The Fashion Informer

Random Questions For…Evyan Metzner

Evyan Metzner may not be the type of uber-trendy magazine editor who's a magnet for street style blogs, a la Kate Lanphear, Giovanna Battaglia, Joanna Hillman or Anna Dello Russo. But that doesn't mean she doesn't pack a major style punch.

In fact, I'd hazard to guess that Metzner's more laid-back brand of chic—which she honed at Mademoiselle, Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair before landing her current gig as Fashion Director at SELF—resonates with far more women than those whose main source of news is Style.com and The Daily. By which I mean, ordinary women who are anything but, the type of real-world heroines—fitness buffs, working moms, and anyone seeking to live a well-balanced life—that  Metzner and SELF celebrate in the pages of their magazine (online and off-), year in and year out.

"I knew I wanted to be a fashion stylist when I was about 20 years old," Metzner told The Fashion Informer. "I had always kind of styled without knowing that was what I was doing. I used to dress up my brothers and sisters and my friends. But it wasn’t until I knew that the job actually existed at a magazine that I knew what I wanted to do.  And I love styling because it’s part of making a picture. I’ve always loved photography and it was a way to help make pictures without actually being a photographer.  I could never design clothes—I have no idea how to sew. But I know how to put things together and how to think of stories in my head and what clothes would work well to hold those stories together." 

Metzner, who joined SELF in 2004, describes her aesthetic as being a blend of "diamonds and Birkenstocks" and believes that style is "a mixture of fun and function." All of which you can see in her stories, which have also appeared in American and British Vogue, Teen Vogue and InStyle (she also consults for commercial clients such as Banana Republic, Reem Acra, Estée Lauder, John Frieda and Victoria's Secret).

"I love sparkly, shiny, colorful, cheerful clothes mixed with a little sporty, down-to-earth, easy-to-wear feeling," says the tousle-haired blond. "I love to mix high and low prices and I’m not snobby about what I like, whether it’s a $5 t-shirt or a $700 pair of YSL shoes."

That doesn't mean, however, that all styling gigs are created equal. "SELF is much more of a lifestyle magazine in which it's about finding your personal style, as opposed to reporting on fashion just for the sake of fashion," says Metzner, who studied communications and art history at the College of Wooster in Ohio. "I love that SELF has a great mixture of fashion, reality and fantasy.  When you work for magazines like Vogue or Bazaar or InStyle, it's more about the fashion than about whether someone is going to really wear it or where they can wear it. But I like both!" 

And Metzner, who has worked with such legendary photographers as Annie Leibovitz, Arthur Elgort, Bruce Weber and Carter Smith, recently began Tweeting, which she also likes ("It's been a really interesting learning experience!").  

The Fashion Informer spoke to the busy mother of two before the last round of shows to dish on dream jobs, the difference between a stylist and a Fashion Director, and the secrets to producing a great fashion shoot.

So, Evyan…

What's on your nightstand?
A photograph of my Dad and a photograph of my children.  A shell, heart-shaped jewelry box. David Sedaris’s A Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Wicked Bestiary, which has replaced my Hunger Games novels.  And an iHome to play music to wake up to. It's cluttered.


Favorite time of day?
Morning.  I get to hang out with my kids, make breakfast and run around like a crazy person.

What's your idea of a perfect meal?
Something I don’t have to cook, like Thai food.

What part of your job do you love the most? Least?
I love working with photographers, traveling, seeing new things—like clothes, jewelry, something sparkly or neon. I love it!  And [I love] my assistant, Jackie. What I like least is having no control over the weather.

What's your all-time favorite location to shoot?
That’s a toughie.  I’d have to say Scotland.  I love the rolling hills and the roughness of it.  And the people. And I also love New York City. But every place has a special memory and a story to tell.


What was your favorite subject when you were in junior high school?
English. I love to read.

What's your go-to feel-good song on a shoot?
It changes all the time!  We shoot outside, so it depends on the vibe of the shoot and where we are. Beyoncé is always a good stand-by.  Or Michael Jackson.

What is your computer desktop/screensaver image? 
A picture of my kids and I at the beach.

If given the chance, what one question would you ask God, assuming s/he exists?
“Why?” Or, “What happens to someone when they die?”

What will we never see in an Evyan Metzner-styled layout?
A guy wearing women’s underwear in a fur coat.  Or a girl looking super strung out.


Name one thing I'll always find in your closet and one thing I'd never find there.
I have a million little fitted blazers and sparkly tops. You could play dress-up easily in my closet—it’s got everything from a gypsy skirt from India to five pairs of Wellies.  It's pretty crazy. So I can't really say you’d “never” find anything in there.  Though maybe not anything Snookie would wear...

Who is your all-time favorite musician?
The Rolling Stones are my favorite.


What's your favorite form of communication?
Telephone.  If face-to-face isn’t an option.

What's your cell phone ringtone?
I think it’s the classic iPhone one.  I’m not that tech-y.

What's the difference between a Fashion Director and a stylist?
A Fashion Director oversees the whole fashion department in terms of all of the stories that are shot and the complete look of the fashion pages in a magazine. You are responsible for going to the shows and seeing the trends and figuring out what works best for your magazine and then directing people. It's about being part of a group, working with photographers and art directors and seeing a fashion story from the beginning through the middle, to the end. As a stylist, you can just dress somebody like a celebrity.  Or you can work freelance and do a story for a magazine, but not necessarily be a part of the story from beginning, to end.  You style it and you’re done.  As a stylist, you can also work with more than one magazine or client.  As a Fashion Director, you work for one magazine. Both are great jobs.  One just has more “big picture” responsibility, and one is more story-to-story responsibility.  Some people are better at working within a team, and some people are better working on their own.  I’m a team-er.

What would you like to be doing if you weren't SELF's Fashion Director?
I would love to have a flower shop or nursery.  I love flowers and gardening.

What are your top three must-haves for a successful shoot?
A great girl, which means casting is everything. A good concept for the fashion. And a great photographer.


What keeps you awake at 3am?
Worrying about the weather, the world and my husband snoring.

When are you happiest?
I am happiest doing something with my family, whether it's skiing, walking on the beach, or just hanging out.

Random Questions For…Tara Subkoff

Imitation of Christ. The name alone is designed to incite curiosity and to provoke a reaction, amused or otherwise. The collection behind the name is more likely to incite sighs of yearning among a particular type of young woman (e.g., those enamored of vintage-inspired garden party dresses, slinky tap pants and beautifully tailored borrowed-from-the-boys suiting). And designer Tara Subkoff would have it no other way.

A study in contradictions, Subkoff is an actress/fashion designer who specializes in turning expectations on their head, whether she's appearing in films like As Good As it Gets, The Notorious Bettie Page and Tanner Hall, or staging an incredibly realistic-seeming Fashion Week wedding (spring 2012), a mock Sotheby's auction (fall 2002), or a funeral-cum-show, complete with casket and IOC-clad mourners (spring 2001).

Since launching Imitation of Christ in 2000 (the label takes its name from a 15th century spiritual text by Thomas a Kempis and the Psychedlic Furs song), the self-taught Westport, Connecticut native has done a capsule shoe collection with Easy Spirit, enlisted pals Chloe Sevigny and Scarlett Johansson to walk her runway, showed during Paris couture and directed several IOC fashion films—all while continuing to act on the side. She was also diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in 2009 and took several years off to attend to her health before relaunching IOC in September 2011 with the aforementioned wedding show, which featured Lydia Hearst-Shaw as the blushing bride. The collection was immediately snapped up by Barneys, Opening Ceremony, Otte, Confederacy, Shopbop and Net-a-Porter, among others.

For fall 2012, Subkoff partnered with bespoke tailors Doyle Mueser on impeccably cut blazers, trousers and evening wear, giving traditional menswear fabrics and silhouettes a feminized, figure-flattering spin. The resulting collection, which recalled Bianca Jagger in her white suited Seventies heyday, was presented via a theatrical magic show during New York Fashion Week last month.

"I remember telling my mother that I wanted to be an artist, an actress, a fashion designer and a director/producer at age eight," said Subkoff, now 39, who has two feature film projects in the works and recently relocated to New York after years of living in Los Angeles. "She told me I had to pick one. Probably it was good advice but I didn't follow it."

Judging from her success in all of the above, she didn't have to. The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden spoke to the modern day Renaissance woman just before the holidays, when she weighed in on movies, makeup and having her Christmas wishes (the early arrival of spring) come true.

So, Tara...

What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Raw food spiralina cereal and soy milk. Very healthy! And some matcha green tea.

What's your favorite method of communication?
Seeing people and talking in person. Old fashioned but truly the best. 

Please tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.
The boots I made for Easy Spirit years ago. So comfortable it's hard to let 'em go. They were the best design I ever did.

What's the last great movie you saw?
I just saw Mike Mills' Beginners on the plane yesterday. It's so sweet and sad and real and charming. I really loved it.  I also liked Steve McQueen's last film, Shame. It's very dark but an incredible portrait about addiction and really moving. Michael Fassbender is great in it.

What song sums up your life right now, at this moment?
The Chipmunks' Christmas album? Sped up? I don't know why I said that. I think there's so much Christmas music being pumped in everywhere I can't really think of anything besides that.

What one thing would improve your life?
Springtime coming super early this year, like in the next three weeks!  Right after the holidays. It would hit, tons of flowers and sunshine and, best of all, no more winter!


What's the one beauty/grooming product you can't live without?
Skyn Iceland's The Antidote cream! And also Hourglass makeup. Especially the Aura lip and cheek stain in Petal.

What's your earliest memory?
Jumping on the bed with my brother when we were two and four years old, so so excited 'cause my dad was coming home. I also remember a lot of images and patterns from childhood. My dad is an antiques dealer and I remember huge oriental rugs and crawling on them and their patterns and shapes.


What's the greatest/most important lesson your parents taught you?
To be kind to others and compassionate. Never to think I'm better than anyone, maybe more fortunate or less fortunate but never better.

Tell me about your pet(s).
Franny and Seymour! I love my dogs. They are a little over two years old. And I think mostly Cavalier King Charles Spaniel but might have something else in them as well that makes their hair not as long as the normal breed. They were abandoned and found outside a foreclosed home outside of LA. I was only going to rescue one of them. But I had to take both once I saw them curled up around each other and terrified. They survived somehow together and I think they should always stay together.


