System

‘The rules are in my head.’

Issue No. 2 – £7 / €10 / $18

Rei Kawakubo
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Table of contents

c-print, 45 x 30 cm, photo© Studio Wurm, Courtesy: Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York
36 In the words of... Rei Kawakubo.
By Hans Ulrich Obrist. Illustration by François Berthoud. Photographs by Juergen Teller.

56 Face à face. Diptyque.

By Gaia Repossi & Jeremy Everett.

58 A letter from... São Paolo: Forty million princesses.

By Flávio Rocha. Illustration by François Berthoud.

60 A letter from... Beijing: Size matters.

By Hung Huang. Illustration by François Berthoud.

62 A letter from... New York: Clothes maketh the woman.

By Leandra Medine. Illustration by François Berthoud.

64 First look. Paco Rabanne by Julien Dossena.

By Jonathan Wingfield. Photographs by Patrick Demarchelier.

72 The modern. Joe Einhorn.

By Jonathan Wingfield. Portrait by Jason Schmidt.

86 The legendary... Lynn Wyatt.

By Jerry Stafford. Photographs by Robert Polidori.

108 Retrospective. Charles James.

By William Middleton. Photographs by Robert Polidori.

132 The decisive moment. Melanie Ward.

By Jo-Ann Furniss. Styling by Melanie Ward. Portrait by Daniel Jackson. Photographs by Glen Luchford.

154 Portfolio. Bruce Weber.

Curated by Dennis Freedman.

178 The good life. John Casablancas.

By Hubert Woroniecki.

188 Carlyne’s edit. Jeremy Scott.

Photographs & styling by Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele.

192 The beauty spot. Véronique Gabai-Pinsky.

By Martin Brandtner. Portrait by Brigitte Lacombe.

200 Chronicles of chic. Victor Skrebneski.

By Alex Aubry.

218 The American Questionnaire. Diane von Furstenberg.

By Loïc Prigent.

28 Erwin Wurm, One-Minute Sculpture, 1997 StandardHotels.com

Contributors

Alex Aubry has lived in Chicago for Leandra Medine is from New York. Gaia Repossi was born in Torino in
the past 20 years. He is an architect, She writes a fashion blog called northern Italy. She is the artistic direc-
editor, writer, marketing director, The Man Repeller. In an elemen- tor of Repossi, which was founded by
educator and curator. He is current- tary school production of Bible her great-grandfather. She is responsi-
ly completing a second book looking House Rocks, she played a dancing ble for developing the collections and
at emerging costume collectors in the sunflower. enjoys creating imaginary paintings
Arabian Gulf Region. every day.
William Middleton is originally
François Berthoud spent his early from Kansas – think lots of big, flat Flávio Rocha is from Natal, Brazil.
years in a mountainous area of Swit- wheat fields. He is a magazine jour- He is the CEO of Riachuelo. In 1994,
zerland. He makes images and illustra- nalist and editor. For much of the he ran for President.
tions mostly for fashion magazines and past decade, he’s been research-
brands. It’s been and still is lots of fun. ing and writing the first biography Jason Schmidt is from New York. He’s
For any more information, Google him! of Dominique and John de Menil a photographer. He says that being a
and moved from New York to Hou- photographer is a great excuse to get
Jeremy Everett spent much of his ston to work on it. invited into people’s lives for a little
childhood exploring the American bit and that is the best thing.
West. He is now a visual artist based Hans Ulrich Obrist is from Zürich.
between New York and Paris. He has He is a curator, writer and co-director Jerry Stafford was brought up in
lived out of a suitcase for the last three of London’s Serpentine Gallery. The Bromley in South London. He is a
years travelling and producing work. first exhibition he curated was in his writer, stylist and the creative director
mum and dad’s kitchen. of French film production company
Dennis Freedman grew up in the Première Heure. His last holiday was
1950s in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Robert Polidori was born in Montréal. spent birdwatching in the Galapagos
and is now the creative director of He makes photographic iconography Islands.
Barneys. He was a regular at Studio of phenomena he finds interesting,
54, but he’d generally return home by but before he wanted to make movies Juergen Teller is from Erlangen,
1.00 am to eat a pint of ice cream and – photography was much cheaper Germany. He is a photographer. He is
watch back-to-back reruns of The to practice. His mother can trace always sleep-deprived.
Mary Tyler Moore Show. her French-Canadian lineage all the
way back to 1554, a good 66 years Hubert Woroniecki is from Paris.
Jo-Ann Furniss grew up in Manches- before the first British settlements in He makes (or tries to make) films and
ter. She is a consultant, writer and North America. videos. He left the wonderful world of
editor. She doesn’t have a kitchen at supermodels in New York at the end
home, as she’d much rather have a Loïc Prigent is from Brittany. He of the 1990s to become a student in a
television. makes fashion documentaries. Diane film school in Poland and sleep in a
Von Furstenberg asked him to film dorm with three other guys.
Hung Huang is from Beijing. She her doing the wildest positions of yoga
writes and loves to cook. She will play a or pilates; he can’t remember the tech-
Manchu princess who hates her daugh- nical name of this torture. After an
ter’s boyfriend in an up-coming Sony intense workout, she looked amazing.
Pictures film about 1920s Shanghai. She doesn’t sweat!

30
 CHLOE.COM
Masthead

Editorial Board
Alexia Niedzielski
Elizabeth von Guttman
Jonathan Wingfield
Thomas Lenthal

Art Director Managing Editor Associate Editor

Mathieu Perroud Blake Abbie Rana Toofanian

Editor-at-Large Coordination
Natasha Goldenberg Veronica Latourrette
Ignacio Carvajal

Sub-Editor Layout
Kamin Mohammadi Antoine Seiter

Contributing Writers
Alex Aubry, Martin Brandtner, Jo-Ann Furniss, Hung Huang, Leandra Medine, William Middleton,
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Loïc Prigent, Flávio Rocha, Jerry Stafford, Hubert Woroniecki.

Contributing Creatives
Fernanda Abdalla, François Berthoud, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Gro Curtis,
Jeremy Everett, Dennis Freedman, Gaia Repossi, Melanie Ward.

Contributing Photographers
Patrick Demarchelier, Daniel Jackson, Brigitte Lacombe, Glen Luchford,
Robert Polidori, Jason Schmidt, Juergen Teller.

Special Thanks to:

The Alley Theatre, Benjamin Bastide, Adrien Blanchat, Thomas Bonnouvrier, Florent Buonomano, Heath Cannon,
Matteo Caraccia, Whitney Crenshaw, Elodie David Touboul, Cécile Derein-Pozzi, Nicolas Frontière, Marie-Valentine Girbal,
Carole Guenebeaud, Julia Hackel, Jeana Hong Oh, Houston Grand Opera, Rachael Inman, Adrian Joffe, Janet Johnson,
Nathaniel Kilcer, Nathan Lindstrom, Saif Madhi, Susan and François de Menil, The Menil Collection, Museum of Fine Arts Houston,
Cyrille Niedzielski, Thu Nguyen, Amber Olsen, Lauren Pelletier, Amy Pellicane, Kathleen Pierce, Jean Pigozzi, Marilyn Porlan,
Jen Ramey, Rice University, Heather Robbins, Rothko Chapel, Pierre Rougier, Georg Rulffes, James Turrell, Matt Shelton,
Axelle Van de Goor, Antonella Viero, Alexander Werz, Wortham Theater Center, Mr and Mrs Oscar Wyatt.

Publisher Associate Publisher

Tartan Publishing Ltd Forward

© 2013 CHLOE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

System
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London, N7 9QH, United Kingdom, +44 (0)20 7619 6617.
For subscriptions please visit www.system-magazine.com

Distribution by COMAG. Tavistock Works, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, UB7 7QX, +44 (0)18 9543 3811.

Colour reproduction by LBH Labs. © 2013 Reproduction is strictly prohibited For more information,
Printed and bound by Grafica Nappa Srl without permission from the publishers. please contact [email protected]
in Aversa, Italy. ISSN NO: 2052-0808 or visit www.system-magazine.com

32
Editors’ letter

For a magazine in search of long and meaningful dialogues, it was always

going to be a tall order to imagine Rei Kawakubo as our lead interview.

What were we thinking?

Well, for this second issue of System, we were drawn to those people who
reside in their own unique world: places rich with identity and character
that can’t - or won’t - fit into the increasingly homogenous confines of fashion.

Whether that’s Bruce Weber’s American utopia, Melanie Ward’s attitudinal

styling or the fabulous life of a Texan philanthropist, we’ve gone in search
of conviction and integrity. These individuals aren’t marginal or rebels;
they’re simply individuals. And the individual, it seems, is at odds with the
powerful tide sweeping fashion further towards global industry.

Which brings us to Rei Kawakubo.

Over a series of conversations and exchanges, we were given some rare

insight into her life and work at Comme des Garçons. Hers is a world
in which the past has no place, and in which she continues to go to
extraordinary lengths to create something radically new every six months.
Even when, as she admits, that cannot be achieved.

Ultimately, whether we enjoy the results or not, Kawakubo, like many

of this issue’s individuals, makes fashion a smarter, riskier and more
unexpected place.

zadigetvoltaire.com

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34
In the words of…

‘The rules
are in
my head.’
Rei Kawakubo’s quiet revolution just got louder.

By Hans Ulrich Obrist

Illustration by François Berthoud

36
 Rei Kawakubo

Going around museums and galleries, seeing films, talking For a house that’s gleefully operated brand values. Cynically put, he (or she) For the last four or five years, I’ve
to people, seeing new shops, looking at silly magazines, on the margins of the fashion indus-
try for 40 years, Comme des Garçons’
who shouts the loudest, gets heard the
most. Yet whilst Kawakubo’s refusal
been working on Metabolism; I don’t
know if you know the book that Rem
taking an interest in the activities of people in the street, Spring/Summer 2014 collection was to explain herself has often frustrat- Koolhaas and I made on Metabolism

looking at art, travelling: all these things are not useful, unconventional – even by Rei Kawaku-
bo’s standards. Commenting back-
ed her public, her silence has given
her voice more power and resonance
and Metabolist architects, Kikutake,
Maki and Kurokawa 2 ? [Project
all these things do not help me, do not give me any direct stage, the 71-year-old Japanese design- than any fashion designer in the indus­ Japan. Metabolism Talks… by Rem
er referred to the 23 looks as ‘anything try today. Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist
stimulation to help my search for something new. And but clothes’. She wasn’t lying. To label The following conversation took is published by Taschen.] It was an

neither does fashion history. The reason for that is that all these sculptural objets mere clothes
would be to align them with the many
place on Sunday, 29th September,
between Hans Ulrich Obrist – him-
amazing period of time in Japan;
there was experimental music, Gutai 3,
these things above already exist. hundreds of collections the fashion self an eminent curator and commen- Metabolism… You started in the late
industry spews out each season. For tator operating in the art world – and 1960s in this environment, and I was
them not to be different would have Rei Kawakubo. The designer’s husband wondering how that environment

I only can wait for the chance for something completely meant Kawakubo had failed. The rap-
turous applause at the end of the show
and Comme des Garçons CEO Adri-
an Joffe acted as interpreter. The con-
inspired you?
Rei thinks there’s no relation. She
new to be born within myself. proved otherwise. versation then continued over a series started her career in 1969.
Since showing her first collection in of email exchanges, culminating in
Paris in 1981, the industry’s press and Rei Kawakubo’s beautifully articulate What inspired you when you first

The way I go about looking for this from within is to start buyers have become accustomed to
Kawakubo’s regular and radical expres-
statement that you can read on the pre-
vious page.
started? Did you have any heroes or
inspirations?
with a provisional ‘theme’. I make an abstract image in my
head. I think paradoxically (oppositely) about patterns I have ‘This is the rule I always give myself: that nothing
used before. I put parts of patterns where they don’t usually
go. I break the idea of ‘clothes’. I think about using for
new can come from a situation that involves being
everything what one would normally use for one thing. Give free or that doesn’t involve suffering.’
myself limitations. I pursue a situation where I am not free. sions of sheer otherness. Nothing, how- HUO: Hello, it’s a real honour to meet Everybody has… Rei wanted to start
I think about a world of only the tiniest narrowest possibilities. ever, can prepare you for what’s next. you. I’d like to start right away with my working. It was the beginning of her

I close myself. I think that everything about the way of

That’s the whole point. first question. career, and she decided to create her
From ‘body-bump’ dresses (‘Body Adrian Joffe: Rei’s not a typical design- company, Comme des Garçons. There
making clothes hitherto is no good. This is the rule I always Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body’,
Spring/Summer 1997) to mummi-
er who is able to answer questions in
an easy way. [To Rei] Hans sometimes
were no particular heroes or influenc-
es. She just wanted to make her own liv-
give myself: that nothing new can come from a situation that fied wedding gowns (‘White Drama’, interviews artists like Gerhard Richter. ing. For her, it was just that she started

involves being free or that doesn’t involve suffering. Spring/Summer 2012), it comes as no
surprise to discover Kawakubo is driv- I have a very nice story to start with.
working.

en by a wanton – even stubborn – desire Many years ago, I went to see the great But was there sort of an epipha-
to create something new, something philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer 1 ny? The other day, I was with a dear
In order to make this SS14 collection, I wanted to change that further pushes the boundaries of – he was a student of Heidegger, Ger- friend of mine, Kazuyo Sejima 4 –

the usual route within my head. I tried to look at everything what can be accepted as fashion.
Some of her premonitions have since
many’s oldest and most legendary phi-
losopher. At a certain moment during
we’ve made a lot of projects togeth-
er. She was telling me that when she
I look at in a different way. I thought a way to do this was to become industry standards (guerrilla
stores, artist collaborations…), while
the interview, Gadamer fell asleep.
After 15 minutes, the telephone rang
was a little girl, she saw a little photo
of Sky House by Kikutake 5 in a mag-
start out with the intention of not even trying to make clothes. others (the tarmac, kerosene and smoke – he picked it up and realised what had azine at her family home. She cited

I tried to think and feel and see as if I wasn’t making clothes. scented anti-fragrance), it’s safe to say,
probably never will.
happened. The tape recorder was still
running, so he looked at me and said,
that as a kind of epiphany: ‘I want to
become an architect.’ I was wonder-
The voice of the designer has nev- ‘You will have great problems in tran- ing whether you had a similar experi-
er been so important in disseminating scribing my silence.’ ence or trigger?
Rei Kawakubo, October 2013
39
In the words of... Rei Kawakubo

That totally does not exist for her. She It becomes more complex. give a few examples of artists that For her, they’re a burden. She says How interesting. A few years ago I She’d like to ask you what the recipe is
wishes she had a story like that, but Sometimes it becomes more simple. you have been particularly fond of she has no desire for possessions. She spent quite a lot of time with Kazuo because she struggles every time to find
she doesn’t. collabo­r ati­­n g with? doesn’t know why, but she’s never want- Ohno 7 – the dancer – I don’t know if something new. She will not say how she
When you were saying that there was It’s not a case of liking, it’s a matter of ed to collect anything for as long as she you knew him? finds something new, but if you have a
It just started somewhere? no epiphany, it sounded like it could the end result of the work being good. can remember. No. recipe for how, please tell her, she’d like
It just started. It was only because she have been an accident. In a previ- to know it.
wanted to work and be independent ous interview, you said that there was Recently, it was the photographer Last month I saw the Met exhibition He was a famous Butoh dancer – he died
and make a living. a feeling of synergy and accident. René Burri, my compa­triot because in New York about punk – punk atti- at 103 years old. I interviewed him, and No, I have never found any one reci-
That’s interesting because it sounds a I’m also Swiss. What attracted you to tude and aesthetics. I was wondering he didn’t say much except a few very pe – insomnia? I don’t know if that’s
To be free. lot like John Cage 6 and also the idea Burri? He’s obviously a great Magnum if you saw it, and how you connect wild things. He never stopped dancing good advice.
Yes, to be free. There was a little lack of of embracing chance. I was curious photographer… with punk – both now and before? Do until he was 101 years old. Do you see She’s going to think about that. Maybe
experience of growing up. You know about whether you could talk a little What was the experience like? you feel comfortable with this notion yourself working in fashion for the rest she won’t sleep for the next collection.
the story right? She was a stylist at a bit about that. or label? of your life – even if you get to 100 years
magazine; she couldn’t find anything She said an accident is not something Yes. What inspired you about him? He She likes the punk spirit. She’s always old like Kazuo Ohno? I wanted to know about the new col-
that she liked to photograph, so instead you preview, it’s just something that wrote a beautiful text about the collab- liked the spirit in the sense that it’s She thinks that work is a life thing lection – its full of amazing master­
she decided to make it herself which is happens. It’s a matter of being open to oration, so I was curious. against the run of the mill, the normal though she doesn’t know what that pieces. It’s so architectural, like build-
when she created her own company. it. It’s not something that you can plan Each year we work with one artist. way of doing things. That’s why she’s work will be. Work is work. She can’t ings. I was so impressed by it, so many
There was no epiphany. She wishes she for. She doesn’t know how to elucidate. That year we wanted to work with always felt an affinity with the punk imagine retiring. congratulations. It’s almost like archi-
had one for you, but she doesn’t. a photographer and she just… [To spirit. She likes that word. Every collec- tecture. I was wondering if there was
Was music important to you? Or John Rei] Can you remember? There was tion is that. Punk is against flattery, and You once said that you wanted to wake a link and whether you would agree
I was curious because artists in my Cage? a choice of two photographers, René that’s what she likes about punk. people up… with that?

‘They’re a burden. I have no desire for ‘I’ve always felt an affinity with the punk spirit.
possessions… I’ve never wanted to collect I like that word. Every collection is that. Punk is
anything for as long as I can remember.’ against flattery, and that’s what I like about it.’
field, in the art field, usually have a Nothing for her. She doesn’t know and one more person. She says she So, is it a form of resistance? If people don’t wake up there can be For this collection, her starting point
catalogue raisonné, a comprehensive these people. She knows who John told René this and he didn’t mind – he Yes, it could be taken like that. Against nothing new, and therefore there can was not wanting to make clothes. If you
catalogue of all their work – including Cage is, but she doesn’t know anything knew the other photographer, and he the flattery, against the normal. be no progress. say it’s architecture, it could be the right
their earliest student works. It’s usually about him. She knows a little bit about lived nearby to René. [To Rei] What’s thing to say, because it’s not clothes.
in this first artwork they find their own him from when she worked with Merce his name? They were her two favourite There’s an artist who says we can One thing that stands out for me in As you said, it gets harder and harder
language. Which would you say was the Cunningham. photographers. They met and got on. only understand someone if we know almost all the interviews I’ve read with to create something new. She says she
work, piece or dress where you found He sent her all his books, but of course what kind of music he or she is lis- you is this idea of the new. It’s nev- struggles every time, you can imagine
your language? That’s obviously what interests me the she knew his work well. tening to. What kind of music do you er about repeating but always finding the hell she goes through. If it’s taken
It started with what she calls kachikan most, the collaborations with artists listen to? something new. That’s very much like as anything but clothes, then you know.
(which means a sense of values in Jap- and the art world. How did that start? Do you collect books? No music. that Gerhard Richter does with paint-
anese) – which is what we call the lan- Who was the first artist that you col- No. She doesn’t collect anything. ing. He finds new rules for the game. I read the manifesto for the guerrilla
guage of Comme des Garçons. There laborated with? Silence. This obviously becomes increasingly stores – they’re almost like rules of the
wasn’t one point. As people grow and She thinks that began when she creat- I met Azzedine Alaïa, and he has a Nothing in particular. All or noth- difficult. Already, when I was a student game. Do you have rules?
develop – the language grows and devel- ed Six magazine in the early 1980s. The whole hanger – it’s giant – full of stuff! ing. What she likes to listen to when in the 1980s – there was this feeling with There are different rules each time,
ops. It started with one language, and idea was to communicate the values of It has his own archive but also the she has the choice to listen to some- the 1980s postmodernism that every- but each time there has to be a rule so
just like any ningen (human being in Comme des Garçons through Six, and archives of other designers, books, art, thing is jazz. She’s never said that to thing had been done, that everything that she can react with the rules to find
Japanese), it grew and evolved at each that was the point where she started objects. Do you have an archive? me before. was a quote. Rei, you have masterful- something new.
stage. She thinks this is probably the to collaborate with various artists. Do No, she says she doesn’t like anything ly always created these new collections.
same with everybody. She doesn’t think you remember Six? like that. What about dreams? What is your Is there a recipe for how you manage to Can you tell me what the rule for
she’s special in having a language that dream of happiness? succeed so successfully and in such an the Autumn/Winter 2012 ‘Flat Collec-
developed along the way. Yes, of course. I love Six. Could you No possessions? She says she doesn’t need dreams. incredible way to create the new? tion’ 8 was? That collection has been

40 41
In the words of... Rei Kawakubo

so influential, and many artists in my finding that thing each time is almost to Something about internet is very differ- She hasn’t travelled for about four – out of your ideas? I was curious to see That’s a very important part of com-
field have mentioned that they were bully herself, to give herself constraints ent to the human mind. The human ele- years. She visited Romania and Yem- how political and historical events have municating our values. She does all the
inspired by it. It’s also reverberated and regulations. There is always one ment is missing between fashion crea- en ten years ago. Recently there hasn’t entered that process; you say it all comes stores.
through all the fashion collections and rule, the kachikan of Comme des Gar- tion and the internet. That’s why she’s been much travel, and even if she trav- from the inside, but how have you been
into art. çons and then there are themes, sub- not interested in it. She thinks it can’t be els, she says it’s just as difficult to find affected by external events – like Fuku- And what’s the idea with these guer-
For that collection, the rule was to themes and interlinking plots. translated. She doesn’t know whether it something else. You can’t get away from shima or other big historic events in the rilla stores? That’s something which is
ignore the human body. The human will take time before it happens, but at yourself. world. Have they had an impact or not? very common now.
body is three-dimensional, so she work­ That’s so fascinating. There’s an entire the moment she doesn’t think it’s hap- She’s not unaffected by events. It’s We stopped doing them now because
ed totally on the flat two-dimensional French literary movement which began pening or if it will ever happen. So, there were no trips. strange in a way that nothing is direct- everyone is doing them.
plane to try to find something new in the 1960s called Oulipo 10 – the most No, no trips. She’s been too busy: too ly influenced. It’s like everything and
which ignored the body. famous man from that movement was The human connection is missing. Many much work. It’s inside her. nothing. Nothing directly but may- Yes I know, but you anticipated them.
Georges Perec, and he said the same of my friends in art and architecture be many things indirectly in society, How did the idea come about?
So, it’s going from the 3-D to 2-D. What thing about poetry. He said that we can are concerned that writing and draw- How does a normal day look? things that she has opinions and feel- Even in business, we need to find cre-
would you say are some other rules only create poetry if we set very strong, ing are disappearing. I read in books It’s just constant work. She gets there ings about, political issues and things ative ways to do business. This was
which you have used that were particu- even brutal constraints. that text and drawing don’t play a big early, stays late and just works. She also like that, but nothing is really connect- almost like a no-brainer. We had the
larly memorable? Many people with The same. role anymore, what do you think of this? runs the company. She helps design the ed to the work. stock, and we had these spaces with
whom I’ve talked – artists, designers, What role do writing and drawing play space. She does everything. She checks students who had nothing to do with
architects – have mentioned the ‘Bump He wrote an entire novel without the in your working practice? every single detail about everything Earlier we spoke about Six magazine. fashion but wanted to work. So we
Dress’ 9, which was a great invention. letter ‘e’! I wonder if this idea of con- She doesn’t draw. for the company. So every day is taken What prompted the idea of doing a moved the stock from our warehouse
What was the rule of the game there? straints also applies to your other inven- up from morning to night with details, magazine, and is it something you’re to those spaces. It was just a business
What prompted the ‘Bump Dress’? tions like scents, for example Odeur 53? Do you write? Or is it all spoken? thought and work. still interested in? idea to do business in a new way.

‘The human element is missing between fashion ‘I haven’t travelled for about four years. Even if
creation and the internet. That’s why I’m not I travel, it’s just as difficult to find something else.
interested in it. I think it can’t be translated.’ You can’t get away from yourself.’
At that point, the rule was that she Rei says that making perfume is noth- If anything, it’s with words. Or, a word. But that’s important. In art, one talks She wanted to express and communi- And if you look at…
thought she couldn’t do new clothes, so ing like making a collection. With every about the Gesamtkunstwerk, the total cate the values of the company in a dif- The rules are the rules.
she did new bodies. In order to make perfume, she makes something new – a Written and spoken? work of art: the artist does everything. ferent, subsidiary way, not only through
new clothes she made bodies. Not new new smell, new ingredients, new ideas Yes. I’m fascinated by that. I have the feel- clothes. That’s how it started. Since Again the rules! Dover Street Market
bodies, but body shapes. for packaging. With Odeur 53, we just ing that with you, it’s similar – every then, there have been other means but deconstructs the department store;
had the idea to make an ‘anti-perfume’ So, are the rules written down? piece of paper, every item of station- it may return. What’s next? Have you got anything
You formed them. with no natural ingredients, just with The rules are not written down. The ery, every advertisement… else that’s going to push the envelope
She formed the body shapes. And then smells from daily life recreated by head- rules are in her head. She doesn’t write Advertising, interiors, decoration – Different magazines? because you always push the enve-
put the thing around it, and that became space technology in a very large com- them down. everything. Different magazines, like the yearly lope…
the clothes. mercial 200 ml bottle. thing that comes out now. If you have a good idea, please tell
John Waters has of course written a So, there’s no hierarchy in that? Can us because we’re still doing Dover
That’s so sculptural. It took a long time between the invention lot about you. So when I was prepar- one say that everything is important? And what’s down the road? The stores Street; we’re opening in New York in
Don’t design clothes, design bodies. of television and the creation of great ing for this interview, I revisited his As you said, it’s a very difficult task, but are also part of the Gesamtkunstwerk. December.
art with television. It’s not immediate. notes, and he told me that travelling she says it’s the only way she knows how John Waters writes that the ‘shops are
Can you give some other examples? It’s similar with the internet – the cre- may be your most important inspira- to work. It’s very hard to have a hierar- like a medium designed by Rei…’ He Every city should have a Dover Street.
I’m very fascinated with rules of the ation of the internet has not yet meant tion – not collecting, art, literature, chy because for her everything is impor- mentions the West 2nd St boutique, but I don’t think so. Some cities lend
game. How about the 1981 ‘Lace Col- that great art or fashion has been created music but travelling. Could you talk a tant; she sees and controls the running I go to Dover Street Market in London themselves.
lection’? with it. I’m interested by your choice to little about travel and how that influ- of the visual creation of the company in all the time – I’m very passionate about
Of course, every time there is one. She not use the internet for a long time. Has ences your work? Was the recent col- every way. Dover Street Market. I think it’s the Every big city.
said she can’t think of another particu- the internet changed your working prac- lection inspired by a trip? best shop in London. It’s also an exten- I don’t think Paris deserves a Dover
lar example now but that the way of tice in anyway? She’s afraid to say there’s no connection. And that all comes out of your mind sion of what you do. Street.

