Alexa Brazilian

New York

Contributing Editor at T: The New York Times Style Magazine

Co-Founder and Writer at The Perfect

Fashion Editor for the Wall Street Journal's Off Duty

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Articles

The 25 Most Influential Shoes and Bags

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian |Tahirah Hairston |Jameson Montgomery |Megan O’Sullivan |Emilia Petrarca

After debating the most impactful women's and men's fashion since World War II as part of our T 25 series, we decided to ask five members of the American fashion community to each nominate 10 accessories they felt were worthy of being on a list of the 25 most influential shoes and handbags of the past 100 years.
How to make your sofa or couch look more inviting

Jan 23, 2025 | seattletimes.com | Alexa Brazilian

With sofas, comfort comes first. But a couch typically “occupies prime real estate” in a room, said the decorator Alexandra Pappas of Pappas Miron Design — meaning it’s worth thinking about its visual appeal. For an original look, the more colors, shapes and textiles you can incorporate, the better. We asked some interior designers for practical advice on creating an inviting layered effect on sofas.
Kawabi's Japanese-Inspired, Brooklyn-Built Lighting Collection

Dec 4, 2024 | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian

T Introduces highlights the debut of a singular person, place or thing. The partners in life Aaron and Irisa Na Kawabi never set out to be partners in business. After their 2014 graduation from the Parsons School of Design, where they met as students, Irisa, now 32, worked as a product designer while Aaron, 35, focused on cabinetmaking, architectural fabrication and retail interiors.
Inside a Legendary New York Hotel, a Home With Wall-to-Wall Tiger Print

Nov 27, 2024 | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian |Christopher Sturman

"IT HAS THE spirit of a loft," says the interior designer Martin Brûlé, surveying the apartment that inhabits an entire floor of the Sherry-Netherland, the 38-story Jazz Age Fifth Avenue co-op and hotel overlooking Central Park at 59th Street. "The stereotype of a New York loft is that it's downtown with this artsy feeling, mismatched furniture. Well, this space has all those elements.
How to Make Your Sofa as Stylish as It Is Comfortable

Nov 19, 2024 | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian

With sofas, comfort comes first. But a couch typically "occupies prime real estate" in a room, says the decorator Alexandra Pappas, 47, of Pappas Miron Design - meaning it's worth thinking about its visual appeal, too. Of course, there's the standard two-pillows-and-a-throw treatment but, for a truly original look, the more colors, shapes and textiles you can incorporate, the better.
The Chrysanthemum Is No Longer Just for Grocery Store Bouquets

Sep 1, 2024 | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian

Arrangements of dyed black, pink and green chrysanthemums by the floral designer Louis-Géraud Castor of Castor Fleuriste in Paris. Credit... Photograph by Florent Tanet. Set design by Nicholas William White By spotlighting unusual varieties and unlikely combinations, designers are casting the flowers in a new light. Arrangements of dyed black, pink and green chrysanthemums by the floral designer Louis-Géraud Castor of Castor Fleuriste in Paris. Credit... Photograph by Florent Tanet.
Tapestries Are No Longer Just for Gothic Castles

Aug 13, 2024 | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian

Picture a tapestry hanging on a wall and the setting is likely a rambling manor house. Lately, however, ornate European examples have been appearing in less expected places, including contemporary Manhattan apartments.
So Long, Pavlova. Trifle Is the Dessert of the Summer.

Jul 25, 2024 | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian

In classic British fashion, the trifle - perhaps the most quintessentially English dessert - is an almost comical understatement, its name suggesting a light snack when the dish itself is an indulgent, multilayered, alcohol-soaked production. The moniker was more accurate in the 16th century, when it referred to a simple pudding made from clotted cream mixed with sugar and rosewater.
Do You Need a Lazy Susan? Maybe Not. But They Make Meals a Lot More Fun.

Jul 9, 2024 | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian

The simple rotating serving tray has gone by many names over the years: dumbwaiter, butler's assistant and, most famously, lazy Susan. Accounts of its origins are similarly varied: Some say it was invented by Thomas Edison; others credit Thomas Jefferson, claiming he named it for one of his daughters, who would complain of always being served last at meals (though he seemingly didn't have a child called Susan).
Sweet Treats That Are Also Mind Tricks

May 9, 2024 | nytimes.com | Alexa Brazilian |Mari Maeda |Yuji Oboshi

At the wedding banquet of King Henry IV and Joan of Navarre in 1403, showstopping sugar sculptures were carted out after each of the six courses. Some were shaped like animals; others were recreations of architectural marvels. All of them were as finely chiseled as any likeness carved from stone. Called sotelte (or "subtleties") in England, culinary masterworks like these were traditionally concocted from a paste of sugar, ground nuts, oils and vegetable gums and gilded or painted with pigments.