Can you tell us how and when did you approach the world of art? When you have decided that drawings could become your job? And when did you get into fashion?
I always drew, even when I was very young. It was a way of escaping and creating my own world. By the time I moved to New York I had hoped to become a fashion illustrator but the field was shrinking and I got very seduced by the idea of being a ‘star’ designer so I dropped art and went into fashion design.
I’m a pretty good designer but I think I’m a better artist, so it never felt like a completely natural fit. When the economy came to a halt in 2008 I wasn’t getting any design work, and that’s when I thought I would start my blog, which turns out to be the best thing I ever did career wise!
You had a lot of response thanks to your site ‘What I Saw Today’. Which do you think is the importance in general nowadays of blogs? Which was the reason you decided to create one? And which is the most important thing you had gained from it?
I think the most important thing I got from starting my blog is discovering the power of my ‘voice’, and getting in touch with my authentic creative self. Up until that time I had worked as a designer for large companies so my ‘voice’ was always edited by the brand I was working for-which makes total sense-it’s their company, and they were paying me to stay within their peramaters.
But when I started my blog-really the first drawing I posted-it just felt so powerful to put something out that was 100% my point of view, and to then learn that people responded to it. That’s been amazing and i always remind myself that the best thing I can do is be true to myself.
Your art is a lot appreciated and you had a lot of collaborations, also with important names. Which has been till now the work you think best represents your path in fashion?
I want to start out by saying I am grateful for all the colllaborations and all the work I have been asked to do. I value the people who come to me and put their faith into what I do-and each job has lead me to something different. Four years ago when J Crew asked me to do a collaboration with them it was a huge leap in terms of my visibilty. So I am incredibly grateful to them I think in terms of a collaboration that represents me my recent work with Prada was a very valuable experience.
The results were a book, T shirts and an iPad app-and through the process they were incredible supportive and gave me huge creative license. And of course the press and visibility that come with working with a house like that is beyond…
After a period when it seemed we had forgotten about it, maybe late 80s-beginning of 90s, it has been more than 10 years that illustrations have done their come-back in fashion magazines. What do you think is the importance of illustration nowadays?
Well, I think that everything goes in cycles, although I think the cycles are going faster and faster. But I think that more importantly there is so much more visual image floating around that illustration has become more in demand along with everything else. There’s more photography, more magazines, more sites, tumblr, blogs, pinterest, instagram. It makes sense that there’s more demand for everything.
And I do think that illustration offers a respite from photography, it will never replace it, or really cut into it, but it enhances it.
Who are your heroes in art and illustrations? Who do you admire and which one do you consider a sort of inspiration for your work?
There are so many incredible artists and illustrators-I don’t know where to begin! When I was a kid i poured over books about Toulouse Lautrec, the vitality of his line, and the idea of using posters as a way to communicate, amazing. And later, the great illustrator Antonio. And there’s Bouche, Marcel Vertes, Cocteau, Kenneth Paul Block, Christian Berard. It’s endless…
From your vantage point as an artist, which idea have you developed about the fashion world? What do you like of this world and what does not?
I love fashion, the world of fashion. As an artist it’s a much easier world to be in-I can go to a show, draw it, see it for the beauty that is being projected, and not have to worry about orders, buyers, production, deliveries etc. I can be around fashion and not have to deal with the headaches, which are many, so it’s perfect!
I know you have been to Italy a few times. Which do you think are the main different things between italian style and the italian fashion world compared to the american one?
Oh my gosh, I have long conversations about this with my friends. As an American illustrator, former menswear designer, and observer, Italy is pretty much heaven. The innate, natural way Italian men carry themselves and wear clothes is just astounding. i always think about how history and culture influence how people dress.
I think the light is so warm and forgiving in Italy, and people there can pull off colors that wouldn’t look as good in other places. And the way the jackets are cut, and the pants fit, and the accessories are just perfect. I have to bring a lot of sketchbooks when I go to Pitti Uomo because there are so many beautifully dressed men!
I think America’s greatest contribution to style is casualness and function. Blue jeans, T-shirts, sneakers, all these are quintessential American icons. So there’s room for both.
Your personal definition of elegance? Who do you think has true style?
I think elegance is more the way a person holds themselves, and treats other people. I think elegance comes from kindness, acceptance, grace. Style is about a person knowing themselves, what works versus trends.
I think my daughter has great style, she knows exactly what works for her-she’s not obsessed with fashion, but she enjoys it. She will gravitate to Oxford shirts, great cut jeans, nothing fancy or tricky, but she looks great and they don’t overwhelm her, let her personality come through, which is what style is all about.
Can you describe your style?
It’s pretty basic-simple. I like to get my wardrobe down to a uniform, and let then i can watch the parade of other people. I usually wear navy blue, charcoal, white shirts. Lately I’ve been wearing Acne jeans, the fit is fantastic, and I just got a jacket at Engineered Garments that i love, it’s kind of like a French workers shirt-jacket, practical with tons of pockets for pencils, erasers, business cards. For shoes I like to break out a bit, Prada or Stubbs & Wootton slippers.
Last, but not least: future plans and personal dreams?
The first time I went to Paris was 1974 and I remember staring at the rooftops on the left bank and fantasized about having a studio with lots of light and space where I could paint. I lost that vision for a while and now it’s coming back to me, which is lovely, so that’s a dream.
And more immediately I’m printing a ‘broadsheet’ or newspaper of drawings from each season, which is so much fun, and working on a book, and of course always up for a new collaboration with a fantastic designer…I feel like there are so many wonderful opportunities ahead!
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