42 43
In the words of... Rei Kawakubo

Why? She says she never does it because she Exactly. And the collaborations with the other But do you think there is a new black? all our time now, but I usually publish
It’s too bourgeois. We did London first wants to, but it’s people who ask her to artists? It’s not exactly her favourite colour. It’s a handwritten sentence by each artist
because Rei has always felt that energy do it. That’s so fascinating. I love that idea of The reason for that lies in accidental just the colour she feels is the strong- I interview as a protest against the dis-
in London. not giving rules to others. synergy: 1 + 1 = 3 est. It has nothing to do with whether appearance of handwriting. Could you
That’s a good, interesting answer. There are a lot of men in Japan who she likes it or not, but she just feels that write a sentence for me?
What is your favourite city? These exhibitions are not really your wear the women’s collection. I think 1 + 1 = 11. That actually leads black is the strongest colour. In Japanese?
She says that there is no one in thing? us to Nick’s last question: Do numbers
particular. She likes the idea of a three-dimension- And vice versa? affect you? For John Waters, it’s about mourning; Yes, that would be great.
al exhibition: something that moves, Not so much vice versa. She said it She likes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. She doesn’t like in the West that’s the association, but She says this isn’t related to her. She
I have a question about un-realised explains and expresses the work. She doesn’t happen as much, but some wom- even numbers. obviously that’s too reductive. doesn’t feel the connection of why she
projects. It’s amazing when I look at your would like very much to do a 3-D exhi- en are big, so they buy men’s clothes. No. He’s a great guy, but most of those would need to write anything. It’s not
work, at all the projects that have been bition where the creations, the fashion Men buy women’s clothing for different So, your favourite numbers are odd things are too reductive. related to Comme des Garçons but to
realised – these thousands of designs is moving. reasons than some women buy men’s numbers. something else: it’s connected with your
and shows. I was wondering whether clothing. Yes, definitely. You never see anything So, it’s the strongest colour. worry about the disappearance of hand-
you have any projects that are un-real- So here we go, that’s an un-realised in pairs. She feels it’s the strongest colour. writing. She doesn’t see the need for it.
ised that are maybe too big or too small project! That’s a wonderful answer. And the
to be realised. Are there any dreams or There we go. You found it. She’s men- next question from Nick Relph is what Also your favourite colour is black, And what do you think would be the Or, you could just write Comme des
unbuilt utopias by Rei Kawakubo? tioned this to her staff, and they think are your memories about visiting Sedi- right? In an interview you once did, second strongest? Garçons… I understand, no problem.
There’s no one particular thing. it’s impossible to work out. tionaries 11 on the King’s Road? you said that maybe it’s a time for a new None. Thank you so much.
She can’t remember. She remembers black, because everything is black. She expects that none of this was very
So there’s no un-realised project? It’s not impossible at all! For example, going to Sex. That was a long time ago. It’s black, and that’s it. I’ve taken up useful to you.

‘She does everything. She checks every single ‘It’s not my favourite colour. It has nothing
detail about everything. Everyday is taken up from to do with whether I like it or not, but I just feel
morning to night with details, thought and work.’ that black is the strongest colour.’
She says there’s not an un-realised pro- Pierre Reed had an exhibition that I There was also a collaboration with 1. Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) ethics of creative freedom, breaking of the post-war avant-garde. Through his Part of the padded ‘Dress Meets Body,
ject as yet. As soon as it comes, it will be curated years ago where the dolls move Vivienne Westwood. was a 20 th-century German philosopher through boundaries to create some of work with his life-long romantic partner, Body Meets Dress’ collection of Spring/
who was best known for his work on her- the most exuberant works and events in choreographer Merce Cunningham, he Summer 1997, according to Vogue: ‘Crit-
realised. There is nothing on the back through the space. So it can be done. Yes. We sent her the fabrics, and Rei meneutics (the theory of text interpre- the history of Japanese and internation- was also very influential in the develop- ics denounced the designs as “tumour”
burner. It can be done. So maybe you’ll have to picked out designs she liked then Vivi- tation), publishing Truth and Method al avant-garde art. ment of modern dance. dresses, but Kawakubo weathered the
in 1960. He was much influenced by the outrage, and her larger achievement –
do it. enne made them in our fabric. philosophy of Martin Heidegger. He is 4. Kazuyo Sejima is a Japanese architect. 7. Kazuo Ohno (1906-2010) was a Jap- her avant-garde triumph – was that she
I’ve got some questions from Nick Rel- considered one of the most important In 1987, she founded Kazuyo Sejima and anese dancer who became an inspira- gave people a chance to feel passionate-
ph, an English artist who lives in New Rei, you play and confuse gender codes I know I can’t ask all the questions I thinkers of the 20th Century, impact- Associates. In 2010, Sejima was appoint- tional figure in the dance form known ly about fashion.”’
ing diverse areas from aesthetics to ed director of architecture sector for the as Butoh, a form of contemporary dance
York, who is a very big fan which he in both your men’s and women’s cloth- have because I have too many, but jurisprudence. Venice Biennale which she curated – the that developed in post-war Japan. 10. Oulipo is a loose gathering of most-
sent me last night. He said that you’re ing. But is it true that Comme des Gar- there is this idea of collaboration first woman selected for this position. ly French writers which seeks to create
2. Metabolism is a post-war Japanese 8. The Autumn/Winter 2012 ‘Flat Col- works using constrained writing tech-
unable to divorce your roles as a çons staff can only wear collections which seems to play a big role in your architectural movement that mixed ide- 5. Sky House by Kikutake. Locat- lection’ was one of Kawakubo’s most niques. Founded in 1960 by Raymond
designer from that as a business wom- associated with their gender? work and extends to other designers as about architectural super-structures ed in Tokyo, Kiyonori Kikutake’s Sky well received collections, with a ten- Queneau and François Le Lionnais,
with those of organic biological growth. House (1958) is an important building in minute round of applause at the end of other members have included novel-
an. Fashion only occurs in the actual No, that’s not true at all. People are free throughout the company.
A group of young architects includ- Japanese post-war architectural history. the show. According to Vogue, ‘People ists Georges Perec and Italo Calvino.
wearing of a garment. What, if any- to buy and wear what they want. There That’s not a collaboration. That’s busi- ing Kiyonori Kikutake, Kisho Kurok- Here, early meetings took place between were clapping until their hands were
thing, do institutional exhibitions of are no rules. She never tells people how ness. Watanabe, Kurihara, Ninomiya and awa and Fumihiko Maki presented the the Metabolists, of which Kikutake was sore, and then some started stamping 11. Seditionaries, King’s Road. A bou-
Metabolism manifesto at the 1960 Tokyo a founding member. The architect him- their feet… proof of the overwhelm- tique run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivi-
your work mean when both impera- to wear, what to wear, why to wear. Ganryu are a means to grow the com- World Design Conference. self lived here until his death last year. ing gratitude the audience felt for see- enne Westwood at 430 King’s Road,
tives of dressing and selling are gone? pany. They’re staff, so I wouldn’t call it Built on stilts, the house in true Metab- ing her raise the endeavour of fashion London which had many name chang-
3. Gutai was Japan’s most influential olist fashion provided flexible solutions onto a different plane. This season she es. Between 1976 and 1980 it was named
In an exhibition, there isn’t selling or People do whatever they want. a collaboration.
avant-garde art collective of the post- for future changes to the requirements was working an extended essay in flat, Seditionaries, prior to this it was called
dressing – so that leads us to the ques- Whatever they want; and they do. war era. Founded by artist Yoshihara of the house. oversize shapes, and pure, lovely colour, Sex. The clothes they sold created the
tion that we are obviously very inter- But what you did with Vivienne West- Jiro in 1954, the name ‘Gutai’ means and pattern.’ look of the punk movement.
‘concreteness’ and speaks to the engage- 6. John Cage (1912-1992) was an Ameri-
ested in in the art world: what is the role So you only give the rules to yourself, wood… ment with materials its members were can composer, writer, music theorist and 9. The ‘Bump Dress’ was one of the most
of the exhibition for you? and no one else? Is that correct? That’s collaboration. experimenting with. Gutai urged an artist. He was one of the leading figures important points in Kawakubo’s career.

44 45
Comme
des Garçons
Spring/
Summer
2014

Photographs by Juergen Teller

46
Model: Lily McMenamy @ Next Model Management.
Photo Assistants: Maxim Kelly & Martin Rosengren. Shot at Pin-Up Studio.
Face à face Gaia Repossi & Jeremy Everett

Diptyque
By Gaia Repossi & Jeremy Everett

Gaia’s soft feminine hand resting on the broken relic of a

Roman figure relates to the power of femininity in her work. Jeremy frequently uses the sculptural concerns of a corner in
Gaia’s interests in jewellery all stem from her beginnings in his studio. The photograph removes the corner, destroys the
archaeology and how individual identity can define an entire perspective and sets up a moment in which the hidden corner
civilisation. can be better understood.

56 57
A letter from... São Paulo

Forty million princesses

How Brazil’s economic upturn transformed clothing into fashion.
By Flávio Rocha. Illustration by François Berthoud.

If there ever were a ‘Brazilian miracle’, it would have to be the internet and the Brazilian soap opera phenomenon have
the ten-year transformation of one of the most unequal coun- democratised access to information at a rate that is much fast-
tries of the world into a middle-class nation. Brazil now has er than that of the rate of the increase in income. And so this
the sixth largest economy in the world, the largest in Latin third group is something new to Brazil, and is made up of
America and the second largest in the Western Hemisphere. those ‘without income but with access to information’.
According to Forbes magazine, in 2011 Brazil had the eighth So when it comes to the meaning of fashion in Brazil, the
largest number of billionaires in the world – ahead even of old process has been broken. The exclusive and elitist world of
Japan. What has driven this transformation has been a fortu- the Brazilian fashionista is about to be invaded by voracious
nate combination of income growth, a fall in unemployment consumers who have been touched by the transforming pow-
rates, the democratisation of access to credit and increased er of fashion. Our company already has a mission to ‘democ-
trust levels. And so the compressed demographic pyramid of ratise fashion’, to transform this exclusive and elitist world to
deficiency and neediness has given place to a sparkling dia- one of inclusion and fashion equality for all. That is because
mond shaped figure, with a wide centre that represents the we already understand the transformative power behind fash-
so-called ‘New Brazilian Middle Class’. ion and its relation to people’s self-esteem.
We have seen that the combination of income growth, fall This universe that was known and used by a privileged and
in unemployment and better access to credit has created a vir- restrictive group of people 20 to 30 years ago in Brazil and in
tuous cycle that has allowed Brazilians to eat better, have a the rest of the world is now becoming more relevant to each
better lifestyle, to have easy and affordable access to electron- and every person. In our company, Guararapes, we have been
ic gadgets such as smartphones, and even to buy their first car. fortunate to possess a front-row seat to view the spectacle that
All this is revolutionary indeed, but nothing can compare to is the ‘democratisation of fashion’ in Brazil. Guararapes is the
the effect this phenomenon has had on the fashion and beau- largest fashion group in Brazil and also the owner of the Lojas
ty industries. While the expenditure in housing and food has Riachuelo (Riachuelo Stores) fashion retail chain. Riachuelo
grown in proportion to income growth (30 to 40 per cent), the Stores has 183 shopping units throughout the country, as well
expenditure that relates to fashion and beauty has grown five as two industrial parks. In total, it employs more than 37,000
times more than income growth. Fashion and beauty have people. In addition, Riachuelo is the only major fashion retail
truly arrived for the ordinary Brazilian consumer, and they chain in Brazil that researches, creates and produces most
occupy a more important place in people’s daily lives. of its own products, rather than importing brands from out-
This large-scale fashion breakthrough could not just have side the country. Established in 1947, we have a lot of experi-
been shaped by demographic and economic phenomena, ence in the Brazilian retail market and a good and long view
however. Alongside income distribution, something even from which to compare today’s market with its new needs and
more overwhelming has aided this growth – and that is the demands, to the one Brazil has had in the past.
‘democratisation of information’. Historically, clothing has What we are seeing here now in Brazil are 40 million
had two different meanings to two different groups of peo- Cinderellas who have suddenly discovered the connection
ple: those who have an income and access to information use between fashion and self-esteem, and who are on their way to
their garments as a form of expression and identity, while becoming dazzling princesses. Riachuelo works like a fairy
those who do not have any of that perceive clothing merely as godmother that bestows the magic of fashion to transform the
an alternative to nudity. But now a third group has been cre- lives of the many millions of Brazilian Cinderellas and princ-
ated thanks to the fact that the revolution in electronic media, es who are waiting to metamorphose throughout our country.

58 59
A letter from... Beijing

Size matters
For Chinese men, luxury goods are the new penis enlarger.
By Hung Huang. Illustration by François Berthoud.

Mao once said: ‘Women can hold up half the sky.’ He was ‘Chinese society will applaud successful men but remains
full of shit. The reality is that China today, like the past 4,000 very suspicious of successful women.’ All because of Chi-
years, remains a Confucius-style society dominated by men nese men’s insecurity about their penis size.
who are insecure about their penis size. Since economic reform started in 1980, Chinese men have
Chinese believe that penis size is in proportion to men’s finally discovered a way to compensate for their smallness –
height, and since Chinese men are not tall – except basket- money. Like they say on Wall Street, if you are rich in China,
ball player Yao Ming – most men suffer from some insecurity. you are a ‘big swinging dick’. Men feel empowered by their
There was a joke in the early 1990s that Li Peng, then Prime wealth, they are able to buy everything, including women.
Minister of China, reported to Deng Xiaoping that he was Now being a rich men’s mistress is listed as the third most
feeling insecure and small. Deng advised him to go to a cer- sought-after career choice. And when money cannot buy what
tain Swiss clinic and get a penis extension. Li happily heeded they want, they resort to violence.
Deng’s advise. Upon returning, however, he reported to Deng In 2009, two local officials in the Hubei province demanded
that his insecurity had not subsided; in fact, it had increased. sexual services from a waitress in a massage parlour. When the
Deng was surprised and said: ‘Show me.’ After Li dropped his waitress refused, the two men tried to force themselves on her.
pants, Deng gasped and said: ‘Oh no! They gave you mine!’ She defended herself with a fruit knife and stabbed one of the
This small penis complex has also had serious consequenc- men to death. She was charged with murder. Only after massive
es, mostly against women. Men suffering from this complex protests on the internet did the charges drop to manslaughter.
have huge egos which are easily wounded. Mao was a prime Chinese women have increasingly been victimised by the
example. small penis complex of Chinese men. Objectification, abuse
My mother Zhang Hanzhi was Mao’s English teacher and and violence against women are on the rise. Even worse is
later his interpreter. When my mother taught Mao English, that the legal system is trying to gloss over these atrocities or,
he insisted that she only help him to read his own speeches in in some cases, attempting to justify them. Recently, a paedo-
English. He refused to learn about foreign culture, much less phile case was rephrased as ‘sexual encounter with minors’;
literature and poetry. The lessons were interrupted by the a gang rape was termed ‘consecutive sex’. In the latter case,
horrific Cultural Revolution and lasted for only 11 months. a male law professor even wrote an essay arguing that gang
Fifteen years later when my mother told Mao that she was raping prostitutes should receive reduced sentences, since it
about to marry one of his cabinet members, Mao turned and is less heinous than gang raping non-prostitutes.
declared to a roomful of Chinese diplomats that my mother But what does all this have to do with fashion? For one
‘was no longer loyal’ to him. Within two years, she and her thing, menswear has exploded in China. For some brands,
husband were both under house arrest. such as Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss and Armani, their mens-
Despite the fact China has offered equal pay to women wear is probably selling better than their womenswear. To be
since 1949 and encouraged women to be part of the work well-groomed means that you have money, and having mon-
force, it has done nothing to change the age-old Confucian ey means you are a ‘big swinging dick’. Hence I predict that
prejudice against women with sayings such as, ‘Women with- menswear will see better growth in China than womenswear.
out talent are virtuous’, and ‘Pretty Women are a disaster’. I once met a fixer in the Chinese legal system. He is a die-
Most women who are successful in China know how to nav- hard fan of Dolce and Gabbana.
igate a male-chauvinistic environment. A women entrepre- ‘Why?’ I asked him.
neur told me that she would always let her husband be the ‘It makes me feel big,’ he answered simply.
public face of their company. ‘It’s more acceptable,’ she said. So, size does matter after all.

60 61
A letter from... New York

Clothes maketh the woman

New York’s Man Repeller on sartorial feminism.
By Leandra Medine. Illustration by François Berthoud.

One afternoon, during my sophomore year of high school, I the opportunity to use fashion’s tangibility and artfulness to
bought a pair of tights. I’d walked to Ricky’s – a beauty hub- speak for me.
cum-pharmacy – located just three blocks from my school While I will be the first to correct any misguided definitions
to purchase green nail polish. The victim of a strict school of feminism – the anterior term is deep-rooted in a quest for
dress code, the only place I could express even a morsel of equality – the power of self expression should not be over-
individuality was on my nail beds. There the tights were, looked when considering this quest. I often hear a very silly
though, languishing on a hook, untouched though they question: ‘Can you be a feminist and work in fashion?’ When
appeared bereaved and defiled. Lively and bright pink, it offered the opportunity, I counter by enquiring whether it’s
seemed inconsistent that such a convivial set of stockings possible to do the opposite.
could appear so morose. I bought them out of pity, but it was As an industry ruled primarily by women and effectively
getting cold, and I surmised they might find practical use in made in large part for us, we’re fighting for each other to feel
my forthcoming wardrobe if not provide a genius school- unilaterally beautiful and consequently therefore, powerful,
uniform loophole. so how could we not be ‘feminists’?
The following day, while getting dressed to go to school, It occurred to me around the time I launched my blog, The
I put them on. Under the usual ankle length, dark-coloured Man Repeller, that clothing was much more than just clothing.
skirt and equally dismal blouse of my Yeshiva day school, the It was a megaphone. A mule for self-expression imbued with
bright pink tights really did seem like a genius escape route – a sense of belonging. I for one was using the self-described
though coloured clothes were rarely allowed, no authority ‘man repellent’ (harem pants, clogs and the like) to explain
had ever said anything about the colour of our tights. my relationship status: single during the site’s earliest stages,
While my friends and classmates commended on the assuming control over the status by reasoning that in wearing
vibrancy I’d managed to bring into the school building, I my ‘repellent’, I was choosing to remain single rather than it
couldn’t make it to third period without being sent to the prin- choosing me. Yes, this was a conscious choice deeply rooted
cipal’s office to discuss the state of my legs. in my predilection for fabric vis-à-vis gentlemen. And though
The state of my legs? I’m married now, my token self-expressive mule patents itself
‘This is a Jewish day school, Ms Medine, and the rules of differently. My leather jacket paired with leather pants and
our dress code and the colours that outline it are not to be suede loafers says, ‘Fuck you, I can’t talk right now,’ whereas
taken lightly,’ the headmistress told me before continuing a pale blue shin-length ethereal slip dress festooned with lace
to request that I remove my new tights. But what was the big trim denotes a sense of inviting femininity all while reiterat-
damn deal? I was still dressed modestly, so what if I’d used a ing that no, I cannot make breakfast (this is Miu Miu, after all).
pair of tights to tell a tale slightly different to all the other sto- The arbiters of the fashion industry are a clear assemblage
ries embedded in the sea of dark skirts? of women using their mode of dress and the choice instilled in
Ultimately I was sent home, but it wasn’t until almost seven said mode to speak. Never mind the fact that we’re using our
years later, long out of the muddy waters that refused to per- sartorial megaphones to speak for ourselves, on a far grander
mit personality cultivation by way of sartorial independence, scale, we are in plentiful instances, creating the megaphones
that I realised the extent to which fashion’s power can inform that will allow us to use our respective ‘voices’.
the course of a woman’s ability to speak on her own behalf. As for that Carolina Herrera pant suit, how better to evince
To put it dramatically, I was being silenced and deprived of that it’s a woman’s world. He’s just living in it.

62 63
First look Paco Rabanne by Julien Dossena

Paco Rabanne
Spring/
Summer 2014
by Julien
Dossena

By Jonathan Wingfield
Photographs by Patrick Demarchelier

64 65
First look Paco Rabanne by Julien Dossena

66 67
First look Paco Rabanne by Julien Dossena

68 69
First look Paco Rabanne by Julien Dossena

Let’s start by discussing the Paco history. How did you select the mate- She’s trying to protect herself from the
Rabanne woman of today as an evolu- rials used in your collection? Alien. She even has an axe in her hand.
tion from the past. I wanted to work with specific fabrics [Laughs] It’s the balance between the
Julien Dossena: With this collec- – innovative materials that push the axe, the underwear, white tank top
tion we wanted to redefine the Paco boundaries. Nowadays, chain mail isn’t and the ‘techno’ helmet; I like these
Rabanne girl of today. She is sophisti- necessarily the most innovative mate- contrasts.
cated and direct with a refined aesthet- rial. At the time, it was shocking and
ic. We looked to create something that fun – it could now be viewed as iron- How would you describe the codes of
was both accessible and avant-garde. ic or retro-futuristic. I’m more inter- the house of Paco Rabanne today as

Models: Emilie Ellehauge @ Scoop Models, Lena Hardt @ DNA, Linn Arvidsson @ DNA, Magdalena Jasek @ Oui Management, Maja Salamon @ Next Model Management, Stina Rapp @ Women.
Hair: Tomohiro Ohashi @ Management+Artists. Hair Assistant: Kiki. Make-up: Aude Gill c/o Studio 57. Manicurist: Sophie A @ Callisté. Photo Assistants: Frédéric Bealet, Dovile Babraviciute.
I wanted to bring the Paco Rabanne ested in a Nike windbreaker which is designed by Julien Dossena?
girl into the everyday, onto the street. I more modern and possibly more ‘tech- Paco Rabanne has a modern heritage.
was interested in the idea of a heroine: no’ than reworking the metal materials We are re-establishing the codes and
I wanted to arm her, to prepare her, and which Paco Rabanne used in the past. developing a strong identity to put the
to that end build her a functional ward- So, I asked myself, what are the fab- brand back on the market. The values
robe with a new silhouette – something rics now that we have developed and of the brand are unique when you look
sharp and sensual. It’s a bit like the advanced technologically? We took at it in the context of the luxury mar-
melding of those two qualities - that’s the savoir-faire of the house but devel- ketplace in France; there is an idea of a
what I find interesting at Paco Rabanne. oped the fabrics with modern technolo- utopian future, something that is very
gy - for example, we took Japanese silks modern and alive. We thought about
The 1960s was an era when man went and lacquered them. We also reworked how we could push the brand commer-
to the moon and everyone was looking the metal to make it more contempo- cially as well as aesthetically. We decid-

Digital Technician: Jimmy Mettier. Tailor: Ayesah Allybuccus. Shot at Studio Rouchon. Retouching by The Adrien Blanchat Company.
‘I wanted to add my personal touch. Paco Rabanne
was a young designer who wanted to dress the girls
of his generation. I want to do the same for mine.’
towards the future – you just couldn’t rary. We developed a fabric that looked ed that for Paco Rabanne, innovation
avoid it. What in our modern society like mercury and created a pair of trou- comes first. I didn’t actually go into the
inspires you? sers that seemed like they were soaked archives because we are already famil-
This fantasy of space and space explora- in liquid metal. iar with that aesthetic. What you see
tion still exists in our modern world: we now with many collections from other
saw the Rover land on Mars and discov- Do you have an image of Paco Rabanne fashion houses is that designers aren’t
er water! There are also other advances in your head that remains quite strong referencing the archives but rather are
– advances in biology and medicine, on in your memory? And is there a con- looking for a new language or vocabu-
how we work with our bodies, on how we temporary image that inspires you? lary. You can do that by choosing a few
strive to become something more than There is a picture that I really love of values of the house but not necessari-
human... Everyone has some kind of Jane Birkin walking down the street ly adopting the previous aesthetic. We
plastic surgery. Everyone works on their wearing a chain-mail evening dress. look at the past and twist it; so we can
physical appearance. Everyone takes It’s as if she got dressed that morning look to the future from that perspective
stem cells and vitamins. It’s no longer in her metal dress just like she would as well as our own. You need to find a
the fantasy of space but the discovery of put on any old pair of jeans. There’s a good balance between the past and the
man as an individual. What really inter- dichotomy that I find very interesting. future. I wanted to add my personal
ests me today is the integration of biol- A modern image I like would be of Sig- touch because I wanted to speak to my
ogy and medicine, of man and machine. ourney Weaver in Alien. There’s a scene generation. In the 1960s, Paco Rabanne
of her waking up in knickers and a cot- was a young designer who wanted to
There are certain materials which are ton tank top – very classic, very unisex dress the girls of his generation. I want
very much tied to Paco Rabanne’s – but she has an astronaut’s helmet on. to do the same for mine.

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The modern Joe Einhorn

‘It’s basically
10 million
people on
a hunt for the
coolest stuff.’
Why everyone from François Henri-Pinault
to Will Smith has invested in Joe Einhorn’s
digital retail concept, Fancy.