What's your favorite New York Fashion Week memory?  
My first show in New York Fashion Week was the the very first Imitation of Christ NYC show, the funeral show. And I have this memory of having to put garbage bags over the models' clothes to take them from the space where we got them dressed and walk them down the street to the funeral parlor where the show took place. André Leon Talley was snapping pictures left and right and calling out with delight! There was very old school "couture" feeling to the whole thing, but with a real modern edge. Also we were really winging it and just hoping we could pull off having a real New York show with no money or sponsors or anything for that first one. And then we really pulled it off and Imitation of Christ got the cover of WWD the very next day! There was a HUGE picture of our model and the show with a whole article called Death Becomes Her! It was amazing to have pulled that off. And all from hand sewing old discarded Salvation Army clothes and vintage for months and months out of my ex-boyfriend's garage. It was a real dream come true. And it makes one believe that if you have a vision and work very, very hard, you can make anything happen. Magic does exist.

What never fails to make you cry?
Old movies. And especially sad movies on an airplane. That's the worst. Something about the altitude really makes the waterworks come on. And then it's so embarrassing, especially when you have someone ask you if you are alright. So mortifying!

When are you happiest?
When I'm with my friends and laughing. And usually that's a lot. I'm lucky this way.

Random Questions For…Band of Skulls

If you don't know Band of Skulls yet, you soon will. For while they may not have set the fashion world aflame like Lana Del Rey and Azealia Banks, they r-o-c-k in ways those dizzy dames can only dream of, and are heating up the charts with their sophomore CD, Sweet Sour, and its killer first single, The Devil Takes Care of His Own. 

Founded in 2004 by British guitarist/vocalist Russell Marsden, bassist/vocalist Emma Richardson and drummer Matt Hayward, the Southampton-based alternative rock trio has been compared to everyone from Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones to Queens of the Stone Age and The White Stripes. But Band of Skulls' sound—which veers from hard, crunchy rock to more delicate, melodic ballads propelled by deadpan his-n'-hers vocals—really don't sound like anything—or anyone—else. (Which is perhaps why Marsden refers to BOS as "the Swiss Army Knife of bands.") They also look pretty damn cool in their black-on-black stage kit and coordinating scarves. 

"All of us were experimenting early on in one band or another around the time of high school and college. I think we all enjoyed playing music with other people but it worked really well when it was just us three, it felt quite natural," Richardson told The Fashion Informer about the band's origins, back when they called themselves Fleeing New York (taken from a chapter title in Hunter S. Thompson's book, Songs Of The Doomed, and the fact that all three hoped to visit NYC one day).

"Picking up a guitar and writing songs is an accessible way to start being creative," she adds. "It's a good starting point which then leads on to exploring other things in music." For Richardson, creative exploration also involves art, as she's an accomplished painter. That's her work you see on BOS album covers, and she had her first solo exhibit, entitled Cruisin' for a Bruisin', earlier this month at Londonewcastle Project Space in Shoreditch. 

"For the first record we used some of the paintings that I had already completed for my degree show so it was more about how to make a good album cover out of what we had already," said Richardson. "Working alongside the creative team at our label in Canada we came up with the symmetry idea, which has continued with this new artwork. This time I made four paintings specifically with the album in mind. I took five weeks out after we recorded it and worked solidly pretty much every day on them whilst listening to mixes of the album and rehearsing, so there was more influence from the music this time."

Since releasing their first CD, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, in 2009, their songs have been featured on the soundtracks for Friday Night Lights, Twilight Saga: New Moon and The Hangover Part II, and in Mustang and Hugo Boss ads. 

Next month they'll kick off the SXSW Music Festival and plan to spend the spring touring the States, with a stop at Coachella in April. The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden caught up Marsden and Richardson between gigs to talk music, touring, bedtime and fashion.

So, Emma and Russell...

What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Emma Richardson: Some fruit and nut mix.
Russell Marsden:  The hotel buffet.


What time do you normally go to bed and what time do you usually wake up in the morning?
Emma:  I usually go to bed about 3am and wake about 10am.
Russell: The same, we have strict lobby calls.

What's your favorite movie of all time?
Emma: It's a Wonderful Life because the story is timeless and it doesn't have to be Christmas to watch it.
Russell:  Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Music and UFOs; what's not to like?

What's the best—and worst—thing about touring?
Emma: The best is seeing so much of the world and getting to play live to people every night. The worst is being away from friends, family and loved ones for so long.
Russell: Best: the shows. Worst: the traveling.



Favorite city you've visted while touring?
Emma: There are so many great cities, but my favorite at the moment is Paris.
Russell: It's always the first time somewhere that is exciting, so the last one was Cape Town.

Tell me about your pet(s).
Emma: No pets. I'm not very good at looking after them.
Russell: She's a dog, and she likes beer and cheese.

How did Light of the Morning wind up in a Mustang ad?
Emma: Someone asked us and we said yes. The Mustang looked good.

What's the one grooming/beauty product you can't live without?
Emma: Moisturizer to moisturize.
Russell: A toothbrush, because they say you should not forget it.

How would you describe your look onstage and off?
Emma: Black. It's easy.
Russell:  Black—it's the new black.

What is your favorite work of art?
Emma: Rubens' The Fall of the Damned because of the composition, color and the way he paints the flesh whirlwinds.
Russell: Sgt. Pepper because it's perfect.


Do you have any hidden or unusual talents?
Emma: I can't snap my fingers.
Russell: Monopoly.

What was your nickname as a kid, and what's your nickname now?
Emma: Emmylou, and now I get called 'The Sieve."
Russell: It's always just been Russell.

If given the chance, what one question would you ask God (assuming s/he exists)?
Emma: What the hell are you doing?
Russell: What's up?

How did you come up with the idea for The Devil Takes Care of His Own video?
Emma: A few ideas got pitched to us from different directors and the idea of kung-fu appealed instantly. It was well thought out, it fit with the track plus we got to watch live fight scenes happening about a foot away.


If you found $15,000 cash in a brown paper bag, how would you spend it?
Emma: I'd save it.
Russell: I'd give it away.

When was the last time you lost your temper, and what was it that made you angry?
Emma: I can't remember.
Russell:  Yesterday…bad Wi-Fi when I was trying to call home.

When are you happiest?
Emma: Playing live music.
Russell: Making music.

Random Questions For…Nanette Lepore

Nanette Lepore was destined to be a designer.  She created her first look—out of a floral bedspread, beaded choker and face paint—at age nine and—voila!—a boho chic designer was born. The Youngstown, Ohio native studied at FIT and launched her eponymous label in 1992, bolstered by a $5,000 loan from her father, himself an abstract painter. 

 "My first job out of FIT I worked for a small boutique designing and traveling to Europe with the owner buying collections for her store," Lepore recalled. "I quit when I married my husband, but soon enough I was looking for work again. I spent a year sending out my sketches with no luck. I kept being told that I didn’t have the right experience to land a design job, but I knew from working at that boutique that I could run my own company. Out of the blue, I landed an interview at Ralph Lauren. I was beyond thrilled and thought I’d throw all my plans out the window. But when the woman at Ralph Lauren looked me up and down and said no thanks, I knew it was time to set out on my own. I opened up a shop in the East Village between a soup kitchen and a gas station and the rest is history."

 Today, Lepore's business is a rousing success, carried in hundreds of stores worldwide (including her nine freestanding boutiques) and worn by stylish celebs such as Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, Frieda Pinto, Sharon Stone, Leighton Meester and Scarlett Johansson, among others. In addition to having launched the playful, lower-priced line, Oonagh, and adding fragrance and handbags to her signature ready-to-wear collection, Lepore is in the process of opening a flagship in the Ginza District of Tokyo and plans to expand into China over the next few years, as well. 

The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden caught up with the free-spirited nomad—who lives in New York's West Village with her husband, Robert, and teenage daughter, Violet—just before the holidays to get the lowdown on her love of lattes, favorite Christmas memories and the benefits of manufacturing one's collection in the US of A.

So Nanette…

What did you have for dinner last night?
We went to Eataly to buy groceries and spent the night at home eating delicious Long Island striped bass with fresh homemade pasta and sauce that my sister Michele made.

What's the last movie you watched?
Hugo—loved it! We laughed and cried...



Beverage of choice?
Latte in the morning. Champagne at night. Whiskey in a recession.

I've heard you say that one of the biggest misconceptions about fashion shows is that they do not make a business. What is another big misconception about the fashion industry?
The biggest misconception is that you can’t make a profit if you manufacture your line in NYC. But I’m living proof that you can. When you manufacture here, you can employ Americans, oversee every step of the process, and make a higher quality product. There is no downside.

Where else would you like to live if you weren't living in New York?
I’d love to live in Venice. It’s my favorite city in the world and I wouldn’t mind getting lost there every day.


What's your favorite holiday memory?
The whole family cooking together on Christmas Eve at my Dad’s house in Ohio. We’re very Italian—we make the feast of seven fishes, drink shots while we cook and stay up late into the night eating and drinking together.

What's the best holiday gift you've ever given? Received?
The best gift I’ve ever given was the custom hula hoops from Lola Star that I gave all the kids last year for Christmas, but I think I secretly enjoyed them the most. The best gift I’ve ever received? Besides the Betsy McCall doll that I got for Christmas when I was little, my husband gave me a gorgeous aquamarine pendant that I wear on ribbon around my neck.


What's the biggest/most valuable lesson your parents taught you?
They taught me to follow my dreams and know that nothing worth having comes easily.

What's the biggest/most valuable lesson your daughter has taught you?
Patience. And that there is one person in the world that won’t let me boss her around.


I know your father and husband are painters. What is your favorite work of art of all time?
My husband’s series of nudes watching television. They remind me of our crazy days of running in the East Village art scene.

How does your gypsy spirit manifest itself these days?
I’ll always have that wandering gypsy spirit from my childhood. I still can’t wait to pack my bags and run away.

Tell me about your favorite piece of winter clothing or accessory.
This winter I’m wearing my purple chiffon dresses with fisherman’s knit sweaters.



What never fails to make you cry?
I’m sentimental. I cry all the time!

When are you happiest?
In the Hamptons, dancing and having cocktails with my family on my deck overlooking the ocean.

Random Questions For…Michael Bastian

It's not surprising that Michael Bastian knows what guys want to wear. After all, he worked at Abraham & Strauss, Sotheby's, Tiffany & Co. and Polo Ralph Lauren—and spent five years as Men's Fashion Director at Bergdorf Goodman—before debuting his own men's line in 2006. 

