Followers may be more familiar with her alter ego, Accidental Icon, but Lyn Slater’s credentials go far beyond being fashionable. The former professor and social worker has spent the past decade using the moniker to turn our perception of style and aging on its head. Scroll through her Instagram feed or blog, and you'll find Slater decked out in designer duds, interspersed with fashion campaigns for Hermés and Dior, and sponsored posts for luxury brands like Net-a-Porter, Kate Spade, and Moncler. Slater speaks of this life stage with gratitude for the opportunities it's provided—like access to a wealth of influential people in the fashion industry and travel experiences in new destinations—but always from a place of removal. The Accidental Icon is not her, says Slater. It's a persona.
Now in her 70s, Slater says she has closed her chapter as an influencer and is embracing a new one. One where she is still undeniably fabulous and no-less influential, but has traded in her New York city apartment for a home upstate (where she is writing a monthly column for her local paper), her signature red lipstick and large statement earrings for a subtler wardrobe, and the title of “influencer” for “writer” and “grandmother.”
Ahead of her upcoming book release How to Be Old (out March 12) Condé Nast Traveler spoke with Slater about her most meaningful travel experiences, reinvention, and, of course, packing essentials.
As with style, how has your relationship with travel evolved over the years?
Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of resources, so my traveling occurred through my love of reading and books. The thing that I loved most about being Accidental Icon was the opportunities that it gave me to travel. During my time as “her”—because I kind of see Accidental Icon as separate in a way from who I am—I went to London, Paris, Iceland, Shanghai, Japan, Madrid; just all over to places that I would not have gone to if I had still been just a social worker and a professor. A highlight of one of my trips was visiting Amsterdam. My mom had told me stories about how my great grandparents had a hotel and cafe in Amsterdam. So when I finally made it there, I went to the hotel, and I mentioned their name to the hotel manager. He immediately took me upstairs, and there I see two massive oil portraits of my great grandparents. I had the opportunity to sit in that glorious cafe and learn how my great grandfather was an architect who pushed the boundaries of traditional architecture—he was really going against the aesthetic of the time.
Seeing those paintings must have blown your mind.
Blew my mind—it was incredible. It was actually sitting in my great grandfather’s cafe that I got the idea in my head that I should write a
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Thinking of visiting China, India, or Venezuela this year with a US passport? Not so fast — or at least not before securing a visa. Some of the best wonders of the world require US citizens to obtain a visa before take-off, an inconvenience in planning that long-awaited international getaway.
Looking for inspiration for your next big summer vacation? Or, perhaps you're in search of some suggestions for an exciting city break? Whether you're looking for far-flung travel suggestions in Europe or Asia or something closer to home on U.S. soil, we have you covered.
If you are planning a trip to Japan this summer, you’re not alone. New research has revealed the most popular destinations for the coming peak travel season – and there are a few surprises.
Ever heard of “fifth freedom flights” and “the freedoms of the air”? The latter may sound more like poetic prose than legal jargon, but this phrase—unbeknownst to most casual fliers—actually denotes the five official rights that make international air travel possible.
While Japan is famous for its cherry blossoms, South Korea offers its own unforgettable cherry blossom experience. Known locally as "beotkkot," the cherry blossom season in South Korea transforms the country into a breathtaking palette of pink, beguiling both locals and tourists alike. The 2024 bloom season for these beloved blooms is expected to be particularly stunning, with experts estimating that this year’s flowering with arrive seven days earlier than normal.
For over 20 years, Melissa Goldstein worked as a magazine photo editor. While researching imagery, she developed a fascination with Scandinavian ceramics, 17th-century botanical illustrations and Japanese woodblock prints dating back to the 1500s. It wasn’t until she moved to Brooklyn and began rehabilitating the overgrown garden behind her brownstone that she began combining her interests: “[My brand MG by Hand] was the merging of my research, the garden and making things for my family,” Goldstein says of the fine English porcelain ceramics she now sells in select shops and online. In 2008, the artist began hand-making everyday dinnerware in her home studio in Carroll Gardens, decorating the pieces with floral motifs in a cobalt stain. Black irises, poppies and flowering quince from her garden adorned vases, shallow banchan dishes and scalloped serving trays. Her new Poppy and Cherry collections, which were fired in a gas kiln for 12 to 15 hours, channel Dutch Delftware while depicting local flora. “I have a wall that separates my garden from my neighbor’s, and I’ve interwoven quince in it,” Goldstein says. “I’m very into blooming trees.”
If you’re a sakura - or cherry blossom - lover, you’ll likely have Japan and Washington DC on your travel bucket lists. But did you know there are countless places across Europe with equally impressive pink blooms to take in this spring?
Actress Sharon Catherine Brown is currently playing the role of Mrs. Nolan and others in the new Broadway musical, Days of Wine and Roses, now playing at Studio 54 through Sunday, March 31.