By Jonathan Wingfield
Portrait by Jason Schmidt

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The modern Joe Einhorn

Here’s a challenge. Try, just try, to visit industry that require an expert’s experi- Would you consider yourself a master
fancy.com without buying anything. Or ence and point of view. And anyone with of computers?
at least being seriously temped to par- an iPad can’t expect that a wi-fi connec- Yes.
take with the digits on your credit card. tion alone will enable them to compete.
Maybe those classic penny loafers from But then you discover that Fancy’s If I had a problem with my computer,
Saint Laurent. Or a night at the Four faithful users include luxury group Ker- would you know what to do?
Seasons Shanghai. Or perhaps those ing’s CEO François-Henri Pinault [fan- Yeah, but I wouldn’t try to fix it. I’d pro­
replica Daft Punk helmets you’ve always cy.com/fhp] and his ‘stock’ of enviable bably just advise you to get a new one.
secretly had eyes for. Fancy, seemingly, product suggestions from the likes of Unless you had dropped the comput-
has it all. Saint Laurent, Gucci, Bottega Veneta er before I came in and you didn’t tell
In the world of e-commerce, Fancy and Puma. And then there’s the remark- me, I’d take a few minutes to figure out
isn’t nearly as fashion friendly as Net- able list of individuals and companies that’s what you did. But other than that
a-Porter or Yoox and maintains only a queuing up to invest in what they see it’s pretty basic how they work.
fraction of the product range of Ama- as the future of the online retail experi-
zon. But what it has is a global commu- ence: to date, the aforementioned Pin- Can you remember the first computer
nity of 10 million users who, like Fancy’s ault, American Express, Will Smith, that you had?
founder Joe Einhorn, enjoy hunting, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, My dad passed away more than ten
sharing and purchasing what Einhorn and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. years ago, but he was a big gadget guy.
lovingly refers to as ‘cool stuff’. AmEx president Ed Gilligan calls Joe When we were young, he was into cam-
Fancy in itself is nothing. It’s like an Einhorn ‘a visionary, laser-focused on eras because they were the big gadget at
empty Colette – a building without the building something meaningful.’ He the time. Then when computers hit the

‘I never thought about wanting to be a

businessman. I just wanted the dopest clothes
and all the trappings.’
Raf Simons jackets, the tech gadgets goes on to describe Fancy as ‘an entire- scene, he was crazy about them too, and
and the Japanese skateboard decks. But ly new consumer experience that repre- got us our first computer. It was called
it’s this bare platform that allows Fan- sents the intersection of community and a Micron 286.
cy’s users to show off their curatorial commerce.’
prowess, sourcing an eclectic array of It’s safe to say that Fancy isn’t sim- That was mid-1980s, right?
products that then get voted on – or, to ply a Myspace-esque passing trend. Its 1986. By the age of ten in 1991, I was on
use the correct terminology, ‘Fancy’d’. user-generated inventory reflects how the computer and the internet. I remem-
Items that get Fancy’d trigger great- and society wants to consume, and the ber how excited my dad was about Win-
er user interest. Greater user inter- simple but sophisticated graphic tem- dows and the graphic user interfaces of
est equals sales. Fancy generates sales plate makes Amazon and eBay look both Apple and Microsoft.
transactions in the region of $200,000 like old dinosaurs. With the luxury
every day. That’s $73 million a year. fashion industry now firmly integrated Can you remember the first time you
On one level, Fancy comes across a into the Fancy experience, it would be heard about the internet?
little bit ‘wannabe fashion buyer’. In the foolish to ignore its growing influence I had heard of the internet way back; I
same way that the fashion industry still on retail, distribution and even prod- was using the internet chatting protocol
questions the merits of many self-pro- uct range. called Internet Relay Chat or IRC. That
claimed ‘style bloggers’, so it’ll proba- System met up with Joe Einhorn in was when I was 10, 11, or 12. I proba-
bly have something to say about Fancy’s his Manhattan office to discuss the bly heard about it from my mom or my
basic concept that we can all be a Colette online phenomenon that was born out dad. But I remember using the inter-
or Barneys or Opening Ceremony buy- of its founder’s love of collecting North net to get the first proper job that I had.
er. These are,after all, valued roles in the Face jackets. My mom was taking an adult education

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The modern Joe Einhorn

programme at a college, and she had an types of Ralph Lauren, Polo and North happened when I was a kid, but it wasn’t
account for her college website where Face designs. And sneakers, too. about wanting to be a rapper as much as
there were job postings for that small it was everyone talking about the same
community. I was able to use her cre- So you’d discuss limited edition Polo thing – wanting to get money! I never
dentials to find my first work – that was shirts online? thought of wanting to be a businessman;
when I was 16. You’d be bumping into people out and I was thinking about wanting to have
about on the streets of New York, or the dopest clothes and all the trappings.
Were you always computer literate? you’d work with people who shared
For my first job interview, I made an those tastes, so it made total sense to So basketball was the sport?
illustration using Photoshop and Quark gravitate towards those people on eBay …and Michael Jordan was the sports-
Xpress. It designed my name – ‘Joey’ as we all tried to find the coolest stuff. man. And Nas was the rapper. It’s a
– and put a wave through it. I put that Older guys used chat rooms to meet great pleasure for me now that I get to
image on a webpage that I’d created for girls; this was more about friendships – work with Nas at my company because
myself. I was 16 and went into this job and buying, collecting and trading. he’s someone I’ve got to become friend-
interview and said, ‘Not only do I know ly with – it’s terrific. I never really want-
about computer programming, but I At what point did this online commu- ed to be a businessperson, though. In
also know about websites and graphic nity grow beyond New York, or even my elementary school yearbook, I said
design.’ I showed them this basic design, internationally. Did you immediately I wanted to be a cartoonist or an artist.
and they were totally blown away! see the scale potential?
The trend was really local. I grew up Do you consider what you’re doing at
What about your first online purchase? in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Fancy to be a creative endeavour?

‘Older guys used chat rooms to meet girls;

this was more about buying, collecting and trading
Ralph Lauren or North Face.’
I used to go on eBay, which has been and the first thing was meeting people For me, the internet is a new creative
around since 1995. I’d look at these from Brooklyn because that’s where the medium, it’s very interactive. Way cool-
items that I coveted. I couldn’t afford movement started. And then meeting er than making cartoons for me is mak-
them, but I’d click around to see who people in Manhattan who weren’t that ing killer websites and applications. If
else was bidding on them. You were far away, but who I didn’t know. And you look at this company, and look at
able to eBay-message each other. Right then these other boroughs like Queens... what my interests were as I was growing
from the beginning of eBay, I was meet- I watched it spread to other states. Now up, it’s fair to say this is the adult repre-
ing people online who shared these it’s obviously international and sophis- sentation of those interests.
similar interests about the products I ticated, but back then it made no differ- I know cool artists – and I love them
loved. ence if you were from Brooklyn, Queens – but for me it’s like, ‘make an app!’ If
or Japan. It was all totally foreign to me. you think about Google, they’re taking
So, rather than connecting to people art to a place way beyond what any art-
through music or sport chat rooms, it Growing up, I naively had this idea ist imagined you could go. [Picks up a
was all done on eBay. that all American kids of my genera- black pyramid-tiered object] You know
As a kid I was crazy about collecting tion dreamt of becoming a sportsman, what this is?
trading cards: sports stars, then Mar- a musician – probably a rapper – or a
vel cards – just buying, selling and trad- businessman. Which of those three, if What is that?
ing. That interest evolved into a fashion any, did you want to be? It takes your iPhone photos and con-
interest because there was a big move- All three. I used to play sports and bas- verts them into Polaroids! For me, this
ment in New York City about collect- ketball in the park everyday until I holds its own against any other fine art.
ing, buying, selling and trading certain started to work. Mainstream rap really It costs $300, it’s limited edition, it’s

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The modern Joe Einhorn

fucking handmade. Our whole thing some innovation – new computer, new You’re missing the other dimension
boils down to this here: it’s high tech, it’s chipset, new functionality – and then too: the consumers were also ready to
low tech, it’s limited edition, it’s hand- you’d adapt to that. My entry level into engage this way.
made, it’s affordable, and we sell them computers and the internet was when
around the world. All I ever wanted to they were aligned with my understand- Then again, you already knew that the
do was to be artistic in a way that res- ing of the world. And as they became consumer was ready to engage this
onated with people who had similar more sophisticated, I went along for way because you’d been doing it your-
interests with me. the ride. self on eBay 15 years before – just on
a tiny scale.
Fancy is the convergence of commerce And you’ve always kept up. As a young person, I wasn’t interest-
and community. What about social Well, technology is like the fashion and ed in people who didn’t share my spe-
networking? Are you a big Facebook media worlds that you operate in: you cific product interests. If I didn’t like
user? see the same shit over and over again. what someone’s fashion was, then I
I never really took to Facebook. I don’t Technology is the exact same: there’s wasn’t interested in them. Getting old-
like the idea of keeping track of peo- no huge secrets, it’s all the same shit, er, though, I started to see: there’s a
ple who I already know. Facebook is a just a little faster or prettier. What’s guy for whom fashion means nothing,
$100 billion company: a few people get the iPhone? It’s an mp3 player mixed in but something else means everything
rich off of everybody’s contacts or pho- with a cell phone that doesn’t even work to him. Or maybe it was just about dif-
tos from their computer. Whereas at and some paired-down apps. I had the ferent types of fashion – the stuff that I
our thing, it’s a marketplace where peo- curiosity to follow these things when I would think looks ridiculous he would
ple can buy and sell stuff, and hopeful- was younger; not the intelligence, just think was the epitome of style. I guess I

‘Making killer websites is way cooler than making

art. Google are taking art to a place way beyond
what any artist ever imagined you could go.’
ly people’s products look good on our the endurance and time spent with just grew up and accepted the world for
system and that’s helping their brand- these machines. what it is.
ing and marketing and hopefully driv-
ing sales and engaging demand. To me, Do you think it’s strange that relatively Imagine you’re talking to someone
that makes more sense. young and inexperienced people are who is 31 years of age, lives in a city and
now ruling the world? has never heard of Fancy. What is this
How does one come up with a smart You said it: some of these guys have thing?
digital solution such as Fancy? Is it by never had a job before, but now they’re It is the coolest shop in the world. No
knowing everything that’s going on in the most important business people in matter who you are, no matter where
technology? Or is it by understanding the world. Why? Because they made you are, no matter what language you
what’s happening in the world? a product that people liked, on a mas- speak or read, we’re going to present
In my case, I’m not a very smart per- sive scale. On a personal level, there are a bunch of really cool things in a slick
son. I’m always the dumbest guy in the two things: the development of the tech- application where you can add anything
room. I’m not saying that to be self-dep- nology and product and the other is my to one shipping cart on whatever device
recating, it’s just the truth. What hap- interest in popular culture. you use – an iPhone or Google Glass or
pened with computers and the internet Android or website – whatever it is.
is that I was lucky enough to be there Did you get the idea for Fancy and then You can buy everything directly from
from the beginning. When they arrived, you had to wait for the technology to ena- us and then we ship it to you no mat-
every­thing was so basic that even I could ble it to happen? Or was it that the tech- ter where you are in the world. Every-
operate a computer to its limit. And nology was now available that made you thing is generated by the community of
then you’d have to wait until there was think: ‘I want to do something like this?’ 10 million people in the world who are

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The modern Joe Einhorn

on a hunt for the coolest stuff. And as a I think people are happy about what I’m impressed by the way Fancy ‘owns’
result of their hard work to identify and happened with PPR [the group now everything, in terms of the graphics
express themselves around the coolest known as Kering]. PPR made an invest- and the buying experience. The for-
products, you gain the benefit of seeing ment in Fancy a year and a half ago and, mat is such that you can have a pair of
those things before you see them any- frankly put, we didn’t give Pinault any Saint Laurent penny loafers next to a
where else. special treatment in return. We used camera or a children’s toy, and they’re
to have no users and now we have 10 all presented in the same format. The
How does the process go from some- million users. People used to ask, ‘Oh, toy doesn’t detract from the loafers
one proposing, say, the Polaroid con- what’s gonna happen when you’ve a lot and vice versa. And yet when you go on
vertor machine you showed me, to your of users, and what’s gonna happen when eBay or Amazon the aesthetics are…
company actually acquiring the distri- Pinault invests because they’re gonna They look like shit.
bution rights to selling it? put all their Gucci shit on it?’ And the
It’s pretty straightforward. Some- answer is: nothing’s changed. The sys- You’d think they’ve almost purpose-
body added it, a lot of people started tem just keeps rolling on. fully avoided updating their visual
Fancy’ing it and people here who work template. Why do you think that is?
at Fancy reached out to the creator of So most of the things that are now on These are just archaic products and
this device. This is a speciality shop Fancy are sourced by the people on brands that weren’t made for the type
which does all kinds of projects around it, right? How do these people source of service that we offer. The visual rep-
Polaroids. They then set aside a quan- them? resentation is the centrepiece of our
tity of these convertors for us and give These people are trend-hunting fiends. offering, and it’s an ancillary foot-
us some consideration for pricing and I don’t use Facebook or whatever, but if note for those other offerings. We care

‘I really like the buyers at Barneys and

Louis Vuitton, but I prefer the crowd-generated
selector we’ve got going on.’
then they were available for sale direct- people aren’t sharing pictures of them- about how stuff looks and our commu-
ly through us. selves from high school they’re probably nity cares about how stuff looks and
sharing cool products to buy – it’s kind we have a cool-looking app and a cool
How often do you get products that of the most basic internet behaviour. idea; we’ll always try to be innovative
you’re not able to track down to a spe- about how we present our platform to
cific manufacturer, because they’re How can you maintain the spirit of people.
based in, say, a tiny factory in rural the community as Fancy continues
Malaysia? Does that happen? to expand? You’ve talked about your Do you feel pressure personally to live
That was part of the growing pains, but small eBay community in a fond way; up to what you’ve created? Do you see
not anymore. We have established so there was respect amongst yourselves yourself in the lineage of someone like
many relationships, and in any case, because you’d identified the fact that Mark Zuckerberg?
the majority of times, it is the brands or you were into the same stuff. How do No, definitely not. Our company is like
merchants that are finding us. you maintain that sort of spirit? Or is the new shopkeeper. The whole thing
that spirit no longer relevant? about our system is that it’s not really
What started as a guy who was into I think the spirit is extremely relevant… about a person. Facebook is a service
rare North Face jackets and sneakers but we don’t maintain it; it’s been out of built around people, so I guess the guy
has now transformed into a market- our hands since the first couple weeks who made it is an important person. But
place where even luxury brands are because the community’s just been run- in our case this is more like a museum of
actively looking to share their wares. ning with it. All we do is try to continue products, and I don’t think people are
How has that changed the experience to make the site and the apps as enjoy- going to care too much about one of the
of Fancy? able as possible. guys who works at the museum.

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The modern Joe Einhorn

On a scale of 1 to 10 how inspiring even actually the choice of product that Based on all the information that an
did you find that movie The Social they’re going out and putting empha- app like Fancy can amass, what sort of
Network? sis on, it’s now somehow being deter- research have you identified about how
I would give it a zero. [Both laugh] mined by things like Fancy? the world is shopping these days?
Actually, yeah. I know who they are. Here’s what I can tell you: the distribu-
Have you read Steve Jobs’ biography? tion of wealth has changed a lot. Not just
Haven’t had the time. Is that flattering? It must be, right? from when I was growing up until now
I don’t care, I mean, I could do the but from when we started Fancy up to
How do you respond to the notion that same thing. I could use my platform to now. There’s the distribution of wealth,
the general public requires arbiters of measure demand and then try to knock and there’s the distribution of taste.
taste to help guide them through their off what was there and make a big prof- Areas where you may have thought
lives? The same way a buyer at Barneys it margin or whatever. We’re not inter- people were trend-followers have now
does? ested in that. become trendsetters, and areas where
As a consumer, I really like the selector you may have thought people didn’t
at Barneys and at Louis Vuitton; those What influence do you think Fancy have money now have more money than
two are my favourites. As a platform currently has on the fashion industry in the US or the UK.
for what we’re trying to do, I prefer the right now?
crowd-generated selector. I can confi- Well, very little. But if we did, it would What about differences between men’s
dently say that there are individuals in have to be, ‘the ones who represent them- and women’s online shopping habits?
the world who are as innovative and selves in the digital space’. I think that Historically or anecdotally speaking,
good at curating as those talented indi- we are simply highlighting the fantastic men are not known to shop, whether

‘One day Kanye West wrote me a

five-page email with his insight and feedback
about the app and the site.’
viduals at Barneys and Vuitton. That’s work that gets achieved in a creative in-store or online. What works in our
my democratic answer. I wouldn’t want field like fashion, and we are inspired favour is the notion of ‘discovery plus
a world that didn’t have the coolest shop by the industry’s creative work. We’re convenience’.
like Barneys, but we’re a little bit com- just working on getting those products
petitive: they want people to spend mon- in front of the people that would love it Looking at the products currently on
ey there, we want people to spend money the most. We take plenty of cues from Fancy, what are your conclusions about
with us – we just do it in different ways. the fashion industry. There’s no resent- your community’s shifts in taste?
ment or anything like that about any There are these stylish cross-catego-
Do you recognise ways that retail stores sort of concepts or trends. It’s all good ries: stylish stuff for the home or stylish
are now behaving that have come about with me. stuff that is high tech. It used to be this
because of things like Fancy? random occurrence that a new shop-
Yeah, I do. I think that people are get- What’s the principal distinction bet­ per would spend $1,000 or $10,000 on
ting really creative with their window ween Fancy and other e-commerce their first purchase. Now it happens all
presentations and their displays. I see sites such as Net-a-Porter, Yoox…? the time.
people mixing up the categories in ways Our inventory is curated by 10 million
they’d never previously done. A lot of people. Our stuff is in 40 languages, That’s a common occurrence?
our queues were taken from really cre- we ship everywhere in the world. We I was looking at two yesterday: this one
ative retailers like Colette or Barneys. have a much broader selection of items guy bought a really high-tech but styl-
and we have much higher recommen- ish watch that was over $5,000, and then
Do you see ways that the fashion indus- dations. I honestly prefer using our tool there was another order from a new cus-
try is producing or distributing stuff or to theirs. tomer in the Middle East, and she just

82 83
The modern Joe Einhorn

bought tons of stuff for her home, but it a Rolex and showed that off. He paid a Fancy iPad app in France. He just got
was also over $5,000. pretty penny for that thing. it really early, and he’s always used it…
That’s him [shows fancy.com/fhp pro-
Does ‘stuff for the home’ outdo fashion So how do you guys actually go about file page]: he’s used the app for quite
sales on Fancy? cultivating those relationships? some time. It was a pleasure to meet
It’s interesting because a lot of the fash- We don’t. It’s them. They find us. They him because he was a voracious user
ion brands are now moving into oth- find the app. They find the service, and of our system – like most of our other
er categories like home products. And they shop with us. And then we devel- users – and he just happens to be more
they’re also trying to get increasingly op a friendship based on common inter- knowledgeable about retail fashion.
integrated with technology. And I’m ests; this is a kind of movement that
not talking about wearable technolo- interests them. The culture is the same What about Will Smith?
gy; I’m talking about stuff that’s more as back in the days trading North Face Will Smith, believe it or not, I got to
functional but still designed in a high- stuff; the scale’s just got bigger. know through his son who got onto
fashion kind of way. us early as a consumer, and he then
What do you think captured the imag- turned his dad onto us, too. With
What’s the most expensive product or ination of some of your high-pro- American Express it’s the same thing:
type of product that you’ve ever had file investors like Will Smith or Ker- Ed Gilligan, the president of Amer-
on Fancy? Are some things not that ing CEO François-Henri Pinault or ican Express, a company who have
appropriate, like is someone going to American Express, or just someone invested a lot into the company, is a
post a $24,000,000 yacht? like Kanye West who’s a vocal support- big user and fan of ours. They’re all
We’ve had a helicopter up there that er of Fancy? people who were already aware of us

‘Pinault was an early fan and voracious

user of Fancy. And he just happens to be more
knowledgeable about retail fashion.’
didn’t sell. That was $5,000,000. I’ve One day Kanye wrote me a five-page and who saw the potential that we were
never thought much about why it didn’t email with his thoughts about the app able to work with.
sell. In reality, there are a lot of peo- and the site.
ple who think helicopters are dope, but Last question, why did you change
they’re not the people that would pur- What did he write? the name from thefancy.com to fan-
chase one, as opposed to chartering or Well, Kanye had done something quite cy.com? Did Justin Timberlake advise
simply admiring. Our average order is inspiring in the past; he had done a blog you to lose the ‘The’?
$100 or so… highlighting cool stuff in the world. It What happened is our app has always
was called Kanye University or some- been called Fancy; on apps the domain
What about the phenomenon of celeb- thing. So what he sent us was just tons name doesn’t matter so people – espe-
rity endorsement? Where do you guys of important feedback to help us real- cially internationally – first heard about
fit into that? ise the potential of what we were trying us via the app as opposed to the website
Well, what I think is the ultimate endor­ to do at the time. He recognised that we thefancy.com. Outside of the US, peo-
sement is something that I’m gonna send were onto something good, and he just ple would refer to us as Fancy. Even with
you right now, which is Drake tweeting… provided us with some great insight. Pinault: every time we spoke he’d talk
about Fancy.com. And I was like, fuck,
@drake Obviously Monsieur Pinault’s affilia- we don’t even own that domain, we’d
‘I’ve had like 40 boxes arrive from tion brought with it a huge validation better do something about that.
@thefancy – most addictive app in life.’ from within the luxury fashion indus-
try. How did that come about?
On Instagram, Drake shows off the Pinault was an early fan. He loves apps,
items that he bought from us. He bought and he loves technology. He was on the

84 85
The legendary... Lynn Wyatt

1960s
Alley Theatre.
Ivory silk-gazar evening gown with crystal
jewel embroidery by Pierre Balmain.

86 87
The legendary... Lynn Wyatt

‘Coco Chanel
‘I’m gonna put on a style show for you!’ throughout her life, and she is as sub- circuit, she has also enjoyed a 50-year
The unequivocal Texan timbre reach- limely elegant in Parisian couture while marriage with oilman Oscar Wyatt
es her eager audience even before the walking the streets of Vienna with Rud­ who in the 1950s mortgaged his Ford
socialite and philanthropist Mrs Lynn olph Nureyev as she is heading up the for $400 and turned it into the Coast-
Wyatt descends the dramatic stair- Yellow Rose of Texas Ball in a marigold al Oil Corporation with annual sales of

said to me,
case of her home to enter her exqui- soufflé of Oscar de la Renta flounce. $6 billion. They have raised four equal-
sitely appointed salon. Centre stage Next up back at the homestead is a ly energetic sons.
she is framed by two 1980s Andy War- 1980s couture cascade of concertina Mrs Wyatt has never shunned the light
hol silkscreens stencilled emphatical- pleats and rosettes in bordeaux ‘taffe- either in her private or public life, unlike
ly with those unmistakable ruby lips, tas changeant’ by another one of her all another infamous Southern Belle, Ten-
emerald eyes and gilded leonine coif- time favourites Yves Saint Laurent. She nessee Williams’s Miss Blanche Dubois,

‘Oh, so you’re
fure. A perfectly sculpted 1960s Pierre has not only been dressed by these cou- who could not ‘stand a naked bulb’. She
Balmain ivory evening gown with jew- ture giants for many years but has num- has played an important centre-stage
el-encrusted shoulders is the first in a bered them among her closest friends. role as one of her city, state and coun-
succession of haute-couture silhouettes Karl Lagerfeld, inspired by her choice try’s most popular ambassadresses for
to be selected from the enviable ward- of black and white at Chanel, even the past five decades and more recent-
robe of surely one of the world’s most coined the phrase: ‘Black and Wyatt’. ly, she has even trodden the boards for

the Texan!’’
elegant women, whose notoriety both As she turns on her heels and works one of her most beloved institutions, the
as a style icon and an indefatigable ben- the gown to its best advantage, she Houston Grand Opera, as a performer
efactress and fundraiser has for the last enthuses, ‘I love this dress. This is what in the musical Showboat.
50 years remained as constant and as I would call a “drop-dead dress”. I wore Mrs Lynn Wyatt, we applaud you!

Wyatt’s notoriety as a style icon for the last 50 years

The indefatigable Lynn Wyatt remained as constant and unchallenged as her
on a lifetime of culture and couture. size-zero figure and gravity-defying mane.
unchallenged as her size-zero figure and this in Paris ,and I wore it in New York. ‘A force of nature and a style icon.’
gravity-defying mane. But then I put it away because it’s too Elton John, performer
I am a guest at Mrs Wyatt’s beautifully memorable!’
decorated home in the Houston neigh- As she walks us through a heady mix Jerry Stafford: You made your stage
bourhood of River Oaks, where she of several more decades of Ungaro, debut at the Wortham Theater Cent-
divides her time between a busy sched- Valentino and Chanel haute-couture er which houses the Houston Grand
ule as vice-chairman of the Houston gems in anticipation of photographer Opera and Houston Ballet earlier this
Grand Opera, executive committee Robert Polidori’s tribute shoot, Wyatt year…
member of the Alley Theatre and trus- is herself an unforgettable and intoxi- Lynn Wyatt: I have been the vice-chair-
tee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Hou- cating mint julep of Southern charm, man of the Houston Grand Opera for
ston, with the demands of a sprawling wit, politesse and intelligence; it is no about 30 years.
ranch in south Texas called Tasajillo surprise that she has also numbered Patrick Summers, our artistic director
and the breath-taking houses she has among her closest friends some of the and conductor, said to me: ‘We’re doing
had in the south of France including the the world’s greatest performers, writers, Showboat. I want you to play the Lady on
Villa Mauresque, Somerset Maugham’s political and cultural figures including the Levee.’ And I said, ‘What?!’ He said:
Moorish fantasy in St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Truman Capote, Plácido Dominguez, ‘It’s a speaking role: a cameo.’ The Lady
as well as a villa perched above Beau- Elton John, Mick Jagger, Grace Kelly on the Levee is a woman of a certain age;
lieu-sur-Mer with stunning views of and Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Lillian Gish played her once. It’s eleven
the Côte d’Azur. While she epitomis- Not only is Wyatt one of the most lines, but I had to memorise every word.
By Jerry Stafford es an iconic American style, she has revered hostesses both in her own I’d never done anything like that before.
Photographs by Robert Polidori also championed European fashion homes and on the global fundraising I was very uncomfortable with it at first.

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1970s
Rothko Chapel.
Fuchsia silk and black jet-beaded velvet
evening gown by Yves Saint Laurent.

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The legendary... Lynn Wyatt

After every performance, Patrick would Sakowitz with my mother and she would asked her after the show was, “How did party. You can have the perfect lighting, time, and I was lucky enough to know Who were the other designers that you
ask me whether I was having fun. And say, ‘Pick out what you want!’ I’d pick you like Elton John?” And she said, “Oh, good music, delicious food, everything, both him and his wife. So I asked Nan- got to know personally?
I would say, ‘Not yet.’ Finally after the out plaid skirts and sweaters, and we Elton John was great, but how about that but it’s still the people that really make cy Reagan if she would have a cocktail I started to work with Emanuel Ungaro
fifth or sixth performance I said to the would go into the fitting room. I would tenor?!”’ I said, ‘I rest my case’. the party. I’ve been blessed with friends reception in the White House. In the and also Hubert de Givenchy, Valentino,
assistant director: ‘In one hand I’m try them on, and she would say, ‘You from all over the world that stay in evening, I had Julio Iglesias perform- Yves Saint Laurent. And I became real-
holding onto my escort, and you’ve giv- can only get five pieces’. I had proba- So it’s this passion that drives you? touch. When they would come to town, ing who had never been to the States ly, really, really close friends with all of
en me this lovely parasol as a prop for bly 14 pieces in there. But it taught me I think the arts are the soul of any city. I would have a seated dinner for 50 peo- before. The next day, there was a style them. I would go to their shows and then
the other. Can I ditch this parasol?’ And to really think about wearing this with I think that the appreciation of beau- ple at that house. We’d have dancing in show and brunch at the State Depart- we’d go out to dinner. Emanuel came to
so I did. After the next performance, that or how can I change this around. ty just opens up your soul and heart: it the entrance hall afterwards. But also ment. I said to Plácido Domingo, who Houston, and I had a big party for him
the curtain had barely dropped, and the That’s why I am such an accessory nut. enriches the soul. It defines a city. I would have 20 people or 14 people. I was also a guest, ‘I have you seated next for 50 people. He still remembers what I
assistant came in and said, ‘Oh Lynn Just by osmosis – I’ve been around fash- always have a guest of honour because to Mrs Reagan, so you have to be on served! It’s so flattering when people still
your voice projected to the very back. It ion for a long time – I love it. I love it, but When you were growing up as a young I think that throws a little more excite- time.’ He said, ‘Lynn I am rehearsing in remember – it warms my heart.
was amazing!’ I replied, ‘I guess getting it’s not the main part of my life. woman, did you have any mentors who ment into it. We also lived in the south of New York!’ and I said, ‘Well you’re just
rid of the parasol really freed me up!’ inspired you to do this kind of work? France for about 40 years where we had going to have to get there, otherwise I’m And Hubert de Givenchy?
When did you start getting involved in I grew up in a very privileged house- a villa. So I had lots of parties there too. not going to put you next to her.’ Any- He’s wonderful! I still talk to him. I called
So you enjoyed it in the end? the civic and cultural institutions for hold. It was just my brother and I. My way he came, and then he ended up him on his birthday; he called me on
I would get these ovations after my which you are now one of the great- parents always taught me to give back One of your regular guests, particular- singing with Julio! mine. Every time I go to Paris, we have
part, and Patrick said to me: ‘You know est benefactors in this city and in your to the community; my mother was very ly in the late 1960s, was Princess Grace dinner together. He is a gentleman’s
you’re not supposed to get this?’ and I country? much affiliated with the Society of the of Monaco. Can you tell me a little bit You travelled extensively at this time gentleman. He is just so special – and
said ‘Never mind, Patrick. I’ll take the Well, thank you. I began to get seriously Performing Arts. I too am interested in of your relationship with her? particularly in Europe, and you start- it goes back to loyalty. He still keeps up
ovation!’ involved in the 1970s. the performing arts, the Houston Grand I first met Princess Grace at a special ed to go to couture shows and become with me, and I keep up with him.

