The Look Book

DW and Tasha Gibson, Writer and Chef

"I had no style when I met her. I certainly felt like I could be schooled."

By Amy Larocca
Published Nov 26, 2006

(Photo: Jake Chessum)

What are you up to today?
TASHA: I’m in the restaurant business, so we have our weekend in the middle of the week—we get our coffee, get our papers, and hang out. Once in a while, I crave the normalcy of lines for brunch.
DW: I’m a writer, and I also run a writer’s residency upstate, so in the spring and fall, I go up there from Friday till Monday.

Were you impressed by each other’s style when you met?
TASHA: When we met, he was kind of stuck in that college baggy look. He’s since realized how nice it is to have clothes that fit. I think we’re both happy about that.
DW: I had no style when I met her. I certainly felt like I could be schooled.

And were you?
DW: I allowed her to come along on my next shopping trip. Now I’m a blazer addict—this one is Triple 5 Soul. I try for “estimable dork” as my look.

Tasha, are you happy with that?
TASHA: He’s far better dressed than I am these days. He likes getting all dolled up and going out.

Tell me about your style.
TASHA: I try not to be too invested in what I wear, because things get ruined in restaurants all the time. This is my favorite: It’s a vintage poncho from Marchand de Legumes that I’ve had forever. It’s one of those sunny-fall-afternoon things that you think about all summer long.

You’re a chef, do you cook for DW?
TASHA: I don’t want to lie—we seldom eat at home. I’m a big fan of August in the West Village, and we eat a lot of ethnic food. We’re a little adventurous. We like Ethiopian and Moroccan. We just found this great place called Nomad.

How did you propose?
DW: We went to Cuba, to Havana, and I wanted to propose on the Malecón, which is the seawall that lines the harbor. But I got kind of anxious and overexcited. I stopped us across the street before we got there in what I thought was a quaint park, but it was actually just the middle of a lot of traffic. So I proposed, but then we went across the street so I could do it again.