Meet Pamela Garavano-Coolbaugh
“Born in Maitland, Florida, Pamela moved to NYC to study Journalism & Mass Communications as well as Political Science at NYU. She started getting more and more into music when she started working at Other Music, a small record shop located in the East Village. Eventually, she got to know Mike Sniper and starting touring in his band Blank Dogs. Pamela now works as the Head Project Manager at Captured tracks, where she oversees albums from beginning to end on all fronts. ”
Top: Vintage, Shorts: Levi's
ON HER MORNING ROUTINE
On weekdays, I usually get up at around 8 and the first thing I do is check the weather. That way, I’m thinking about what I want to wear while I’m having breakfast. Then I shower, apply tinted moisturizer and mascara and then I’m ready to head in to work or do whatever.
on moving to New York
When I moved to New York for college, I ended up interning for a record label called Ba Da Bing as well as a College Radio PR company my first year here. The owner of Chouette, the Radio PR company, worked part time at the record store Other Music and mentioned that they were looking to hire someone part time. I got that job when I was 19 and ended up working full-time in various positions there for almost 6 years. It was a special work environment that fostered creativity — almost everyone who works there plays music or is involved in music outside of the store — and I was able to tour in bands like Blank Dogs and briefly Widowspeak, but always have a job to come home to. I’m forever thankful for those experiences. They come in especially handy as the Head PM at Captured Tracks because I do know the things artists go through as well as the things that labels work toward.
on her personal style
I usually frequent places like Uniqlo, Madewell, Oak, and troll around Etsy for pieces of a classic or minimal style. I’m pretty particular about the cut of my clothes — I like things a bit oversized — though I dress relatively simply. I like adding one interesting detail like the Talon necklace from Rila NYC or a leather strip tied as a belt and keep everything else pretty muted. In a perfect world, I’d be able to shop at Acne, All Saints, Dries Van Noten or, if I was a millionaire, Celine, on the regular; instead, I allow myself one big splurge a year and it has to be something that’s classic and timeless. If I find a piece that fits well, I’ll just buy different variations of it. I’m obsessed with my Madewell shirt, and I just ended up buying it in all these different colors.
“Working in music has made me amass a lot of band t-shirts, so that’s made its way into my everyday outfits.
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on her skincare and beauty routine
I try to keep my face feeling clean and hydrated. For me, that means no heavy make-up, but just light tinted moisturizers and beauty masks once a week — for better or worse, I’m always trying different kinds and asking my friends with beautiful skin for recommendations haha. I use Neutrogena Triple Age Repair Night Moisturizer, Simple Kind to Skin Moisturizing Facial Wash, Meaningful Beauty Deep Cleansing Masque, Cibu Shine Polishing Gloss, NARS Lipstick, Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Mascara and The Blend No. 06.
on the Dennis hooper room
The Dennis Hopper room is my fiancee Michael’s little sanctuary. It’s where he gets ready in the morning. He’s got Kris Kristofferson, Drinking Electricity and of course Dennis Hopper looking over him, plus his favorite books and a baseball mitt. Sometimes, I can be a little overbearing with how the apartment is set up, but I love his little space just as much as he does.
on the drawings in her apartment
There’s a lot of drawings in our apartment by Michael and I’s friend Yusuke Okada. He’s a great Brooklyn-via-Japan artist that we love. There are also a lot of band posters that either came in record sleeves or ones that came through record collection buys at Other Music and places like Academy. If there’s a flyer on our wall, it’s the same story or it was designed by my fiancee Michael, who makes flyers for shows with his band EZTV. I’m also a sucker for art exhibitions and grabbing books and posters from museum gift shops, so we’ve got a Matisse print and poster from the recent Cut Outs exhibit
on The Fall’s This Nation’s Saving Grace record
The Fall’s This Nation’s Saving Grace is a special record to me. It was recommended to me by a record clerk when I was in high school and I remember saving up my allowance to buy it on CD. Initially, I actually hated it! But, I spent my own money on it, so I listened to it often and, after awhile, I loved it. It lead me down a post-punk rabbit hole that I’ve never emerged from since.
Top: Vintage, Shorts: Levi's, Shoes: Swedish Hasbeens
“It sounds odd, but I can’t remember not being into music. I’ve always played music casually and I remember getting tapes as a kid and then going to my local record shop in high school to buy CDs. ”
pamela's favorite books
The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Yé-Yé Girls of '60s French Pop by Jean-Emmanuel, William Eggleston: From Black and White to Colour by William Eggleston, Philip K. Dick: Four Novels of the 1960s by Philip K. Dick, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami
Pamela's favorite records
Spooky by Lush, Early Recordings by Opal, This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall, Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty by Felt
pamela's favorite places IN new york city
My favorite coffee shop in the neighborhood is Variety
There's also Milk and Pull down the street -- they've got great bagels and donuts from Dough if I'm feeling decadent
There's a nice neighborhood bar called Old Stanleys that we like a lot
The best brunch spot is easily Cafe Ghia. They serve amazing Southern homestyle food, but with a twist.
Top: Madewell, Skirt: Vintage, Tote: Whitney Museum, Shoes: Swedish Habeens, Sunglasses: Spitfire