fashionologie

Bottega Veneta's Tomas Maier Rails on It Bags, Designer Cult of Personalities Like Karl Lagerfeld

fashionologie — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:48:57 PST

>> To say Tomas Maier is a perfectionist is an understatement - The New Yorker just profiled him, and when writer John Colapinto went to visit the designer at Bottega Veneta's Milan headquarters, one of the PRs inspected Colapinto beforehand, picking off a "microscopic" piece of lint and commenting: "Oh, God. If that's there, he won't be able to think of anything else." In fact, Maier, who is now 53, dropped the "h" from his first name in his thirties, for symmetry's sake.

Maier refuses to live in Milan, "a city whose many design flaws he finds too frustrating to bear," Colapinto writes, so he spends a lot of time in airports between his home in Florida and the Bottega office in Milan. "I just sit there [at the airport] and look at people and I see what's the malfunction and how can we help that man," Maier says. "I pity him! That he makes his life so miserable - himself! - by carrying some ill-functioning bag that rips his jacket half off and gives him a bad shoulder ache at the end of the day. And it makes him look an idiot on top of everything."

Under Maier's guidance, Bottega - which was "weeks from bankruptcy" when he started, he says - has seen sales increase 800 percent in the past nine years. And part of that can be attributed to the Cabat bag Maier created - one of the label's top-selling items - which features no logos, no hardware, and no adornments, but carries a six-thousand dollar price tag. It's something of an anti-It It Bag.

"The It Bag is a totally marketed bullshit crap," Maier says. "You make a bag, you put all the components in it that you think could work, you send it out to a couple of celebrities, you get the paparazzi to shoot just when they walk out of their house. You sell that to the cheap tabloids, and you say in a magazine that there's a waiting list. And you run an ad campaign at the same time. I don't believe that's how you make something that's lasting - that becomes iconic as a design."

Maier sends the Cabat down the runway every year, unchanged, except for a difference in color or leather treatment. Only about 500 are made each season, which invariably sell out, and although Bergdorf Goodman and other luxury retailers have pleaded with Maier, he refuses to sell the Cabat bag anywhere but at Bottega Veneta stores.

When he first joined Bottega, Maier notified his bosses at Gucci Group (which owns the label), that in his first year designing for the brand, he would give no interviews and run no advertising. He also didn't want his name attached. "At that time in the nineties, lots of companies were called Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Dior by John Galliano - you know, everything had an endless name," he explains. He hates the idea of designer cult of personality - of Karl Lagerfeld, for instance, he says: "Who cares how thin he is? Hasn't he reached a point in life where he can relax."

He's also anti-materialism: "I'm not somebody who likes to possess. I'm not the person who has six hundred suits. I want to have two suits. Actually, I want to have one suit, and I replace it." He applies that feeling to how people should shop, insisting that Bottega's goods are not beyond the reach of the middle class, which has been trained to want too many things. "Anyone, he said, could afford one $550 hand-painted cashmere scarf," Colapinto writes. "'Just have less,'" he said."

Anna Wintour Wants to See Rodarte Design for Schiaparelli, and Other Sundry Details from the Mulleavys' New Yorker Profile

fashionologie — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:33:44 PST

>> In the Jan. 18, 2010 edition of the New Yorker, Amanda Fortini profiles Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte and their quest to go against your typical "high gloss, high fashion, glamour, put-together, shiny, perfect - everything too exact" label, in the words of Laura. The Fall 2009 thigh-high wraparound boots Nicholas Kirkwood created for Rodarte, for example, were meant to evoke "hands wrapped in plastic in a morgue."

Kate told the magazine, "The most unhappy Laura or I have ever been was when we heard we made 'a pretty dress.' We want to make people think, and, once you decide to do that, you will have people that don't like what you're doing." She later added, "The other day, we were laughing that if we could take our clothes and bury them, and in ten years take them out, we would actually be satisfied [with how they look]."

Anna Wintour gives her two cents »

"Home Bird" Christopher Bailey Wants You To Call It Burberry Check, Not Burberry Plaid

fashionologie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:20:47 PDT

>> Christopher Bailey likes to think of himself as a "home bird": he's at ease mulching - "the smell of manure makes me happy" - barbecuing, or watching TV with "soup on my lap," he tells the New Yorker in their September 14 Style Issue. But he's also the creative director of three-billion-dollar company Burberry.

Bailey is anti-elitist, the New Yorker writes. He "came from a working-class background in Yorkshire" - his father was a carpenter, his mother dressed windows for Marks & Spencer - and one of his main goals for Burberry is to be "friendly and warm and embracing." He continues: "I think there's an expectation that all fashion companies have to be cold and austere and arrogant, and I just think there are other ways of doing things."

