How To Pair It

Many years ago now (before moving to Milan and then Melbourne), when I was living at the famous New York bohemian enclave “The Hotel Chelsea” – or, as it was known to us locals ‘The Chelsea’, I was asked by another one of the residents, who worked for American Vogue, if I would agree to be shot for a little monthly piece they did called ‘How to wear it’ – where they photographed ‘real’ women like Kelly Wearstler (!) and Jennifer Beals (!) mixing their own favourite clothing items in with Vogue stylist selected designer pieces and featured in the magazine. After much soul searching and interpersonal debate, I agreed.

They shot it twice actually – the first shoot was in my apartment at The Chelsea with some of the furniture pieces I had designed. It was however, re-shot because it was a little to ‘Downtown’ for Anna Wintour (!!!). The second shoot was very far from downtown – it was in fact uptown on the street – Park Avenue of course.

Not much of the outfit was mine to be honest (at the time I was still in my ‘starving artist’ phase) but that was just fine with me. The concept was great and it applies to your home as much as it does your out-fit – how to mix in things you have and love with special purchases of coveted items.

Great design, whether it’s fashion you wear or fashion for your home, is not about only ‘what’s trending’ – great design is about things that stand the test of time – and don’t let ‘them’ tell you otherwise. Pieces that make you smile years after you bought them (or inherited them or found them or however you acquired them), – that is great design whether the magazines tell you they are ‘Hot or Not’. Great design is not just about AN object, but how it relates to other things, how you wear it, how you pair it.

Great design is also about taking risks. It’s about mixing styles, prints, textures and patterns to evoke a mood or a feeling. A single sofa or bed (or dress or bag) can have many incarnations depending on how you pair it. It’s a small risk to mix it up, but if you love it, if it makes you smile, if it makes you feel fabulous, how could it be anything but perfection?

Above is an old Polaroid I dug up from the second Vogue shoot. The only thing in the shot that’s mine is the little vintage hat I got on a trip to Paris with my parents when I was a kid, but if you ask me its that little vintage hat that makes the look.