Mother Stories
Pregnancy Style: Stone Fox Bride’s Molly Guy
Written by James Kicinski-McCoy
Photography by Photography by Kisha Bari
Dec 26, 2014
We’ve brought you a slew of ultra cool moms through our Mother stories, but let us tell you that after chatting with Molly Guy—creative director and co-founder of Stone Fox Bride, wife to hot husband Mike, and mama to the adorable two-and-a-half-year-old, top-knot sporting Sunny, and another baby on the way—we felt like we found our long lost best buddy! Here, the glowing New Yorker shows us around her sun-soaked pad and real-talks about how life isn’t always just beautiful flowing caftans and avocado toast (although she does love the two, a lot)! So, go grab your morning coffee and dive right into our slideshow below. We know you’ll feel inspired by this mom’s fun take on parenting, her near-perfect hair, and a whole lot more.
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- "Functional, cozy, colorful."
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"Can it stain and/or tear and still look slightly cool? Can I entertain twelve people at the drop of a hat? Comfort is key. Nothing scratchy or synthetic allowed!"
Molly wears a vintage India hippie caftan from Stone Fox Bride Second Life Archive. Sunny's dress is by Sophie Catalou.
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- "I knew I wanted her to have animal-print curtains and a cozy place to read. The rest is just stuff I had from my pre-baby life or stuff I loved. The paper mache giraffe head was a gift off my wedding registry from my friend Piper. Obviously I am obsessed with sheepskins. The rugs belonged to my Nana. My friend Dana Haim custom made the beautiful pom-pom mobile—they’re all made by hand by a collective of teenage moms in Cartagena. I have an unnatural obsession with soft blankets—some of these were made by my mother-in-law, some I got a few years back in India, Mexico City, and Peru."
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- "Yes! This is Brooklyn, baby—as all the local realtors say, 'A three bedroom apartment in this neighborhood is harder to find than a unicorn.'"
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- "This weird plastic castle that used to belong to her cousin Roxy. I wish it could say it was her collection of non-toxic wooden animals we carved ourselves from a fallen Redwood tree branch."
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- "I can no longer press my beloved snooze button 100 times every morning, only worry about myself, and have a refrigerator that only holds pink champagne, celery, and Polaroid film. I must be home every night (with few exceptions) by 6 pm and ready to devote the next three hours selflessly to making my little nugget dinner, bathing her, and putting her to bed. And the bottom line question I return to throughout the day is: 'In the end, will this decision ultimately improve my child’s quality of life?'"
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- "I was convinced that after my daughter was born I would suffer from a debilitating, Guinness Book Of World Records-worthy postpartum depression, but instead fell in love with my baby immediately and fell into a state of joy and peace that I had never felt before. I know that sounds super Hallmark-y and annoying, but it’s true. It’s like my heart grew six hundred sizes."
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"I’ve always loved the name Sunny—just loved it for no reason. Her middle name is Starling after one of my favorite Richard Wilbur poems called The Writer about a father and his daughter who free a dazed starling that accidentally flies through their open window. 'It is always a matter my darling, of life and death, as I had forgotten,' reads the last lines of the poem. 'I wish what I wished you before, but harder.' Also, Sunshine Cinema is the name of the movie theatre where Mike and I had our first date. The name Sunny is also a tribute to Mike’s Uncle Kevin and my Grandpa Sol. Uncle Kevin's nickname was Sunshine—and Sol in Spanish translates into sun. I also love the Buddhist poem that says:
'May the sun shine upon you
All love surround you
And the pure light within you
Guide your way home.'”
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- "I love my vintage Kantha quilt couch, obsessed with my Electric Love dreamcatchers, original Cass Bird photo, all my Nana’s Moroccan rugs, and dining room table made by my hot friend Pat Glynn, who is a woodworker extraordinaire. Also the custom-made Dana Haim pompom mobile hanging in Sunny’s room always puts me in a good mood."
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- "Having a child is like owning a wild animal—you must, at all moments, be prepared for utter entropy. No more cool blown glass vases, fragile Nakashima grass chairs, low wooden coffee tables with sharp 90-degree corners, the list goes on..."
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- "I am obsessed with our all-white bedroom—after a chaotic day navigating the downtown dirty NYC fashion world, I find nothing more relaxing than collapsing into my huge cozy cloud-like cocoon of fluffy pillows misted with peppermint and lavender essential oil."
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- "I’m the Creative Director and Co-Founder of Stone Fox Bride—the anti-bridal bridal showroom in downtown NYC for cool ladies getting married who don’t want anything to do with the puff, fluff, and phoniness of the traditional bridal world."
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- "I’m a former magazine editor turned grad school student turned novelist turned beauty copywriter and useless Piscean dreamer who got it enough together one day to turn my motley hodgpepodge post-Liberal Arts degree skillset into some semblance of a real career."
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- "The Stone Fox Bride book—a mishmash of essays, interviews, tips, photos, and inspiration about adjusting your expectations, not just of the planning process, but of marriage itself—is due out next year, published by Spiegel and Grau."
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- "Time management is a priority. I try my best to be fully present with my daughter when I am with her, which means maximizing my time at work so that I don’t take it home with me at the end of the day."
