VOGUE PARIS – AUGUST 2014 – WORDS OF A MAN – BY NELLY KAPRIELIAN
AUGUST 2014
RICK OWENS KNOWS ABOUT BOLDNESS. SINCE HIS DEBUT, THIS VISIONARY DESIGNER WITH HIS HALO OF AN UNDERGROUND STAR, PUSHES FASHION WITH HIS REJECTION OF CONVENTIONS, HIS ROCK-INHERITED IDEALISM, HIS DARK CAMP STYLE, AND REINVENTED BLACK LEATHER. HIS LATEST MISSION: REPLACE MINI SKIRTS WITH SHORTS TO FINISH RELEASING WOMEN FROM ALL THEIR CHAINS.
DO YOU WATCH WOMEN A LOT?
YES. I WATCH EVERYBODY A LOT.
WHAT WOMEN WOULD YOU LOVE TO HAVE DINNER WITH?
EDITH SITWELL. SHE WAS A ENGLISH POET, AND I LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT HER, EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT FOND OF POETRY MYSELF, BECAUSE IT'S OFTEN PRECIOUS AND ABSTRACT, AND I AM TOO IMPATIENT, PRAGMATIC. I LIKE TO GET RIGHT TO THE POINT. BUT SITWELL, WHO WASN'T PHYSICALLY APPEALING, BUILT HERSELF A CHARACTER, INVENTED HERSELF AS A MAJESTIC CREATURE BY DRESSING WITH MONACAL OR BYZANTINE-INSPIRED CLOTHES, AND LIKE THIS, SHE TURNED HERSELF INTO A MYTH. I LIKE WHEN PEOPLE HAVEN'T THE ADVANTAGE OF BEAUTY AND INVENT SOMETHING SINGULAR FROM SCRATCH.
WHO WOULD YOU HATE TO SEAT NEXT TO?
DINNER PARTIES ARE A NIGHTMARE TO ME, SO I DON'T ATTEND DINNER PARTIES. AS I WANT TO LOOK SMART, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO MAKE SUCH AN EFFORT TO BECOME BETTER THAN I AM, AND THAT'S EXHAUSTING. I GREW UP AS THE ONLY CHILD OF MY FAMILY IN A SMALL TOWN OF CALIFORNIA, WHICH HASN'T HELPED ME TO FEEL AT EASE IN SOCIETY - ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT MADE ME A CREATIVE PERSON. I AM SOLITARY, EVEN AT WORK, I HAVE A HARD TIME COLLABORATING. SO LET'S SAY I AM GOING TO A DINNER PARTY, I WOULD LIKE TO SIT NEXT TO A WOMEN WHO DOESN'T TAKE HERSELF SERIOUSLY, WHO LAUGHS EASILY, BECAUSE THAT KIND OF CHARACTER, WHO CAN LAUGH AT THEMSELVES, WOULDN'T JUDGE ME, AND I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE. A WOMAN WHO WOULD BE POLITE: WHEN SOMEONE HAS MANNERS, I SYSTEMATICALLY LIKE THEM, BECAUSE COURTESY IS USUALLY A SIGN OF KINDNESS. SO TO PRECISELY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IT WOULD BE A NIGHTMARE FOR ME TO SIT NEXT TO A WOMEN WHO WOULD BE THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE.
WHAT CLOTHING SEEMS PROHIBITIVE TO YOU? WHICH CLOTHING DO YOU WANT TO REMOVE FROM A WOMAN'S WARDROBE?
MINISKIRTS. THEY MADE SENSE IN THE 60'S, WHEN WOMEN GAINED CONTROL OF THEIR SEXUALITY WITH THE PILL AND WERE ABLE TO DECIDE TO MAKE LOVE WHENEVER THEY WANTED TO. BUT THEN IT BECAME COMMON, AND A WOMEN WHO WEAR MINISKIRTS TODAY ARE VULNERABLE. SHE HAS TO SIT A CERTAIN WAY, CROSS HER LEGS, AND THERE IS ALWAYS THIS MOVEMENT, WHEN SHE SITS, SHE PULLS HER SKIRT. I UNDERSTAND THAT WEARING A MINISKIRT IS AN ASSET TO MAKE ONESELF DESIRABLE, BUT WHAT IRRITATES ME, ARE ALL THESE MOVEMENTS, THIS GAME, LIKE 'I HAVE TO SIT THAT WAY TO HIDE MY VAGINA', 'I HAVE TO CROSS MY LEGS SO NOBODY CAN SEE MY VAGINA', 'MY VAGINA, MY VAGINA, MY VAGINA'. WITH THE MINISKIRT, EVERYTHING BECOMES ABOUT THE VAGINA, IT BECOMES A BIG DEAL, AS IF HIDING IT WAS A BIG DEAL!