‘I would have wonderful times with Andy. Karl Lagerfeld, inspired by her ever-faithful
We would always go out to Mr Chow for dinner choice of black and white at Chanel, even coined
where everybody went on Sunday nights.’ the phrase: ‘Black and Wyatt’.
Let’s turn the clock back to your child- In the States, raising funds for institu- Opera, the Houston Ballet, the Alley World’s Fair in San Antonio. We just hit close with certain couturiers. And Yves Saint Laurent?
hood. Your family owned a depart- tions is very important as opposed to the Theatre, and the Museum of Fine Arts it off like a house on fire. She was already I had travelled to Europe with my par- I was never part of his close entourage,
ment store in Houston, Sakowitz. Is often state-funded system in Europe. Houston. I’m also involved in The Star married to Prince Rainier. She found ents, but I had never gone to see haute although I would see Betty and Fran-
this where you got your first taste for Could you explain how you approach of Hope Mission for the homeless; I’m out that we had a villa in St Tropez, so couture. And Oscar said, ‘I want you to çois Catroux 2 in Paris. I liked him very
fashion? that? entering my 22nd year with them. And she would invite us up to the palace for go to Chanel.’ He loves classic clothes. much, and I appreciated the part of him
It was. My Grandma used to tell me that One has to be passionate about whatev- my husband likes to give to medical affil- concerts. She and Prince Rainier would So I went, and I had no idea about the that was very shy. He would sometimes
I always had style right from the begin- er one’s raising money for. When I was iations. That’s a good balance. come to our parties, and we would go up intricate questions they ask, or how they come into the dressing room, but I nev-
ning. When I was about 16, I wanted raising money for the 50th anniversary to stay at their mountain house. She vis- take your measurements, and how they er had the closeness with him that I had
to work in the store. So my daddy put of the Houston Grand Opera, I was in 1960s ited me many times in Houston. In fact, valued what I would choose. I would say, with the others.
me in the ‘Junior Miss’ department. the south of France. I would call peo- she was coming to America and was ‘Listen, I live in Texas, and I can’t just
All of these young girls would come in ple at 4pm Houston time. People would ‘Mrs Wyatt typifies America, going to be visiting me when she had her come over for a fitting every minute.’ Space exploration in the 1960s of course
and would ask my advice. So I’m think- say, ‘Lynn, I don’t even like opera’. But especially Texas, with such horrible, deadly car wreck. She was such So they made a mannequin of my body. made Houston the focus of internation-
ing: ‘Should I tell them the truth when Elton John, who had agreed to come, refinement reminding me of a heroine a loyal friend – I appreciate loyalty and The workmanship! I can turn my gowns al attention. How did you experience
something doesn’t look right or make was my hook; I knew if somebody want- from Henry James. She is generous, friendship above anything. It was after inside out, and they are just as beautiful! this time?
the sale?’ Truth is always the best thing, ed to come to see Elton John and had welcoming and warm. She has she died that Prince Rainier called me I have the greatest appreciation for these That was exciting. I would have the
isn’t it? So I would always tell someone: never been to the opera before, they championed European fashion like and he wanted to make a Princess Grace loving hands that take 100 hours to do astronauts to my house for dinners all
‘You know that really isn’t doing any- would come now! We finally had a free no one else; I adore her.’ Foundation; he wanted me to do the first some embroidery. I had the opportunity the time, the first eight astronauts like
thing for you, but let me show you some- simulcast at the Miller Outdoor Thea­ Manolo Blahnik, shoe designer gala. So I had the first gala in Washing- to meet Mademoiselle Coco Chanel in Alan Shepard. In fact, it was Alan Shep-
thing better.’ And so I started getting tre. A friend of mine who had taken her ton DC instead of New York because the 1960s. I was thrilled. She came into ard that gave us a framed picture of a
my own little clientele, I enjoyed that. daughter called the next day, and said: I love entertaining. I agonise over the New York has so many events. President the studio, she didn’t stay long, but she flag that was on his jacket when he went
Before the school year we would go to ‘My daughter loved it. The first thing I placement: the people really make the Reagan was in the White House at the said to me, ‘Oh, you’re the Texan!’ to the moon and another picture that he

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1980s
Houston Grand Opera & Ballet,
Wortham Theater Center.
Bordeaux silk-plissé taffeta ball gown by
Yves Saint Laurent.

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took of the moon. My husband Oscar known by this time? I knew them as a couple. I had such in the late 1960s or the early 1970s. My Another American designer that that It’s the collection that Karl created in
loved flying, he was a pilot, and we had He was a great visionary, a great geni- admiration for Mrs D, and we would stomach would start hurting because I you also favour and obviously have a order to celebrate the work of the petites
several airplanes so he and Alan would us. I met him through Fred Hughes who have wonderful talks together. I con- would be twisting so hard. So if I knew I friendship with is Oscar de la Renta. mains.
talk airplanes. There’s something about worked with him at the time. He was tributed to the Byzantine Fresco Chap- would be going out dancing, I wouldn’t What do you find inspiring about the And there’s nobody that appreciates the
pilots; they are doers, they can make very shy, but when he came to Houston el, which was built by her son François eat that much for dinner. And I loved work and the man? petites mains more than I.
up their minds in a split second. They we connected. I decided that I wanted de Menil and was the last project to be dancing at Studio 54. They took it to Well first of all, I love the man! He under­
are comrades, and they love each oth- a portrait. Andy was really the John completed by her in her lifetime. One another level. The creativity plus the stands what women want to wear to look In the 1970s, Truman Capote was
er immediately. He wrote on one of the Singer Sargent of our time. So he came day she invited me to this long dark fact that Steve Rubell did not let every- pretty. That’s why they all go to him for a writing his infamous roman à clef,
pictures there: ‘Dear Lynn and Oscar, to my house, and he took Polaroids of rectangular room – this would later be body in. That doorman had more pow- special wedding, for a special ball. I went Answered Prayers, of which in 1975
this is what happens to old aviators’. It me. I forgot about it for a while and Richmond Hall, the Dan Flavin Instal- er than anybody, and that made people to him to make a made-to-measure dress he sold four chapters of the novel-in-
was so cute. then I found out that he had done four lation at the Menil Collection. She was want to go even more! After every din- for my Yellow Rose of Texas Ball three or progress to Esquire. This resulted in
portraits. I said, ‘I’m not going to buy at the opposite end of the room and said, ner party that I would go to in New York, four years ago. an uproar among Capote’s friends and
You already knew Truman Capote in four.’ So I asked him for the two that ‘Come in Lynn, come closer.’ So I start- people would get up and leave after the acquaintances, who recognised thin-
the 1960s. Tell me about him coming he thought went best together. I would ed walking towards her, and the room dinner and go to Studio 54. Nightclubs! Tell me about Karl Lagerfeld! ly veiled characters based on them-
to Houston and staying at the house. have wonderful times with Andy. We grew a bit lighter. As I came closer to Even in the South of France when we Karl! I l dream about Karl! First of all, selves. Tell me about this. Did you feel
l first met him at a party. He had this would go out to restaurants; he would the light, she said, ‘Stop!’ So I stopped. had our villas, we’d go to Régine’s. It I think he is a true genius. He captures betrayed by Truman?
voice that throws people off for the first always go to Mr Chow where everyone ‘Now, look up.’ I looked up, and there was a major change. I met Liza Minnelli the essence of what Mademoiselle Coco Oh, not at all. I feel like Truman was real-
five minutes, then you realise how bril- went on Sunday nights. And I would were these paintings adhered to the then, and she would come and stay with would probably be doing today, as well ly in love with these women. I think that
liant he is. We sat in a corner, and we have lunch with Andy and Fred alone. ceiling, 13th-century Byzantine fres- me in the south of France every year. I as, if not better than her. You also rarely we’re lucky that we weren’t talked about
talked and talked and talked. Some- Andy was a great listener. I find a true coes from Lysi in Cyprus. I was so over- love her. Those days, I was travelling a see a person who is a creative artist and because that’s just the way it turned out.
body asked him, ‘How did you meet artist is an observer. come, I had to lie down on the ground lot to Europe. I met Mick Jagger, who is a businessperson as well. Those parts But I don’t think he expected it to turn

She’s as sublimely elegant in Parisian couture as ‘Helmut [Newton] gave me so many pictures.
she is heading up the Yellow Rose of Texas Ball in a There’s one with this gorgeous girl, and she’s nude –
marigold soufflé of Oscar de la Renta flounce. I have to keep telling everybody it’s not me!’
Lynn?’ And he said, ‘It was her emer- 1970s and look up because it was so power- fabulous, a real musician and very intel- of the brain don’t usually go together – out that way either. I think to be a real
alds that brought us together.’ [Laughs] ful, so beautiful. She said, ‘I know you’re ligent man. He was so interesting, in a creativity and business – and Karl is a writer you have to observe. And he was
He would tell all of these funny stories. ‘For me, she is the ideal Texan.’ very spiritual.’ Like her, I believe that all surprising way. He is very, very smart. businessperson; I’ve seen him in action! a writer. We all knew that! He was an
We became very, very close. He came Karl Lagerfeld, fashion designer religions are good, and they all preach He has a real business mind. For him, entertainer, but he was also an observer.
to stay with two duffle bags, and I said, love and kindness. She was a visionary. And of course style-wise in the 1970s, it’s a duel combination. He is also so It was his job, just like Oscar going to his
‘These are so heavy!’ I asked my but- Another great artist that your name is How many contemporary artists have were you wearing American designers brilliant and can quote what ever you office. It was where he drew from for his
ler to take them upstairs. I saw him pick linked with through your work at the museums named after themselves? The like Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Gior- want him to quote. He talks so fast and material. So I never thought of it at all like
them up and said, ‘Truman, what do you Rothko Chapel 3 is Mark Rothko. Can Rothko Chapel and the Twombly Muse- gio di Sant’Angelo, or were you still in every language that he speaks. One that, in terms of betrayal; I never looked
have in those duffle bags!?’ ‘My books.’ you say a little bit about the chapel? um, both designed by the de Menils, favouring European couture? of the most wonderful memories that I at it in that light.
[Laughs] He was probably the best rac- I had always gone to events at the Chap- who had this vision of making muse- I love Halston! I love, love Halston!! I have is when he asked me to go to Ven-
onteur I have ever met: he would have me el when Mrs de Menil was alive. I was for- ums for living artists. still have double-ply cashmere capes ice with him. It was for the Film Festi- Other great observers are photogra-
on the edge of my seat. He would love to tunate to know her, but it was only when I that he made. He made them in a spe- val. To see Venice through Karl Lager- phers, and you have been photograph­
talk to Oscar because he loved business- was asked to chair the 40th anniversary of The 1970s were known as a decade of cial shape that you’re supposed to sling feld’s eyes, I mean, I was swooning! ed by some of the greatest. Tell me
men. He would make Oscar laugh. Final- the Rothko Chapel that I really became hedonism. How did you experience the over your shoulder. He made it in this I just fell in love with him! And even about Slim Aarons, one of the great
ly Oscar would say: ‘I have to leave you closely involved in its programme. heady era of the 1970s? For example, special form, and I’ve got it in every though I don’t see him that much, I’m ‘society photographers’ from the 1950s
two down here to talk. I have to get up at did you go to Studio 54? colour: black, black and white, camel… still in love with that man. through to the 1970s.
6 o’clock tomorrow.’ And we would talk The de Menils are at the heart of Hou- I went to Studio 54. It was happen- My choices, especially about haute cou- First of all, he loved photographing and
and talk. He was one of a kind. ston’s cultural history and develop- ing. What changed everything was the ture, were classic with a little twist to He is planning to go to Dallas in Decem- would tell wonderful stories. He took
ment. Can you talk a little about your presence of a disc jockey and dancing. it. I think that’s why the ones that I’m ber to show the Chanel Métiers d’Art a couple of pictures of my sons and
Another one of a kind is Warhol, whom relationship with Dominique and Jean It started earlier when everybody was wearing in these portraits, I could still collection. would say, ‘I can’t put them in the mag-
I presume you would have already de Menil? doing ‘The Twist’; I got a trophy for it wear today. I know. I hope I’m invited! azine because you look like you’re their

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1990s
The Dan Flavin Installation
at Richmond Hall, the Menil Collection.
Red silk-mousseline ruffled evening gown by Valentino.
© 2013 Stephen Flavin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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sister!’ I was also on the cover of Town these pictures that he took of me, and her, ‘Oh! Where did you get that? That most amazing human being. I gave the see if we could see each other there. He Installation at Richmond Hall, which
& Country photographed by Norman I thought that I must hang them. And looks fabulous!’ She said, ‘I borrowed it 50th anniversary gala for the Houston said, ‘Well I’ll be rehearsing, but I want Dominique de Menil commissioned
Parkinson. I think that these photogra- when he realised that I was hanging from George Hamilton.’ Andy Warhol Opera, and I had Elton John come. He to show you my Vienna!’ Fabulous! So in 1990.
phers get the picture they want by talk- these pictures, he gave me more pic- came down too. is so loyal, so smart, so funny, so amus- the first night Oscar had dinner in this I’m thinking I may have worn too many
ing with the person and understanding. tures, so I hung them up as well. There’s ing. And he’s so caring. I don’t know how famous restaurant, and Nureyev said ruffles. But it’s about the 1990s – we
They must be psychiatrists or psychol- one picture with this gorgeous girl at the Can you remember your outfit? to explain how loving he is. So it’s just a he’d meet me there after his rehearsal. wore extreme things. Valentino is a
ogists as well as artists in order to make end of a diving board, and she’s nude – I I think it was a purple leather skirt with blessing to know him, for him to be my Oscar was teasing me, saying he’ll never loyal friend. I met him by going to his
the person feel relaxed and do what have to keep telling everybody that it’s a jacket with purple boots and a pur- friend. I can’t say enough about this man. come. During dessert, I hear this rum- shows. I always said that no king lives
they want them to do. Same with Hel- not me! Anyway, people would come in ple hat. We were dressed up to the nines ble and I see Nureyev come in. He’s in better than Valentino. He has a way of
mut Newton… from New York and would ask to see the with a lot of fringe! And you of course come over every a full-length cape with a knit cap over style and life. I’ve been a houseguest
‘Helmut Newton Room’! Finally Hel- year for his White Tie and Tiara Par- his head. He walks over, takes this black at his chalet in Gstaad several times.
When did you first meet Helmut? mut found out about it, and Oscar said, One of your closest friends is Elton ty in Windsor. It feels like you’ve never cape, twirls it around his head, and He goes out to ski and when he comes
I met him and his wife, June Newton, ‘Helmut, don’t get too excited – it’s in John who has been a great supporter missed one. points his toe, puts his nose down to his back he looks exactly the same. His lit-
in the south of France. We became very the downstairs powder room!’ So, then of a lot of the work you do. When did That’s exactly right. It was the 20th anni- toe, and does this fabulous bow in front tle cravat is perfectly done. His hair nev-
close and would see them often. I would he sent a picture of himself pointing you first meet him? versary this year. In fact, it’s not even a of my chair. And the whole restaurant er gets out of place. His suntan is abso-
come to the south of France in the first his finger, and underneath it says: ‘I am He has been a good close friend for White Tie and Tiara Party anymore; it’s bursts into applause. I mean it was just lutely perfect. The most exciting party
part of July, and they would be the first watching you.’ about 20 years. I met him in Houston. I called his White Tie Summer Ball. so incredible. Then he asked Oscar if that I’ve ever been to was his big 50th
people we would see there. They would had lunch with his then agent who asked he could walk me home. He walked me anniversary in Rome when he rented
take me out to dinner, just the three of me to Elton’s concert that same night, I was interested to know who were through these little Viennese streets the Coliseum. It was a three-day deal
us; it was like a ritual. We would go to and he said that Elton wanted me to go the important opera singers and bal- saying, ‘I want to show you this tapes- and had these incredible dancers swing-
Rampoldi in Monte Carlo. One time he to his dressing room before the show. let dancers that you have met. I believe try that I’m thinking of buying.’ From ing on beautiful Valentino red materials

In the 1950s, her husband Oscar Wyatt mortgaged ‘When everybody was doing “The Twist”,
his Ford for $400 and turned it into the Coastal I got a trophy for it. My stomach would start
Oil Corporation with annual sales of $6 billion. hurting because I would be twisting so hard.’
was commissioned to do a portrait of 1980s So I went to his dressing room, and you met Rudolph Nureyev. then on, Nureyev would to take me to doing acrobatics like Cirque du Soleil. It
me by Texas Monthly, and he decided there was this rack of clothes about 14 You’re sneaky. You know all of these all these places after his rehearsals. I was incredible with the most beautiful
since it was a Texas magazine, he was ‘She is as peppy as a little 16-year-old feet long, on which were hanging the things! mean he had girls and guys following opera and music. Everyone was practi-
going to put me in the oil fields. So he and so much more fun!’ most fabulous outfits with the shoes him everywhere. I would say to him, cally crying. So I went up to him after-
scouted a location, and there’s this por- Jean Pigozzi, philanthropist that match and sunglasses in another I’d love to hear about Nureyev. ‘Why don’t you just turn around and wards, and I said, ‘There’s the Pope and
trait of me standing with oil fields in the and photographer case that match everything. And I said, He was brilliant, moody, exciting, opin- wave at them? All they want is a little then there’s Valentino’. [Laughs]
background, and I have on this stunning ‘Wow, do you go on tour with this?’ He ionated, fun. One day, my husband was acknowledgement from you.’ He kept
Yves Saint Laurent cape that comes all One of the infamous parties you threw said, ‘This is just for tonight.’ ‘Just for going to the OPEC meeting in Vienna, on walking, saying [laughs] ‘No way.’ There was often a restraint to certain
the way down over this evening dress. in Houston was to celebrate the open- tonight!?’ He said, ‘Yes. I’m away from and I had read that Nureyev was going clothes in the 1990s. I wondered if
He just knew exactly what he wanted. ing of the film Urban Cowboy in May home, and I like to make my choice at to be performing in Vienna. I had met 1990s you’re someone who favours simplicity
He was a great friend. I’m still friends 1980, when you rode the mechanical the last minute.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’d him on Stavros Niarchos’s boat, and we and practicality when it comes to style.
with June, and this summer when I bull at Gilley’s Club during the party. like to see your real closet.’ He said, had become fast friends. He asked me ‘She is the best friend. I cannot Yes, I love to mix things and I love to
went to the south of France, we had Yes! It was a film with John Travolta ‘I’d’ like to see yours.’ And he under- to come up on the higher deck with him say anything more… Or maybe yes… accessorise. And I can wear a couture
lunch together. I’m loyal to my friends and Debra Winger, and they wanted lines yours. That’s when we became while he stretched. I’m sitting there on That she is super chic, beautiful, skirt with a black fitted H&M T-shirt
because they’re loyal to me. me to host a party at this place about fast friends. Then he bought a villa in this fabulous boat, the Atlantis, and he smart, witty, fun, a good mother and a black patent-leather belt!
30 minutes outside Houston. So I rent- the south of France that was 15 min- has Tchaikovsky blaring out. Here I am and wife, in love with life.’
I also believe you have a room in the ed out one of the movie theatres, and utes away from my villa. That’s where looking at this perfect specimen of man Valentino Garavani, fashion designer Tom Ford was also an important figure
house dedicated to his work. then had a big bus to bus us over there. we really became close because we were with the sun going down, the clouds just in fashion in the 1990s.
[Laughs] He gave me so many pic- We were all in Western garb! Jerry Hall together a lot then. He just loves enter- forming in the most beautiful pinks and Another one of your great friends is I love his clothes. The latest thing I have
tures. He would sign them all, from and Mick Jagger came, and Jerry had taining and composing. And over the reds, and I’m thinking, ‘Don’t ever forget Valentino, whose fabulous red dress from him is this sapphire-blue velvet
the 1970s to the 1980s. And I had all of on this fabulous gold bodysuit. I said to years, he has just turned out to be the this!’ So back to Vienna, I called him to you were wearing at the Dan Flavin jacket with sheer cut-outs. I am crazy

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2000s
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Pale rose silk and jewel-embroidered
black velvet evening gown by Chanel.
© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2013

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The legendary... Lynn Wyatt

about him. I had a good time with him to have it forever’ So one day when I And there’s also the Texan-French 15 minutes. It shows how much of a per- You also keep up with the younger talking, and we hit it off. I’ll never for-
when we were in India together. He’s a was in London, he asked if he could Alliance for the Arts. Can you explain fectionist he is. He had a little piece of designers. You’ve recently been fit- get, she said to me, ‘When I grow up, I
perfectionist, but he’s got a good sense send a professional recorder from the a little bit about that? tape on the floor where I was to stand. ted by Roland Mouret in London for want to be Lynn Wyatt!’ And I said, ‘Are
of humour. He’s got great style, and his BBC to record me. ‘I’ll have it all writ- About seven or eight years ago the He told me where to look on the walls. example. you kidding! You’re only 19 years old. In
first movie I might add is really some- ten down. But you can do your own French ambassador came to Houston, And if I varied just a little bit, he would I had heard about and seen some of his three months, you’re not even going to
thing. And he’s so handsome! thing as well.’ So at 11 o’clock, the man and I was seated next to him. He had say, ‘Go back four inches.’ And he really clothes. And I thought, ‘Oh my good- see me in your rear-view mirror!’
arrived with all of his equipment. He the idea of having French artists come meant four inches, not four and a half! ness, I’ve got to look him up!’ And sure
2000s was looking around in my suite, and he over and American artists going over to [Laughs] enough, there was a small dinner party, Houston is now a city that is interna-
finally found this closet. And he said, Paris. That turned out to be a wonder- and he was there. We started talking, tionally recognised as a centre for the
‘From the moment I first encountered ‘Lynn would you mind going into the ful exchange! On the last night of our shoot we did and I said that I was a fan of his work. arts. How would you describe your
Lynn walking across the terrace of closet and saying just a few things over portraits at James Turrell’s Twilight He said, ‘Why don’t you come to my stu- hometown?
Elton and David’s house in Nice, this mic?’ And I did. 2010s Epiphany Skyspace 4 on Rice Univer- dio tomorrow?’ So I did, and I got some That’s a good question. This city is very
I was completely entranced. She has sity Campus which opened last year. incredible pieces from him. sophisticated. It has become interna-
it all: style, grace, poise and beauty… Another organisation that you have ‘Lynn is about the coolest Turrell has that same incredible crea- tional. Houston has so much diversity.
and that’s all before you hear her been involved in Houston is ‘The Bril- woman I know. I even have a T-shirt tivity. I love that and appreciate that. I It’s not only young designers you meet We are a third Hispanic, a third Afri-
speak… wow! What a voice! What’s liant Lecture Series’. How did this with her face on to remind me am so open to new things. I’m not set but also musicians. For example you can-American and a third Caucasian.
so remarkable about Lynn, however, series come about? of my manners, decorum and hell, in my ways. I’m anxious to learn, and I know Lady Gaga. How did you meet It’s amazing now how truly internation-
is that beneath the immaculate and The idea was initiated by our founding to have fun in my crazy life.’ like it when somebody can even change her? al it is. I love Houston. I am proud to be
beguiling exterior, there resides a director Scott Brogan – to have bril- Sam Taylor-Johnson, my mind. She was also a houseguest when I was at a citizen of Houston, and am proud to
rare humour, a fine intelligence and liant people speak to young people to artist and filmmaker Elton John’s for his White Tie Summer be born-and-bred here. My family goes
a steely resolve to fight for causes she inspire them. The first one was Queen It’s a good quality to have. Ball about three or four years ago. She back three generations, and it’s my fam-
Well, thank you. I think up until our last was rehearsing for her performance at ily that really taught me to give back to
breath, we’re still learning. the Ball, and she came in to have lunch this city and to give back to communi-
‘I would have the astronauts over to my house And on that last night, you were wear-
with us. Her skin is so beautiful! She’s
just so young. Of course I think every-
ty. I try to give back as much as I can.
And I don’t like to put my name on oth-
for dinners all the time. In fact, Alan Shepard gave ing the magnificent black Ralph Lau-
ren ensemble beneath the James
body is younger than me! I admired how
she had such poise. She knew exactly
er things unless I’m really contributing
and involved. There are a lot of things
us a framed picture he took of the moon.’ Turrell Skyspace. Ralph Lauren is a
designer who is exploring the manifes-
how she wanted to perform and how she
wanted everything to be. I had a won-
that you have to say no to, but I’d rather
be passionate about something and give
tation of the American Dream in his derful time talking to her and when the the most that I can to those things that
fervently believes in. And to top it all Noor; she was wonderful. Since then It’s been interesting to observe you with designs. performance and the gala were over, mean the most to me.
she can have a soufflé whipped Scott has come up with incredible ide- the artist Robert Polidori, with whom I’m an Oscar de la Renta girl, I’m a we came back to the house. Elton said,
up at the drop of a hat!’ as. Sidney Poitier and Maya Angelou we have been working with on our shoot Carolina Herrera girl and I am a Ralph ‘Let’s put on our dressing gowns and And you do.
Jay Jopling, White Cube Gallery came, and I interviewed George Cloon- for System. Describe that interaction Lauren girl. meet downstairs.’ She and I started Thank you.
ey which was great. There were more and how you connected with him.
You have many friends in the contem- adults there than children I might add! I met him for the first time the night he
porary art world including some of the More women then men! And recent- arrived in Houston at a dinner that was
most influential gallerists. Jay Jopling ly we had the Hungarian violin prod- given by François de Menil; I connected
is a good friend, and I believe he asked igy, Edvin Marton, perform with an immediately. He has an emotional side
you once to help him out at the White amazing Stradivarius. He got a schol- to him, and he even said, ‘I’m an emo-
Cube Gallery in London. arship for Juilliard, and he performed tional man.’ I ended up putting my arms
[Laughs] I can’t believe you’re going to for the Moscow Tchaikovsky Sympho- around him, saying, ‘Oh, you’re just
bring up that story! He kept saying, ‘I ny Orchestra when he was 12 years old. adorable! Adorable!’ He said, ‘And so
really really like your voice.’ He said, He put on a special performance that are you!’ And he was telling me about 1. The ‘Wyatt Hyatt’ played host to Yves Saint Laurent (who referred to while the groom also broke with tradi- tory for music school students of Rice
luminaries such as Princess Grace, her as his female twin) and Tom Ford. tion by wearing a chocolate velvet suit University. Constructed of grass, con-
‘Would you mind talking on my voice- was unlike anything. There were four his 18-month-old daughter, and I could Princess Margaret, Joan Collins, In 1968, Betty Saint married French with a white turtleneck. crete, stone and composite steel, the
mail on the weekends and just saying attractive women that played beauti- tell that she was the light of his life. He’s King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jor- interior decorator François Catroux, structure has an LED light sequence
a perfectionist. It’s the first time that I dan, Truman Capote, The Duchess of one of the most respected decora- 3. The Rothko Chapel was built in that projects on the ceiling at sunrise
that my gallery is open on certain days fully on the stage with him and then
York, Liza Minnelli, Plácido Domin- tors in the world, with a roster of cli- Houston by Philip Johnson in 1971 for and sunset.
of the week or whatever?’ I said, ‘Jay, these two dancers came out to dance have ever known a photographer that go, Mick Jagger, to name but a few. ents that has included Rothschilds, Jean and Dominique de Menil as part
you’ve got to be kidding.’ He came with him. It was absolutely mesmeris- takes only one picture, two pictures, The Wyatts sold the house in 1999. the Shah of Iran and King Hussein of of the Menil Collection.
Jordan. At their wedding, she wore
back to me and said, ‘I’m really serious. ing. We try to do things three or four period. He spent hours setting every- 2. Betty Catroux (born Betty Saint) is a black-and-white Pierre Cardin fur 4. James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany
I want you to do this. We’re not going times a year. thing up, but I was in and out of there in a former Chanel model and muse to coat paired with patent-leather boots Skyspace is a concert hall and labora-

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The legendary... Lynn Wyatt

2010s
James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace,
Rice University.
Black-silk ruffled skirt with jet bead-embroidered
bolero by Ralph Lauren.