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- "YES. Love-hate this city, for sure. It’s like an eternal illness, the most beautiful disease you’ll ever have—once it gets in your bones, it never leaves. I’ve been here for almost twenty years. Every day I find it more and more repulsive, crowded, and unlivable, but every day I fall in love with it a little more."
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- "Yes! Are you fucking kidding me?"
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"We talk about 'baby sister,' but I don’t know if it really registers. My best friend Dana is a PhD in early childhood development and feels strongly that you shouldn’t talk about your pregnancy until a couple months before your due date. Unfortunately I got that memo rather late and have been blabbing about the baby in my belly ever since the pregnancy test came out positive. But Dane said telling your firstborn you are bringing home another child is comparable to your husband walking in from work one day and announcing: 'I have fallen in love with another woman who is equally as amazing as you. From here on out, she will be sleeping in our bed every night.' I’m sure I’ve already done irreparable damage."
Molly wears an embroidered vintage black caftan on loan from Meredith Melling, co-founder of La Marque. Sunny wears a skirt by Aiaty and a blue t-shirt hand me down from Felix Forsling.
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- "When it comes to advice, I try to not give it or take it. No good usually comes from either."
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- "Learning responsibility, boundaries, discipline, structure—all things I ran from until she was born. Now that I am forced into a routine that revolves around caring for another person, a lot of all my ego-driven fear has disappeared. Having to show up, be accountable, and put my own needs aside has actually made my life a lot richer. Getting married, having kids, and growing up in general has a beautiful sort of 'deal with the devil' vibe to it all—the amount of wisdom and self-love you gain is directly proportionate to the ego and self-obsession you shed along the way."
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- "She is super fun, very funny, sassy, and smart. She amazes me with her independence, her love of reading, and playing make believe. She loves smoked whitefish with capers on everything bagels with scallion cream cheese. She loves dogs, dollys, cats, and trains. She laughs spontaneously, she grunts like a puppy while she sleeps, and she talks back. She makes me laugh harder than some of my oldest friends. She is slow to burn—it takes her a long time to get comfortable around people she doesn’t know—but when she does, she is hilarious, vulnerable, and wild. She is perceptive, sensitive, and capable of reading a situation clearly. Can you tell I am obsessed with her? She has killer style. I could write 800 pages on this subject alone."
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- "My mom was super open with me, encouraged me to do my thing, never, ever made me feel self-conscious about my interests and ideas. She was a real free spirit in our house: always dancing, singing, whipping up wild hippie dinners, reading poems at dinner. I’d like to think my parenting incorporates a lot of that joy and spontaneity."
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- "Definitely Meryl Streep’s character in the movie A River Wild. Watch it right now and you’ll know what I mean."
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- "Pretty easygoing. I don't own very many clothes, but the ones I do, I love. I have a few items I return to year after year: A classic beat-up black leather jacket, cotton Indian vintage block print dresses, Ryan Roche sweaters, black Lanvin flats, and Isabel Marant boots. The more ponchos and capes, the better."
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- "I’ve pared down a lot. I used to be a bit of a compulsive shopper and closet hoarder. Now I try to just stick to the basics."
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- "A green and black Isabel Marant poncho, a long blue lurex 1970’s vintage India dress, my Hatch black maternity jumpsuit, and Ryan Roche knit sweaters."
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- "I’m desperate for some new bedding, but trying to save up for something awesome. I want to make my daughter some cool tent for her bedroom, too."
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- "Ebay. Etsy. Stone Fox Bride Vintage Second Life Collection. Century 21. I hate buying anything at full price."
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- "Far From The Tree by Andrew Solomon and Blessing For A Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel PhD are pretty great parenting reads."
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- "My first trimesters both times have been beyond hellish, but it’s been pretty much smooth sailing since. Knock wood."
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Rose essential oil and lemon essential oil.
Purely Perfect Non-Shampoo Shampoo.
Linda Rodin anything.
SW Basics Shea Butter Face Cream.
Epsom salts.
Avocado oil.
Coconut oil.
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- "I tend to show it off, but mostly because I’m really lazy and want people to give me a seat on the subway."
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- "My Hatch black maternity jumpsuit, salt and vinegar potato chips, New York Pilates, gratitude, mom friends who get it, and raspberry leaf tea."
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- "Date night, couples therapy, and blowjobs go a long way."
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"A quick hot epsom salt bath, walk around the block, podcast on the subway, check-in phone call with a girlfriend—it’s the little things that go a long way."
Molly wears an Isabel Marant sweater and her mama's hat from the 70s. Sunny wears a coat from Mor Mor Rita by Ryan Roche.
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- "Depends on the seasons: In the summer there’s a lot of ferry rides around Brooklyn, trips to the farmers market, soft ice cream cones in Dumbo, swimming at the Mccarren Park Pool. In the winter, Sunday mornings we have early morning brunches at Five Leaves or the Whythe Hotel, drink 'coffee' (hers is steamed milk with honey) at the local cafes, window shop in Williamsburg, manis and pedis on the corner, that kind of thing. An ideal Sunday night is matching full-fat Greek yogurt face masks, a joint hot bath, and cozy reading sesh in bed. We love reading."
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Molly Guy, another amazing barefoot mom. Picture #27 is one of the most beautiful on the site. Molly gorgeous soles looks so soft! And the undersides of her yummy toes…be still my heart!