The collection was an instant hit, and Bastian was rewarded with four CFDA Award nominations (in 2007 2008, 2009 and 2010) and in 2011 he took home the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year prize.

Today, the Upstate New York native and Babson College grad helms his namesake line and oversees GANT by Michael Bastian, a lower-priced line of  his-and-hers sportswear that walks the same ground as his classics-with-a-twist signature collection (the latter is carried in 35 stores worldwide, while GANT has 600 freestanding stores worldwide). 

Interestingly, the 46-year-old Bastian told TFI that there wasn't a big "aha moment" that made him realize he wanted to be a designer. "I’m still waiting for that moment." As for why he chose fashion as a form of creative expression? "It was just the industry I found myself in—maybe it will change someday."

For now, though, he's clear on the difference between the MB and GANT customer. "They are for different guys who are in different places in their lives," he explained. "The Michael Bastian customer is more of a luxury designer connoisseur kind of guy, while my GANT by Michael Bastian line is really good for everyone. Just great clothes at a good price. These two lines are brothers—but they are not identical." He introduced a signature sunglass range last year, and also collaborated with Havaianas on a limited edition collection of flip-flops.

The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden wrangled a few minutes with Bastian just before the holidays to discuss childhood memories, night skiing and the joy of sleeping in one's own bed.

So, Michael…

What did you have for breakfast this morning? 
Oatmeal with blueberries.

What's the last book you read and loved?  
Boulevard of Broken Dreams, the James Dean biography.

What's your favorite smell in the world? 
A freshly peeled orange.



Coffee or tea? 
Coffee.

What's your most cherished item of clothing/jewelry and why is it so special to you? 
The blue cashmere crew neck sweater that my mom gave me when I went to college—I still have it. And it’s the grandfather to all the crew neck cashmere sweaters we have made.

What's your earliest memory? 
Taking a nap with my great grandma who was babysitting me when my mom had to go to work. And I was less than one.

Do you have any hidden or unusual talents? 
I can cane chairs.

For what will you be arrested (hypothetically speaking)?  
Smoking in hotel rooms.

What's your favorite store in the world? 
The United Arrows in Harajuku in Tokyo.


What's the biggest/most important lesson your parents taught you? 
Don’t be afraid to try anything, because if it doesn’t work out you can always come back home.

What's the most you've ever spent on a purchase, other than a house or car? 
Nothing to mention.

When was the last time you rode the subway? 
A month ago—the 6 line.

What's your favorite winter activity or pastime? 
Night skiing.

Please look up from answering these questions and describe what you see. 
Pantone Barbie (who arrived this morning as a gift) and Mr. Pinky (our good-luck company mascot).


What makes you nervous?
Being late on the way to the airport.

When are you happiest? 
After a long trip—when I’m home in my own bed.



portrait of Michael Bastian by Raul Tovar

Random Questions For…Simon Doonan

Simon Doonan is a man of many talents. Window dresser. Set designer. Author. Newspaper columnist. Television personality. Fashion MC. Creative Director-turned-Creative Ambassador-at-Large at Barneys New York. Husband (to potter Jonathan Adler) and father (to Norwich terrier, Liberace).

Simon actually kicked off Random Questions For when I first introduced the column back in 2007, so it felt fitting to bring things full circle to celebrate the fifth anniversary of The Fashion Informer and the publication of Simon's sixth book, Gay Men Don't Get Fat. (Shhh, let's not mention André Leon Talley. Or Alber Elbaz. Or Nathan Lane.)



 Gay Men Don't Get Fat is, in actuality, not a diet book so much as a collection of feisty, funny vignettes in which Dr. Doonan prescribes advice about food, grooming, fashion, etcetera as filtered through a hilarious gay v. straight prism (that is to say, a totally freaking fabulous prism). He expounds on the difference between Tommy Bahama and Liberty prints (yes, Virginia, there is a difference), explains why prissy is "the foundation of civilization" and what distinguishes "gay" food from "straight" food (hint: one is baked, steamed and served with dressing on the side, the other is fried, smothered in chili/cheese/ranch dressing and served in a scooped out bread bowl with a side of chips). And, in an effort to bridge the UK/USA divide, he devotes an entire chapter to The Most Important Word in the History of Style ("naff") and another entitled Jamie Oliver is a Lesbian.

"I wanted to write a book that shared my nuggets and nuances of gay wisdom with the world," Simon told TFI. "And I wanted to make people chuckle. It's primarily a humor book." Having just finished it, all I can say is it's a bona fun read aimed at omis and polones (and omi-polones) that covers everything from batts and bods to kaffies and slap that will, hopefully, earn its creator mega metzas. (And no, I did not suffer a stroke just before writing that sentence but adopted some of the words Doonan shares in the book's Palare—aka, gay language—Dictionary.)

I nabbed a few minutes with the fantabulosa (see above) bon vivant just before he took off on a whirlwind book tour to dish on caftans, paddleboarding and the late, great Divine.

So, Simon…

What bauble would you have purchased from the Elizabeth Taylor auction if money were no object?
No baubles. Just caftans, and more caftans.

What's your idea of a perfect winter's day?
Skipping about through the snow in Central Park having an Ali McGraw moment.


What's the last great movie you saw, and what made it so great?
Female Trouble by John Waters. It's an epic tale of liquid eyeliner. I miss Divine.

Favorite street in the world?
I love 14th street in NYC. It's messy and fabulous and chaotic. The epitome of NYC.

What's your favorite smell?
Sables by Annick Goutal.



What was your nickname when you were a kid, and what's your nickname now?
Gerbil then. Shorty now.

What's the most you've ever spent on a purchase, other than a house or car?
I bought a black Martin Margiela sheepskin coat for three grand. Ouch!

Tell me about your best friend.
My best friend is also my husband. Jonathan Adler…hello! He's a ceramics genius and a great person.


What item of clothing/jewelry means the most to you, and why is it so special?
My silver Gucci wedding ring, which I never take off.

How do you pass the time when traveling?
Reading weird out of print books by forgotten authors, like Beryl Bainbridge and Patrick Hamilton.

What one question would you ask God (assuming s/he exists) if given the chance?
How can we make lasting peace in the world? And, why do you always wear white?

What's your favorite gay food—and what's your favorite straight food?
Gay: I love a nice beet salad. Straight: A hearty slab of oily salmon always hits the spot.


What never fails to make you cry?
Paris Is Burning.  It's a sad and beautiful documentary.

When are you happiest?
When I am paddleboarding with my husband and dog in the summer.



Simon Doonan will be visiting Barneys New York flagship stores throughout January to promote Gay Men Don't Get Fat.  Meet him in Dallas on January 12th, in Scottsdale on January 14th, in Beverly Hills on January 20th, in San Francisco on January 21st and in Seattle on January 27th. Call your local Barneys for deets.

photo of Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler at San Francisco City Hall courtesy of Thor Swift. 

Random Questions For Solange Azagury-Partridge

 You can spot a Solange Azagury-Partridge creation at twenty paces. From her enamel Zodiac pendant and Mathemagical bracelet to her signature bright red Hot Lips ring, Azagury-Partridge's bold, irreverent jewelry looks like no other. 

So it's no wonder that her iconoclastic pieces have been worn by the likes of Madonna, Emma Watson, Thandie Newton, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Rihanna, Princess Eugenie, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston, Beyoncé and Helena Bonham Carter (to name a few)—and that she's collaborated with everyone from Swarovski Crystal Palace to Project (RED) to H&M.

In addition to helming her eponymous label (which she founded in 1990) and releasing two fragrances (the aptly named Stoned and Cosmic), SA-P was the creative director of Boucheron from 2001 to 2004, and her designs are part of the permanent jewelry collection at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Victoria & Albert museum in London.

When asked why she was drawn to fashion as a means of creative expression, Azagury-Partridge replied "It's about jewelry for me, not fashion. Jewelry should hopefully transcend fashion." Well, her pieces certainly do.  

The Fashion Informer caught up with the boundary-pushing mother of two just before the new year to get the lowdown on her weekend plans, hidden talents and cinematic doppelganger (Monica Bellucci, anyone?).

So, Solange…

What did you do last weekend and what are your plans for this weekend?
I was in Hong Kong for the opening of our new store.  Had a cocktail party followed by a late night of dancing. This weekend I'm heading to my country place.

Who would play you in the story of your life and who would direct it?
Monica Bellucci directed by Martin Scorsese.

What is your favorite holiday memory?
Camping in the South of France with my cousins, aunts and uncles in the Seventies.


Do you have any hidden or unusual talents?
I'm a great cook.

What's the most unusual or unlikely place you've ever found inspiration for a collection? 
A math book. I hate math and am useless at it but the imagery is beautiful.



Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes.

When are you happiest?
With family and friends, wherever it may be.

Random Questions For…Rebecca Taylor

 

This year marked the 15th anniversary of Rebecca Taylor's signature collection, which she launched back in 1996 after studying fashion design at Wellington Polytechnic and relocating from New Zealand to New York, where she spent six years working for Cynthia Rowley before establishing her own line. 

 Today, Taylor's label is carried in more than 500 stores in over 40 countries, and in her recently opened flagships in California and NYC's Meatpacking District. Her designs have appeared in Gossip Girl and Sex and the City and are worn by celebs such as Jessica Alba, Rashida Jones, Selena Gomez, Kristen Bell, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Vanessa Hudgens, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Katherine Heigl, Nicole Richie, Cameron Diaz, Liv Tyler and Rachel Bilson, all of whom appreciate the designer's fresh, feminine perspective, playful way with color and figure-flattering silhouettes. For spring 2012, Taylor went in a  modern-meets-ethereal direction with an abundance of sparkle, collage effects and pretty floral prints.

In addition to helming her line, Taylor is also mom to three young children, and works with charities including Dress for Success, the North Shore Animal League, the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, CFDA's Fashion for Action and the Children's Dream Foundation, along with being co-chair of the NYC Shop for Opera benefit. 

In short, she makes the rest of us look like slackers. (Knock it off, Rebecca!) The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden grabbed a few minutes with the multi-tasking designer just before the holidays to talk the three Cs: Christmas, Champagne and Chanel.

So, Rebecca...

What's your favorite holiday memory?
My Christmas in Norway in 1979.  My auntie was a sugar plum fairy in The Nutcracker and we went on a horse drawn sled. Magic!


What is one thing I will always find in your fridge, and one thing I will never find there?
Champagne for sure.  You will never find meat in my fridge.

