Veronica O'Brien

As the end of April approaches, it feels almost surreal to know that in just a few weeks I will be a college graduate. My emotions shift constantly, at times I feel nostalgic, at others anxious, but more than anything, grateful. In my four years at Tulane, I’ve met strangers who became lifelong friends, studied harder than I ever thought possible, worked a variety of odd jobs, and, most importantly, fallen in love with New Orleans.

When Lana Del Rey built her career on California melancholy and East Coast nostalgia, few imagined her next act would unfold along Louisiana bayous. For over a decade, she cultivated an aesthetic rooted in tragic glamour, the doomed ingénue of Born to Die, the desert-drifting philosopher of Norman F**ing Rockwell!*, the patron saint of faded Americana.

I sat down with Mary Jacobs, founder of Mary’s Rack to talk about style, sustainability, and running an independent retail business in New Orleans. We discussed her journey, her approach to curating the shop, and what makes her store such a distinctive part of the local fashion scene. You can find her shop tucked in an alleyway at 8128 Oak Street.