A city is not just streets, buildings and historical facts. A city is its people. Brooklyn has many landmarks, including parks, monuments, buildings and bridges. But the Brooklynites are the brightest attraction of the borough. The Green Lady is Brooklyn’s main fashionista.
In 1999, Brooklynites began to notice on the streets of their borough an elderly woman dressed entirely in green. The bright and juicy shade of green attracted the attention of passersby and quickly made Elizabeth Sweetheart a local celebrity. But that’s far from the whole story. Learn more at brooklynka.
From nature to the city
Elizabeth was born in 1941 on the Nova Scotia peninsula. Her parents were doctors. They worked hard, so the girl spent most of her time at her grandparents’ house. From a young age, she was accustomed to living alongside nature. She was surrounded by green meadows and forests, the Bay of Fundy.
Elizabeth’s grandmother was a seamstress, and it was she who introduced the girl into the world of design. At eight years old, Liz sewed her first outfit. Elizabeth continued her childhood passion at Mount Allison University in Canada. After graduating, she hitchhiked to New York City.
She quickly found a job in the big city and broke into the world of design and fashion.
She was engaged in textile painting for Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren and others. She also sold her paintings – small watercolor pieces of her own creation. In the big city, Liz found refuge in Brooklyn.
In New York, Elizabeth met Robert Rosenthal, who was also an artist. They got married and had a son who became a showman and magician. In 1987, he inherited his mother’s passion and founded the design company SweetPea Design Studio.
At one time, Sweetheart worked with the Duchess of York. Together they created designer upholstery for an exclusive furniture collection.
Noble Old Age
Until 2000, Elizabeth worked in an office building in Manhattan. She commuted there from Brooklyn by train every day, and from the window, gazed at the concrete jungle and felt a sharp lack of greenery around her. In 2000, she retired and began to live the typical life of a retiree. In her home on Nelson Street in Brooklyn, she created a small garden with herbs and tomatoes.
Spending time digging in the garden, she increasingly recalled her childhood and all the greenery that surrounded her then. This is how the greening of her life began.
Greening is exactly the right word. Elizabeth not only dressed in all shades of green but also transformed her home. The front door is bright green, the carpet in the living room, the furniture, dishes and kitchenware – everything is green. Even the soap and sponges for washing dishes. Hundreds of shades of green around.
The wardrobe of the eccentric Brooklynite consists of three dozen jumpsuits in bright green and lime colors.
Liz herself claims that this is also a time saver. A monochromatic wardrobe doesn’t require much time for mixing and matching. You do not have to think about which colors go together.
Green as medicine
Every color has certain properties. Red is alarming, yellow brings joy and blue calms. Green is also considered a soothing and cheerful color. For Elizabeth Sweetheart, it became a kind of salvation. After the death of her mother and beloved dog, she felt really bad. After all, coping with the loss of loved ones is always hard. Green color supported her every day. On days when grief overwhelmed and paralyzed her, green was a beacon at the end of a dark tunnel.
At first, she bought various bright green little trinkets. A hair tie, a kitchen mitt, a frog figurine, an umbrella – these items marked the beginning of the green era in her life.
In the 2000s, Liz had a passion for vintage clothing (dresses) and floral hats. Even after leaving the fashion industry, she continued to seek her unique style. Liz decided that monochrome would suit her best and began searching for the right color. She didn’t want to be boring or monotonous. Liz wanted happiness and green was the color of joy in her life.
After leaving her job, Liz remained in the fashion industry. She engaged in selling vintage outfits, attended fashion events and gave interviews.
Best for kids!
Unfortunately, not all adults dare to wear bright green clothing in everyday life. Due to her petite stature, Liz was able to shop in children’s stores. It’s important for children’s development to be surrounded by bright colors, which is why their clothing is so vibrant and colorful. Liz bought clothes in different children’s shops and adapted them for herself. She altered old dresses and even created her own shoes. This made her a Brooklyn landmark.
The husband of the extravagant Lady wears ordinary clothes, but he supports his wife and tolerates the crowds of journalists and fans. They are often seen strolling through Brooklyn, walking their dog along the waterfront or in Prospect Park.
She is especially adored by Brooklyn’s goth teenagers and environmentalists. The Green Lady, an idol for goths? It’s possible.
In 2011, her photo became the most popular image of the Humans of New York project.
In 2017, she decided to create a social media page where she posted her outfits and photos. As of 2023, she has nearly 400,000 followers.
Emily Spivack, a writer and fashion expert, wrote a book titled “Worn in New York.” In it, she talked about well-known figures in the fashion world and showed their images. The book included 68 Americans and Elizabeth Switheart was one of them.