What's the last book you read?
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.

What is your computer/desktop screensaver image? 
A picture of my three children.

What would you like to be doing if you weren't a designer?
A make-up artist, I absolutely love beauty products!

What's your favorite street in Manhattan? In Brooklyn?
Probably a small street in South Street Seaport; I love history.  Also, 5th Ave in Brooklyn, where I live; all you need is at your finger tips.


Tell me about your favorite item of clothing/jewelry and why it's so special to you.
My heart shaped diamond necklace, it is special to me because my sister Tory (a jewelry designer) made it for me.

What one beauty/grooming product would you never leave home without?
Diorshow Mascara, Chanel lipgloss.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?
Naomi Watts (I'm flattering myself).

What's your favorite restaurant in the world, and what's your favorite dish there?
Mercer Kitchen, they have the most amazing shrimp salad with champagne vinaigrette.

Biggest difference between life in New Zealand and life in New York?
Everything in New York is at warp speed! And in New Zealand, not so much.


What's your favorite vintage store or flea market and what's your all-time favorite flea market find?
Clignancourt in Paris.  An old window that my husband and I turned into a mirror.

What makes you nervous?
Flying, I hate to fly.

When are you happiest?
On the beach with my family on a beautiful day.

Random Questions For…Timo Weiland

 Designers Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein were brought together by a rather unlikely muse: the ascot. Both had developed an affection for the old-school accessory, so when they first met and each was sporting the aforementioned cravat, it was love at first sight (professionally speaking, that is). Faster than you can say "Beau Brummell," the two had joined forces to launch a line of classic neckwear that graced the…errr…necks of various Gossip Girl characters, both male and female.

"We love bow ties, but also ties in general," said Eckstein (pictured, above left). "When my grandfather passed away, I inherited his ties, bow ties, ascots, etc. They all looked so beautiful when my grandmother passed them on to me.  I think it was in that moment when I fell in love with ties. Timo was wearing one when I met him. It's definitely a common interest." 

"Neck accessories became a staple in my life after being forced to wear a period costume for a play at a young age (third grade, perhaps?)," said Weiland (above right). "Things like that always stick with me, but are constantly evolving."


 Soon, the Vanderbilt University-educated Nebraska native (Weiland) and the FIT-educated Great Neck native (Eckstein) added his-and-hers ready-to-wear to the mix and—voila!—the Timo Weiland brand was complete. Fast forward four years, and the label is now carried in Barneys New York, Opening Ceremony, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols and designer boutiques worldwide. 

For spring 2012 (which marked the duo's first New York runway show), they unveiled a capsule shoe collaboration with Tsubo, and teamed up with Strokes' bass player, Nikolai Fraiture, on several classics-with-a-twist menswear pieces, with nary a bowtie in sight. (In seasons' past, the designers have done Fashion Week collaborations with Anna Sheffield, George Esquivel and Albertus Swanepoel.)

The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden tracked them down shortly before the holidays to talk brunch, road trips and finding inspiration in unlikely places.

 So, Timo and Alan…

What did you do last weekend and what are your plans for this weekend?
Timo Weiland: Last weekend I was cleansing, exercising and surfing after a long Thanksgiving holiday and several weeks in China/Hong Kong. Tried to regain my sense of center and self after being spread so thin over a hectic few weeks.
Alan Eckstein: I went to Orient Point. It's one of the most eastern points in Long Island. It was so beautiful, so quiet, just like a little village. This weekend I plan to be with my girlfriend Haley, and Timo and Donna in the office.

Brunch: pro or con?
TW: Pro: fun with friends, gorgeous scenery (usually). Con: drunk during the day.
AE: Brunch is a special time. I love it. It gets the mind going on a Sunday.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?
TW: Justin Timberlake or Shia LaBeouf. I have heard that I look a lot like both these guys and I like them both, so I'm cool with either!
AE: Hmm..not sure. A very handsome man, I'm sure. HA!

Is there a print or particular item of clothing we'll never see in a Timo Weiland collection?
TW: Nothing comes to mind that could possibly be completely excluded from our repertoire forever. Anything is possible.
AE: The future for us is endless. When we first started we said we disliked the color orange. Last season we used orange heavily. I think we shouldn't limited ourselves to anything. We're bound to love ideas in the future that we might not fancy today.


What's your favorite and least favorite thing about New York Fashion Week?
TW: Favorite: reuniting with people, showcasing our long hours of hard work, the energy and adrenaline. Least favorite: the lack of sleep, the hectic environment.
AE: My least favorite thing might be the amount of sleep we don't receive or the time crunch pre-show. But the most amazing feeling is during the actual show, and you see your work come alive. It's a wonderful moment.

What's your favorite autumn activity?
TW: Road trips, observing the change of the colors of the leaves in New England. Row boating in Central Park with my boyfriend.
AE: Driving around the  Hudson River Valley with my girl listening to "fall music" as we like to say. It's best in the early morning; the sun is so bright and the fall colors are out.


What would I be surprised to learn about your co-designer?
TW: He loves sports, but is not an athlete per se.
AE: He's quite funny and surprising. He's also very knowledgeable about many little things.

What's the most you've ever spent on a purchase, other than a house or car?
TW: $2,000 for a Margiela coat.
AE: I've never bought a house or car. I bought a pair of Marc Jacobs boots for quite a lot of money, but I think my month to month rent is higher than anything I've ever paid for.

What's your dream job?
TW: Filmmaker/producer.
AE: Music Supervisor for films.

Tell me about your favorite/most meaningful item of clothing/jewelry?
TW: My Timo Weiland trench because it is one of our first pieces we ever made, and it embodies the Timo Weiland man—tailored, smart, colorful.
AE: My "Suck on it Babe, it's Clogged" t-shirt. I bought it at an Army Navy store when I was 15. It's black with big bold white lettering and it's falling apart. I always feel pretty special in it.

What's in current rotation on your iPod and in the studio?
TW: The Strokes, Rolling Stones, Kisses, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ace of Base, Orbital Be-Bop…
AE: The Smiths, The Kinks, jazz, and Christmas music now actually. I've also been listening to The Strokes, Oregon Bike Trails, Tennis, and I love this new band The Guards.


What's the most unlikely place you've ever found inspiration?
TW: The Jersey shore (not the show).
AE: Father's closet.

Tell me about your pet(s).
TW: About to purchase a Welsh Corgi in the next year or so, so let's revisit this question next year!
AE: Don't have one yet. I would love a dachshund, soon!

What makes you nervous?
TW: Time-management obstacles.
AE: Time going by.

When are you happiest?
TW: When I am in love (which I am very much right now in love with my boyfriend of two years). Also, when we reach new, higher levels of performance with the Timo Weiland business. Each stage/step is very exciting and fulfilling.
AE: Surrounded by my favorites. There's nothing better.

Random Questions For…Max and Lubov Azria

Chances are you've heard of Max Azria, the eponymous womenswear collection designed by Max and Lubov Azria. And chances are even greater that you own a piece of Max Azria. Or BCBG. Or Hervé Leger, both of which the Azria's also helm.  Together, the husband and wife team have created a triple threat company with labels that appeal to women of all ages who are enamored of the designers' eclectically urbane point of view (Max Azria), fashionable work wear (BCBG), and sexy bandage dresses (Hervé Leger). 

"Max was inspired to start the company by his daughters," says Lubov of the namesake line they launched in 2006. Adds her husband, "After eleven years of designing women’s wear in Paris and owning women’s boutiques in the United States, I felt it was a natural next step to launch a design house that spoke to modern women. The goal was to create a brand that offered European sophistication while still embodying the true American spirit." Done and done.

"Fashion is a practical application of the creative arts," explained Max. "It’s not enough to just design beautiful pieces—you also have to understand the marketplace and know your customer." To this end, they recently launched their first fragrance, BCBGMAXAZRIA, and are in the process of expanding their product offerings and exploring new categories, including the reintroduction of BCBGeneration denim after a three-year hiatus.

Says Lubov: "What I love most about fashion design is the seeing a woman feeling confident, beautiful and empowered in something we’ve made."

The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden caught up with the designing duo just after Thanksgiving to talk breakfast, ballet and Barneys (among other things).

 So Max and Lubov...

What did you have for breakfast this morning?  
Max: Two espressos.
Lubov: Toast and coffee.

What's in current rotation on your iPod? 
Max: Lubov’s music!
Lubov: Eighties music.

Ocean or mountains? 
Max: Ocean.
Lubov: Ocean.


When you were 9, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
Max: An actor.
Lubov: An artist.

What's your favorite winter sport to play? To watch? 
Max: Since I live in Los Angeles, I don’t really have a favorite winter sport, but poker is definitely my favorite year round sport to play and watch.
Lubov: Ice skating.

What's your favorite store in the world?
Max: Barneys New York.
Lubov: Barneys New York in Manhattan.

How often do you get back to Tunisia (Max) and Kiev (Lubov) and how has it changed since you lived there? 
Max: I try to go back every two years. I remain very attached to this country. Tunisia has changed since I lived there in many aspects, but every time I go back there is a particular smell that brings back my childhood memories.  
Lubov: I last visited Kiev eight years ago. It has changed so, so much!


What is your favorite holiday memory?
Max: Being with Lubov.
Lubov: All of them!  I love when the whole family is together.

What's the best holiday gift you've ever given? Received? 
Max: A good wine.
Lubov: Love.

What would people be surprised to learn about your partner? 
Lubov: Max is very shy. 

You have six children. What's life like at Chez Azria on a day to day basis? 
Lubov: I don’t know…I’m at work!

Who wears the pants in the family?
Lubov: The nanny.

What's your favorite ballet?
Lubov: Swan Lake, because I danced it.

I know you're big fans of social media. What's your current favorite form of social media?
Lubov: Refinery 29 and BCBGMAXAZRIA Facebook.



What's your all-time favorite Youtube discovery? 
Lubov: My daughter singing. She’s got over 30,000 hits so far.

What blogs or websites do you read daily? 
Lubov: Style.com and WGSN.

What makes you nervous? 
Lubov: My husband’s driving. 

When are you happiest?   
Max: When I’m with my family.  
Lubov: When I am creating.

Random Questions For...Kimberly Ovtiz

Kimberly Ovitz may be only 27, but she's known she wanted to be a designer since forever. "I have wanted to do fashion since I was a little kid," the LA native told us. "I was always interested in expressing myself through clothing and explored a lot while growing up."