Lighting: Peter Keyser.

Photo Assistant: Nathan Lindstrom.
Location Scout: Whitney Crenshaw.
Retouching by The Adrien Blanchat Company.

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Retrospective Charles James

‘There is a
fantasy that
propels his
mind forward.’
How the American couturier Charles James
left his sumptuous mark on the de Menils.

By William Middleton
Photographs by Robert Polidori

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Retrospective Charles James

As the Franco-American art patron at the Metropolitan Museum, Charles the United States and still considered
Dominique de Menil wrote: ‘Among all James: Beyond Fashion (8 May-10 his masterpiece. 2 Just as the de Menils
the people who have a name in the art August 2014) will be a complete retro- were taking their first steps towards col-
world – the movers, the doers, the poets, spective of the designer’s work. While lecting, they met Charles James in New
famous couturiers, culinary chefs; any- the Menil Collection, the museum York. By 1947, Dominique was wearing
one, finally, who has a right to a signa- founded by Dominique de Menil, will his elegant gowns. In the next few years,
ture – let us place a forgotten name: host a more personal examination of as they built their house in Houston,
Charles James.’ Known for his sump- the designer and his client with Charles designed by Philip Johnson, they called
tuous evening gowns in icy-coloured James: A Thin Wall of Air (31 May-7 on James to help with the interiors. 3 In
silks and satins that had been sculpt- September 2014). contrast to the strict, Miesian forms
ed into bold, sensual shapes, Charles Dominique and John de Menil came of the architecture – long and lean in
James was the greatest couturier Amer- to America from Paris in 1941, the year glass, steel and brick – James produced
ica has ever produced. In a career that after Charles James settled permanent- an interior that was curved, rich and
began in his mother’s hometown of Chi- ly in New York. The de Menils, howev- voluptuous. The de Menil house is the
cago, included important stints in Lon- er, went to Houston, Texas, where the only interior by Charles James that is
don and Paris and ended in New York, American headquarters of Schlum- still in existence.4
James dressed the likes of Marlene berger Ltd, the oil services company The couple had an ongoing rela-
Dietrich, Standard Oil heiress Millicent founded by her father (she was born tionship with James as patrons and as
Rogers, social leaders such as Mrs Wil- Dominique Schlumberger) was based. friends. That was something of a rarity,
liam Randolph Hearst, Mrs Cornelius The couple took a look around the for the designer was a notoriously diffi-
Vanderbilt Whitney and Babe Paley, as young city, with only the thinnest cul- cult character. His correspondence with

Azzedine Alaïa, who has a significant collection

of his work, has said that if he were ever to meet
Charles James, he would pass out.
well as Dominique de Menil. Christian tural context, and decided to do some- Cecil Beaton, who had been a friend
Dior credited James as the inspiration thing about it. They were invigorated by since both were at Harrow, is filled with
for his famous ‘New Look’. Salvador the sense of possibility in 20th-century James’ fierce accusations of personal
DalÍ stated that his white satin, down- America and the frontier spirit of Tex- treachery and professional betrayal,
filled evening jacket of 1937 – now in the as.1 They quickly became art collectors both real and imagined. When legend-
permanent collection of the V&A – was and patrons, amassing over the decades ary New York fashion publicist Eleanor
the first piece of soft sculpture. Balen- some 15,000 works of art from Paleo- Lambert testified against James in
ciaga said that James had raised fashion lithic bone carvings to Surrealist works court, she stepped off the witness stand
‘from an applied art form to a pure art by Magritte and Ernst to the great post- to find him charging at her with out-
form’. Azzedine Alaïa, who has a sig- War American artists such as Rothko, stretched hands going for her throat!5
nificant collection of his work, has said Rauschenberg and Warhol. They always The de Menils, through their long per-
that if he were ever to meet Charles maintained a townhouse in New York, sonal relationships with artists, were
James, he would probably just pass out. an apartment in Paris, a country house in understanding of his behaviour. ‘Great
Despite all the accolades, the design- the Oise and her family chateau in Nor- artists can be difficult, dissolute, but
er, however, was never able to build a mandy, the Val-Richer, yet they concen- they are never base,’ announced John de
viable business (he could have used trated their artistic activities in Texas Menil, ‘And in their quest for perfection
the help of a Pierre Bergé, a Giancarlo because they felt it was there that they they come closer to eternal truths than
Giammetti, a Bernard Arnault). Long- were needed. pious goody-goodies.’ The de Menils
Dominique de Menil sat with Charles James by candlelight forgotten by the general public, James In 1987, Dominique opened the Menil cared most about James’ talent. They
as he painted her dressing room doors in a chequerboard is now the subject of two major museum Collection, a museum designed by Renzo acquired and donated some of his sem-
pattern of cloudy pastels. exhibitions. At the Costume Institute Piano – the architect’s first building in inal works to the Brooklyn Museum,

110 111
Retrospective Charles James

From the bedroom of Dominique and John de Menil,

looking towards the living room, with the Charles James At the de Menil house, Charles James introduced historical
designed chaise longue and a Louis XVI desk that was furnishings into the modern architecture such as this Vene-
found for the de Menils by James. tian Rococo sofa covered in green satin in the entry.

112 113
Retrospective Charles James

now key pieces of the collection at the Charles James said, ‘I spent my entire colour schemes for this house, he would
Costume Institute.6 And she wore his life making fashion an art form.’ In arrive late after all of the painters had
designs throughout her life. ‘I have fol- 1975, when James was the only fashion already gone to lunch. He would then
lowed his works closely,’ Dominique de designer ever to receive a Guggenheim be frustrated and annoyed at everyone.
Menil wrote. ‘I have watched the stream Fellowship, American artist Robert It wasn’t until later in the day, as all the
of ideas that constantly flows out of his Motherwell said that James’ drawings workers were packing up to go home,
amazingly creative mind and eventual- ‘were more powerful and to the point that he would really start mixing col-
ly oozes throughout the fashion world. than any of the work submitted by so- ours. Daughters Adelaide and Chris-
Someday that story will be written.’ called artists – that is painters and tophe de Menil had to hold flashlights in
To track down the tale of the singular sculptors.’ His clients talked about how the dark because the house didn’t have
designer and his equally distinctive cli- perfectly engineered and sculpted his electricity, while he mixed these colours
ents, Susan Sutton, a curator from the works were. So, Charles James: artist, and painted samples on the walls. This
Menil Collection who is organising the architect, sculptor, engineer or fashion insistence on creating in his own time,
James exhibition, invited System into designer? in his own way and on his own schedule
the de Menil house. We sat on a remark- All of the above! His complexity – his speaks to that temperamental nature.
able curved sofa by Charles James – in artistry – really comes from the fact that
front of a dark grey wall with an impor- he was an engineer and an architect and Charles James died in 1978, in his
tant 1967 painting by Max Ernst, Retour a sculptor. And I would say a philoso- apartment at the Hotel Chelsea, hav-
de la belle jardinière, and vast expanses pher, as well. When you think about his ing alienated the great majority of
of glass opening onto tropical gardens – theoretical thinking on form and shape, his friends and business associates.
to talk about James and the de Menils. his exploration of how to create forms Dominique de Menil was a friend and

‘Great artists can be difficult, dissolute, but in their

quest for perfection they come closer to eternal
truths than pious goody-goodies.’ John de Menil
You are an art curator – how has it been on the human body. That’s really where patron until the end – why?
to work for the first time on an exhibi- the greatness of his work lies, in the lab- I see it as part of their loyalty to art and
tion involving fashion? yrinth that he was. to artists. They viewed and esteemed
It’s been a huge learning curve. The James as an artist, first and foremost.
museum has never mounted a fashion or How do you characterise his impor- He was demanding in his thinking, in
design show before. No one in the muse- tance in the field of fashion? his approach to fashion. They showed
um has had to delve into an encounter From having worked with the materi- a loyalty across the board to him. They
with this kind of material, so this has als, I would say that there is this trans- were interested in his stunning designs,
been invigorating. It’s opened every- formative quality to his work. It has such as the ‘Butterfly Dress’, but they
one’s eyes – curatorially, in conserva- these transmutations and reimagining were also interested in his working pro-
tion, in exhibition design . As a curator, of what the body can do and what the cess. For instance, they valued his man-
there is this balance between approach- body can be. There is a fantasy that pro- nequins, his pattern-making – we have
ing these garments as art objects and pels his mind forward – that seems to be 17 drawings that he created for jewel-
as their own unique entity as fashion. what drives his innovation and makes lery design. He had proposed flexible
As fashion, it has its own rules, its own him such a compelling figure in the his- sculpture to her, and we have draw-
demands that are unique and special. tory of fashion. ings of that in the collection. He was
But at the same time, they are also art thinking sculpturally, and they were
In the de Menil dining room, a curvaceous banquette objects, so they abide by those rules and He could also be a bit of a monster. intrigued by that. So they were inter-
designed by Charles James is paired with a gilded classical have similar demands. It has been inter- Have you come across any examples? ested in his full repertoire, his full pro-
mirror, a pair of matching sconces and a still life by Georges esting to ride that line, to have feet in Well, there are stories. [Laughs] When cess and his fullness as an artist. I think
Braque, Poisson, hûitres et pichet (1941). both realms. he was called down here to pick the they had a huge spirit of generosity and

114 115
Retrospective Charles James

tolerance – they understood that he it is very personal, studying the relation- the house create: opacity and transpar- wore the gown to the opening of Out is this incredible lining in pumpkin them. They are figure eight scarves,
came as a package with all of these foi- ship between client and designer. We ency, heaviness and lightness, richness of this World in 1964, an exhibition of orange satin. or propeller scarves, the form we dis-
bles or complexities. are also able to explore the thinking of with airiness. landscape paintings at University of cussed with the sculpture and are such
a designer outside the realm of his main St. Thomas in Houston. A society col- In April 1984, the exhibition La rime a rich combination of colours.
Charles James said that a designer practice of fashion. What does James Approximately how many pieces of umn described Dominique de Menil in et la raison opened at the Grand Palais
should dress the personality. What do look like when he operates in the realm Charles James are currently in the this dress as, ‘chic’ and that she, ‘dashed in Paris. It was the first time the world Shortly after they met Charles James,
you think the pieces he designed for of space – an inhabited space, an interi- Menil Collection? from picture to picture.’ I can only imag- had a full look at the extent of the fam- the de Menils began building their
Dominique de Menil have to say about or? Our unique opportunity is to look There are 50 garments, 51 if you include ine how different this dress must have ily’s collection. Dominique appeared house in Houston, in 1948 to 1950.
her personality. at the symbiotic relationship between fabric that was slated for a dress. Then been for 1964 Houston, how it would at the opening, flanked by François Fairly early in the process, they brought
There is a certain understatement in furniture, interior and fashion. But we we have five pieces of furniture, 55 have stood out amongst other even- Mitterand and Jack Lang, in a Charles in Charles James to help with the inte-
Dominique de Menil’s James collec- are also looking at personal relation- drawings, seven prints and photo- ing gowns. We also have this incredible James suit. riors. Dominique gave full credit to
tion. There is a sense of the pragmatic ships, which is really what drove the de graphs as well as one small sculpture. damask evening jacket – it’s this saffron That was a shorter jacket with a high- her husband. She said, ‘John, who was
in the clothes, but there is also the unu- Menils, what created their collection, It’s really quite a wonderful sculpture: colour with a lining in robin’s egg blue. er-waisted skirt. She also wore that suit always full of extraordinary, creative
sual and the dramatic. The colours are what caused them to be loyal to artists a small piece in brass, rectangular, with It calls to mind a Chinese empress. I with Max Ernst at a 1973 exhibition that ideas – dangerous ideas – thought of
rich, warm and mysterious. So many and to support them. That is also very this figure eight form in the middle. It’s love it for its shape and drama. And we opened here in Houston, at Rice Uni- inviting Charles James.’ It’s interest-
times working with the pieces we’ve much at the heart of the exhibition. his calling card: infinity. And it is nes- have a photo of her wearing the jack- versity, pairing it then with a pair of tall ing that they had this rigorous Inter-
felt like we’re looking at the interior of tled within a faceted mirror, so you have et with Philip Johnson, from the ear- black boots. So she was incredibly loyal national-Style exterior and yet, for the
the house or get the feeling of being in a How did you settle on the title for the this infinity form moving back on itself. ly 1950s. He’s talking into her ear and to these pieces. The opening of La rime interior, they wanted something more
Surrealist painting. A wonderful exam- show, Charles James: A Thin Wall of It’s a profound piece that speaks to his she has this big smile on her face. This et la raison was such a huge moment for sensual.
ple is an evening gown of black velvet Air? thinking: mirrors, reflections, repeti- triad of Dominique de Menil, Charles the collection – that she chose a James John writes that their goal in bringing
and satin with a brown wool-silk over- In The Genius of Charles James, the tions that move a design forward. James and Philip Johnson that is cap- suit is significant. She wore it, even James into the house was this desire

‘James’ complexity - his artistry - comes from the ‘His theoretical thinking on form and shape.
fact that he was an engineer, an architect and a That’s where the greatness of his work lies,
sculptor. And I would say a philosopher, as well.’ in the labryinth that he was.’
skirt that becomes a bustle at the back. catalogue for the 1982 Brooklyn Muse- Tell me about some of the pieces in the tured in this unassuming photo really though it was more than 30 years old, for fluidity. Dominique de Menil also
It is a striking combination of textures um exhibition by Ann Coleman, there exhibition that stand out most to you. speaks to the house. with a real elegance. She also paired it talked about James being the antipode
– luxurious and subdued – velvet and is an essay by Bill Cunningham. He First, eveningwear? with one of the iconic Four-Leaf-Clover to the rectilinear line. The house could
textured silk. And the brown, a sort of describes the great designers of the day The first that strikes me is that black Daywear? Hats. have felt very bare to them, a feeling of
mink or milk chocolate, is surprising as being captivated by James’ theory of velvet and brown silk bustle dress I There is this mauve wool suit, a skirt being exposed with these large, expan-
for eveningwear. There is a mixture of a ‘thin wall of air’ that existed between mentioned. The combination of mut- and jacket, that I think is one of the Which brings us to accessories – which sive windows. This wanting to soften
earthiness and elegance that seems to the body and that fabric, which pro- ed, taupe-y brown, a woolen silk and most gorgeous daywear pieces in the stand out to you? the house, make it more liveable. This
capture something of her personality. vided the means of transforming the a velvet bodice – it really reads like collection. It has a single button at the There are two ‘Clover Hats’ in the col- created the possibility of injecting the
She also had a predilection for day suits, wearer’s body. James believed that it Dominique de Menil. There is this lux- top with a stand-up collar. The mauve lection. One is a velvet with a braid curvaceousness of James into the house
afternoon dresses and many coats. She was one of his greatest achievements. ury and richness, but the bustle fabric colour is exquisite, and we’ve paired it around the perimeter. The other is a and pairing it with the rectilinear. The
wore many of these pieces again and What struck me about the phrase is that seems quite humble to me. So it is about with a rose silk blouse, while the jack- more simplified, satin version. The meeting of those two sensibilities, and
again, long after they were created. it refers to his fashion design theory, richness and restraint. Another of the et is lined with a black fur. It’s simple black velvet hat, in particular, definite- the capacity to hold them at once in a
wholly unique to him, and it also man- evening pieces that really stands out and yet very dramatic. She gravitated ly has a substance to it, a gravitas to its single space is remarkable.
What is the idea behind the exhibition ages to encompass, as James does – the is the ‘Ribbon Dress’, with its sleeve- to wool suits, with many variations in construction. The other is much light-
– it’s not meant to be a retrospective. idea of sculpture, engineering, architec- less, black velvet bodice and long skirt black. She is wearing another one in a er, more delicate in the way it holds What are some of the James contribu-
Right. The story of this exhibition goes ture. Perhaps most poignantly, it is also of alternating shades of satin burgun- photo here in the garden atrium, from its form. In terms of construction, the tions to the house that most stand out
back to her meeting James, beginning suggestive of relationships and proxim- dy, chocolate and pale pink. It is fetch- 1952, with Max Ernst. Again, what I simpler hat is striking for its delicacy to you?
to wear his clothes, commissioning ity – the closeness of the de Menils to ing and joyous, maybe somewhat like like about that one is the humble exte- – it’s ability to hold its inflated form. It The first that becomes apparent is this
his work, and then the very audacious James. It also calls to mind the beau- wearing streamers. And it has a highly rior, unassuming with some beautiful speaks to his ingenuity in constructing idea of surprises. You go to open a cab-
move to bring James down here to do tiful tensions that exist in James’ gar- unusual feature where the dress angles detailing with a crossover lapel and this kind of hat. Then there are these inet, and the exterior is grey or pale
the interior of their house. Our look at ments and those that his intervention in out below the waist and then down. She peplum, but then you open it and there beautiful scarves. We have a box of blue, and the interior is an apple green

116 117
Retrospective Charles James

or pale yellow. So, you have these won- for the sofa, you see how engineered furniture, the 18th-century Venetian
derful moments of surprise that I think it is, how much thought went into the sofa and other historical elements –
are some of the most fascinating inter- curves. So it was arduous to execute. that’s a lot.
ventions in the house. This isn’t some- There are two others in the collection. It is. For instance here, we are looking at
thing that a guest always sees; for exam- In the exhibition, we will be showing the piano and grey wall and the chaise
ple, many happen in Dominique de one that is done in a sort of marine blue/ longue. The colour of the upholstery is
Menil’s dressing room, so they are very turquoise mohair velvet. close to the colour of the wall, and so
private. They are there for the pleas- you have this blending of surfaces with,
ure of the inhabitant. The interior, like How did John de Menil describe the on the underbelly of the chaise longue,
the day suit we were discussing earli- process in his curatorial notes? this bright, unexpected pop of colour.
er, has these very personal moments of He wrote: ‘Kidney-shaped sofa, origi- You have this covering of surfaces in
pleasure and delight. For me, that is the nal by Charles James, the making of it such a straight-forward linear house –
crux of the intervention in the house: was a three year adventure with many almost at every turn, there is a James
moments of delight that are often very tragic-comedies, in the best Charles moment, so it really is quite extensive.
personal. James style. It cost us probably more
than $6,000.’ The richness of the fabrics at the
For example, that chaise longue here in windows…
the living room. It is such a beautiful, What do you know about the dressing Again, you have this play of lightness
dark form, and then, underneath is that room doors? and airiness, transparency and sort of
very vivid yellow. We have a wonderful paint card where opaque. The green silk curtains there
Yes, the fabric is grey, almost matching he was mixing colours for reference, and their capacity to reflect light and

‘There is a fantasy that propels his mind f­ orward –

that seems to drive his innovation and makes him
such a compelling figure in the history of fashion.’
the grey wall, and then underneath is and you see the pale yellow in the mid- their richness in contrast to these beau-
this very bright yellow, almost a lemon dle which was very close to the pale yel- tiful light grey cotton shears that allow
yellow. Again, a hidden surprise. low that ends up in the interior of the in more light. These tensions play them-
dressing room. But I like this idea of selves out beautifully. This is just like
This piece that we’re sitting on, this these very cool colours, very airy, the a James dress here. I think of the con-
sofa, what have you learned about this? opposite of some of his other interven- cert gown that we have in our collection.
The idea came from the Man Ray lips— tions in the home. For instance, in the It has an organdy white underskirt and
it is variously called the ‘Lips Sofa’ or main hallway, in the foyer, the colours this lush rich velvet and satin overskirt –
the ‘Butterfly Sofa.’ 7 It was completed are very rich and saturated and dark these plays of richness and lightness.
in 1952. From what I know, this was a and moody and dramatic. But then You see it played out in the house very
trial to make. It was quite a process and when you get to her dressing room, it’s well.
was very expensive for its time. I don’t very airy and light and ephemeral feel-
think the de Menils planned it costing ing. I like that dichotomy. By the spring of 1950, as the house was
as much as it did, but the trials and trib- being completed, James had already
ulations of executing the sofa impact- It is fascinating to me how extensive made four trips to Houston. Do you
ed the cost. Getting the upholstery right his interventions were in the house. know very much about his time here in
was a challenge, and I don’t think James The furniture he designed, of course, Texas?
‘Charles had ideas that were revolutionary, to make the cor- ‘It was always doing the reverse of what was expected.’ was ever satisfied. There was a lot of and the dressing room, but then also I’m still on the hunt for more informa-
ridors rich and the inside of the closets interesting and the In the foreground, a painting by Henri Rousseau , going back to the drawing board. It is a the ceiling height, the dark grey wall, tion. On his first trip down, he arrived
outside very pure,’ Dominique de Menil explained of the La Sainte Famille (1905). very complicated form, with all of these the antique piano, the dark floors, with this huge green vase that he had
house’s hallway covered with brightly-coloured velvets. curves. When you look at the drawings the velvets in the hallway, the Belter bought at the Armory Show in New

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Retrospective Charles James

York. It was onerous – it was a trial even mock piano out of orange crates. After Charles James show.’ When the chaise
to get it to the house from the airport. he left, the de Menils couldn’t find one longue is brought up, she says, ‘Yes,
But he arrived, and this was going to of their suitcases. It turned out that he it’s incredible—it’s reversals.’ She was
be his focal point of inspiration for the had built this mock piano around their obviously sensitive to these plays James
house. It’s this very tall green opaline piece of luggage. To me, that indicates was making as a designer. Then, in
vase, very extravagant, with gold detail- his passion. He was so focused on his 1997, close to her death in December,
ing on it. He chose a bouquet of flowers work that he buried their suitcase while she was making notes. She recounted
for it, white lilies from California, that dreaming up this piano. the story about how James came to do
was to be his inspiration for the entire their interior and to tell the story of his
project. Another moment involved the In the last year of her life, 1997, life. Those are the only notes we have
piano over there on the grey wall. This Dominique de Menil was thinking from her about the show. We might be
was very important to him. He wanted about the idea of a Charles James doing it differently than she would have
a piano in the house. In order to get a exhibition. imagined but, considering how much
sense of the space – how it was going The first mention of her desire goes Dominique and John believed in his
to sit in the room, how it was going to back to 1995, in a biographical inter- work, I would like to think that it would
feel in the room – he constructed a view, when she said, ‘We must do a have been gratifying to her.

1. John dropped the Napoleonic title 3. Philip Johnson was furious about ture.’ When the designer had yet an- or four days to organise and collect
of Baron and Americanised the spell- the de Menils’ decision to hire James. other falling out with a client, this one dresses for a Vogue photograph, and
ing of his name. ‘My mother always re- ‘I admire his work as a dress designer a furrier, James threatened to go to his then to say, ‘What is Vogue?’
mained somewhat European,’ eldest enormously, but you can imagine the showroom and open a jar of moths!

Photograph courtesy of the Menil Collection

son Georges de Menil once told me. disappointment of an architect when And yet, there was a method to his 6. One of James’ most legendary cre-
‘But my father loved being an Amer- someone else finishes his work,’ he madness: producing brilliant work. ations, the ‘Butterfly Dress,’ was giv-
ican, he loved being a Texan and he wrote Dominique de Menil on 2 May ‘Charles James has the courage and en by the de Menils to the Brook-
loved being a Texas oilman!’ 1950. Johnson was incredibly smooth, devotion to look for the difficult solu- lyn Museum. The tightly-fitted bus-
though and quickly recovered his tion,’ John de Menil said succinctly. tle dress, in chocolate and champagne
2. The de Menils built a cultural cen- sense of diplomacy: ‘This disappoint- Even at his most demanding, James silk, weighs 18 pounds and features a
tre in Houston that includes the ment, however, is lessened by my rec- often had a point. When the de Me- dramatic train that requires 25 yards
Rothko Chapel (1973), a non-denom- ognition of your incomparable good nils suggested a good friend to work of tulle. Other important de Menil
inational chapel with 14, monumental taste, so I know the house will turn in his studio, James didn’t hesitate to gifts include James’ famous ‘Diamond
abstract paintings by Mark Rothk; the out to be beautiful.’ criticise her performance. ‘She start- Dress,’ a geometric evening gown
Menil Collection (1987); The Twom- ed at the beginning making lots of pa- in taupe, ivory and black silk, and a
bly Pavilion (1995), a permanent in- 4. The de Menil house underwent an per records, which was right, but then ‘Pouff Dress,’ in black silk. Many of
stallation of paintings and sculptures 18-month, $3.3 million restoration neither referring to them nor using the de Menil gifts are expected to
by Cy Twombly; and Richmond Hall that was completed in 2004. Owned them, which was wrong,’ James wrote have starring roles in the exhibition at
(1997), a site-specific light installation by the Menil Foundation, the house is Dominique de Menil in 1952. ‘Work- the Costume Institute.
by Dan Flavin. The Byzantine Fresco used by the museum for small events. room records are made so that they
Chapel Museum (1997) housed 13th- It is closed to the public. can be referred to constantly. Doing 7. A l’heure de l’observatoire, les
century frescos on extended loan from so is using the mind. Not doing so is Amoureux (1932) was Man Ray’s
Cyprus that were returned last year. 5. The stories of Charles James’ mon- to be a servant. The only reason for painting of the scarlet lips of his de- Portrait of Charles James by Cecil Beaton from 1929,
The museum is currently planning to strous behaviour are seemingly end- paper work is to be able to rise above parted lover, Lee Miller, floating in taken in New York after both had driven from Chicago in
build a Menil Drawing Institute, to fo- less. One who worked in his atelier the level of an ouvrière by making use the sky. It is one of Man Ray’s most
cus primarily on modernist drawings suggested, ‘He calls it a maison de of one’s records and recollections. famous works and a seminal Surreal-
the designer’s Pierce-Arrow. Inscribed to the de Menils:
and works on paper. couture, but it’s really a maison de tor- It is an act of a servant to take three ist painting. ‘So many years later with much love always to both of you
but specially to you Dominique, Charlie.’

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Retrospective Charles James

Cape in red fleece in the framing department

Full-length evening coat in black satin with red lining of the Menil Collection, next to La clef de verre
in the conservation department of the Menil Collection. by René Magritte from 1959.

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Retrospective Charles James

Bolero day jacket in white cotton piqué lined with white silk ‘Infanta’ cocktail dress in chocolate silk from 1953
in the conservation department of the Menil Collection. in the conservation department of the Menil Collection.

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Retrospective Charles James

Mauve wool suit, with fur-lined jacket, paired with Archival storage boxes containing some of the 50 Charles
long-sleeve blouse in rose silk in the conservation James garments owned by Dominique de Menil, in the
department of the Menil Collection. conservation department of the Menil Collection.

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Retrospective Charles James

Charles James’ dress form for Camel day coat/coat dress from 1947, in front of a shipping
Dominique de Menil from 1950. crate on the loading dock of the Menil Collection.

