Jennifer Layne Cardon

It’s a New York story. I was in my regular home-away-from home, office away from the office: Starbucks. Shocking for those of you who know me I’m sure. This perpetually busy Starbucks had its typical perpetual line to the lone restroom. In a related note, kudos on the renovation and adding another one. Countless patrons (as well as non-patrons) appreciate the addition.


When you frequent a place enough, you get to know the regular crowd. As it happened, the usual suspects were congregated in the back. I was holding court. The line of ten-deep for the restroom were a captive audience if they hoped to reach their ultimate destination. I have no idea what the topic was but my recollection was it was fairly humorous. Some in line were listening in, some were busy playing with their phones; needless to say their options were limited.

One person in particular seemed to be mildly engaged in the insanity, smiling at the humorous moments. An eclectic group, one friend leaned over and said “wow, she’s a knockout!” He’s a master of stating the obvious. Line moving slowly, the banter continued. I was in rare form that evening. Perhaps not rare enough but I digress. More than happy to add participants, I rattled off questions for the unsuspecting restroom patron. “What’s your name?”, “Where you from?”, “Are you a model?” (not an odd question for this particular locale) and clearly dressed for a night out, “Where are you off to tonight?”

Playing along and politely answering the barrage, it was finally her long-awaited turn for the restroom. As she came back out, I introduced myself as well to the rest of this ragtag bunch, one of which she clearly recalls thinking was a homeless man. Did I mention eclectic group? For the record and in the event he reads this, he’s not homeless- he just seems to enjoy dressing like one. He probably had his two Apple laptops in front of him, but that did little to alter his impression. I’ve long given up on trying to help him along in the style department. Only in New York.

We exchanged cards so we could connect online and stay in touch. This is how I first met Jennifer Layne Cardon last fall.

As it turned out, we knew a lot of the same people. It was a wonder we hadn’t run across each other before. Perhaps it was inevitable but the circumstances were odd enough to make for an interesting story.

Some personalities are easier to describe than others, although I admit never adequate enough. Jennifer is outgoing, a bit of a free-spirit. She speaks her mind and is definitely fun. Plenty of depth, highly intelligent and always on the move. An idle moment and she begins to get antsy. This I fully understand. Sometimes images can do more justice than words for illustrating someone’s personality, I only hope these begin to do justice for Jen.
















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A native of Richmond, Virginia she just knew NYC was the place for her. New York is a place where a bunch of misfits in more conservative environments can finally feel free to be themselves. Just as I, she had always felt a bit like a fish out of water. Not so in New York. It’s home; a place where you can be an individual and not be looked at like you have three heads (except perhaps by tourists). Jennifer went to the University of South Carolina. Having spent my fair share of time in Columbia, I know it’s not too different from Richmond; conservative and not quite big enough to remain anonymous. There’s plenty of opportunity for those with the inclination to attempt to squash a free-spirit into their societal conformity. Two years ago, she settled into the City. Taking on a variety of different jobs and working her way up with each one, Jennifer’s enthusiasm and hard work are in Public Relations.

The look. It’s hard to go wrong with white for summer. The dress is has a sexy edge. The white frames her face beautifully with her darker skin tone and hair. The blue platform stilettos are a show-stopper. The blue blouse also was a perfect color for Jennifer. Well accessorized, Jennifer owned this look and did it perfectly.

This is one truly special lady, inside and out. Thanks to Starbucks for that long, slow line. For the chance to meet a great friend I adore, I owe you one.

Special Thanks:

Hair: George Crittenden, Celebrity hair stylist from Pierre Michel

Sultana Perovic, Chanel Analyste

Clothing: Big Drop Soho