 By "explored a lot" she means interning for J.Crew at age 14 and at W mag and Chanel in Paris while studying art history and business at Brown University (supplemented by an intensive fashion design program at Parsons). She followed that up with stints at LA labels Imitation of Christ, YaYa and Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent before launching her own eponymous label in 2009 at the tender age of 25. Fast forward to 2011, and Ovitz has moved to New York (where she's been showing her collection since 2010) and seen her business grow exponentially, counting Net-a-Porter, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Ron Herman, Scoop, Satine and Intermix among her stockists. 

 And yes, Kimberly's last name and family connections surely didn't hurt in getting her foot in the proverbial door (dad is legendary Hollywood honcho Mike Ovitz), but it's her talent and tenacity that accounts for her ongoing and well-deserved success.

Her spring 2012 collection was inspired by the earthquake in Japan and the work of Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, whose cardboard structures serve as temporary housing for disaster victims (referenced in the collection's multi-strapped draping and easy, minimalist feel), so it's with great curiosity that we wait to see what the designer has up her deconstructed sleeve for fall. In addition, Ovitz is launching shoes and handbags next year, as well as a lower priced jersey line called O By KO. She's also a passionate animal rights activist who works closely with the ASCPA and other animal welfare organizations, volunteering at small shelters and speaking out against puppy mills, among other things.




 The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden spoke to the newly arrived East Coaster just before Thanksgiving to talk weekends, puppies and life in the Big Apple.

 So, Kimberly…

What did you do last weekend and what are your plans for this weekend?
I worked on Saturday because there is a lot to do for the fall '12 collection.  This weekend I hope to relax and take my dogs to the dog park as well as volunteer at the animal shelter in my neighborhood.

Beverage of choice?  
Juice from The Juice Press!

Tell me about your pet(s).
Two English bull dogs, MatzaBall and Lox.


Tell me about your work with the ASPCA.
I love the team at the ASPCA and what they do to help save animals. They are just one of the major organizations I work with apart from other projects I do on the side for animal welfare. I work with them on charity events, help them raise money, and I'm about to go on my first raid next month to save puppies from horrible puppy mills!  Fortunately, the ASPCA has loads of volunteers so I tend to volunteer at smaller shelters that have less help and need more hands on deck to walk the dogs, clean the kennels, etc.

What's the biggest difference between life in LA and life in NY?
I get more inspired here just walking down the street, looking at all different people and how they express themselves everyday.

What do you miss most about living in Los Angeles?  Least?
The weather mostly. I got a little bored cause I had been there for so long...so I don't miss that.


What do you like most about living in New York?  Least?
I always get surprised here and I love that.  The summer heat I definitely could live without.

When you were nine, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A fashion designer.

If you found $15,000 cash in a brown paper bag, how would you spend it?
I would start my own animal welfare fund and donate it to shelters in need across the country.

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner?  Least favorite?
Sharing with your family what you are thankful for. The least is that I don't get to bring my dogs to dinner cause they stay in NYC.

How do you relax and recharge after a long, hard day at work?
Hot bath and decaf green tea.


Please look up from answering these questions and describe what you see.
A board of sketches of my new Fall '12 collection.

What's the most you've ever spent on a purchase, other than a house or car?
My dogs. Before I knew about all the amazing shelter dogs, I stupidly bought a pure bred. As much as I love them, I made the wrong decision. Always ADOPT!

What freaks you out?  
When people are fake.

When are you happiest? 
When I'm helping save animals lives.

Random Questions For…Stephen Burrows

Want an instant mood elevator?  Hie thee to a Stephen Burrows' show. It doesn't matter how many runway shows you may have seen that week or how exhausted/overworked/abused you may feel. A Stephen Burrows show—with its colorful clothing, colorful models and cheerful, all-out exuberance—will set you right in no time. 

For Burrows is the master of feel-good fashion, a talent he's been honing since the Seventies, when the young FIT grad first made a name for himself as a designer of flattering, insanely chic "lettuce edge" dresses worn by insanely chic Studio 54-going celebs (think: Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Lauren Bacall, Grace Jones and Anjelica Huston) and supes-of-the-day like Jerry Hall, Alva Chinn, Patti Hansen, Iman, Naomi Sims and Pat Cleveland (whose daughter, Anna, now stalks the runway at Burrows' fashion week shows while mama watches proudly from the front row).

"I love fabric as my form of creative expression on the human body," says the CFDA Award-winning designer. And as for what he enjoys most about his job? "Making a living doing something I love to do—designing clothes!"

Last year, Burrows created a limited-edition collection for Target (timed to the store's Harlem opening), and earlier this year, his work was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the Models of Versailles Tribute, an event that honored the legendary 1973 fashion show in Versailles that pitted five French designers (including Dior, Givenchy and YSL) against five American designers (including Burrows, Halston and Oscar de la Renta).

While the designer demurred when asked about upcoming plans ("I would love to discuss them with you but can't at the moment; we're under a non-disclosure—but I will say there are some exciting things happening in 2012!"), The Fashion Informer did get him to spill his weekend plans, model muses and preferred method of communication.

So, Stephen…

What did you do last weekend and what are your plans for this weekend? 
Sketching new collections.

What's on your nightstand?
I don’t have a nightstand.

What's your idea of a perfect meal? 
Fish, broccoli rabe, mashed potatoes and Champagne.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?
Anthony Mackie.



What's your favorite method of communication? 
Silence.

When was the last time you rode public transportation?
This morning. I took the C train to work.

What's your favorite holiday memory?
I have so many! Christmas through New Year’s in Rio, 1979-80.

What's the best gift you've ever received? Given?
Life from my mother and father and God. My talent.

What would I be surprised to learn about Pat Cleveland? Ditto Anna Cleveland? 
Pat Cleveland is a wonderful chef and muse. Anna is a great knitter and muse.



What's your favorite memory of your Studio 54 days? 
You have to read the book—I can’t tell those secrets!



Tell me about your pet(s).
I am allergic to cats and dogs. No pets. 

What's the most you've ever spent on a purchase, other than a house or car? 
$400 on a bottle of Cristal Champagne.

Reality TV: pro or con? 
Con.

What are the key elements of "Stephen Burrows World"? 
Colorful clothes!




What freaks you out? 
Gluttony.

When are you happiest? 
When I’m with friends and family.

Random Questions For…Diane Pernet

Diane Pernet is a legend in the fashion industry.  The Washington, D.C. native, who grew up on the Main Line in Philadelphia and studied documentary filmmaking at Temple University, was a successful fashion and costume designer in New York in the Eighties before moving to Paris two decades ago to become a fashion writer.

An early adopter to the Internet, Pernet covered the industry for Elle.com and Vogueparis.com before launching her now famous blog, A Shaded View On Fashion, in 2005. The site takes its name from her signature mantilla and sunglasses, and focuses on its creator's twin loves: emerging designers and emerging filmmakers. "I just wanted to write about whatever interested me whenever it interested me," Pernet said of ASVOF. As for why it's been so successful?  "You'd have to ask my readers that."


 In addition to being a talent scout for the Hyères Festival from 2002 to 2011 and co-curating the You Wear It Well fashion film program in Los Angeles in 2006 (which included a "road movie" she shot documenting the launch of the Eley Kishimoto menswear collection), Pernet went on to launch A Shaded View On Fashion Film (ASVOFF) festival in 2008. "Each season we try and take it a step further with conferences, workshops, concerts and art installations, along with a wide range of fashion films," Pernet says of her traveling three-day festival. As for what she looks for when screening potential ASVOFF films?  "Something that touches me or takes me somewhere. It is, in fact, the same [analysis] you'd apply to any type of film except there is the consideration of fashion in the film."

Following the most recent ASVOFF in October, which took place at the Centre Pompidou in Paris with Rossy de Palma, Daphne Guinness and Christina Kruse among the jury members, the festival is going to Art Basel/Miami next month, where ACRIA (AIDS Community Research Initiative of America) will sponsor an event with a special ASVOFF directors/artists exhibition and silent auction to benefit ACRIA's research efforts (Pernet is a long-time supporter of AIDS organizations). From here, the peripatetic Pernet will take her festival to Barcelona, Cannes and Australia over the next year.


 As for whether she ever thinks about relaunching her cult fashion label?  "Never," Pernet replies emphatically.  "I did it for 13 years; it was my life, my blood, it was everything to me. But when I relocated [to Paris] I did not have the means to start all over again and then I started working on the other side of the podium and I saw too much. When I was a designer the only shows I ever attended were those of close friends. I liked to think I was the only designer. Now I've seen much too much to ever have those blinders on."

 The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden sat down with the smoky-voiced fashion and film lover between trips to talk mantillas, Mike Figgis and holiday memories.

 So, Diane…

What's the one thing I will always find in your refrigerator and one thing I will never find there?
Always Volvic water and never meat.

What song best sums up your life right now, at this moment?
Heroes by David Bowie.

Tell me about your best friend.
I have a few people that I am very close to, I cannot limit it to one. They are people that I love and that have similar qualities. Honesty, integrity and beautiful energy—angels really. I cannot imagine my life without them.

When was the first time you wore your signature mantilla and where do you find them?
First time was going to church way back then, when you had to cover your head, and black lace was it for me. Now it is black chiffon that my friend Filep Motwary makes for me.


Who, in your opinion, is the most underrated designer?
Two, once again I'm a Libra and have a hard time choosing one for anything. Marjan Pejoski and Boudicca. I think both are supremely talented and do not receive the attention and support that they so deserve. I mean museums understand their qualities but the way the system works here it always seems if you have not made your first million by the fifth year in business people loose interest. It's insane. Anyway they have their market and they are loved by many, I just think they should be known by all.


What's your favorite holiday memory?
Once again two: In 1987 a trip to Darjeeling; an amazing place (back then, anyway). I stayed at the Windamere Hotel. Last August in Perth, Australia I was there with some very dear friends and never felt better and also I fell in love with a koala bear.

Where else would you like to live, if you weren't living in Paris?
Maybe Venice but I've never been to Buenos Aires and have a fantasy about going there one day. I am not sure if it will live up to my very high expectations.


What's your favorite street in the world?
I don't think I have one.

What's the most you've ever spent on a purchase, other than a house or car?
€ 4,500 on my computer.

