Need proof? Check out the indie fashion pioneer and mother to 3-month-old Lucien in her whimsical Brooklyn casa and read about her new-mommy life, right here.
- "I think the most interesting homes are decorated in a way that's highly personal. I love seeing lots of things someone has collected/inherited/acquired over the years that have a story, rather than a bunch of new pieces bought at once to fill a space." Lucien's modern nursery.
- "Originally I thought it would be rad for it to be space themed, but we ended up deciding to make it more neutral, so the next little one can go in there without us having to change much around. Lucien can put his stamp on his own space once he gets older and has his own interests." Lisa wears vintage Gaultier trousers, a Truly Madly Deeply t-shirt, and vintage espadrilles. Lucien wears a Baby Gap onesie.
- "The conch shells, the pompom curtain ties (actually belt samples from a Vena Cava collection), and a very sweet black and neon stuffed giraffe that Jeff's [Lisa's husband, Jeff Halmos, of Shipley & Halmos] sister brought back for Lucien from Mexico."
- "I knew that I wouldn't be getting as much sleep, and I knew I would be tired, but I didn't realize just how physically demanding it would be. Carrying around a 15-pound baby and nursing him for several hours a day is much more depleting physically than I anticipated. You're using your body in a way that creates a different kind of tired from, say, working really late."
- "Jeff and I just were talking last night about all the places we're going to take him when he gets a little bit older, and all the things we are excited for him to see for the first time! Thinking about our future with him is thrilling!"
- "The school application process here seems particularly daunting, I'm really not looking forward to that."
- "Spend your time exactly the way you want to, particularly when you're pregnant. Be indulgent! Get massages and see matinee movies and wander aimlessly while listening to your favorite band and tuning out the world. You won't get to do that again on a regular basis for a while."
- "So many things! I feel really lucky that I've gotten to spend all my days with him so far. It's fascinating to watch him change. It happens so quickly. Last week he started laughing, which is the best thing ever."
- "Wake up at 6, and bring him back in bed with us, where we have lots of morning cuddle time. I'll go to the gym before Jeff leaves for work, Lucien and I will go on an early morning walk, hang out at home for lunchtime, and then go to the park in the afternoon and meet up with a friend for a stroll. Then it's back home to read together, and hang out in the garden or on our deck if it's nice out. One of us starts giving him a bath around 7 and he's asleep by 7:45 or 8. Then Jeff and I will have dinner together and just relax. That's it! There aren't a lot of activities yet and my favorite days with him tend to be the mellow ones."
- "Lucien is Jeff’s middle name, and his grandpa’s name."
- "I like to feel put together, but I also love having one element that's off or wrong, like a funny t-shirt under a suit, or a pin I have with a photo of giant boobs on it that I wear when something feels too serious." Inside Lisa's enviable closet/dressing room.
- "It's gotten a little more streamlined, but it's basically the same."
- "Most days you will find me in high-waisted jeans or a pair of chocolate vintage Gaultier trousers, espadrilles, and a crappy t-shirt with the sleeves cut off so I can nurse him through the armhole."
- "There are a lot of things I'd love to wear from my wardrobe, they just don’t fit me right now. They're hanging there, taunting me! I usually wear a version of my staple outfit. Maybe with a high-neck poorboy sweater if it's nighttime and I don’t have to nurse, or an oversized coat." A look at the living room.
- Lisa's favorite reading perch.
- "I wear a lot of Vena Cava and a lot of vintage."
- "Kind of the same way that I would describe the way I dress. Someone once asked me to sum it up in three words, which were: 'confuse and amuse.' I don’t think things need to match or really go together at all. Sometimes the way things don’t go together is spectacular! And I think a sense of humor is paramount." Inside Lisa and Jeff's guestroom.
- "It hasn't changed so much. Since Lucien is only 3 months old, and not yet able to create messes of epic proportions, all his stuff is mostly in his room. I have found myself acquiring lots of great baskets and containers, so that we can eventually corral the messes into a few select spots. We also have a ton of breakables, so babyproofing will be interesting. It's going to get very Darwinian in here. I know that some of our belongings just wont make it through his childhood, and that’s ok with me."
- "The hanging fiber art piece in our bedroom was a total luck of the draw Ebay score, the two giant conch shells in Lucien's room were ones we dove for in the Bahamas (we deep-fried the conch inside and ate them in a sandwich), and a number of the textiles in our home were things Jeff and I bought together on our honeymoon in India."
- "It’s a tie between the living room and the kitchen! Jeff cooks dinner for us most nights. It’s such a great setup, especially when we have people over."
- "That so many things are in walking distance. And that we can have spontaneous hang time with friends in the neighborhood without getting in a car or on the subway."
- Graphic art (in more ways than one).
- Books organized by color.
- And more books!
- "The living room! We dont have to be precious with anything in there, and it's just really comfortable. We had the rug made after a trip to Istanbul. It's wool and alpaca and feels like you're walking on a giant sweater. It will eventually be a great space for Lucien to crawl and fall and roll around and have sleepovers. We also decided to get our couch in leather so that down the road, after years of being spit-up, scratched, and jumped on, it'll look lived-in, and even better than brand new. And the hanging chair is Lucien's favorite spot in the house, we read lots of Shel Silverstein in there."
- A look into the boldly colored kitchen.
- "I have an unbelievable mother. It's literally impossible not to adore her. She is so kind, thoughtful, intelligent, and interesting. If I'm half as good at being a mom as she is, Lucien will be a very lucky boy."
- Lisa wears a Vena Cava top and Zara pants. Lucien wears a Baby Gap sweater and hat and Old Navy overalls.
- "I love his voice. He just started making lots of sounds, and he has this husky voice that could be best described as Kathleen Turner-y. I also love his hands and feet. They're huge for him, in the way that a puppy has giant paws. His smell is pretty amazing, too. I'm going to stop there, but there are so many things I love!"
- A palm-printed restroom we couldn't help but snap.
- "Now it's more online. I love flea markets and have been trying to figure out how to get to one of my favorites (in Massachusetts) since before Lucien was born. I still don’t know if it's doable."
- "I definitely don't 'need' anything. I have a ridiculous amount of clothing collected over the years, and I'm terrible at giving things away. I actually say my 'Want/Need' right now is to have the time to clean out my closet. For Lucien, it's just to have clothes that fit! There are some amazing baby lines I love (like Bobo Choses, it's so great!), but I just can't bring myself to spend the money on something he can wear for a month. He's still wearing a lot of clothes we got as gifts and we buy the rest of the things he needs at Baby Gap . The boys' stuff is great." Lisa and Jeff's minimalist bedroom.
- "I fantasize about a few cities abroad that I've loved: Bombay, Buenos Aires, or Paris, but L.A. in a few years is probably the most likely possibility."
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