The Best Thing I Ever Thrifted With Maggie Kidd

The Forsyth Art co-founder shares her beloved vintage flag with a deeply personal meaning

Oct 13, 2024

When I tell you I am obsessed with the women behind Forsyth Art, it is no understatement. I shop their online boutique. I stalk their Instagram. I eagerly sit down with my coffee and their weekly inspo newsletter, Saturday Marnin Cartoons, each and every weekend.

Forsyth Art co-owners and sisters Maggie Kidd and Anne Genovese

Sisters Maggie and Anne have an impeccable eye — for vintage furniture (which they lovingly restore and reupholster), for up-and-coming ceramicists and artists, for rare lithographs, and for fashion (I am always zooming in on their shoes when they post a glimpse of themselves).

Their store and showroom in St. Louis, Missouri is drop-dead gorgeous and there are roughly one million things on my to-buy list as a result of bookmarking their website. I purchased my original John O’Hara painting from them, as well as the large shag rug in my closet. Both are pieces I’ll never, ever get rid of.

Forsyth’s fabulous line of mushroom ottomans

I was so thrilled to feature Forsyth in What’s Left this week and hear about the vintage piece Maggie is forever grateful to have in her collection.

And, because they have so many incredible pieces in their shop (that you can purchase online or in-person at their St. Louis boutique), I rounded up some of my favorites, below.

“My favorite vintage find of the moment wasn’t something I thrifted by me — it was a gift from my husband. I have always loved Ghanaian Asafo flags. They are beautiful representations of African folk art with a rich tribal and colonial history. And, he gave me one as a birthday present a few months ago.

My husband travels to Africa for work and he was in Ghana a few months ago. Upon his return, when he got home, he opened his suitcase and gave me a paper bag. To my utmost surprise, I pulled out an Asafo flag. It was a huge surprise, just a really perfect gift. And the flag was HUGE. It is tattered and old with tons of history behind it, great muted colors, including red — my favorite.

While I’m not sure of initial cost since it was a gift, it folded up so tightly that it fit in his carry-on. I'm sure the extra large frame I put it in cost more than the flag.

I framed it immediately and now it’s leaning up above our hall table. We are in the process of building a house, so I can’t wait for it to find its new home in our new home.

I think what makes it so special to me is that it includes four animal motifs. We have a one-and-a-half year old daughter, and now I am pregnant with my second child, so it’s as if the four of us are on the flag — the fam.”

A huge thank you to Maggie and the team at Forsyth for sharing this magnificent find. I strongly encourage you all to head to their website (and I apologize in advance, because there goes your entire day).

Clockwise from top left: a Tenant NY sconce; a Forsyth mushroom pouf; a felt artwork by Stevie Howell; necklace and pendant by Jennifer Alfano, ceramic vase by Maggie Robertson (all available at Forsyth Art)

Rapid Fire

A recent purchase: This showerhead has transformed my hair. The hard water in Florida does a real number on your hair and skin, causing buildup and dry skin. But this guy filters out all the bad stuff. That it happens to be very visually appealing, and at a great price point, is an added benefit.

A high-tech shopping secret: Shopping for designer vintage fashion online can be a huge hassle, as it almost always requires combing through a million secondhand sites to find good deals. But a new, women-lead company aims to ease the process via an extension that scans all the resale sights for you, narrowing down the wares to show you exactly what you’re looking for — and at the most drastically reduced prices. So not only will you find that 1967 Yves Saint Laurent Safari jacket you’ve been hunting for — but you’ll do it at up to 70% off. The tool is in beta currently but if you subscribe to What’s Left, you get to be one of the early few to check it out, via this exclusive link.

A new-to-me skincare find: I recently learned about Vetted, a dermatololgist- founded skincare line specifically formulated for people with sensitive skin. As a member of the sensitive skin club, this drew me in. Vetted’s products are full of good-for-you ingredients but the real draw is what they don’t contain: common preservatives, additives and fragrances that are often found in even “clean” beauty products, but can wreak havoc on your skin regardless. I stocked up on the cleanser (super foamy, gets rid of everything without stripping the skin barrier), the light moisturizer (for day), the rich moisturizer (for cooler months and nighttime), and the powerhouse retinoid serum, which works even on those who think they can’t tolerate retinoid (the founders say it acts as a bridge, so once you use up a bottle of this, you can move on to prescription-grade products like tretinoin).

and I’ll leave you with this…