What's your favorite—and least favorite—form of exercise?  
Walking is my favorite and jogging is my least favorite

How has blogging changed since you began ASVOF?
When I started I was one of a handful, if even, of fashion bloggers, now there are millions. In the beginning people were extremely skeptical about blogs and bloggers, now they embrace them. Paris is probably the only city that does not accredit them for their fashion week.



What blogs and websites do you read on a regular basis?  
The Business of Fashion, AnOther and the rest I read depending if it is fashion week, I'll read On the Runway by Cathy Horyn and Style.com and Alex Fury for SHOWstudio. The rest of the time I follow links that interest me.

What are you doing tonight?
I just came back from seeing the Diane Arbus exhibition and then saw the film Drive with Ryan Gosling. I think he's the new Steve McQueen—the strong, silent type.

What's your computer desktop/screensaver?
It is quite funny. It is my business manager wearing a Piers Atkinson turban made for me and a pair of sunglasses. Not at all her natural look but it always makes me smile.


Please look up from wherever you're answering these questions and describe what you see.
A great photo of Mike Figgis with a camera in four images, one with a red crayon outlining it. He sent it to me. I love his work.

What makes you nervous?
Looking for money, I don't really feel that 'sponsor speak' is my strength yet I know I can be effective when I make the move. 

When are you happiest?
Being around the people I love or being alone and serene or holding a koala in Australia—an amazing experience.

Random Questions For….Patti Hansen

Patti Hansen has worn many hats since being discovered by a modeling agent at a Staten Island hot dog stand when she was just sixteen. She's been a cover girl (on Vogue (15 times!), Glamour, Seventeen, Harper's Bazaar and Esquire, among others), a spokesmodel (for Calvin Klein and Revlon), an actress (They All Laughed), a rock star's wife (Keef!), a devoted mother (to Theodora and Alexandra Richards, themselves multi-hyphenate models) and a cancer survivor (Hansen beat both breast and bladder cancer).



Now, with the launch of Hung On U , she's adding handbag designer to her resumé. Hung on U is based on a satchel Hansen carried in the Eighties.  "A few years ago, my girls pulled them out of my closet," Hansen told us. "They are timeless. My partner in HOU [longtime friend, Molly Madden] saw the bag on me and suggested we do our own version. We took the idea to another friend who is a manufacturer. We started with an HOU website and now it’s in Barneys and Liberty in London."


"The bags are really for all ages and all occasions—relaxed or fancy attire," adds the willowy blonde. "Especially now that we have incorporated the strap which can be used as a wrist clutch (for evening) or a cross over bag (for the day time)." Not one to rest on her laurels, Hansen got some of her celebrity pals—including Johnny Depp, Selma Blair, Debra Messing, Joe Zee, Gavin Rossdale, Christian Louboutin, Rashida Jones, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Kiedis and Zach Galifianakis—to lend their artistic talent to one-of-a-kind HOU bags, which were auctioned off through Barneys New York and Charity Buzz to benefit the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation for children's EB.  Along with her ongoing EB fundraising, Hansen is also working with Patricia Arquette and Donna Karan on the Hope Help & Rebuild Haiti Initiative.



The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden caught up with the 55-year-old model citizen-slash-Energizer Bunny just after the debut of Hung On U to talk nicknames, rom coms and can't-miss Thanksgiving treats (turnips, anyone?).

So, Patti…

What's in current rotation on your iPod?
I Shazam all the time. However, I just bought 10 Tony Bennett duet CDs. Obsessed.

What's your favorite time of day?
The morning—a new start.

I know you recently attended the one-night-only Studio 54 party. What's your favorite memory from the original Studio 54?
The mindless bliss of it all. When I was at Studio 54 I would completely zone out on the dance floor. I would lose myself in the music. There is no place to dance like that anymore.


Coffee or tea?
Tea with honey and milk. But when I am feeling my Norwegian roots,  I do straight coffee. 

Tell me about your pet(s).
I have five pets. Four dogs and one cat. My Labrador, Pumpkin, is actually in the middle of acupuncture because she's having trouble with bone density and it is actually working! She is getting better.



What's your favorite item of clothing/jewelry and why is it so special to you?
For almost 30 years I've worn a red ruby that Keith bought for me that was designed by David Court (Keith gave David his ideas for the design and what he wanted, and David made it). I cherish it.


What's the biggest/best lesson your parents taught you?
Never lie.

What did you do last weekend and what are your plans for this weekend?
Last weekend I threw a birthday party for my friend. We spent the day eating, relaxing and played pétanque, a French game. It was very lovely. This weekend my daughter, Theodora, is moving so we are packing her up. 

What is your favorite movie of all time?
I love rom coms. However, my two favorite movies that I have watched over and over again are The Man Who Would Be King and Amadeus.


What was your nickname as a kid and what's your nickname now?
When I was younger, my brothers used to call me Maggie, and now? Still Maggie.

What's the last book you read?
Life by Keith Richards.

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner?
Cranberry sauce, gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, and turnips.

Do you have a favorite photograph from your modeling heyday?
My first session being photographed for Glamour magazine by Rico Puhlmann, because I was so innocent and you can see it in the picture. But then my second favorite is my first Vogue cover because I went from ingenue to sophisticate—and they hid my freckles.


What freaks you out?
Horror movie commercials. Terrible.

When are you happiest?
When my girls are home.

Random Questions For... Kirna Zabete

Kirna Zabete has been a mecca for stylish shoppers since it first launched in Soho in 1999. Founded by college (UVA) besties Sarah Easley and Beth Buccini (a former luxury wholesaler and fashion editor, respectively), the store takes its name from the duo's "silly college nicknames," and quickly  became a fave among fashion lovers for its artfully edited mix of emerging designers from all over the world, many of whom—Alexander Wang, Thakoon, Rick Owens, Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere—have gone on to major success of their own.

 "A million years ago I was the fashion editor at New York magazine, so I really saw how stores bought in NYC as everything we shot or wrote about had to be credited to an NYC store," says Buccini. "It was an excellent lesson in who bought what where, and how they bought it. I started obsessing about opening a store and talked Sarah into doing it with me. There was no way I was going to do it without her."  "She was really into it because she was the one with no retail experience!" adds Easley with a laugh.

Twelve years later, Kirna Zabete—which T magazine dubbed "the high-fashion equivalent of a candy store: colorful, tempting and addictive"—is still devoted to discovering new talent and has grown to to include a biannual magazine and a major online e-tail component. Its founders are "still having fun" though they're now married with six kids between them. No wonder they consider Paris Fashion Week a vacation.

The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden had a tête-à-tête with the dynamic style duo a few weeks before New York Fashion Week to dish about motherhood, their hidden talents and mani/pedi must-haves.

So, Beth and Sarah...

What's your favorite time of day? 
Beth Buccini: It used to be in the evening after a satisfying hard day of work. But four children have forced me to be a morning person. I do like to wake up early while the house is quiet and have some coffee alone so I can have a personality for the kids!
Sarah Easley: Morning!  The light, the quiet and the great potential of a new day. Namaste. Just kidding!

What was more memorable: your first car or your first kiss? 
BB: Definitely not discussing the first kiss. So car! There was a brief period in college when I drove a red Alfa Romeo Spider. Now that was fun.
SE: First car. Honda Civic with one broken headlight.


Who would play you in the movie of your life? 
BB: Michelle Williams. She already has the short hair; I guess she would just have to dye it.
SE: Can I have Penelope Cruz?

What's the best and most challenging thing about motherhood?  Marriage? 
BB: When I was pregnant with my first child, a dear friend who already had two kids said to me, it will be the hardest thing you ever do, but it will be the best. No truer words were ever spoken. I struggle with giving each one enough individual attention—they are never satisfied—and that includes the husband!
SE: Motherhood: Being patient.  Marriage: Same!

Tell me one thing people don't know about your business partner.  
BB: She’s a phenomenal tennis player. It was her trick with the boys in college. She’d act like she was just decent than she’d cream them on the court!
SE: Today Beth brought scissors to work because I have been whining that I cannot get an appointment for a haircut with my beloved Louis Angelo so Beth is giving me an emergency trim today at Kirna Zabete. She is amazing in every category and I am unworthy but grateful.

What's usually on your nightstand? 
BB: Pictures of the family, iPad and laptop, ice water.
SE: Lamp. Well, obviously.  Books I intend to read.  

Beverage of choice? 
BB: Right now, Kir Royale.
SE: Kir Royale.


 

How has the retail scene changed since you first opened Kirna Zabete (recession aside)? 
BB: When we first opened we said we weren’t going to have designers that advertised on the side of a bus. Well 12 years later, some of the new talent we started with have grown big enough to advertise on the side of the bus! So many of our indie designers have grown up with us. But there is always great new talent out there to nurture. Also, fashion is so much more accessible to the world now thanks to the Internet. Style.com really changed shopping for our customers. They started calling right after the shows. Thanks to the internet and reality tv, the general public seems to understand fashion much better now.
SE: It has really only gotten better each season, each year. Our ladies are fashion obsessed. We respect the passion. What has changed most since we opened in 1999 is high fashion retail on the Internet. Information and shopping at the speed of light.


What's the last item you traded during New York Fashion Week (and do you trade back at the end of the week)? 
BB: We do trade back. Next season I want Sarah’s white Lanvin sequined jacket. Or maybe her ivory Stella tux jacket.
SE: Beth and I love to trade!  She nearly bought the whole 2002 Chloé (Phoebe Philo) spring collection and I have coveted those items ever since. Going to poach the green leather jacket for fall. Yes, we trade back.

What's the one beauty/grooming item you cannot live without? 
BB: Clé de Peau concealer.
SE: Chantecaille lip gloss and Just Skin in Glow.



If given the chance, what's the one question would you ask God (assuming s/he exists)? 
BB: Did I have past lives and can I see deceased people that I love in heaven?
SE: Too abstract for me.

What's your current go-to mani/pedi color—and do you prefer gel or old-school polish? 
BB: I love Essie Geranium right now. One of our KZ stylists just got a color I've been laughing about for days—Vermillionaire. I think that’s next on my list just so I can say Vermillionaire as often as possible.
SE: Is regular nail polish already old school??

Do you cook and, if so, what's your signature dish? 
BB: I love to cook and wish I did more often. My children love this lemon chicken dish I make from Nigella Lawson’s Forever Summer cookbook. It is incredible and we eat it every Monday night. In the summer I always make a peach tart with fresh whipped cream that they love, too. It is from Amanda Hesser’s hilarious book Cooking for Mr. Latte.  And I've pretty much cooked every Barefoot Contessa recipe.
SE: I excel at baking, really. Coconut chocolate chip banana bread is my masterpiece—and all pies.


