In just three years, Lynn Ban
became a mother, decorated a new downtown apartment, and launched her eponymous jewelry line. The risk-taking designer (pieces depict everything from handcuffs to razor blades) has already carved an important place for herself in the world of fine jewelry. This busy mom, wife, and boss injects her signature design sensibility into everything she touches—from her son’s unchildlike clothes to her own vintage-infused wardrobe.
Sebastian, three, June 2011
1. "iPad for my son and a glass of wine for me
2. Before going out, he tells me I look pretty
3. Seeing him make friends
4. Everything is a first for him (and me too!)"
On Lynn: Marc Jacobs dress
"He has a very full schedule—Taekwondo, swimming, French, and yoga. After French class, they do yoga in French. Only in New York do they have French yoga."
"When you’re pregnant, your first inclination is to decorate the baby’s room with little animal prints, but then you realize you’re going to have to change it in five years. It was hard to find kids furniture that wasn’t too babyish, and that fit in with the rest of the apartment. This room will work until he moves out at 18."
Curtains made from Zoffany fabric bought at the D&D Building
"Now that I'm a mom, I appreciate my mother so much more."
Vintage surfboard found on eBay
"He grew this plant at school. It started as a little seed, and he's been watering it every day."
"Every summer, we go visit our friends in Turkey and go out on their boat for two weeks. Then we go back to Singapore where I’m from, and see his grandparents."
"Watching my son ski for the first time was my proudest moment so far."
Sebastian's Jack Purcell and Chuck Taylor sneakers
"I took Sebastian to the Muppet Whatnot Workshop at FAO Schwartz and created this one-of-a-kind muppet. You chose the hair, the outfit, everything. I think I enjoyed it more than he did."
"He loves his books—some of his favorites are:
The Night Pirates by Peter Harris
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson"
"Whenever he gets to this page, he always says, 'There's mommy’s jewelry!'"
Mr. Robot, left, and Superman
Automoblox cars
Anything Lego
Creature by Andrew Zuckerman animal floor puzzle
Tot InsTent traveling UV beach tent: "Easy to assemble and great for indoor play too!"
MacLaren Techno XT Deluxe Umbrella Stroller : "It reclines 180 degrees, which is great for taking naps when traveling in cities!"
"His love of dinosaurs started at the Natural History Museum on the Upper West Side. Then we went to the one in London, where they have this animatronic T-Rex. Over the years he was scared of it, but now he loves it."
"I bought him these vintage robots in Paris, and kept them for him until he was ready."
Sebastian's collection of monkeys
"The process of getting him into school was intense. I spent more time on his application than I did on my college application—there were essay questions!"
Jellycat mat
"At birthday parties, people tell me they can always spot him because he’s the only kid all in black. It’s actually really hard to find clothing for children in black so when I do find it, I’ll buy multiples."
Netto dresser
"This is the monkey that looks like him."
"For each of his birthdays, my friend gives him letters so eventually he’ll have the whole alphabet. But then she forgot to keep track, and we have doubles now. We can spell his name out, though."
"Japan has really good kids clothes. This one company, Hysteric Glamour from Tokyo, got permission from the Andy Warhol foundation to use his prints."
"His school, which is one subway stop away, starts in the 2's and goes up to 8th grade. He loves it. We’ve become friends with lots of the kids’ parents."
"Every friend that I have who is a girly girl always has a boy."
Little Marc Jacobs shirt and cargo pants
"When I go out at night, he always has an opinion on my outfit—he’ll say, 'Mommy you look pretty.' This morning, I asked him which dress I should wear."
"Since I have my own company and work together with my husband, the balancing act for me is switching between being mom, loving wife, or the boss!"
"This is his tree pose."
Secrets for preventing a meltdown: "Routine, plenty of sleep, healthy meals, and outdoor activity."
"It's so hard to say no when he tries to sneak
in our bed at night."
"He’s in that phase where he’s asking about everything. Unlike when I was a kid, we can’t just respond with, ‘Because I said so!”. Now, our answers are much more thoughtful."
"A great pair of large black sunglasses and bold accessories are my saviors, and Tracey Anderson workouts five times a week."
"We're able to keep the kids' stuff pretty contained."
Sebastian's custom-made bookshelves
"He’s a good eater. We were just in the Caribbean and our guide fished out this conch [seen in the background], cut out the meat, and Sebastian ate it."
"My most humbling parenting moment so far was when my son threw up all over me in the backseat of a NYC Taxi."
"I try to really live every moment with him, good and bad."
Lynn's recipe for salmon cakes