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Retrospective Charles James

Lighting Technician: Peter Keyser. Retouching by The Adrien Blanchat Company.

Opera coat in historic saffron damask silk, likely 19th

century upholstery fabric, lined in ice blue satin from 1948
in the conservation department of the Menil Collection. ‘Cloverleaf’ hat in black satin from 1948

130 131
Portfolio Bruce Weber

‘These things
sometimes
mean more
than any
exhibition
at a museum
or gallery.’
Bruce Weber on the journey of All-American.

Curated by Dennis Freedman

154 155
Portfolio Bruce Weber

All are welcome – painters and mountaineers, mystics and As the years progressed, the scope of All-American expanded
poets, ranchers and socialites, bombshells and Philistines, sol- to include more stories dedicated to artists, writers and pho-
diers and activists, upstarts and old-timers – provided their tographers whom Bruce and Nan wanted to celebrate. The
stories lift the spirit, inspire the mind or provoke a new way sense of creative reference and personal narrative in these
of seeing the world. This engaging, democratic impulse is the books can be traced to Bruce’s experiences as a child grow-
through line for a series of art journals titled All-American, ing up in western Pennsylvania: ‘The first images that had a
which the photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber and his lasting impact on me were the snapshots of my mom and dad
partner Nan Bush have been putting together for the past 13 that hung all over our house. They were a strikingly handsome
years. Together with a small team, Bruce and Nan have set couple – my dad always had his shirt off and would carry my
forth an eclectic, ever-evolving compendium of the Ameri- mom around the garden full of tulips.’ Profiles in All-Amer-
can vernacular, an inquisitive take on overlooked aspects of ican often draw from the personal archives of the subjects,
the culture and lesser-known characters of note. giving each story a feeling of familiarity and intimacy not
In many ways, the All-American series is a natural exten- often found in art publications. The choice of subjects – with
sion of Bruce’s work. The books share a similar emotional ample space and attention given to stories of everyday people
tenor and variety of content. As with his editorials and films, in unique circumstances – also springs from one of Bruce’s
the structure is characterised by unexpected juxtapositions formative artistic experiences: ‘As a young teenager, my mom
and diverse historical and cultural references. There is also and dad would drive me to Pittsburgh every Sunday to see for-
a playful sense of freedom running through the series, the eign films at the Guild Theatre, which was right next door to
result of Bruce and Nan setting the editorial agenda on their Weinstein’s Deli (no relation to Harvey). I don’t know what
own terms. my life would be like today without those films by Bergman
All-American was originally conceived in 2001 as a note- and Antonioni, Fellini and Visconti.’ Though undeniably
book-style compilation of the stories Bruce and Nan would tell American, these books share a populist bent with the Italian
their friends after months on the road. In the first two editions, neo-realists who inspired from early on.
Bruce’s photo-essays played a prominent role. But even in its In the latest edition, All-American Volume Thirteen: Born
earliest iterations, All-American referenced the past through Ready, Bruce and Nan have continued to use the journal as a
generous incorporation of archival photographs from a variety platform to showcase the work of young artists. Recent com-
of sources. Their motive for doing so was also partially a func- missions by photographers like Deanna Templeton, John
tion of timing. As Bruce describes it, ‘For anyone who lived Scott, Sean Thomas and Poppy de Villeneuve have taken All-
in America through 9/11, our sense of the past was abruptly American in exciting and unexpected directions, while main-
changed. People in Europe and other parts of the world have a taining its essentially hopeful, humanist focus. In the follow-
more present sense of life during times of conflict. The events ing portfolio of images, selected by Dennis Freedman from
of September 11th caused me to think about the past in a dif- volumes throughout the series, Bruce shares anecdotes from
ferent way, more as a time of innocence.’ his perspective as editor.

All-American V: Is Love Enough?

Kevin Small and Cotton Eye,
Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association,
Tucson, Arizona, 1989.
Photo by Louise Serpa

156 157
Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American IV: Otherworldly

All-American: Short Stories Mary McGrory celebrates her Pulitzer Prize award,
Sugar and friends in Elizabeth’s backyard, Washington DC, 1975.
Bel Air, California, 2002. Photo by Bernie Boston
Photo by Bruce Weber
“Some of our greatest heroes are the journalists from news- photograph had just won the Pulitzer Prize for her reporting
“Elizabeth Taylor kept all these director’s chairs from her had a mind of her own. I was so sad when these chairs went papers and magazines who live on the road like we photog- on the Watergate scandal for The Washington Star. I can im-
various films in the backyard of her home in Bel Air. In the up for auction at Christie’s after her passing. Her dogs and raphers do. They are so curious, always searching for and agine how she felt, with all those bottles of champagne – as I
middle sits Sugar, one of her favourite dogs, holding court. cats really miss hanging out in them but not as much as reporting on the ideas and events that will make a story big. look at the most recent issue of All-American, I’m wondering
But that black cat on the right is a bit like Elizabeth, who they miss her.” One of our favourites was Mary McGrory, who in this if maybe we should all start drinking again.”

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American
True at Camp Longwood,
Adirondack Park, New York, 2001.
Photo by Bruce Weber

“We were in the middle of working on our first edition of Spitfire Lake. True had just come in from a swim, and as he
All-American V: Is Love Enough? All-American and were of course very insecure, as we still sat there wrapped in the towel, his whiskers almost looked
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, are today. Nan and I had just gotten an extraordinary new like a beard. I could picture what he would look like if he
Twentynine Palms, CA, 2005. puppy and named him True Blue. I took this photograph were an old man. That’s the great thing about dogs – they
Photo by Bruce Weber at our place in the Adirondacks – Camp Longwood on so often resemble the people they live with.”

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American VII: ‘Till I Get It Right All-American VI: Larger Than Life
Saturday Night Painting by Clementine Hunter. Heidelberg Project, Detroit, MI, 2006.
Courtesy of The Ann and Jack Brittain Family Collection Photo by Bruce Weber

“The story of Clementine Hunter and her paintings taught the title of the seventh volume of All-American: ‘Till I Get It “I went to Detroit for the first time in 2006 with Dennis art project. We chose this photograph as one of the open-
us a lesson – sometimes you have to have the courage to Right. Clementine painted in that naïve style of Grandma Freedman to do a story with Kate Moss for W. When we ing images for All-American that year because it says a lot
choose a subject not knowing if the story will live up to what Moses yet told her own story of life down south. I wish would pass by this house, we’d just smile and wish we lived about hope. You could just tell that someone with a great
you hope it will be. Clementine gave us faith in our deci- I’d had a chance to meet her.” there. It’s part of the Heidelberg Project, a group of aban- sense of humour once lived there.”
sions as editors from that point on. Her paintings evoke doned buildings that has been redeveloped as a community

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American VII: ‘Till I Get It Right

On the way to the Martin Luther King Jr Day Parade,
Liberty City, Florida, 2007.
Photo by Bruce Weber

“Liberty City is a small town west of Miami that celebrates paraded around the projects in Detroit wearing Dior.
Martin Luther King Jr Day with a huge parade. This pho- These ladies have lots of pride and attitude, and they sure All-American VI: Larger Than Life
tograph reminds me of those wonderful pictures of Diana got our attention.” Burt and Susie Todd wearing traditional garb, Bhutan, 1955.
Ross and the Supremes when they returned from Paris and Courtesy of the Todd Family Collection

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American Volume VII: ‘Till I Get It Right

Ernest Beasley, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Photo by George Dureau
All-American VIII: Nature’s Way
Huandoy Massif, Peru, 1964. “George Dureau, the New Orleans-based photographer, Beasley, he told us about taking him watch to a wrestling
Photo by Henry Kendall Archive met me barefoot in front of his townhouse on Bienville competition. Ernest bought along this young boy who was
Street in the French Quarter. He asked with his polite always hanging out with him and always carried a needle
“We discovered William Kendall’s photographs while re- environmentalist and an avid climber and deep-sea diver. South­ern drawl, ‘Are you sure you want to climb up all these and thread. We asked why the boy had tailoring tools, and
searching images of the great mountaineers, Gary Hemming His photograph of an oncoming storm in the Andes of Peru stairs to see my photographs and paintings?’ Everything he George said, ‘Why, every time Ernest sat down, his pants
and John Harlin. Kendall was a larger-than-life character – a epitomizes his quest of always taking the high road.” showed us was accompanied by an eccentric 45-minute an- would rip, and that boy would sew them back up.’ You can
physics professor at MIT, a Nobel Prize winner, a dedicated ecdote. When George showed us this photograph of Ernest only hear this kind of story in New Orleans.”

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American Volume Eleven: Just Life

All-American Volume Twelve: A Book of Lessons Paula McKinley and Betsy Kelson,
Bo Derek, Lake Powell, Utah, 1979. Arlington National Cemetery, Washington DC, 2011.
Photo by John Derek, courtesy of Bo Derek Photo by Bruce Weber

“For last year’s issue, Bo Derek shared a series of photo- often didn’t have any clothes on. Towards the end of his life, “I visited Arlington National Cemetery the day after we grieving families who have lost their sons or daughters to the
graphs taken by her late husband John during a weekend when John got sick, Bo and his other previous wives – Linda photographed at Walter Reed National Military Medical war. There are times when a family does not have enough
getaway at Lake Powell, Utah. With the glove on her hand, Evans and Ursula Andress – all sat together on his bed to let Center. As we drove into the cemetery, I met these lovely la- money to attend the service in Washington DC, so these vol-
this was from a group of pictures John took of Bo windsurf- him know how much he was loved. I think both John and Bo dies who are part of a group called the Arlington Women. unteers attend their services so that no one is buried alone.
ing in the nude. John always took pictures of the women he have a lot to be thankful for in this photograph.” They attend funeral services at the cemetery as representa- They are an incredibly kind and generous group of women.”
loved, and they often ended up in Playboy because the ladies tives of the various branches of the military and stand with

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American Volume Twelve: A Book of Lessons

Nile Rodgers, New York City, 2012.
Photo by Bruce Weber
All-American Volume Thirteen: Born Ready
“For this story, Nile Rodgers – the talented musician and osity of spirit in helping young people around the world is Southwick Motocross Race,
producer – invited us to his very elegant and eclectic apart- unsurpassed. This photo was taken a couple of months be- Southwick, Massachusetts, 2013.
ment on the Upper West Side. Nile’s innovative arrange- fore the Daft Punk album Random Access Memories came Photo by John Scott
ments for Madonna, David Bowie and Diana Ross are on- out, which has created a whole new generation of Nile fans.
ly half of his story. He wrote a bestselling autobiography It’s fitting that in this photo, Nile’s wearing a cape from the “We chose motocross as our sport for our 13th issue because resonates the thrill of being ‘born ready’ for anything and
that could so easily be adapted into a musical on Broadway same store in Madrid that made them for Picasso.” so many small towns in America have a track or an event. willing to take it on. I always loved that idea, in photographs
or a top-10 movie. Nile is the essence of soul, and his gener- It’s a real family-oriented sport. John Scott’s photograph that deal with sports, politics or even fashion.”

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American Volume Thirteen: Born Ready All-American Volume Thirteen: Born Ready
Frank and Nicole at Tiny’s, Frank and Nicole at the Happy Hollow Country Club,
Louisville, Nebraska, 2013. Omaha, Nebraska, 2013.
Photos by Sean Thomas Photos by Sean Thomas

“These days, stories in magazines and journals – be they zine editorials, like W Eugene Smith’s photographs of them in their homes because they had the luxury of space. help but think of Farm Boy, a book by Archie Lieberman
news or fashion – are so short. There’s so little space to go Albert Schweitzer in West Africa or his images of the This year, we decided to hire Sean Thomas to return to his that I’ve always admired.”
in-depth. I wanted do something different with All-Amer- country doctor in Colorado. Those stories have lived hometown of Omaha, Nebraska to photograph the senior
ican, to assign stories in the spirit of the great Life maga- on all these years in the minds of the people who discovered prom. In seeing the pictures he brought back, I couldn’t

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American Volume Twelve: A Book of Lessons

Danny Trejo, Arleta, California, 2012.
Photo by Bruce Weber

“Danny Trejo is one of our favorite actors – his new film recently passed away, and at her funeral, the photographs All-American V: Is Love Enough?
with Robert Rodriguez, Machete Kills just came out. I took we took that day were prominently displayed. Those kinds Tom Frost, Gary Hemming, Stuart Fulton and John Harlin II
this portrait with his family last spring at their home in Ar- of things sometime mean more for a photographer than any above the Mer de Glace Glacier, Chamonix, France 1963.
leta, California, just outside of LA. His beloved mother just exhibition at a museum or gallery.” Courtesy of John Harlin III

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Portfolio Bruce Weber

All-American VI: Larger Than Life

Portrait of Trey Mourning, Miami, Florida, 2006.
Pboto by Bruce Weber

All-American: Family Albums “This is a painting of Trey Mourning, the son of Tracy and I had never seen a painted portrait of a child like this –
Kelly’s Boys, Filming A Letter To True, Alonzo Mourning. Tracy is a prominent philanthropist I thought it was interesting that the Nike sweatshirt had
Davie, Florida, 2003. for education, and Alonzo is one of the greatest basketball become the modern-day alternative to a tie and jacket.”
Photo by Bruce Weber players of all time – he used to play for the Miami Heat.

176 177
The decisive moment Melanie Ward

‘I’m a
modernist.
I look forward,
I don’t want
to be limited
by the past.’
The personal archive of style icon Melanie Ward.

By Jo-Ann Furniss
Styling by Melanie Ward
Portrait by Daniel Jackson
Photographs by Glen Luchford

132 133
The decisive moment Melanie Ward

‘I don’t have an archive in the tradition- build the future by looking back, it is she has worked on have a magic like were paying attention to magazines at forget the journey of self-discovery; to was a hair or beauty job – well it felt like
al sense, I have curated a rather large extremely limiting. I can be inspired nobody else’s for me, they generated the time. At the same time it is a great carve their own path through experi- a ton of money for me then – I thought,
and ever burgeoning collection of vin- by the romantic notion of nostalgia an impression that has never quite left. shame that a younger, digital genera- ences and experimentation, getting to this is easy! When I graduated from uni-
tage and contemporary clothing that I but it only works for me professionally Her fashion images, still so fresh and tion can only experience this work in know who they are and being true to versity, I was doing all sorts of dispa-
wear or have worn. I love clothing and if I make it my own. To partially quote alive, have been a constant inspiration fits and starts through books and the themselves. I really do try to remain rate things. I was writing in French, I
accessories that have integrity. I devel- Nietzsche “... no price is too high to pay for my professional life – even though odd, scanned vintage magazine. It was centred on the here and now. If you was showroom modelling, I was trying
oped an inherent sense of indulgence for the privilege of owning yourself.”’ I am not a stylist. They are one of the an incredibly special period in fashion, don’t live in the now you almost give up to pay my way through Saint Martin’s –
for fashion at a very young age facilitat-  – Melanie Ward benchmarks by which everything else of real significance: of the rise of Hel- your power to create. Practicing this is a I attended a fashion course for a year.
ed by my mother, Honor. I have always is measured: how to achieve an attitude, mut Lang, David Sims, Corrine Day, very liberating experience. It is freeing
responded more to certain dress codes ‘You can’t build the future by look- a feeling, a resonance and an emotion Kate Moss… With all of whom Ward because you are not stuck in the con- When did the break though into edito-
from the street and music sub and coun- ing back,’ says Melanie Ward. Although through fashion, no matter what medi- has shared defining working relation- fines of the past or uncertainty of the rial work really come for you? When did
ter cultures. That just felt more authen- that maxim might be personally true for um you may work in to convey it. ships. And yet this lack of digital docu- future.’ you meet your peer group that has in
tic with more spirit and soul. I believe the stylist and reflects how she perceives An idea of being anti-nostalgic mentation suits the ephemeral nature of so many ways has defined what you do?
that the street, fashion and music are her role in image-making, looking back might seem the opposite to achieving styling. That tug between the ephemer- How did your life in the fashion indus- It all happened very quickly. I met Dave
inextricably linked. I personally tend to at her ‘archive’ of clothing today – and certain aims for Ward, but it is in fact al and the permanent in fashion always try begin? and Corrine in 1989, and that was when
gravitate towards a certain code of dress the fact she does not like to call it an the key. The constant, easy existence feels significant. It is why many of us I just drifted into fashion in a weird my first story was published in The
and I instinctively continue to explore archive – and on her approach to mak- of a filtered past on the internet seems work in the industry; it is almost the way; it is almost strange to think that Face. It was a ‘suburban space’ story
all of the possibilities of that style both ing an image through an idea of charac- to encourage nostalgia. The worry very definition of the moment. what I’ve done has had an influence on with Nigel Shafran. Nigel and I used to
personally and professionally. ter and personal style, it is a lesson that of all that bombardment of informa- This period of time also felt very spe- people. I was always passionate about work from where he lived in Golders
Personal style has always been more many in the fashion industry could take tion means that people find it impos- cial for its widespread, genuine lack of clothes; I was always making things, Green. I used to drive round in my Tri-
defining and seductive for me than sea- on board. It is an idea of living in the sible to create something that is new, ‘commercial concerns’. To work in the sewing and customising vintage piec- umph Herald, and we’d go to shopping

‘I have always possessed a certain irreverence ‘So many people nowadays start in the business
towards clothes and I am never afraid to just rip with an end goal in mind - to be rich or famous.
into something with a pair of scissors.’ They forget the journey of self-discovery. ’
sonal fleeting fashion dictates. Every- moment that visually, somehow, tran- or even looks new, not just in fashion fashion industry still felt like a job for es. I went to university in London and centres and ask people to wear things.
thing starts from an attitude, an allure, scends time and space and gives Melanie but in many spheres that fashion has people who did not want a job and per- I did a degree in languages and politics So I’d get some leopard coat from a big
a confident, strong sense of self. It is less Ward’s fashion images a timeless quali- found integral to its existence. Instead haps here is where the conversation with – and I was constantly making clothes fashion house and ask a little old lady to
what you wear than how you wear it that ty, a paradoxical quality of now no mat- there now exists a sort of meta-fashion, Melanie Ward should begin. We begin when I was there. It was a twin life, wear it with her own clothes. We were
constitutes style. Proportions and ges- ter when they were shot, documented constantly consuming its own images with the quintessentially British years like Sartre meets Portobello Market! I always doing these projects. I loved that
ture define modernity for me and give a or originally witnessed. Something that and designs and never looking further and move on to her years in America, thought I was going to change the world. side of dressing people up and docu-
fresh attitude. While I am an exponent of is extremely rare in fashion, which is of than its boundaries. What Ward has where she lives now, although this con- I thought I’d be a diplomat. And really menting things…
the masculine, the androgynous, the util- course one of the defining measures of done and continues to do is to believe versation takes place in Milan, where it turned out you have to be a diplomat
itarian in all of its timeless simplicity and time and the moment. in something beyond this meta-fash- she commutes to work. She describes in fashion. We were all going out all of But still making sure people were their
rigour, I also gravitate equally towards To credit a stylist with an equal share, ion. And this is in spite her being, as she her work best in her own words. As she the time and somebody came up to me own selves…
the undone, the sensual imperfection of or sometimes even the lion’s share, of puts it, ‘quite in love with the internet’. puts it: at a party, I was wearing a man’s jacket Completely. It was always human, but
the flou, the bohemian, the exotic. the image-making process is not really Melanie Ward has the good fortune ‘Everything started for Dave [Sims], that I had customised, I had made it into an extravagant version of reality. Nigel
When I began working in the fash- the done thing in fashion with its strict – or the extremely bad fortune – to have Corrine, Kate, myself, et al in that we this mini dress. This person asked me has just brought out our Teenage Pre-
ion industry it was very instinctual. It hierarchies and codes of creativity – and come to prominence as part of a gener- totally lived in the moment. There were where I had bought it and I told them, cinct Shoppers shoot as a little book.
was all about creativity, making clothes these are codes that Melanie Ward her- ation whose work existed almost whol- no grand plans apart from collaborat- then they just asked me to do some styl- That shoot always obsessed Raf Simons.
and customising vintage pieces. I have self adheres to. But from being a teen- ly in print and on the catwalk for the ing on great images and being creative. ing for them. I did not really know what Nigel’s a genius and a nightmare! He
always possessed a certain irreverence ager at the beginning of the 1990s, first ten years. These years were not Interestingly enough it is how I still try styling was so I took things from my never really wanted to do fashion – and
towards clothes and I am never afraid when I personally first became aware of and have not been extensively digital- to live my life. I am super conscious of it closet and my mum’s closet – she always never did really. He’s a giant talent.
to just rip into something with a pair of Melanie Ward’s work through the pages ly documented. It gives this period of these days. So many people nowadays had so many incredible clothes – and I
scissors. I personally love vintage cloth- of magazines like The Face, I can’t help work a dream-like quality that exists start in the business with an end goal turned up with them. I was paid such a I suppose it is really like a family, all of
ing for its individuality, but you can’t but credit her in that way. The images on in the imagination for people who in mind, ie, to be rich or famous. They ton of money for this day of styling, it your peer group. You have all worked

134 135
The decisive moment Melanie Ward

together for many years, from when you with me. My main aim in life is always wasn’t so much a bondage thing; it was but there was a sense of voyeurism. And It was a real lifestyle; there was a sense my life, and that is true of all the people
were first starting out and very young. to go forward, so it is very hard for me to just some different cool styling thing. I suppose that was true of the work I did of something happening that was auth­ I started out with. We were not follow-
Yes, it’s impossible to choose between go back. That’s why doing a project like Or there would be the idea of putting with Corrine too, although there we had entic in those photographs. ing this dream to become successful, or
them and what they do and what they this is quite unusual, to look back at my some ridiculous thing on a guy, like a the beautiful Kate. Kate’s beauty was wealthy or move to America, to buy an
did. There’s also Dave, Glen, Corrine, old clothes. But it is always interesting pair of Speedos with a lace top and then more tangible I suppose. She is the most Many people seem to have stopped apartment or just buy things. We were
Mario… I was discussing this with to try and define a world. There is this Dave would photograph that. I think I beautiful creature ever and the most trying to build a world in photographs just having the best time expressing
Mario Sorrenti not long ago. I think I weird, girly part of me that loves long almost went straight from John Lewis amazing model and actress ever. May- and have become too busy maintain- ourselves and doing what we felt. We
was there when Mario met Kate; we are gowns, but I think it is how you wear to the sex shops! I remember trailing be she wasn’t the height of an Amazon ing a fictitious lifestyle. Of course were essentially writing our own rules
all like brothers and sisters. We all used them that counts, you have to wear them round sex shops in Pigalle in Paris, and and had slightly imperfect teeth, she there are exceptions… and functioning outside of the fashion
to live in London together. We still all with some irreverence. Then this other I tell you, I saw some sights. I was always also had this incredible personality as I say the word authentic over and over industry. We were not accepted by the
see each other all of the time. part of me loves menswear, because it on a crazy hunt in some weird or banal well as that beauty. again. When somebody is not trying industry, apart from Ronnie Cooke
is more about style rather than fashion, place just for something to photograph. to play at being who he or she is, it is Newhouse, or Ronnie Cooke, as she was
I saw these relationships play out it’s more timeless. I suppose it is the atti- She also had a personal style of her authentic. Being true to yourself is what known then, before she married Jona-
through the pages of magazines when tude with which you wear clothes that But your styling has this uncanny own. In many ways it was the idea that matters. Being true to yourself, being than. Ronnie discovered us very ear-
I didn’t know any of you, through your matters most to me. knack of never looking like it is trying any of you could have been the stylist, comfortable in your own skin is impor- ly on, and she told Calvin Klein about
images when you were all starting out. too hard… any of you could have been the pho- tant. I was discussing the idea of ego us. But it was a time when we were kids
Some who only really know the later I always think of you appropriating For me it always is this effortless thing, tographer and any of you could have with somebody and they’d decided hav- experimenting. We were completely
work and where all of your careers certain distinctive clothes and mak- the concept of an effortless way of dres­ been the model, particularly with your- ing some ego is important because you out of the system, working with bands
had progressed to by that point, could ing them your own in the images sing. Your clothes don’t wear you; they self, Corrine and Kate. know who you are, can protect your- – because nobody in the fashion indus-
think that this is some sort of block- you have produced, like John Lewis should never scream fashion too loud. We really were living this life. I was self with it and draw boundaries. But try wanted to touch us – and we weren’t
buster alliance. school uniforms… That’s what I find really modern. When talking about this with Glen Luch- sometimes – and I know I always try doing it to revolt, we were just having

‘We were writing our own rules and functioning ‘Nowadays as a stylist or editor, it is more limiting.
outside of the fashion industry. We were completely People aren’t looking for a point of view from the
out of the system - nobody wanted to touch us. ’ stylist: they are looking for you to shoot look 17. ’
I think we are all incredibly ground- I used to hang out in John Lewis’ we started the grunge movement – as ford recently. We were all at this par- and see the good side of things and that fun. We were playing and expressing
ed and normal, it isn’t blockbuster in schoolboy department. I used to buy it’s called – I wanted for the kids to look ty together, and he was documenting is annoying for people, like I’ll always ourselves and having the best fun ever.
the slightest! I suppose people assume little grey suits because that’s what fit- a certain way… I say kids although it. Glen was really mixing drinks and see a murder from a murderers point of Now, maybe, people think that you can
various things about us as a group, but ted me and I liked the boyish propor- we were all similar ages, it was dress- it all got very bad, to the point where view as well! – I just feel that if you are only change things from within the sys-
information isn’t really knowledge. We tions. I then used to shoot them on ing up people, but these are things we all three of us needed to vomit at the true to yourself and control your ego tem. The advent of bloggers was differ-
have this whole history together, like a Rose or Kate or on Emma Balfour if were also dressing in ourselves. It was same time. I had been going a lot to see things are different. There are a lot of ent, and now that has become big busi-
family. It was an idea of defining a world I was with Dave. And, of course, there easy; it was like putting on your clothes John Galliano with Kate and hanging egos in this business, and if that ego is ness too.
for me with all of them. were all the amazing boys we shot too. and going out. And that is still really out with him, and I remember all three coming from a place of insecurity, it is
I used to have to wait to make sure no my approach now. I suppose this has of us had these maxi skirts from John. almost like a false pride. But I also think, for the most part, they
How do you define yourself through 13-year-old schoolboys were around; become the norm now. We all literally jumped up at the same too wanted a way in…
clothing and what you do? What do you I’d quickly have to duck into the chang- time, tripped up over each other’s maxi How did you feel when you really That’s the difference. We didn’t want a
think are your signatures? ing rooms and try things on. Then there I think what you did was to define an skirts and ran to the bathroom. One of entered the fashion industry, by going way into the system. All we wanted to
Mario Sorrenti once said to me, ‘Eve- were the sex shops. After grunge, Dave idea of a character in a fashion shoot, us threw up in the toilet, one in the sink to Harper’s Bazaar in America in the do was go to the beach and take pictures!
ryone thinks you’re a minimalist.’ We and I particularly moved into this oth- who you photographed mattered as and one through the open window. We mid-1990s? It was such a different time. I suppose
got in to a bit of a fight about it – he’s er territory, he was really experimental much as the clothes. There was a sense were like these three little peas in a pod. I had absolutely no interest in America people now enter into all of this want-
like my brother. I said, ‘I’m not a mini- with his light, and I was going a lot to of equality between everyone, male Kate is like my little sister, she always at first. It was not a place that appealed ing it to be their career.
malist. I’ve never been a minimalist!’ I sex shops to find clothes. In sex shops and female, subject and object; you was, and she always will be. to me at all. I have never been a great
think I am more a modernist; I try and there would always be these great PVC couldn’t really pull any of that apart. planner, I just always go with my gut, And yet you went to America,
look forward. I don’t want to be limited pants, there would be these amazing I suppose what we were doing was I think that is something you feel in always have, always will. Decisions I embraced the fashion system, and you
too much by the past. I have been told rubber straps where you could make a weirdly voyeuristic, particularly for those early photographs, a sense of make come from an emotional place. still live there today…
my work is seductive, and that resonates belt or a top by wrapping them round. It Dave and me. We were staging it clearly, true camaraderie and equality. I feel that things always just come into Meeting Liz Tilberis, who was editing

136 137
The decisive moment

Harper’s Bazaar at the time felt right, for Callaghan I think. It was at a time building interests me; it is pivotal at the
again it was a gut decision. She had been when Italy was full of squat toilets, and I moment. Again, it is brands essential-
the bad girl at British Vogue and she desperately needed to pee. I remember ly knowing what they are and knowing
really wanted me to be the bad girl at I was wearing a pair of red Yves Saint how to define that. I want to work on
Bazaar. I suppose I am so quintessen- Laurent heels and red socks. I went to more of that.
tially British, European I guess. I defi- one of these toilets, and I remember I
nitely am a European living in Ameri- managed to pee on my socks – I was sat Do you ever feel nostalgic for the way
ca. I hate to generalise, it’s sort of crass, in the front row with pee all over my things were in the early days of your
but I feel there are certain areas where socks! It was so absurd. career?
people embrace newness in Ameri- In those days, what was going on edi-
ca. There is openness to newness; it is You have a long history working with torially was inspiring designers in
embraced with enthusiasm. As Brits we designers. But the quintessential work- their work. I might have been making
might go into things a little deeper at ing relationship you had for many of us is a weird pair of sleeping-bag shorts for
times, but there is also more cynicism. that one you shared with Helmut Lang. Emma Balfour to wear or some sort
We’re more guarded. Helmut used to call me the nicest pit of denim cloak to be photographed by
bull he ever met. If I feel something I Dave. But nowadays, as a stylist or an
Was being at a big American publica- can’t let it go! I have not seen him for editor, it is far more limiting. Some-
tion a shock to your British sensibili- years now. We have very different lives. times you are just deciding if it is a side
ties at first? But I definitely think it was a prolific parting or a centre parting. With the
When I first started at Harper’s Bazaar, time. It was a definite moment. nature of advertising, people are not
some designers would literally put on a necessarily looking for a point of view
second show for us with models in the Which do you prefer, working with from the stylist; they are looking for you
looks. That is the power of one of those designers on collections and shows or to shoot look number 17. Saying that,
big, American publications. I remem- making images? I don’t know whether I am nostalgic
ber gripping the table, about to fall I like all of it. I wouldn’t just want to for the past, I don’t necessarily want it
over in my heels. I’d be so tired. It’s like do one or the other. I like working on to repeat. I’ve been there and done it,
an assault course going to the shows. I images and with designers, making and I want to do something new now. I
remember I was in Italy once, about on clothes, the whole lot. I thrive more am still insatiably curious and I love to
my way to a Nicolas Ghesquière show by doing more than one thing. Brand challenge myself.

