Q&A With Our Fall Muses

by Sara Wennerstrom / Nov 10, 2022



Nzinga:


  1. What is your favorite city and why?

New York City! I’m a bit biased since it’s where I’m from here but there’s so much life and culture here. I love that everyone you meet has a special talent or niche passion that they can tell you all about. We have wonderful museums, restaurants


  1. What is your go-to SENREVE piece? How do you incorporate it into your busy life (work, travel, motherhood)

My Aria belt bag is my go-to. I travel often so having a bag that does it all has been incredible. I wear it as a sling in the airport to keep all my valuables visible, as a crossbody when exploring a new city, as a clutch when out for a nice dinner, and as a waist belt when I want to give my shoulders a rest. It’s the perfect bag! 


  1. What are your three favorite places in New York City and why?

DUMBO is my favorite area of New York. It’s the part of Brooklyn directly across the river from Manhattan so the views are incredible.

Public Records is my favorite restaurant. The food is plant-based and beautifully plated, the space itself is both lush and industrial, and they’re known for hosting amazing DJs.


I’m also obsessed with Little Island! If you’ve ever seen The Happy Place this manmade island looks (and feels) like the town in the series. I love walking over for an outdoor lunch.


  1. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Confidence is key. You’ll only progress as far as you believe is possible so believe in a career that’s grand and abundant.


  1. Where did you grow up and how did you end up in New York?

I was born in NYC but grew up with my mom in NJ. My dad lived in Flatiron so I went to visit him often as a kid. I sang opera as a teenager with an ensemble in NYC so I’d commute three days a week after school. Since then, I’ve been in love with this city and moved to Manhattan immediately after college.


  1. We talk a lot about being a “multifaceted woman” what does that mean to you?

I think it means pursuing all your interests no matter how (seemingly) disjointed. I’m into vegan fashion but I’m also into real estate investing. I love international travel and am on the board of a meditation center. A small variety of passions makes life really dynamic.


  1. How would you describe your personal style?

Elevated basics. My selection of clothes are very simple but they often involve small, thoughtful details that help them stand out.


  1. What are the most important things you keep in your handbag?

I say “Phone, keys, wallet” before leaving the house to make sure I have the basics. Aside from that chapstick and hand lotion are key to stay nice and moisturized. 


Christine Evangelista:


  1. What is your favorite city and why?

My favorite city (without any hesitation) is, New York City for it’s pulsating energy that inspires and fuels me. Upon every return to NY, I am immediately reminded how valuable the city has been to my development as a woman and as a creative. Someone once said to me, “NYC is a place where you can have a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity, every day”. I believe that to be true and even the thought of this as you wake up each morning puts your mindset in a place of abundance. I love that.


2.What is your go-to SENREVE piece? How do you incorporate it into your busy life (work, travel, motherhood)


I absolutely love the large Maestra backpack. It is chic, durable and makes me feel incredibly organized with a pocket for everything. I get so many compliments on it as i walk down a street or frantically run through an airport terminal with my chihuahua. This bag makes me feel more put together than I ever really am.


  1. What are your three favorite places in New York City and why?

My three favorite places in NYC are: The Staten Island ferry, because as a teenager from Staten Island, i would commute to manhattan every day for acting class. No matter the weather, i would stand outside on the front of the boat as it approached Manhattan. The skyline always took my breath away.


59th and 5th- this corner where Central Park begins and the shops of 5th avenue end has always felt so cinematic to me. It made me feel like an uptown girl- or, what i imagined an uptown girl to be, a combination of Eloise and Holly Golightly; messy, mischievous, board but fabulous.


The west village. You can feel the cultural history walking around the streets of the village and peering into the historic walk-up buildings where some of the worlds greatest poets, writers and musicians lived. It was the home to the beatniks and everyone from Edgar Allen Poe to Janis Joplin. It’s where I moved at 18 years old. It’s the most charming and romantic area of Manhattan.


4.What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?


The best career advice i ever received was to “be consistent’.  Creating my own consistency is important, as the life of any actress is often inconsistent. Setting up and holding myself to a daily schedule of writing, reading, rehearsing and other daily habits gives me a foundation to build on. It strengthens my mind.


5.Where did you grow up and how did you end up in New York?


I grew up on Staten Island. Actually, I practically grew up on the BQE (the brooklyn queens expressway) My fathers family is from Queens and my mothers side is from the Bronx. As we would pass manhattan every morning on the drive to my grandparents, I would see the buildings glisten as the sun rose and think to myself, “that’s where Cinderella lives”. I moved into Manhattan when i was 18 to study at F.I.T while working as much as I could as an actress and supplementing my rent by working for a short selling stock company.


  1. We talk a lot about being a “multifaceted woman” what does that mean to you?

I embrace living in dualities and being multifaceted. Gone are the days where we are told to “stay in your lane” or “stick to your day job”. It feels encouraging and exciting to express the many different parts of myself; the strength and vulnerability, being glamorous and also smart, artistic and business minded. The only limitations are the ones we set in our own mind. 


  1. How would you describe your personal style?

My personal style I would categorize as “feminine with an edge”. I am definitely into adding more classic pieces into my wardrobe lately. I have always used clothing to illustrate or enhance my mood.


  1. What are the most important things you keep in your handbag?

The most important thing I keep in my handbag is my AirPods and phone (aka my camera, gps, wallet and music source) the one thing i need to actually keep in my bag is a phone charger. I am always, always asking for a charge. But I guess that’s better than asking for a light, right?


Lauren Dereveux:


  1. What is your favorite city and why?

I’m a New Yorker for life. The vibrancy is contagious, the people are as good as they come, and there’s no place I feel more inspired. Plus… bagels. If I weren’t allowed to chose home for my answer, I wouldn’t answer.


  1. What is your go-to SENREVE piece? How do you incorporate it into your busy life (work, travel, motherhood)?

Since getting the Aria Belt Bag, I haven’t really taken it off. It’s perfect for bike rides to the diamond district, trips to the playground, and early morning coffee runs with the dog. Obviously my Maestra, which couldn’t possibly be a more chic diaper bag alternative, gets a ton of use too.


  1. What are your three favorite places in New York City and why?

That’s like asking someone to pick their favorite child! Flea Markets are my all time happy place - preferably ones you stumble upon. They are fewer and farther in between these days. Tompkins Square Park with a bagel in your hand. The city streets on marathon Sunday. And The Met…. obviously.


  1. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Say yes until you have to say no. Take the meeting. Follow the lead. You never know where you’ll end up.


  1. Where did you grow up and how did you end up in New York?

I grew up just across the river in NJ in a town called Summit! I would commute in to the city after school for auditions, and would spend weekends here with my father, who lived on the Upper West Side. My family traded my hometown for the west coast long ago, so NYC is the closest thing I have to my childhood home.


  1. We talk a lot about being a “multifaceted woman” what does that mean to you?

Society taught me at a young age that I was allowed to chose one thing to be. I could be someone that went to work or someone that saw their kids during the day. I could be a business woman, or I could be an artist. I love that we live in a time where women get to make their own rules, and that I can be all of the above and then some.


  1. How would you describe your personal style?

Vintage, structured, layered, and these days… washable.


  1. What are the most important things you keep in your handbag?

My jewelers loupe, hand cream from Necessaire, lip balm from Tatcha, a toothbrush, and an assortment of snacks for my toddler.