He loves chocolate »

Alber Elbaz Momentarily Ponders Leaving Fashion

fashionologie — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:04:57 PDT

>> Alber Elbaz's recent Fall 2009 runway show for Lanvin won stellar reviews, with many deeming it one of the best collections of the season; but after perusing Ariel Levy's profile of the designer in The New Yorker's Style Issue this week, we know that at the end, he was backstage with his director of communications, Hania Destelle, worrying. "After every show, I say to Hania, 'They hated it.'" But that's just the beginning of the anxieties for Alber, whose mind seems to be equally split between creating and worrying.

He fantasizes about being skinny.

Looking over the menu one morning at the Carlyle Hotel, Elbaz said, "Should we be good today or bad? Maybe we start good and get bad later." He ordered the fruit salad. He wanted the pancakes.

Elbaz thinks it's a very big deal that he is overweight. Asked what he imagines life would be like if he were thin, he replied, "Amazing," with real conviction.

Part of the problem is that he stress-eats.

He brought a bowl of fruit and put it on the table in front of the architects. "The stress starts and we start to eat." Elbaz sat down, put his head in his hand, and moaned. "I'm depressed," he said, and started peeling a clementine.

He even considers leaving fashion . . . »

Marc Jacobs Isn't Married, and Other Sundry Tidbits from The New Yorker

fashionologie — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:55:44 PDT

>> After that rampant Marc Jacobs marriage rumor that made major Internet waves last month, we finally have confirmation that it didn't happen. In The New Yorker's Sept. 1 issue, Ariel Levy's profile of Marc bluntly states: "Last month, Page Six misreported that Jacobs had married Martone." So, no marriage, but there is plenty of other insight to be had about Marc's relationship with Lorenzo Martone, his new "addiction," and all that attention he's been getting.

Lorenzo was upset about all the tabloid coverage their relationship gets; Marc told him to "man up" and ignore it.

"Last Tuesday, [Page Six] had me making out with my ex-boyfriend Jason Preston at Pastis and bad-mouthing someone I went out with for four days. Well, first of all, I did not bad-mouth the person I went out with for four days, second of all I was not getting back together with Jason Preston, and, fourth—or first!—of all, I wasn't even in the city of New York on that Saturday! I was in Paris, France. My current boyfriend said, 'Marc, you know I don't believe it, but so many people have asked me about it.' I was, like, 'You put me on a plane Friday night! How can you be listening to this?'"

Instead of cocaine or alcohol, the gym has become Marc's addiction.

"Everything is beautiful at the gym, everyone looks amazing. You just think it's like one big healthy circus going on out there: the bodies are great, people are jolly, and, even when they're complaining about how strenuous it is, there's, like, a kind of very good, positive, we're-all-doing-something-good-for-ourselves . . . And it's two and a half hours that I'm not smoking. I am a true addict in that whatever makes me feel good I want more of, whether it's good for me or not."

Anna Wintour sounds off on Marc! »

Spring 08 Trend Report: The Denim Shirt

coutorture — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:52:30 PST

Sometimes trends appear to us through osmosis. Just the other day we walking down the street thinking, 'Hey man, I'd really like a thin, denim shirt', and then WHAM!, we see one in the window of our favorite vintage store. Now, it seems we can't escape the darn things. A denim button down could be put in the b-list of wardrobe staples but like we always say, if your Dad has had one for twenty years, you're in the clear. We imagine it worn loosely, like you've just run out of the house for the paper and a coffee. This summertime basic would be sweet with a pair of tortoise specs, a white Hanes t shirt (no bra!), and pair of vintage shorts (yes, this imaginary outfit inspired our 'Hey man, I'd really like a denim shirt.'). With fashion as simple as this, hell, you might actually have time to read The New Yorker this afternoon.

Personages: Lee Miller

coutorture — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:30:02 PST

An article in this week's issue of the New Yorker had us thinking about personage. It seems New York is the only place you can escape the American obsession with celebrity (not that it can't be found), and yet The New Yorker understands the importance of rewarding true distinction with a heady word count. And boy are we better off.

Who the flip is Lee Miller? Good question.

Lee Miller was a woman who used to date Man Ray. See, there's the ticket. You remember being told that once, right? Yeah, so do we. After the jump, a quick profile that includes a little more than Man Ray, if you should miss the six page (not page six) article.