What never fails to make you cry? 
BB: My children, particularly during some sort of performance.  But Sarah can often make me cry from laughing so hard.

When are you happiest? 
BB:  I really love my job. It is a joy to come to work. And I particularly love being in Paris for the shows. Sarah and I have taken to referring to that trip as vacation. But mostly I love being home with my family.
SE: In my hammock in Montauk. In Paris with Beth.

Random Questions For…Roksanda Ilincic

Belgrade-born designer Roksanda Ilincic is not yet a household name here in the States, but she is becoming just that in Europe, thanks to the embellished ladylike collection that bears her hard to pronounce and harder to forget moniker. (For the record, it's said "Rock-SAN-da Ill-IN-chick.")

Ilincic founded her eponymous label in 2003 after studying at Central Saint Martins (prior to which she studied architecture and applied arts in her native Serbia). She quickly gained a following among celebs such as Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Margherita Missoni, Tilda Swinton, Kate Hudson and Thandie Newton for her colorful, elegantly feminine demi-couture creations and, in 2006, was nominated for a Swarovski Fashion Enterprise award and named New Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council.

The 34-year-old designer debuted her first capsule collection for UK retailer Whistles in 2009 (the same year Mattel released her collection of 50 limited edition Barbie dolls at Colette and Dover Street Market), launched a swimwear range in 2010, presented her latest Resort collection in New York this past spring, and saw her profile get an immeasurable boost last month when Kate Middleton (or Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge for you protocol sticklers) wore a Roksanda Ilincic dress when disembarking from the plane during the royal newlyweds' recent visit to Los Angeles. First ladies Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron are also fans.

So when she first know she wanted to be a fashion designer?  "When I started making dresses for my dolls as a child," replied Ilincic, whose fall 2011 collection was inspired by birds. And as for why fashion versus another form of creative expression: "I don't t have a rational answer to this question," she said. "It is more something I followed intuitively."

The London-based beauty—and mother of daughter Efimia, who turns one this month—recently took a few minutes on the eve of her New York debut to talk to The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden about a few of her favorite (and not so favorite) things.

So, Roksanda...

What's your favorite getaway spot?
My bedroom.

Ocean or mountains.
Ocean.


How often do you get back to Belgrade, and how has it changed since you lived there?
I go back twice a year. It has changed a lot but the amazing, uplifting spirit and positive energy of the city is still the same.

What's your favorite street in the world?
The streets in Malá Strana in Prague.


What's the biggest difference between designing swimwear and ready-to-wear?
With swimwear you are more confined with regards to the shape and materials. Having those limits is a wonderful challenge for design, though. I hope that with both collections I design pieces that make women feel confident and beautiful.


What part of your job do you like the best?  Least?
Most: Creating collections and collaborating with interesting people. Least: Having to meet the tight deadlines and not getting enough sleep.

Random Questions For...Behnaz Sarafpour

 This year marks the tenth anniversary of Behnaz Sarafpour's namesake collection.  The Parsons grad had done her time in the fashion trenches—at Anne Klein, Richard Tyler, Narciso Rodriguez, Isaac Mizrahi and Barney's New York—before launching her own label in 2001. Known for marrying feminine tailoring with unusual materials, the Behnaz Sarafpour brand quickly became a favorite among fashionable celebs such as Alexis Biedel, Katie Cassidy, Michelle Williams, Emmy Rossum, Michelle Trachtenberg, Chloe Sevigny, Anne Hathaway, Claire Danes, Ashley Olsen and Selma Blair.

  "I've wanted to be a fashion designer since I was a child but I didn't know that I really could until I moved to New York," the Iranian-born, Philadelphia-bred designer told us. "I liked the social aspect, in the sense that it interacts so intimately with peoples lives."

 

Sarafpour was nominated for the CFDA Swarovski Award (then called the Perry Ellis Award) in 2002, 2003 and 2005, was a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist in 2004, designed the first-ever Target Go International collaboration in 2006, and also created denim for Ernest Sewn and a limited-edition lipstick for Lancome.  For the last few years, Sarafpour has quietly been using sustainable and environmentally friendly materials (cherry pit buttons and embellished rattan textiles, anyone?), and in 2010 she was named one of the fashion design finalists for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award and honored at the White House. 

 "I hate pollution in general and I just want to do my part to show people a side of luxury fashion that promotes a clean way of living and celebrates natural resources," Sarafpour says of her under-the-radar eco-chic mission, which recently included designing a stylish raffia bracelet that was featured on Fashion Me Green.

The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden chatted with the gracious brunette recently about The Great Gatsby, Charlotte Gainsbourg  and gardening (to name just a few of her favorite things).

 So, Behnaz...

What's your favorite getaway spot? 
Our farmhouse in New Jersey.

Ocean or mountains? 
Ocean.

What's usually on your nightstand? 
A very colorful photo by Craig McDean and my phone.

What's your favorite book of all time? 
The Great Gatsby.  As a designer I think I especially pick up on the part fashion plays in establishing the people's character.



Who would play you in the movie of your life? 
Charlotte Gainsbourg would be flattering.

Tell me about your pet(s). 
I'm a gardener, my plants are my pets.

What was your nickname when you were a kid, and what's your nickname now? 
My parents have always called me Naz and now people just call me B.

Do you have any hidden or unusual talents? 
I speak Farsi.

What's your favorite store in the world? 
The Astier de Villatte store in Paris; I can't go to Paris without buying something there.



What's the one beauty/grooming product you can't live without? 
Pure rose water.



Tell me about your favorite piece of jewelry/clothing and why it's so special to you. 
A diamond and emerald necklace that has been passed down to me from my great grandmother. It is made in a very primitive way and every woman who owned it before me made a change to it. 

How often do you get back to Philadelphia and how has it changed since you lived there? 
Not too often. I think the city is much nicer now. 

What part of your job do you like the best—and least? 
Best: Working with textiles. Least: Working on budgets.



What never fails to make you cry? 
Chopping onions.

When are you happiest? 
When I realize I've just had a good idea!

Random Questions For…Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones is a true American original.  This can be said of her music—she burst onto the scene with a self-titled debut thirty years ago and never looked back.  And it can be said of her style—an idiosyncratic mash-up of vintage dresses, hipster hats, lace gloves and funky platforms.

 Since her auspicious debut—which nabbed her five Grammy nominations and the Best New Artist prize in 1979—Jones has released 14 albums (four of them in the Billboard Top 10), was nominated for additional Grammys in 1988, 1989 and 2000, twice appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, and is ranked #30 in VH1's Greatest Women of Rock n Roll.

"I grew up encouraged to act, sing, write,  draw—all things creative," Jones said of her artistic inclinations. "My father sang and wrote, my uncle played guitar quite well, and they would look at the scrapbooks of my grandfather, Peg Leg Jones, on the Vaudeville stages. Singing was something I could do all by myself, and I loved singing. My voice was unusual, so that was a challenge. But it was natural for me to sing. Still is."

In celebration of her 30th anniversary, the California-born troubadour just released a new DVD, Rickie Lee Jones, Live in Stockholm, and is touring through the end of the year, playing only songs from her first two albums, Rickie Lee Jones and Pirates.

 "So many people cite Pirates as being important to them—Pirates and Flying Cowboys—and the first record was a big record culturally," explained Jones. "I decided to perform them as written. Just this year, I think."

 Jones also recorded a song called The Weight for an upcoming CD to benefit Victoria Williams' MS charity, Sweet Relief, and is working on music for a children's book. "I haven't told anyone about [it]; I'm just writing the music," she said. "And I recently did an interview for a film about women leading us to a better world. I am most interested in discussing the role of women in creating a better world. Or, if you want to go to the negative side of it, of talking to women about the role of men in our lives, from dictating our appearance, our sexuality, our beauty, what we can and can't wear, where we can and can't go, and…you get the picture."

 Indeed we do. When we caught her show at City Winery last week, we were treated to the picture of Jones at her finest, regaling the audience with hilarious anecdotes and handily dispatching a heckler with a few well-chosen words. (Note to self: Do not annoy Rickie Lee Jones.) Decked out floral velvet pants and layered t-shirts accessorized with rainbow striped arm warmers and a jaunty checkerboard fedora, Jones was, as always, the picture of eclectic chic.

 A few days before the show, The Fashion Informer's Lauren David Peden spoke with the 56-year-old singer-songwriter about science fiction, shoes and the benefits of high-end skincare. 

So, Rickie Lee…

What did you have for breakfast this morning?  
I was in a hurry to take my dog to the vet so I missed breakfast.  

What are you currently reading? 
I am reading The Farthest Shore by Ursula Le Guin.  I have read it a few times; it's a lovely book, the last in a trilogy about a wizard who must chase some terrible shadows to the wall of death and back again. She is an eloquent writer. The Earthsea trilogy seems to be the impetus for all the Harry Potter stories... but that's another story. 


What's your favorite getaway spot?  
The stable where my horse is.  But if you are talking vacation,  I think I love Kona Village best.  I have been going there for 25 years. I love to hear the birds wake up in the morning, and the staff has grown older with me,  so it's quite wonderful.   

What did you do last weekend and what are your plans for this weekend?  
I don't measure my week that way.  I don't work five days and then rest,  so a weekend is much the same as a week.  Except I tend to go work with my horse every weekend.  Last weekend I had just returned from Israel, so I rested a lot, played guitar and started to use Twitter.  This weekend I am going to stay and take care of my dog, she just had some surgery. I may go swimming,  because it's going to be hot. 

Tell me about your pet(s).  
Juliette is my dog,  she has lived with me since 2001 when my daughter brought her home on New Year's Eve.  She is a blond pit bull and looks like she's part Lab.  She loves me a lot and wants to go everywhere with me. She loves the studio, the microphone I sing at, she senses this energy and just gets very excited.  And the stage; I let her come onstage once. That was too much for her.  She likes to be with the horses. She is very kind and friendly,  though some people are afraid of her because her head is a little big. (I mean that literally.)  My horse is Ella. Cinder Ella. So named because when she arrived she was named Wicked Stepchild. So I had to fix that right away.  I call her Ella,  and I have had her now for six or seven years.  She is a Rocky Mountain Saddle Horse, a gaited horse, very nice to ride.  She came to me very skittish and pregnant,  and it has been a long time gaining her trust.  We have been making real progress lately.  She is not too tall,  and since I was hurt by a horse when I was a young cowgirl,  she is quite extraordinary for bringing me back to a place of confidence and absolute trust myself. I guess we are healing each other.  