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS ATTRACTIVE? WHAT CLOTHING WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MAKE A COME-BACK?
SHORTS! THAT'S WHAT I AM TRYING TO SPREAD, SO I MAKE SHORTS RATHER THAN MINISKIRTS, BECAUSE I LOVE WOMEN'S LEGS. IN SHORTS, THEY CAN RUN, JUMP, NOT CROSS THEIR LEGS. SHORTS CAN EVEN BE SHORTER THAN A MINI, WITHOUT MAKING A WOMAN VULNERABLE. ACTUALLY, EVERYTHING EXISTS IN TODAY'S WARDROBE, WE CAN HAVE EVERYTHING, WEAR EVERYTHING, INTERNET SHOWS AND OFFERS US ALL THE OPTIONS… LIKE LADY GAGA! AS A MATTER OF FACT, I HAVE NEVER UNDERSTOOD ANYTHING ABOUT LADY GAGA. SHE WEARS EVERYTHING, LIKE SHE WASN'T CHOOSING ANYTHING. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A WHOLE GENERATION CAN RECOGNIZE ITSELF IN HER.
THE PERFUME YOU FIND IRRESISTIBLE?
L'HEURE BLEUE AND MITSOUKO BY GUERLAIN, WHICH WAS THE FAVORITE PERFUME OF DIAGHILEV. I CREATED TWO PERFUMES FOR MYSELF, WITH FRANCIS KURKDJIAN. I HOPE I CAN SELL THEM ONE DAY.
THE TYPE OF WOMAN WHO DRAWS YOUR ATTENTION?
I AM FASCINATED BY WOMEN WHO RECREATED THEIR BEAUTY, MORE THAN NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL WOMEN.
WHAT TYPE OF VOICE MOVES YOU?
THE VOICE OF SINGERS FROM THE 50'S, SUCH AS JUDY GARLAND. MARLENE DIETRICH'S VOICE, WHO I LISTEN TO A LOT BECAUSE SHE HAS A WEIRD VOICE. ANOTHER STORY ABOUT REINVENTING ONESELF: HER VOICE, AT FIRST, ISN'T THAT EXTRAORDINARY, BUT SHE MANIPULATED IT INTELLIGENTLY AND MADE IT SOUND BEAUTIFUL. HER VOICE IS VERY DEEP BUT THANKS TO HER SENSE OF TIMING, HER MODULATIONS, HER ACCURACY, IT'S AMAZING. CURRENTLY, I LOVE THE VOICE OF DOROTHY SQUIRES, IT'S THE VOICE OF SOMEONE WHO HAS LIVED AND WHO PROBABLY DRANK AND SMOKED A LOT. I LOVE IT WHEN SHE SINGS MY WAY. THE THRILL IS HERE.
YOU GO THROUGH HER BAG, WHAT DO YOU FIND?
MY WIFE'S BAG? I WOULD NEVER GO THROUGH IT! EVERYONE OF US HAS A RIGHT TO PRIVACY. HOWEVER, I COULD ABSOLUTELY GO THROUGH THE BAG OF SOMEONE I DON'T KNOW. YOU, FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU LEFT FOR FIVE MINUTES, I WOULD PROBABLY GO THROUGH YOUR BAG. AND I'D HOPE TO FIND DRUGS, SYRINGES, A GUN, SOME VERY VICIOUS THINGS.
ONLY CIGARETTES…
INSUFFICIENT.
ARE YOU FOOLED BY APPEARANCES?
DEFINITELY. SHOES SAY EVERYTHING ABOUT A PERSON.
THE LACK OF TASTE YOU CAN FORGIVE?
ABSOLUTELY ALL OF THEM.
WHAT DO YOU FIND BOLD IN A WOMAN?
WHEN SHE IS WARM, WHILE TODAY EVERYBODY HIDES BEHIND A FAÇADE. WHEN SHE ALLOWS HERSELF TO BE VULNERABLE.
B>WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST BOLDNESS?
WANTING TO PARTICIPATE TO THE WORLD, TO PEOPLE, AND I HAVE DONE IT THROUGH CLOTHES, BY DRAWING ATTENTION TO ME. IT'S VERY EGOCENTRIC. BUT IF YOU WANT TO EXPRESS AN IDEA, YOU NEED SELF CONFIDENCE, AND A SORT OF FEROCITY TO IMPOSE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. I HAVE BEEN AN ALCOHOLIC BECAUSE I HAD A LOT OF FEARS, BUT DARING TO INVOLVE, TO BECOME VISIBLE MADE ME STOP DRINKING.
YOUR SUMMER 2014 SHOW, WITH THE STEP DANCERS, HAS BEEN PERCEIVED AS VERY BOLD…