Lee Miller:
Lee Miller was a New Yorker. She had a strange family, namely a father who took pictures of her naked, standing on their Poughkeepsie front lawn. She became a model in the 1920's (apparently having been discovered, by Conde Nast, walking in front of a speeding car) and later became a photographer. During that transition, she traveled to Paris and demanded that Man Ray take her on as his student. He did so and they entwined for years. Man Ray was eventually embittered with her promiscuity and her articulation that she contributed to his work. They split but she was talented enough to make it on her own. Vogue always wanted her either as model or photographer (except once, when they thought her reputation might be wavering, then they waited it out for a minute) and she also had loads of famous friends who painted and photographed her. Later, she became an accomplished photojournalist, documenting London wreckage during The Second World War.

Will Bryanboy Get a New Yorker Feature?

fashionologie — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:49:01 PST

>> Last September's New Yorker Style Issue featured a lengthy profile on Style Rookie's Tavi Gevinson; could Bryanboy be up next? Apparently David Remnick is in Milan attending lots of fashion shows to research the next Style Issue, and while waiting for Prada yesterday introduced himself to Bryanboy. According to WWD, "the two seemed to really hit it off" and "chatted enthusiastically." The two then took a picture together and promised to get in touch. [WWD]

See Tavi Gevinson's First Ever Styling Gig in Blackbook September 2010

fashionologie — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:44:39 PDT

>> Much ado was made about Tavi Gevinson's styling debut for Blackbook - and now the 10 page result, shot in upstate New York, is here. Chloe Sevigny was originally scheduled to model in the shoot, but had to back out last minute because of a scheduling conflict, so Tavi chose Christine Staub from IMG. A Blackbook editor on set noted: "the clothes she pulled were minimal for a 10-page fashion editorial - she pulled from 15 designers [including Rodarte, Prada, Marc Jacobs, and Louis Vuitton], but was very selective about which pieces she chose from each - she might get frustrated when pairing items to form looks. Added to the pressure of a first-time styling gig was the presence of Lizzie Widdicombe, who, despite being very sweet, was still a New Yorker reporter writing down Gevinson’s every move and word in her notepad."

View Slideshow ›

In a Time of Media Hounds, Dasha Zhukova Goes Out of Her Way to Avoid Press

fashionologie — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:58:36 PDT

>> Head not brimming with quotes and opinions from Pop editor Dasha Zhukova? The New Yorker's Sept. 27 issue profiles woman-of-few-words Zhukova and explores her relationship with Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich, which blossomed while Abramovich was still married to his second wife with whom he had five children (although at the time, Abramovich's spokesman called Zhukova nothing more than "a family friend").

Since, The New Yorker's Julia Ioffe writes, "The pair" - who have a 9-month-old son together - "has kept a low profile. Abramovich, notoriously press-shy, has found a good partner in Zhukova. She will not discuss how they met, or even if they are married. In public, the couple barely interact, floating past each other without words or eye contact. Her press corps rivals his in obstructiveness and obfuscation. She gives few interviews, and when she does, her answers are studies in evasion. When I asked her about her recent art acquisitions - since becoming involved with Zhukova, Abramovich is said to have spent record amounts on paintings by Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon - her airy Southern California drawl turned to lead. 'I don't really talk about the collecting,' she said, and then, as if by way of explanation, added, 'it's something that's quite personal and doesn't involve just me.'"

Ioffe continues: "It's tempting to suppose that such vagueness betrays a neophyte's lack of confidence, and a wariness about being portrayed as a rich dilettante. But Zhukova's almost virtuosic uncommunicativeness seems to apply to all areas of her life, and her infinite unquotability has earned her a kind of fame among journalists. At a fashion show, a reporter for Women's Wear Daily asked her what she thought of the clothes. Zhukova responded, 'I liked them, but that's off the record.'"

While at a June art opening Zhukova was hosting at her Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow, Ioffe notes: "Periodically, she collapsed on the gray couches, looking like a sullen child, and searched her purse for a pack of cigarettes. (Abramovich disapproves of the habit, and Zhukova denies that she smokes.) She was tired of having a reporter follow her around all day. 'Do you always have to have that tape recorder out?' she asked. She developed a makeshift way of going off the record, covering her mouth and whispering to her friends." And: "At one point in the evening, I came across Abramovich as he wandered into the room with the MOMA exhibit. He walked slowly around, chewing on gum and staring blankly at the works. When I approached him and mentioned that I was writing about Zhukova, she leaped up from a nearby sofa and sprinted over on six-inch Louboutin heels. 'Can I talk to you for a minute?' she said to Abramovich, in Russian, and, grabbing him by the arm, led him quickly across the room and out the door."

"Ultimately," Ioffe concludes, "Perhaps Zhukova doesn't speak much because she understands that her money and connections speak for themselves."