This being a fashion-related site, please describe one of your favorite outfits, circle 1975 and a current favorite outfit. 
I could tell you a favorite outfit circa 1979 when I came out.  1975 sucked as far as I am concerned.  So in '79 I wore a dress I had made out of vintage material in a style more or less from the Forties, with a beret and gloves. I had three dresses made that year,  and one of them I can still get into.  Well,  when I am six or seven pounds lighter.  But we will just pretend like I am!  I changed that by summer and wore a Spandex catsuit with long lace gloves, a sheer full length coat—could have been a dress, even—so that the light shined through it to Spandex beneath.   I thought that was pretty sexy. I wore red high heels and red beret. And sometimes a red scarf, and that was the bomb.  


What is your most treasured item of clothing/jewelry that you own?
I still have the little red jacket I wore on the Tom Waits cover of his CD, Blue Valentine.  


What's the first concert you ever attended and the last concert you attended?
The first concert was either Simon and Garfunkel or Peter & Gordon.  I think Simon and Garfunkel were the second concert.  So Peter & Gordon.  I threw my hat up on the stage and one of them put it on and then threw it back. Some surfers took it and wouldn't give it back to me.  Surfers wore striped shirts.  Mean teens. I was 12, maybe. Almost 13? The last concert I went to see was Matisyahu the day after my show in Tel Aviv. About 10 days ago, I think. He played at a little club there. They gave me a chair and table to sit at  and I shared my table with a girl who asked if she could sit down and then spent the entire show talking on her cell phone to her boyfriend who was standing in front of her. The entire show. Not even talking about the music.  It was a good concert. Well,  he's charismatic and wonderful. Twelve and now I am 56. Where does the time go?

For what will you be arrested (hypothetically speaking)?  
Locking the DA into the courtroom and making him listen to my side.  

What is your favorite work of art of all time?    
Toulouse-Lautrec.  It is a drawing on brown paper of two loves.  Might be called Lovers.  And the girl is kind of talking or fixing her hair and the boy is just ... looking.  It's a beautiful picture. Stunning; it says so much. I love them. I love the boy especially.  I wonder what did he see?  Was he the boy? The love and sweetness, it's all there.  He is infatuated, you can feel it. 



If you found $15,000 in a brown paper bag, how would you spend it?  
I would try to triple it.  Then i would triple that.  Then I would pay my tax bill.  

What's the one beauty/grooming product you can't live without? 
I buy a very expensive cream from Epione in Beverly Hills, and I think it really helps. I use the body creme and the night creme, and I think my face is looking pretty good. For my  age, yes, but in general, too. I just can't believe how much it costs. If I were to say one I buy at the store, I would say Perricone makes some great cremes for wrinkles.  



How do you relax/recharge when you're on the road?   
I watch a movie. I zone out utterly and watch a movie. After a show, before a show, if I need to not think, if I am nervous. Otherwise, to relax, I swim.  I love to swim.  

Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.  
Ah!  Shoes!  I love shoes!  I bought some boots in Buenos Airies and they are my favorite shoes. Leather boots, chunky,  but groovy.  I have weathered them well, at the stable and on the stage.   But right now, I am digging these platforms. I can't wear heels,  they hurt my feet, but I can wear a gentler slope and I like the height.  So I bought a few pair this spring and the ones I bought at Anthropology I like a lot.  They lace up my feet to my ankle,  navy blue—and I like navy blue this year. The weight of them is perfect, they don't hurt my feet after hours at the airport.  



What one thing would improve your life?       
I would have people in and out of my house who keep me on track writing and working.  OK,  I would write and work on ideas more.  

What keeps you awake at night?   
Worry about my child, or something I should not have drunk so late,  like coffee.   

What's your earliest memory?   
I believe it is the sound of water, a river going by. It must have sounded like being in my mother.  I still love that sound most of all. Airplanes, rivers, vacuums, they have this same droning sound I love.  

What never fails to make you cry?  
Great triumph. It breaks my heart.   When athletes succeed. When someone tried and makes it.  I just break down.  

When are you happiest?    
When on my way somewhere…to a city to do a show. After the show.  Sometimes when I have a good book and a cup of tea I feel kind of happy. It's a thing that happens on different wavelengths, and different times.  Seeing a hawk or a hummingbird.  Looking in my horse's eye.  

Random Questions For...Alejandro Ingelmo

 June is shaping up to be a busy month for Alejandro Ingelmo. The Cuban-born, New York-based shoe designer was nominated for a CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessory Designer. He’s launching his own e-com site this month. And he’s unveiling a line of men’s bags during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.  

But then, the Parsons-trained designer (who is a fourth generation shoemaker), hasn’t had much downtime since launching his eponymous line – full of sexy stilettos, and edgy-chic platforms – back in 2006. He added men’s shoes in 2007 (worn by the likes of Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z), was named a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist in 2008, was nominated for his first CFDA Swarovski award in 2009, and opened his Soho flagship in the fall of 2010. His shoes have been featured in the pages of Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar and I-D (among others), and are carried in high-end stores the world over, including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Jeffrey, Bergdorf Goodman, Luisa via Roma, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols.

 “I think my obsession with shoes started in high school,” Ingelmo told The Fashion Informer. “I collected Nike Jordans and would buy them just to collect and look at them; I never wore half of what I bought.”

 But even so, Ingelmo says he never imagined that he would one day be following in his grandfather’s footsteps. “I went to school at Parsons and really had no intentions to go into shoe design, but I took one shoe course and it clicked. I guess it was always in my blood.”

 Also in his blood: getting up early, a love of running and Britney, Britney, Britney!  See what else gets Ingelmo’s heart racing in this week’s RQF column.

 So, Alejandro…

What’s your favorite time of day?
Early morning. I am a morning person.



What's your idea of a perfect meal?
My favorite meal is anything that includes ice cream at the end.

What part of your job do you love the most?
Seeing people on the street in my shoes. 

What's your favorite sport to play? To watch?
I don't really play or watch sports, but I am a big runner. 

What was your favorite subject when you were in junior high school?
History, I liked all the facts and was very interested in the past.

What's in current rotation on your iPod?
I am into Britney right now and Nicki Minaj. Can’t wait for the tour!



What is your computer desktop/screensaver image?
I just got a new computer and still have the standard screensaver that comes with the computer on it. I guess that’s sort of boring, right?

What type of shoe would you never design?
Kitten heel. In my opinion it’s high or flat, I don't understand anything in between.

Name one thing I'll always find in your refrigerator and one thing I'd never find there.
I always have orange juice in the fridge. You will never find anything that needs to be cooked. 



Who is your all-time favorite musician?
Michael Jackson.

In your experience, what do men look for in a shoe? And what do women look for?
The men who wear my shoes usually want to be fashionable and get noticed. Women are usually looking for something to make them look sexy. 


What's your favorite form of communication?
Text messaging.

What would you like to be doing (dream occupation) if you weren't designing shoes?
I would be a farmer.



When was the last time you lost your temper?
Last week on a long plane flight. A kid wouldn't stop kicking my seat and Courtney (who works for me) wouldn't stop talking. I just wanted to sleep. 

When are you happiest?
When I’m with close friends in the sunshine.

Random Questions For...Richard Chai

“I've always been fascinated by the psychology behind why one chooses what to wear,” says designer Richard Chai. “Clothes can be quite autobiographical.” 

Consider, then, the story Chai’s architecturally minimalist clothes tell: cool, nonchalant-looking (but beautifully made) pieces aimed at cool, nonchalant-looking (but beautifully made) boys and girls. By perfecting this effortless-elegant formula – after years spent honing his craft at Geoffrey Beene, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs men's and TSE – the New York-born, Jersey-bred Parsons grad has developed a loyal following among downtown fashion types who like their clothing crafted with uptown artistry.

For his efforts, Chai – who launched his line to great fanfare in 2004 – won the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation in 2005, was named a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist in 2008 and, that same year, released a capsule collection for Target. He also added menswear to the mix in 2008, introduced Richard Chai Love (a contemporary line that he dubs the “girlfriend” to his menswear range) in 2009, and collaborated with hip design firm Snarkitecture on an igloo-esque pop-up shop under New York’s High Line last fall. Earlier this year, he created a driving glove for Acura inspired by the movie, Thor. 

But then, this is a guy who knew he wanted to be a designer before he was out of junior high. “I was 13 years old and taking a dull graphic design continuing education class at Parsons,” he recalled. “One day, the elevator door opened up on the wrong floor, which happened to be a fashion illustration class. There was a model posing and really loud house music blasting in the background. The energy from the room was overwhelming and it was at that moment that I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer.”

Fast forward 20-odd years and it’s clear that Chai is a man who’s made his childhood dream come true. 

Chai recently took a moment from his busy schedule to sit down with The Fashion Informer’s Lauren David Peden to talk breakfast, best friends and beach houses.

So, Richard…

What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Nothing.

Who was the last person that texted you and what did they say?
My publicist Amanda reminding me to answer these questions.

What's in current rotation on your iPod?
Dustin O'Halloran's album Lumiere.

What was the first concert you ever went to? 
I was 13 when I went to my first concert and it was for Echo & the Bunnymen.  It was at Pier 84 in the city which was a general admission venue.  I waited in line from 9am on a Saturday for an 8pm concert. 

What's your computer desktop/screensaver pattern and how often do you change it? 
It's a tile of my dog, Lola. Hasn't been changed since I've had this computer.  



What's the biggest/most important lesson your parents taught you?
Work hard and be honorable.

Where would you like to live other than New York?
I would only live in NYC, but wouldn't mind a beach house to visit from time to time.

Who would win in a dance competition: you or Phillip Lim?
I would. He has some moves, but I have more!



Tell me about your best friend.
He's the best!

For what will you be arrested (hypothetically speaking)?
Speeding.  Ask my best friend about my driving skills.



I know you worked as a sketcher at Lanvin in Paris early in your career.  What's your favorite medium for your fashion sketches?
A #2 pencil that I sharpen manually to sketch on regular copy paper.  


Please look up from wherever you're answering these questions and describe what you see.
The back of my assistant’s head. His desk is in front of mine.

What makes you nervous?
Too many questions.

When are you happiest?
Walking my dog around the city really late at night when no one is around.