EXCELSIOR – JUNE 2007

JUNE 2007

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HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOURSELF AS A DESIGNER? HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR STYLE? 

ALTHOUGH I'M TOO OLD TO BE REBELLIOUS, I'M PRETTY COMFORTABLE BEING CONSIDERED 'FRINGE.' I THINK I MAKE VERY PRAGMATIC CLOTHES THAT SEEM SUITABLE FOR THE TIMES WE LIVE IN. I TRY NOT TO MAKE THEM SCREAM 'FASHION,' BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY A ROMANTIC HINT OF FLAMBOYANCE. I ALWAYS LOVED EXTREME ARTIFICE, BUT LIKED THE IDEA OF BEING EVEN MORE SUBVERSIVE BY PROPOSING EXAGGERATION IN GREY AND SLIPPING IT INTO ALL DAY EVERY DAY, INSTEAD OF A 'DRESS-UP' MOMENT. 

WHEN YOU ARE MAKING A COLLECTION OR EVEN JUST ONE PIECE OF CLOTHING, WHAT INSPIRES YOU? DO YOU TAKE IDEAS FROM MUSIC OR FILM? 

I TRY NOT TO ISOLATE A MOOD TOO MUCH, BUT TO FEEL AN ACCUMULATIVE AESTHETIC INSTEAD THAT I'VE COLLECTED OVER THE YEARS. PART OF THAT COLLECTION WOULD INCLUDE BRANCUSI, BEUYS, FASSBINDER, WAGNER, JEAN MICHEL-FRANK, RHULMANN, COLANI, DE MONTESQUIOU. I'M VERY FAITHFUL TO MY INFLUENCES. 

I PROBABLY LOOK AT ARCHITECTURE BOOKS MORE THAN FASHION BOOKS, AND MY FAVORITE MAGAZINE IS WORLD OF INTERIORS. I USUALLY FIND A LINE OR PROPORTION WHEN I THINK OF A FIGURE IN A SPACE, OR AN ARCHITECTURAL LINE ON A BODY. I ENJOY THE TECHNICAL PATTERNMAKING PROCESS OF DESIGNING THE MOST. 

WHAT IS THE PIECE OF CLOTHING THAT YOU LIKE TO DESIGN THE MOST? 

I PROBABLY LIKE THE ARCHITECTURE OF JACKETS THE MOST; BESIDES, I THINK OF THEM AS LUGGAGE. I LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE FLUID AND SIMPLE, WITH THE LINE OF YOUR CLOTHES FALLING FROM A JACKET WITH A GOOD SHOULDER, AND PLENTY OF POCKETS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO CARRY A PURSE. NOT CARRYING A PURSE SEEMS LIKE THE ULTIMATE CONFIDENT FREEDOM TO ME. 

HOW DOES THE CREATION PROCESS HAPPEN FOR YOU? 

I'M USED TO BEING ALONE A LOT, AND TAKE A NAP EVERY AFTERNOON AFTER THE GYM AND LUNCH. I USUALLY SORT MY THOUGHTS AFTER WAKING UP (BOTH TIMES) AND SPEND THE REST OF THE TIME TRYING TO GET THEM EXECUTED. THE GYM IS GREAT FOR DEVELOPING IDEAS, BECAUSE I'M SO DISTRACTED BY EXERTION AND SUPER-LOUD MUSIC ON MY IPOD THAT I DON'T OVERANALYZE THINGS TOO MUCH. AND IT PUTS ME IN A PRIMITIVE, SIMPLISTIC MOOD THAT CARVES IDEAS MORE CRUDELY, THE WAY I LIKE THEM. 

WHAT KIND OF FABRICS DO YOU PREFER THE MOST, AND WHY? 

I LIKE THE LIMPEST JERSEYS AND LEATHERS THAT FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH YEARS OF LOVE. BUT RECENTLY I'VE ALSO BEEN USING A LOT OF 'COUTURE' FABRICS LIKE GAZARS AND ORGANDIES (WASHED, OF COURSE) TO GET A MORE EXAGGERATED, 'MERINGUE' SILHOUETTE. 

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DRESSING EVERY DAY? 

WHATEVER MAKES THEM FEEL COMFORTABLE AND CONFIDENT. I DON'T LIKE RULES, AND I DON'T SUGGEST THEM. 

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEAR FUTURE? 

I'M GOING TO THE STATES (NYC) FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS IN OCTOBER TO ACCEPT SOME FASHION AWARDS. I DON'T USUALLY DO MANY FASHION THINGS, SO THAT'LL BE INTERESTING. (DOING RUNWAY SHOWS IN PARIS DOESN'T COUNT, BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS BACKSTAGE WORKING AND DON'T EVEN SEE WHO SHOWS UP FOR MORE THAN 5 MINUTES.) 

WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNER, AND WHY? 

I ALWAYS LIKED VIONNET. AND WHEN YOU THINK HOW RADICAL HER SILHOUETTE WAS WHEN SHE INTRODUCED IT, IT WAS PURE PUNK ROCK. 

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LIKE? 

WAGNER, AUTECHRE, AC/DC, MARLENE DIETRICH, ALIEN SEX FIEND. 

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? 

I SUPPOSE I DON'T HAVE ANY. 

WHAT DO YOU DREAM OF?