Vintage Keith Richards T-shirt formerly

from a collection of Johnny Thunders
Leopard-print fur jacket
by Isabel Marant
Vintage 1990s pocket belt
with garter detail by Helmut Lang
Vintage scarf by Hedi Slimane
for Dior Homme

138
Vintage 1970s blazer by Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
White military shirt by Balmain
Vintage skinny black leather tie
Vintage customised 1980s
leather skirt by Claude Montana
White ankle socks by The Sock Man Vintage early-1990s tailored
Black suede pumps by Manolo Blahnik jumpsuit by John Galliano
Vintage early-2000s punched-leather,
strap-detail dress and bra by Helmut Lang
Vintage 1970s feather-detail cape Vintage sailor pants
Vintage leather shorts with suspender detail by Versace Couture
Studded belt by Saint Laurent Vintage 1980s chain-mail T-shirt
Vintage early-2000s over-the-knee Vintage over-the-knee boots by Helmut Lang
boots with lace detail by Helmut Lang Chain-mail bandanas by Versace
Vintage 1970s gown (customised with
horse-hair shoulder details) by Donald Brooks
Vintage T-shirt by Hedi Slimane for Dior Homme
Vintage bracelet by Cartier Vintage early-2000s silk smoking suit and
Vintage over-the-knee boots by Helmut Lang silk tulle bra top by Helmut Lang
 Vintage early-2000s knit,
Gold blazer by Balmain strappy top and bra
Vintage sequin striped top by Helmut Lang
by Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Leather perfecto jacket
Vintage 1980s black-denim miniskirt by BLK DNM
White ankle socks by The Sock Man Knickers by Eres
 Vintage 1990s silk-organza
shoulder sling by Helmut Lang Vintage 1970s Moroccan coat
Grey jeans by Acne by Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
 Vintage 1970s evening jersey top
and skirt by Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Model: Andreea Diaconu @ IMG. Hair: Shay Ashual c/o Tim Howard Management. Make-up: Wendy Rowe c/o Tim Howard Management. Manicure: Yuko Tsuchihashi for Chanel Beauté.
Photo Assistants: Lance Cheshire & Doug Bruce. Digital Technician: Aron Norman. Lighting Technician: Jack Webb. Equipment Technician: Braulio Moz. Stylist Assistant: Courtney Kryston.
Make-up Assistant: Aliana Lopez. Hair Assistants: Taichi & Saito Tsuyoshi. Tailor: Hwa Park. Props: Louise Hinnen c/o The Factory.

all by Helmut Lang

and bandana bra top
shearling-trimmed wedges
with goat-hair fringe),
cardigan, miniskirt (customised
Vintage early-2000s jersey
The good life John Casablancas

‘He loved
all women.
And women
loved him too.’
Hubert Woroniecki on filming his first boss,
the legendary Elite Model Management founder,
John Casablancas.

John Casablancas didn’t just love models. He loved all wom- I first met him when I was a teenager. My family would
en. And women loved him too. Why wouldn’t they? He was an spend summer holidays in Ibiza, and as it happened, so would
extremely charming man: good-looking, clever, funny, edu- John Casablancas. He owned a house just down the road from
cated and polite. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. ours. The first time I was told that a guy who ran a model
Luck was on his side. agency was coming over for dinner with a bunch of models
Running a model agency and leading a so-called play- – including his then girlfriend Stephanie Seymour – well, I
boy lifestyle happened by accident for John. I mean, the guy arranged to stay in that evening. As a kid, I remember think-
didn’t even know what a model was when he was 20. He just ing he was such a fun guy, someone you’d want to share your
wanted fun, freedom and to be around women. John being holidays with.
John, he got all three and turned them into a pioneering busi- A few years later, when I was doing my MBA at Univer-
ness that changed the modelling industry forever. Like I said: sité Paris-Dauphine, I had to partake in the annual ritual of
he was lucky. the summer internship. They’d inevitably be boring office

178 179
The good life John Casablancas

jobs at one of the big banks, but one summer, John’s part- industry; I’d seen first hand what it was like and knew that
ners Gérald Marie and Alain Kittler called up to offer me an nothing of any interest or quality existed about it in film.
internship at Elite Model Management in Paris. This became One day though, I saw the Robert Evans film, The Kid
my introduction to the fashion industry, and the first time I’d Stays in the Picture, which opened my eyes to what could be
witnessed the business behind the man in Ibiza. It was pretty done in documentary storytelling. I thought it was fantastic:
well paid, too. This was much better than the bank. Evans narrates his own story, and you get a genuine insider’s
But despite the seductive world of models and the fash- point of view of what Hollywood was like in the 1960s, 1970s
ion industry, my real dream had always been to make films. and 1980s. It immediately struck me that a film about John
I’d grown up obsessed by the work of Kieslowski and Polan- could be just as fascinating – here was a man whose playboy
ski and had an urge to attend film school. lifestyle was the stuff of legend, and who could capture some
But after business school, I drifted back into the fashion real insight into the modelling industry.
industry, and when John called me with the offer of a full-time I contacted John, and he answered back very quickly:
job as a booker for Elite in New York, I agreed to go for one ‘Sure, let’s do it.’
year. Unsurprisingly, I ended up staying longer – from 1993 Just like when I was at Elite, John trusted me to do whatev-
to 1997. During those four years, Elite was the model agency: er I felt was best for the project. He originally recorded a four-
we were making three times more than any of the competi- hour narrative in a New York studio, which I slowly got down
tion, and in one year our girls featured on nine out of the 12 to an hour and ten minutes for the film.
monthly covers of American Vogue. Apart from Kate Moss When I first thought about the project, I imagined inter-
and Claudia Schiffer, we represented all the supermodels. viewing other people like Gérald and Alain or Linda Evan-
Which was to be expected, since it was John Casablancas gelista and Naomi Campbell – just to give them a droit de
who’d created the supermodel in the first place. réponse. But what could they say in a sentence or two that

The film is a documentary, but it sits

between documentary and fiction. After all,
John’s was a dream life.
Contrary to popular belief, John hadn’t always dreamt of would bring something to John’s story? The film is a docu-
running a model agency. His thing was marketing and pro- mentary, but it sits between documentary and fiction. After
motion. By the time he was about 22, he’d already become a all, John’s was a dream life.
marketing manager for Coca Cola in Brazil. He loved com- When System asked me to interview John in the summer,
ing up with innovative ways to market and promote things, we tried speaking a couple of times, but it was clear that he was
and that meant models too. Elite was the first agency to use too ill to participate. He’d already had throat cancer 12 years
model ‘books’ and composites. He was also the first agency previously, but he got very sick again in June 2012. He fought
owner to work with models of broader ethnic backgrounds at it as much as he could – he flew all around the world trying to
a time when they weren’t represented in the fashion industry. find a cure – because he was someone who absolutely loved
Although we shared an office, I didn’t see much of John dur- life. Two weeks after our last conversation, he passed away.
ing those years: he was never on the booking table; he wasn’t Back in January this year, I’d flown to John’s home in Rio
even in New York that much because he was taking care of to show him the first cut of the film. I was keen to get his
Elite as a business, as a brand, as an international agency. thoughts, to get his blessing. He liked what I’d done with his
Nonetheless, those times we’d see one another and have din- story, and the only thing he asked was to make sure it didn’t
ner, he’d always be friendly and tender – like an uncle. The hurt his wife Aline or his family.
fact that he’d known me since I was a kid made a difference. The film is now nearly completed, and with a bit of luck it’ll
After four years though, it was time for me to move on. be released next year. When I look at parts of it now, I still “I’ve been approached many times over the past years by merely futile and superficial. Was it successful and filled
I left New York to attend the Polish National Film School get such a strong feeling about this larger than life man, John people wanting to tell the story of my life. I wasn’t sure that with adventure? Definitely. Does it add up to something
in Łódz and completely lost touch with John. My previous life Casablancas. Hearing his voice tell the story is really moving the subject, although perhaps amusing, deserved so much full and meaningful? That I really don’t know. Nothing
as a model booker and my new one as a filmmaker seemed at to me. Like he’s still there. As a filmmaker, that’s all you can attention. It’s not false modesty; it’s just depending on how I’ve done has changed the world, but by God I’ve had
odds. Yet I’d always wanted to make a film about the modelling hope to achieve. I look back at it, my life seems at times full and exciting or fun doing it!”

180 181
The good life John Casablancas

‘Cher Monsieur,
Votre fils a couché avec la bonne! Votre fils a trahi la con-
“I lost my virginity at the age of 15 on a summer night in drunken nights. I had an illuminating first experience. fiance que nous placions en lui; il a trahi tout le monde ici!
1958 in Cannes on the French Riviera. I was a very lucky At the end of the summer, I went back to school a changed Nous ne souhaitons plus entendre parler de lui. Toutes nos
boy. Most of my friends had terrible first experiences with man. I was destined to fall in love very passionately lettres de recommendation sont annulées immédiatement.’
hookers or ugly girls in awful places at the end of long and very regularly.” – Letter from Le Rosey School

182 183
The good life John Casablancas

“I’m always amused when someone says:

‘Your job is so easy. All you do is surround
yourself with beautiful women.’”

184 185
The good life John Casablancas

Courtesy of John Casablancas Estate

“Everyone has an interesting story, you just have to know

“It was an unexpected profession, accidental and wonder- how to tell it. I’ve had a fantastic life: a life of ups and downs,
ful. It was a profession that allowed me to hold in my arms of exciting moments and depressing ones. And, I’ve been
a number of women of such incredible beauty that most very lucky – lucky because the mediocrity of the business
men could not even dare to dream it.” and my competitors made me look like a genius.”

186 187
Carlyne’s edit Jeremy Scott

‘Hot $$$exy
Jeremy.’
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele’s pick of the season.

“Love, love, love Jeremy Scott.

Energy, Fun, Street, Happy,
Hip Hop, $$$exy, Brilliant.
Totally obsessed by it... hot, hot, hot!!!
C’est tout ce que j’aime!!!

Shot with my iPhone / icarlyne@icloud.

It’s quick, it’s fun and it’s done!

New World
No Retouching, No Assistant,
No Budget, No Brainstorming,
No Moodboard
Heaven!!!

XXX CCD”

Photographs & styling by Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele

188 189
Carlyne’s edit Jeremy Scott

190 191
The beauty spot Véronique Gabai-Pinsky

‘Nobody
actually
needs another
fragrance…’
Estée Lauder’s Véronique Gabai-Pinsky
on why fashion needs fragrance.

By Martin Brandtner
Portrait by Brigitte Lacombe

192 193
The beauty spot Véronique Gabai-Pinsky

Fragrance has been the core of Véro- I have so many questions to ask you, My boss at the time was Annette Louit, the livelihood of the company. So risks different. If you want to be success- When the project was put together and
nique Gabai-Pinsky’s professional life but perhaps we should begin with your who was the general manager of Cacha- are taken where they need to be tak- ful in bringing fragrance to a design- shown to Mr Armani and the people at
for the past 20 years. French-born Gabai- career – your background and how you rel. But the person who really helped en. And honestly, at that time I was too er, you have to connect the dots which L’Oréal, did they have an immediate
Pinsky is president of Estée Laud- broke into the industry. me was the owner of Givaudan at that young to be able to understand the full many people usually have a hard time understanding of the potential of this
er’s designer-fragrance division and is My journey was very interesting because time who was called Mr Jean Amic. I complexity of the company’s strategy. doing. What we did at the time was to incredible mix: a new fragrance, new
responsible for the global business for I really didn’t know I wanted to do fra- was really helped a lot by a perfumer in But I was given this mission, and I went bring Giorgio Armani, a brand based imagery, a new concept?
the Aramis, Lab Series Skincare for grance. It happened a bit by chance, Jean Amic’s team who was called Jean for it. It was a great time and it result- on the search for perfection and qual- It was a big project for the company. We
Men, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger Toiletries, and in life it’s good when things happen Guichard. I will forever be grateful to ed in an extraordinary experience and ity with a kind of rigour, into an emo- needed it to be successful and support-
Donna Karan Cosmetics, Michael Kors to you by chance. I started at L’Oréal them. My second boss, George Klarsfeld extraordinary results. I want to say that tional platform that would be relevant ed it, but nobody imagined at the begin-
Beauty, Kiton, Ermenegildo Zegna, in cosmetics, but I was then asked to pulled me off the Cacharel team and I don’t think it’s only based on risk tak- but still connected to the world of fra- ning of the lifecycle of the brand that it
Marni and Tory Burch brands. As part of move into the fragrance category to asked me to work on Giorgio Armani. ing because it’s not true. There’s a lot grance. The way that we did it with their was going to be mega successful. You
her responsibilities, she also looks after work on Cacharel. I fell in love with fra- And I wasn’t even 30 at the time: I think of luck in the business we’re in. There’s existing fragrance called Giò was to can never imagine. You can avoid dis-
BeautyBank and IdeaBank, the entre- grance! I was doing my marketing job I was 28. It was quite amazing that I was a philosophy in how you create prod- describe the spirit of Giorgio Armani aster in your field, but you cannot pre-
preneurial think tank divisions of The during the day, and in the late hours I given tons of responsibility at a young ucts and develop brands which differs in a moment of relaxation. We renamed dict success to that level. It was a great
Estée Lauder Companies with a mis- would train myself to smell because I age. Being young helps you to see things from company to company. But clearly it Acqua di Giò and took the source of surprise for everybody, but it was a sur-
sion to identify global opportunities felt it was important to understand all in another light – without necessarily there’s also an element of chance that inspiration of Pantelleria – the getaway prise built over a couple of years. It was
for product development, diversifica- aspects of the product to be a good mar- seeing all the risks. So basically you just exists as well. I always say to my team of Mr Armani – and tried to understand the juice – what we call perfume in the
tion and regional expansion, bring- keter. I was lucky enough that the own- go for it, and you’re dumb enough to not that our business is 30 per cent brain why it was so beautiful and powerful. fragrance industry – that created the
ing these concepts and brands to mar- er of a very important fragrance house see the pitfalls. When you need to think power, the strategic understanding of That was honestly the source of inspi- amazing sustainability of the brand.
ket through sustainable and profitable took an interest in helping me develop differently, not seeing the potential pit- the market place and the objective you ration for Acqua di Giò. People fell in love with it and bought it
business models. As the world’s fore- that aspect of my product knowledge. falls is a very important thing. have; 30 per cent the passion you put Giò is the nickname of Giorgio. So again and again.

‘You can never imagine. You can avoid ‘It was the juice that created the amazing
disaster in your field, but you cannot sustainability of the brand. People fell in love
predict success to that level.’ with the juice and bought it again and again.’
most interpreter of a brand’s identity Having someone senior mentoring me, I have a question directly related to into it; 30 per cent muscle because if the idea here was to bring it to a place An interesting point here is that the
into fragrance, Gabai-Pinsky knows coaching me and taking an interest in what you were talking about in regards you don’t execute it well it’s not going where you just have water, air and sun, first time you buy a fragrance you buy
more than most about the relationship developing my career was very instru- to taking risks. In those days, would to work; and then 10 per cent chance. to an island of relaxation hence cut- it mostly because of the concept: the
between the fragrance industry and mental, as it helped me understand you consider that L’Oréal was a com- ting the name. You scrape off a little design and the image. You’re attract-
fashion houses, and the way a fashion what you had to do to be a good manag- pany that would be risk-inclined? It’s Let’s go back to Armani. When you bit of the social aspects of your life to ed to the brand by what you call the
brand can be brought into the lucrative er above and beyond being a good busi- interesting to hear that maybe Klars- started working for Armani how much go back to the essence of things. That’s ‘marketing mix’. The second, third, and
world of fragrance. We wanted to talk ness manager, as well as giving me the feld was taking those risks or was a dif- earlier had they begun doing fragrances? how Acqua di Giò was born. The idea forth time you buy a fragrance – and
to her about this most delicate of all passion for the product itself. I think ferent kind of guy. Oh, a long time – at least ten years behind doing this was to help the brand what keeps a business sustainable – is
brand extensions; and if when design- that the passion was fused at a young age Yes. Klarsfeld really was somebody. before. get to an emotional platform where because you love the juice. Everybody
ers choose to move into this market, through very senior leaders who showed Today, the companies that are the people could project themselves onto was taken by surprise at the beginning
they are motivated by more than the me it was not only about numbers but it strongest in the world are formida- Can you tell me the story about Acqua the product in an emotional way. The because the appeal was so great.
potential profits; how she identifies the was also about the love for the product ble companies – the Estée Lauders or di Giò, and how that came about? reason it was so successful is because
spirit of a fashion house in order to find itself. As I moved through the ranks of the L’Oréals. And they evolve. They I think that what happened with Acqua the fragrance is extraordinary, and it Acqua di Giò’s visuals were ground
a fragrance that can sum up and trans- L’Oréal and in spite of my young age, I have moments when they take risks on di Giò was that it connected Giorgio was a disruption to the marketplace breaking at the time and probably
late that into the memory-laden world was given an unbelievable opportunity a category and a little less on anoth- Armani as a brand to the world of fra- in the current universe of men’s fra- played an important part in kickstart-
of scent; and her extraordinary career by senior management to try to reinvig- er; they try new things on one and not grance – and what fragrance means. Let grances; that’s where the risk was tak- ing its huge success. How did it happen?
which saw her start in France, break- orate Giorgio Armani, which was trou- the other. At that time it was not a big me tell you what I believe fragrance is en if you will. We brought to them an I wanted to bring Armani into a world
through with Armani fragrances and bled at the time, in 1994. risk because the Giorgio Armani fra- and what fashion is, and maybe you’ll element of femininity or sensibility by of emotional content that would connect
subsequent move to the US. Most of grances was a small brand. It’s not the understand why this connection is so doing a floral fragrance with a touch of with the fragrance. This idea of being at
all, we wanted to find out how she fell You were talking about your mentors. same to take a risk on a small brand important because the psychological fruit and watery notes which did not one with nature is something that’s very
in love with the fragrance business. Who were they? as it is taking a risk on what generates effects of the two categories are very exist at the time in that field. important for the fragrance but at the

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same time suited to the brand because he has done. This idea of masculinity sensation. The challenge when you of comfort, of shelter or going back to a the traditional female rose scent. It is a woman has a very different olfactive
of Pantelleria, where Mr Armani was and the idea of the step-by-step estab- work on a fragrance for a designer is time or place. If you look at what Mugler gorgeous fragrance and a new way to taste from that of a Middle Eastern
relaxing. Sea, air and sun are all things lishment to create one’s own masculin- how to connect their stylistic expression did with his signature fragrance, Angel, look at women’s fragrance – it disrupt- woman. In the Middle East, they love
we can relate to when we speak about the ity and destiny suited this story and this to what really motivates that expression it’s amazing. It was never about sex but ed the market because of that. We real- deep, rich, woody, spicy fragrances –
notion of escape. It’s the moment when house perfectly. and where it comes from on an emotion- about childhood memories. ised we couldn’t launch it the way we that’s part of the culture. In Asia, they
you feel the most relaxed, at one with the al platform. When you look at a fash- would launch a traditional fragrance. prefer fresher, light scents. You need to
elements, that gives you a sense of well- Let’s talk more about the relationship ion collection, it’s an expression – one There are certain brands that lend We needed it to find its public. So we know the olfactive preferences between
being. That was the concept – your body and distinction between fragrance and which might change from season to sea- themselves quite easily to being trans- decided to go for a limited distribution the different global markets when you
connecting with those elements. Then fashion. son – but it’s the unique vision of one lated into fragrance because what to really cultivate and roll out the dis- develop fragrances for designers. If
when you present that to a talent like When you think of what fragrance is, designer which comes from one emo- they’re about is fairly essential and easy tribution little by little. When you work you want to be successful in Europe,
Herb Ritts you will have very strong and it is a very emotional and personal – tional place. When we work on fra- to understand – they can be summed up with a designer who has such a different you need to steer a little towards Euro-
beautiful expression of that idea. very intimate – product. It’s your sig- grance, we have to ‘dive deep’ into their in a few words. But then, there are oth- point of view, you need a creative direc- pean taste. We study the differences
The visuals are an important part of nature and can be a way to build your vision, beyond the current collections, er brands – huge luxury brands – which tion that fits the unique point of view as a lot. An American, French or Ger-
connecting all of the dots and commu- own confidence. For many people, it’s to really understand what the wider have struggled to translate their success well as align it with the business model man woman will describe the same
nicating what lies beneath the surface the last touch. People also use it as a motivations are for that creative expres- in fashion into fragrance. In your opin- that will allow you to be successful. fragrance with very different words.
of a brand and a fragrance. The inspira- tool for seduction. And the difference sion, how they perceive the world. I’m ion why is that? If they all like the fragrance no matter
tions for them will come from culture, is very clear when you choose what fra- not interested in the collection of the Our role is to find a way to take the So you’re building something that is if it’s fresh or woody, a French wom-
literature, architecture. Sometimes it’s grance you use at the office to what fra- day per se because it doesn’t help build vision and the personality of the design- tailor-made both in terms of a way it’s an will describe it as sensual. If a Ger-
a place; like in the case of Acqua di Giò, grance you use when you go on a date. a fragrance; but why this designer is er and build something that will reso- expressed as a fragrance but also as a man woman like the same fragrance,
it was Pantelleria. For the next Zegna To a certain extent, it’s also a tool for doing this type of collection – that’s nate. Marni is a smaller-scale fashion business. It makes sense because you’re she’s going to say it’s sporty and ele-
launch, Uomo by Zegna, it’s also a loca- escape: you spray something, and you’re what helps us build a fragrance. brand – a trendsetter and trend-leader – not trying to stretch a brand beyond a gant. And if the American likes it,

‘You have to address it at a primal level of ‘It’s not the same to take a risk on a small
what fragrance does and then the cultural aspect brand as it is taking a risk on what generates
of acceptance of what you’re wearing.’ the livelihood of the company.’
tion – Casa Malaparte in Capri. If you transported somewhere else. It’s very Sexuality seems to have a lot to do with with an edge that drives what happens limit where it wouldn’t make sense for she’ll say it’s fresh and clean. Regard-
know the story of Casa Malaparte, it emotional. It’s linked to your own set the world of fragrance. Fragrance elsewhere in the industry. Marni express- that brand. You’re also not putting pres- less of the note. So you have the real
really makes sense for Zegna. Curzio of memories. The sense of smell is the plays a significant role in our primitive es Consuelo’s vision of modern femi- sure on projects by expecting them to be olfactive preferences which you have to
Malaparte built this house on the top of only sense that is located in the reptili- reptilian brain because it is intensely ninity, which is not linked to the tra- immediately in the top five fragrances. know and then there is the psycholog-
a cliff where it would be impossible to an brain and not in the cognitive brain. linked to sexual attraction and poten- ditional archetype of women. It’s not What are your ambitions for Marni? ical way of describing what you like is
access unless you came through a tiny All of the other senses are cognitive. So tial. Both fashion and fragrance seem linked to seduction but more to the cre- The ambition for Marni is to be in the what you also have to know when you
mountain path or by sea. The whole that’s why it’s so primal; it connects to to be linked at their core idea of seduc- ative expression of each individual. For top five of every door we are in. That’s develop a fragrance. This is very inter-
house is a set of stairs, and he built it to your most primal elements. You can- tion on a very primitive level. her, the traditional models of feminini- the way we are looking at it, roll out esting because you might not see that in
remind himself of his time in prison (he not describe fragrance or what it does There is truth to your analysis that sex- ty are obsolete. So how do you take that slowly but in every door we are, we want the fashion world. But in the fragrance
was imprisoned by Mussolini when he to you. There’s a language for visuals, a uality lies at the core of fragrance, but and translate it into fragrance? For us to be in the top five. You’re absolutely world, because there is no set language
wrote some of his most beautiful pieces language for music, but no language for it’s not just about sexuality. Fragrance we knew we couldn’t go the traditional right though, you cannot apply the same you have to address it at a primal lev-
of literature). When he was released, he fragrance. It really is something that’s is connected to your primal needs – a route of femininity – we had to remove commercial pressures to certain brands el of what fragrance does and then the
wanted to find that feeling of isolation hard to express. And it expresses who sense of danger, the necessity for surviv- all the flower notes, all the fruit notes that you could apply for others. cultural aspect of acceptance of what
again, to remind himself of his individ- you are in a strange way. al and the desire to find shelter. Mem- and give Marni something that would you’re wearing.
ual willpower against the odds of life – Now fashion on the other hand is an ories are also very significant and fra- meet Consuelo’s vision, and yet be a What do you think the differences are
that’s why I felt it was the perfect loca- expression of creativity. A designer grance can be a way to connect you beautiful women’s fragrance that will between beauty ideals in different You mentioned the importance of
tion for this campaign. Zegna is really creates a fashion collection to express to things around you as well as emo- be really lovely to wear. We ended up markets? choosing the right art directors, pho-
the archetypal expression of masculin- a message to the world. Someone wears tions and memories. So, the range of using wood and spices which are usu- They are very different; they have com- tographers and talents to communicate
ity. Men measure themselves by their those clothes to send a message about fragrance expression is much more ally used in the male field of fragrance mon threads but also specific prefer- the fragrance – you’ve been quite pas-
accomplishments, so when you ask a themselves to the world. So it’s an intel- than just a tool for seduction. You can and the scent of a rose to wrap it up. The ences. There are real differences and sionate about giving chances to a lot of
man: ‘Who are you?’ he tells you what lectual process, not a primal need or explore the idea of escape, of memories, rose is filled with incense, so it was not also cultural differences. An Asian young talent. You gave Fabien Baron

