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When I was working on the bookâwhich has brief, but well-researched entries for 500 famous people and brands (plug, plug, plug)âI would often get sidetracked on YouTube. If you key in a designer's name and scroll down past the predictable top entries, you'd get some largely-forgotten, and really enchanting, clips. A few favorites:-Issey Miyake doing a TV ad for Suntory Whisky (soundtracked by Kraftwerk!)âObssesed with how tortured Miyake is acting here. I imagine the directions were "you're designing, you're out of ideas, you NEED the whisky!" It's also notable that this wasn't a co-branded whisky between Suntory and Miyake. Licensing would skyrocket in the '80s, but here Miyakeâwith his sublime pushbroom mustacheâwas just the spokesman.-Michael Fish showing his 1969 collectionâFish was one of those lesser-known characters I became fascinated with while working on the book. His lush, gender-agnostic clothes are now often seen as paving the way for Gucci, et. al today. But in this clip you get the full range of his designs, from mild suits to brocade loungewear to some regrettable condiment-colored knits. It's also very sweet how nervous he appears in the beginning.-Nudie Cohn being interviewed in 1980âA Jewish immigrant who made suits for Roy Rogers. Can't beat it. Stick around in this clip to see his car, which has a saddle in the back and steer horns on the grill. Legend.
Jun 10, 2021
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Read this Rick Owens interview for Vestoj from 2016. Itâs vulnerable and raw and full of wisdom. Including this nugget: âYou know, the interior designer Jean-Michel Frank had forty identical grey flannel suits in his closet: I always thought that was the height of modesty and extravagance at the same time. I love that.â Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Chloe Wiseâs new book published by Almine Rech showcasing her works that use food and the female figure as an exploration of desire, consumerism, andâŠ. sex, lies, and videotape.
Sep 28, 2021
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Okay⊠This one is sort of a secret but information should be freeâand good taste should be passed around like a bad flu. The catalog that accompanied the auction of the late interior designer Jim Walrod's personal collection is like a reference bible for brilliant style. Jim was discovered by Andy Warhol and worked at Fiorucci, and later opened his Form and Function gallery in 1998. He designed my friend Mel Ottenberg's apartment, and also did Mike D's from the Beastie Boys. He worked with Steven Meisel and Andre Balasz, consulted on the unforgettable interiors in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, and perhaps most famously was David Bowie's decorator. If I could steal anyone's eye, it would be Jim's. Favorite pieces I discovered through him include Lapo Binazzi's MGM Table Lamp, Antonio Locatelli and Pietro Salmoraghi's Centopiedi daybed, Nanda Vigo's Light Tree, and Ettore Sotsass's Attribution shelves. He was obsessed with Gaetano Pesce and had the absolutely jaw-dropping Nobody's Perfect cabinet in his possession⊠I love feeling jealous.
Mar 3, 2022
Current fave but the list is always changing⊠I recently came across this cool ass book âvolta photoâ about his studio shots from the late 60s - early 80s. he would have a bunch of friends come by/ wear sick outfits/ stand in front of vibey patterned backdrops⊠Gucci def rips some of this in their best advertising. A must see.
Dec 11, 2024
Top Recs from @jacob-gallagher
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I haven't actually received my copy of this book yet, but Charlie is one of my favorite writers so I feel safe endorsing this. Charlie used to write at the Guardian and FT (among other places) but stepped back a bit ago to write this book on well, what artists wear. I've missed his writing (seriously, go back and read some of his old stuff, which zooms with zest and clarity) and so I'm really looking forward to receiving this. It is currently only in print in the UK, but I bought it from a store over there that shipped (for free!) to America.
Jun 10, 2021
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This was my gateway drug eBay search. I have zero affiliation to Bear Stearns, but when it crashed in 2008 I became fixated on finding relics from the firm. They were like fossils of financial ruinâthese unique, quite sad, souvenirs of American life. Unfortunately over the years people have realized that these things are collectible and so there's a lot of tacky Zazzle-quality fakes on eBay now. But some gems are still out there.
Jun 10, 2021
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I have no clue how I found the Stockholm-based artist who goes by "@snakeb00t" nor do I know much about him. But his sculpturesâlike a rotund vase with Pinocchio on one side and Mr. Met on the otherâare a mishmashed joy. My favorite kind of contemporary art recreates (whether knowingly or inadvertently) the sensation of plowing through the internet where no two things in succession ever really make sense. It's also just this tangle of absurd juxtapositions. Martensson's work really captures that for me. They're also hilarious in scaleâsee the imaginary Prada money clip that is as big as a toddler.
Jun 10, 2021