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his first beauty campaign on Acqua Who would your dream collaboration the fragrance category of that brand our activity. You have to make sure Yes, of course. Otherwise I wouldn’t be you have to manage your risk and
di Giò for women with Diane Kruger be with? regardless off the chiffres d’affaires? that you commit to quality because doing what I do today if I didn’t think there are ways to manage risks. You
and then worked with him on the icon- Andy Warhol. You look at different things. First- if you want to be on sale for the next you could make a difference and build build your business model according
ic campaign for the male fragrance, ly, you look at the size of the business couple of years, and if you don’t offer for the long term. We start every project to the level of risk you want to take or
for example. Is there anyone else that You would have made a good perfume because the size of the business gives the best quality, you have no chance. If with that in mind. We are unlike our you don’t want to take. You don’t take
you’ve worked closely with or whose together. Do you think there are fash- the understanding of what the cur- you want to emerge from the plethora competition – we have a much better global risks. You manage regions, and
career you’ve helped launch? ion houses with which you think it’s rent awareness of the brand is. You of launches, then you have to be crea- understanding of how to create a bal- you manage the portfolio. But you’re
I was given opportunities when I was virtually impossible to do fragrance? look at the potential of the brand and tive, to offer something that touches the ance between our products, sustaining absolutely right, it’s a leap of faith.
very young, and if it hadn’t been for Or can you always find a way to make your estimation of what that potential consumer in a meaningful way – wheth- them, nurturing them and the consum- What you can do from a development
that, perhaps I would not be where I am even the most complex, sophisticat- is. Again, it’s not all about today but er or not it’s disruptive. We are not in er. The honest truth is that we will only and creative standpoint is to give your-
today. I think it’s important to explore ed, twisted and bizarre language into about the next ten years. And then you the business of answering a need but of launch a fragrance if it’s relevant to the self the best chances of being success-
talent, and I believe it’s part of my role something visceral and appealing to a add the complexity and emotional val- creating a want; nobody needs another brand and meaningful to the consum- ful and avoiding disaster. The better
to help talent emerge. Because we’re in general audience? ues of the brand as well as the persona fragrance. We need to create that feel- er. If you don’t have that then there’s the quality of the product, the bet-
a world where you have 1,100 launches There are brands that are easier than behind the brand that could help you ing of, ‘Oh my God! I have to have it!’ already way too much in this market- ter chances you have – regardless of
a year, you need to differentiate your- others for sure, but I think there is build a very successful business. for a greater chance of success. place to add to the noise. You want to whether you’re going for a full global
self creatively – you need to stand out. always a way. There is always poten- add a symphony to the world, that’s launch, entry prestige or super high-
You need to thrill the consumer in tial. When it comes to accessory brands Earlier on you said currently there are Going back to that short sequence, you what we’re trying to do. If we feel it’s not end. Quality is first and foremost. You
order to create desire. I say to my team or technology brands, that’s when it 1,100 launches per year; when you said you’re lucky if your fragrance is so creative or different to what’s on the have to manage the artistic expression
all the time that good is simply not good becomes more complicated as it’s less started there were probably a third or around the next Christmas? The lifes- market, we’re not going to launch it. It’s with the business orientation – and cre-
enough. And sometimes working with to do with the body. Sports brands can a quarter of that. How has the business pan of a contemporary perfume can be a difficult decision to make as there is ate a balance between the intuition,
the same people gives you a repetition also be a little bit more complicated. You evolved? so short. Do you think it’s possible with also a business attached to it, but at the instinct and business management –

‘In fragrance, you have 1,100 launches ‘You have to balance the rational side of
a year. You need to thrill the consumer in order the consumer goods business with the creativity
to create desire – you need to stand out.’ you see in the fashion industry.’
of the same creative expression – it’s just have to approach them a different It’s very interesting. The fragrance all of the new and existing fragrances end of the day you need to take pride it’s not all about market research but
human. So sometimes it makes sense way. For example if a brand is rooted in business has evolved dramatically. on the market for a new big fragrance in the work you do and feel in your gut about a gut feeling – if you don’t have
to work with the established and then a certain market, you can use the cul- When I started, you might have had to emerge today, something that will that what you have created is beautiful. that, then the chances are you have a
sometimes you need to give chances tural background to develop its mean- less than a hundred launches a year really last and be successful in the same With regards to the success rate, some problem. The fragrance business is
to new talents who approach the pro- ing. In Europe, brands tend to be about and a lifecycle of ten years. Ten years way was as Acqua di Giò? will work, some will not. From a busi- halfway between fashion and con-
ject very differently. I also want to help aesthetics, the individual and introspec- later, there may have been 250 launch- There’s always room for a new Acqua di ness point of view, you have to know sumer goods. You have to balance the
young people because I think they have tion. Whereas American brands tend es per year, and now there are 1,100 Giò or a new Be Delicious by DKNY. how to manage that – it’s risk manage- rational side of the consumer goods
a lot to give, and if nobody helps them, to be more about the future, a hope or launches per year – you’re lucky if one DKNY’s Be Delicious was created ten ment. Sometimes you’re successful, business – which is very intellectu-
then how will they be able to? I’m also vision for the future. For a French brand, of your launches sees the next Christ- years ago, and every year its sales have sometimes you’re not. al and business-orientated – with the
always looking to find new creative for example, you can more easily explore mas. Today, it has become more chal- grown. It’s from one of the most suc- level of creativity and desire which you
expression; I do believe that there are the mysterious sides of your soul; it lenging. And to be successful you cessful brands from a fashion stand- Someone in the fragrance industry see in the fashion industry. It’s what I
people in the industry whose points of makes sense, the ‘Je pense, donc je suis.’ have to be true to certain values and point. Maybe it doesn’t have as much once told me that making perfumes love about this business.
view have not altered over the years. know what you want to achieve with heritage and history to reference as was like producing films. You have to
There’s a freshness in young talent that I would imagine it when you take on a each of the projects that you’re taking some other luxury houses, but the fra- put so much energy into the narrative
is quite amazing. Everyone uses fra- new brand at Estée Lauder, you ana- on. From a business point of view, you grance itself continues to find its pub- and the visuals. You then launch it to
grance of course, but the bulk of our lyse whether the brand will be prom- have to be very clear with what your lic because it makes a lot of sense for the audience, and you have to stay qui-
consumer base is 18-35 years old. May- ising commercially and what amount objectives are, where you want to be the consumer and they connect with it et and see what happens. What do you
be because it’s a tool for seduction. of business it will add to your com- successful, in what region and in what emotionally. think about this analogy? It’s like tak-
[Laughs] So having people of the same pany. When you look at the brand, type of model. Then you have to say: ing a leap of faith.
generation communicating these ideas can you immediately understand the ‘Good is simply not good enough.’ It’s Still, that was ten years ago. Could you Well it’s a very good analogy. Like with
also really helps. commercial potential it could have in a simple sentence, but it drives a lot of do that today? the movie business or any business,

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

‘I prefer
shooting ads
over editorial
pages.’
Victor Skrebneski, fashioning
the face of Estée Lauder.

Suga, Alvin Chereskin,

by Alex Aubry Victor Skrebneski, & Karen Graham.
New York Studio, 7 April 1977.

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

Phyllis Connor
Evening dress by Phillipe Tournaye Karen Harris
Victor Skrebneski’s Chicago Home, 1962. Lake Forest, 1969.

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

Karen Graham
Karen Graham Evening dress by Stephen Burrows
New York, 1970. Hamptons, 1973.

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

Karen Graham
Dress by John Anthony Karen Graham
Jamaica, 1973. Central Park, New York, 1973.

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

Karen Graham Karen Graham

Jamaica, 1973. Montauk, 1976.

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

Karen Graham Karen Graham

Evening dress by Holly Harp Evening dress by Tracy Mills
Hamptons, 1976. Venice, 1980.

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

Karen Graham Willow Bay

Evening dress by Frank Massandrea Dress by Vicky Tiel
New Orleans, 1981. Linda Dresdner Boutique, New York, 1985.

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

Estée Lauder’s advertising campaigns were always about Born in Chicago in 1929 to parents of Russian and Polish herit- Bouquet, all Parisian cool and elegance as she stares back a reputation for being a perfectionist amongst editors, art
more than selling her beauty products. She once proclaimed age, Skrebneski studied painting and sculpture at the Art Insti- from the pages of magazines and billboards. directors, models and anyone else he encounters.
that they chronicled not just standards of beauty, but also tute of Chicago, but, as he recalls: ‘The Art Institute was bor-
trends in fashion, movements in interior design and changes ing because I knew how to paint. Nothing to it.’ He had a stint ‘I prefer shooting ads over editorial pages,’ says Skrebneski Recalling his first meeting with Mrs Lauder at the com-
in lifestyle. Communicating more than just powder and paint, at the Moholy-Nagy Institute of Art and Design in Chicago, recalling disagreements with editors when it came to laying pany’s Fifth Avenue headquarters, Skrebneski says, ‘She
today the beauty company’s portfolio of advertising cam- but he found his metier when a friend gave him his darkroom out his images. ‘Now if I shoot fashion stories or editorials, it’s was very sweet and nice to me.’ Ironically Skrebneski nev-
paigns shot by the legendary photographer Victor Skrebneski equipment, and Skrebneski went to work enlarging and crop- because I want to see my work the way I shot it. I don’t need er met Lauder in her oft-photographed 40th floor office with
between 1962-1989 have acquired a life of their own. ping the photographs he had been taking since he was a child. anybody to crop my photographs for me.’ its ornate desk, Champagne-coloured sofa, lush carpet in
the right shade of Lauder blue and countless framed pic-
Lauder once described his work as ‘peerless’, and long before His introduction to the fashion world began in the early Skrebneski’s penchant for storytelling through imagery was tures of her with Princess Grace of Monaco, the Duchess of
the term ‘lifestyle branding’ crept into fashion’s lexicon, Vic- 1950s. After showing his photographs to Harry Callahan, at its most potent during his time as Estée Lauder’s exclu- Windsor, Prince Charles and Princess Diana; it was the per-
tor Skrebneski was crafting seductive worlds through his pho- who taught photography at Chicago’s Institute of Design, he sive photographer, a 32-year collaboration during which he fect backdrop for many a PR image. ‘The office I met her in
tographs, capturing an ephemeral sense of luxury – perfect was urged to show his work to a number of New York edi- worked with only six models: Phyllis Connor (1962-67), Karen was simpler and smaller. I guess that’s where she worked,’
for selling everything from tweed blazers to bottles of per- tors, telling him he had never seen cropping like his before, Harris (1967-1970), Karen Graham (1970-1980), Shaun Casey notes Skrebneski.
fume. For over 60 years, he has used his expert lens to capture and soon Skrebneski was shooting for magazines such as (1981-1985), Willow Bay (1985-1987), and Paulina Porizkova
fashion’s mood swings and our evolving notions of beauty. Glamour and Esquire. (1988-1993). The result is a portfolio of timeless images that ‘This is the picture that launched my career with Estée Lauder,’
defined the tastes and aspirations of generations of women adds the photographer, pointing to an image of a model with
As legend has it, Skrebneski found his passion early in life – Shortly after returning to Chicago to pack and move perma- across America and the world. broomstick Elizabeth Taylor eyelashes, outlined pale lips and
literally. At the age of six, he found a lost camera on a Chicago nently to New York, the then 23-year-old received the first of a neat chignon. This photo landed on Lauder’s desk when she
park bench. It changed the course of his life. ‘I didn’t even many assignments from Marshall Field’s department store. At his LaSalle Street home and studio in Chicago, a former was searching for a face to cast in her first ad campaign. The
know what it was. It was just this black box,’ he recalled. ‘My ‘Marshall Field’s kept pouring out the photographs that I coach house where Skrebneski has lived and worked for over face in question belonged to Phyllis Connor, a Chicago-based

Long before the term ‘lifestyle branding’ crept The Estée Lauder woman was Caucasian, slender,
into fashion’s lexicon, Victor Skrebneski was blessed with elegant swan neck, soaring cheekbones
crafting seductive worlds through his photographs. and classically proportioned facial features.
father would take my sister and I to this park every day, and I was doing, so I figured, I’m going to do the same thing out in 60 years, the walls are lined with iconic photos of the fashion- model whom Skrebneski had discovered. ‘It was originally
took the black box to the people in the field house. A couple New York, so why not just stay here? And that’s what I did,’ able and notorious who posed for him. Amongst the framed supposed to be an ad for Marshall Field’s. Estée Lauder took
of weeks later, when no one had claimed it, they said I could says Skrebneski, who established his Chicago studio in 1952. images is one of close friend Hubert de Givenchy with his one look at it and said, “That is the face of Estee Lauder,”’
have it.’ That simple fold-out camera launched Skrebneski on Although most publications credited with making a fashion muse Audrey Hepburn, while another of Iman and David says Skrebneski, who also noted Phyllis Connor’s talent for
a journey that would transform the Chicago native into one photographer’s career are based in New York, Skrebneski Bowie was taken shortly before their wedding. Long con- instinctively knowing what he wanted to project in an image.
of the world’s most prolific fashion, beauty and portrait pho- flourished in Chicago. And by attracting the attention of influ- sidered a Chicago icon, the street outside bears a sign that ‘One doesn’t find models like that any more. She gave a lot to
tographers, earning him a place in history amongst the likes ential tastemakers, instead New York began to come to him, reads Victor Skrebneski Way, while inside, seated at a desk the camera and could move her fingers ever so slightly to bring
of Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Robert Mapplethorpe. and he was soon shuttling between the world’s fashion capitals. in his studio, the photographer pours over a decade’s worth of emotion to a photograph.’
‘Victor is a Chicago boy who never left home but became a cit- images shot for Estée Lauder’s ad campaigns. A glamorous
Like them, his atmospheric black-and-white images have izen of the world through the medium of his art,’ noted Frank Karen Graham dressed for evening in a stately living room At a time when cosmetics companies used different adver-
appeared in prestigious publications such as Vogue. Similar- Zachary, Town & Country’s influential Editor-in-Chief from and wearing Private Collection, or sitting languidly on a ter- tising agencies to produce campaigns for each country they
ly, he has helped launch the modelling careers of iconic faces 1972-1991. ‘Impeccably composed, immaculately rendered, race in White Linen, waiting for tea to be served. sold in, Estée Lauder made the decision to maintain a single
such as Wilhelmina and Cindy Crawford, while his unguard- the Skrebneski photograph is his universal passport.’ global image when she launched her first campaign in 1962.
ed and intimate celebrity portraits include a menagerie of cul- Insisting his images should speak for themselves, Skrebneski Consistency was essential in the visuals and this became
tural icons from Liza Minnelli to Andy Warhol – in the cele- If his name isn’t familiar to some, his work certainly is, for is not about to pause and take stock of his oeuvre; he is notori- Skrebneski’s responsibility. More revolutionary was the com-
brated ‘black turtleneck series’. This prolific body of work has despite his recognition as an artist, Skrebneski doesn’t shy ously reticent when it comes to discussing his work, let alone pany’s decision to use the same model in its advertising pho-
earned Skrebneski respect as both a photographer and artist away from fashion’s more commercial pursuits. An accom- his tenure at Estée Lauder. ‘I’m a photographer. I don’t usu- tography over a run of several years. ‘Our competitors used
through countless awards, books and museum retrospectives. plished image-maker, he has been called upon to shoot some ally talk about the way I work,’ confides Skrebneski. ‘It’s an many models to speak for them. We felt that there was what
This autumn, Skrebneski was honoured with the prestigious of the most memorable ad campaigns of the past 60 years. intuitive process. A photograph is a mood, capturing an event we came to call the Estée Lauder woman,’ recalled Lauder.
Lucie Award at New York’s Carnegie Hall, for his contribu- Many have come across his patrician portraits in Ralph or how you feel at a particular moment in time.’ His meth- Over the course of several decades a handful of women would
tions to the field of photography. Lauren’s stores or his Chanel No. 5 ads featuring Carole od of working is entirely conducted on his terms, and he has be called upon to personify the founder’s ideal of elegance,

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Chronicles of chic Victor Skrebneski

and although each face projected a different kind of physical Owing more than a nod to cinematic lighting effects and film- public comment. People were interested in everything in the beauty company, played her role as the Lauder woman so con-
beauty, they had much in common: Caucasian women, slender still poses, Skrebneski’s preference for black-and-white pho- picture,’ says Skrebneski. ‘The designers whose dresses were vincingly that over the years people unfamiliar with the fash-
but not excessively thin, blessed with elegant swan necks, soar- tography can be traced back to his childhood. ‘When I was a shown did quite a lot of business, and I was always being asked ion and modelling world assumed she was Estée Lauder – a
ing cheekbones and classically proportioned facial features. kid my father would take me to see black-and-white films by where we had got hold of an item of decoration.’ misconception the real Mrs Lauder did nothing to dispel. ‘She
Jean Cocteau at the World Playhouse Theater. I was raised really gave to the camera, and you were able to feel the emo-
The ads were a reflection of Mrs Lauder’s own idea of a wom- on them, so I don’t think of colour as being immediate. I don’t A lesser-known fact about the photographer is that he is also tion in her eyes. I think that is a very rare trait to find in mod-
an of taste and sophistication. ‘I didn’t need a tiger woman to think of colour as being real.’ On close observation Skrebneski’s a designer. For Estée Lauder, Skrebneski was happy to deco- els today,’ notes Skrebneski of Graham’s ability to channel
sell lipsticks,’ she once noted. ‘My women are too fine and, photos reveal subtle narratives, inviting the viewer into the rate his sets with Chinese vases, Pablo Picasso ceramics and emotion like a silent movie star. ‘She always knew what to do
more important, too smart to be taken in by crudeness. My subject’s world. One atmospheric 1976 shot of Karen Graham well-stocked bookshelves. Since Lauder aimed its products at without me even telling her,’ he adds holding up his favourite
women are elegant achievers. They are independent.’ Over standing in a field overlooking the ocean resembles a moody higher-income women, the ads had to project an aura of luxu- image of the model shot inside a house in Jamaica.
the decades, her campaigns came to embody a feminist man- Scottish pastoral scene. ‘This was actually taken in Montauk, ry. Whether shooting in a Venetian Palazzo or an Upper East
ifesto – the models are never dehumanised or objectified. though it could have been in Scotland. It was only later, after Side townhouse, the photographer would always include vari- Almost two decades have passed since the photographer shot
Whether selling a tube of lipstick or a jar of night cream, the the shoot, that we found out the house in the background ous props such as dolls, horses, and curiously, in a 1981 ad fea- an ad for Estée Lauder, yet there is still much to be learnt
photos never focused on just eyes or a mouth to the exclusion belonged to Richard Avedon,’ confides Skrebneski. turing Karen Graham, a framed photograph of Nicholas II, about beauty and style from Skrebneski’s photographs, per-
of the whole face, the Estée Lauder woman was always depict- the last tsar of Russia. ‘I love to design photographs, to con- haps the most important lesson of which is that youth does
ed as a whole woman displaying a characteristic expression of Even those with little interest in Estée Lauder’s cosmetics or sider the proportions of the figure, the space around it, the not hold a monopoly on beauty. Many an Estée Lauder mod-
cool don’t-mess-with-me reserve. its skincare line will find it hard to mistake the message in the edge of the picture,’ says the photographer, whose carefully el continued to pose for the company well into their thirties
company’s advertising. Representing more than a product, choreographed interiors also helped his models get into char- thanks to the photographer’s encouragement. To Skrebnes-
She was a woman Lauder described as being ‘in charge of her it’s a world filled with seductive illusions of what it’s like to acter. ‘When you’re trying to project an image of classic ele- ki, a woman is never too old to be beautiful or photographed,
life, which was perceived as a good life by millions of women have good taste and the old money to pay for it. ‘Two months gance, all those beautiful settings fed right into the persona I and he scoffs at the use of teenage models in fashion publica-
who identified with her and strove to be like her. She could ahead of a shoot, we start pulling it all together. We have loca- was working towards,’ noted Karen Graham. tions and runway shows. ‘You can’t expect 15 or 16-year-old

Whether selling a tube of lipstick or a jar of night Karen Graham played her role as the Lauder
cream, the photos never focused on just eyes or a woman so convincingly that people unfamiliar with
mouth to the exclusion of the whole face. fashion assumed she was Estée Lauder.
be a career woman or a homemaker, but whichever she chose tion finders, a hairstylist, make-up artist, model, photogra- Skrebneski admits that what surrounds him in his daily girls to understand that they’re wearing something elegant,
she was successful. And she had a certain indefinable air of pher, photographer’s assistant, fashion stylist, publicist and life shapes the way he takes pictures. Not surprisingly, he or what elegance is, unless they are great students of history,
class.’ In Skrebneski, Lauder found an equally talented myth art directors, in all about 15 people to carry out these shoots arranges possessions in his home as carefully as he arrang- and read and enjoy books,’ observes the photographer. It was
maker to conjure up this ideal woman. ‘Estée Lauder was a four to six times a year,’ recalled June Leaman in an inter- es an advert. Climbing the concrete staircase to the spacious that very ingredient of knowing that infused Estée Lauder’s
master at myth-making and a great marketer, and she want- view. ‘June would usually come up with the locations,’ noted apartment above his studio, he points to a 17th-century Ital- classic beauties with depth and character.
ed to convey this genteel aristocratic world,’ says the photog- Skrebneski. ‘She would say, “I want to do Venice this year!” ian wood figure standing in the hall. ‘I bought this at a gal-
rapher. His ad campaigns came to personify the fiction the And a location scout would find the places for us to shoot in. lery in New York from Andy Warhol in the early 1960s,’ he In 1999, the photographer reunited with Karen Graham to
brand wanted to project. But prior to the actual day of the shoot, we didn’t have a theme explains. ‘I think he was working there back when he was shoot an ad campaign for Estée Lauder’s Resilience Lift face
or a specific idea in mind for a photograph. It would all come still illustrating shoes for Bonwit Teller.’ Skrebneski takes cream, aimed at mature women. Of her decision to return
Pulling out one of the first photographs he shot of Karen together instinctively.’ an intuitive approach to decorating, noting that ‘beautiful to modelling, Graham, who was 54 at the time, noted: ‘It’s
Graham in 1970 standing by a marble staircase, Skrebneski things work well together.’ His instincts dictate where things insulting when products for someone my age are modelled
notes that it was one of Lauder’s favourite pictures of the mod- Whether the setting was a sumptuous private home in New should go. His home – which has been used as a backdrop for by 17 year olds. You don’t have to be flawless to be beautiful.
el, ‘because there was a dignity and elegance to it that cap- Orleans or the Greenwich Village studio Skrebneski once his portraits – is an ultra chic, modernist space furnished with Laugh lines are good.’
tured her vision of what the Estée Lauder woman should be.’ maintained, rails of designer dresses were inevitably called a mix of exquisite 18th-century French furniture, Cubist art,
To achieve the distinctive Lauder look – an aura of imperturb- in from the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Halston and Valentino, a bronze by Max Ernst, a sculpture by Man Ray, floating on It is a sentiment shared by Victor, who, at 85, has no inten-
able elegance and monied know-how – Skrebneski spent the in addition to a remarkable assortment of accessories and gleaming travertine marble floors. tion of resting on his laurels, continuing to expand his body
better part of three decades working with a team that includ- interior design details. The backgrounds of the ads were so of work: ‘I think that life is too short to begin with, and I still
ed Alvin Chereskin, the President and Creative Director of craftily assembled that over the years the cosmetic company The success of Skrebneski’s photographs can be attributed have a lot that I want to do, so I’m always eager to move on to
Lauder’s advertising agency, AC & R, June Leaman, Sen- received thousands of letters and phone calls from individuals to the close relationships he formed with his models. Karen new projects. I enjoy doing it. That’s all.’
ior Vice-President of Creative Marketing at Estée Lauder, interested in acquiring a piece of the elegance: a table cloth, a Graham, whose 15-year contract with Estée Lauder became
and the noted Japanese hairstylist Yusuke Suga. sofa or an Oriental vase. ‘Those photographs caused a lot of one of the longest working relationships with a model and

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The questionnaire

The American
Questionnaire:
Diane von Furstenberg
By Loïc Prigent

When and where was the last time What is the stylish effortless tip women Who is your favourite model right now?
you said to yourself: ‘Wow this is the should steal from American women? Daria!!!!!!!
American Dream’? I don’t think American women are
As I am about to celebrate the 40th particularly effortless… this is why I love that you kiss some people when
anniversary of the wrap dress, I cannot my products are successful. That is my you bow at the end of your shows. Who
help but look back and be so thankful! I contribution to them. are you kissing and why?
have indeed lived an American Dream It is a very nice moment because I can
and continue to live it. Where do you stand on the Miley Cyrus feel the love of people. I always kiss my
twerking scandal? husband and my children. I try to make
What character trait do you love the At first I hated it, then I saw her hosting as much eye contact as possible… I want
most in Americans? Saturday Night Live and I loved her… to thank everyone for being there and
The best quality about America is its She is 20! Let her enjoy it all. supporting me.
resiliency.
In France they have a famous woman’s Who is your favourite photographer of
What was your best investment in bust to incarnate the Republic in all all time?
America? town halls. Who would be the perfect Irving Penn.
To live here, to have my family be born American woman to do the same thing
here… in America apart from you? How does it feel to be on the cover of
Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem, Newsweek magazine?
How can you make joie de vivre happen Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Pretty amazing… especially when
in your American life? Jackie Kennedy… and many more. you’re 29!!
Joie de vivre starts in your heart!
What is the dream you had as a child How American are you on a scale of
What scares you the most in America? that you have achieved? 0 to 10?
The guns… too many of them! To have become the woman I wanted to 5 American, 5 European. European
be… independent, free and on the go. education. American adulthood.
You did trunk shows in America back
Photograph by Ara Gallant, 1981.

in the day; what did you learn about What is your new dream as an adult?
American women in the process? For my granddaughters to become the
I learnt everything about women, women they want to be.
fashion, confidence… I still learn from
women in my stores… I will never Who are your favourite people to talk
stop learning from watching women to in the fashion industry?
and establish intimacy with them. My fellow designers.

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