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Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Recently I was interviewed on the Young Offenders site about life and my personal style philosophy. Since it's all in Spanish, I've taken the liberty of providing a translation below! Be sure to check out the interview page for photos!
Happy Thursday! Stuck at work? Why not take 5 and check out this interview with me on the Jeffrey Campbell shoes blog! Learn about my fall must-have's as well as the three things I never leave home without. You know you're curious! Give it a read!
Thank you to Jeffrey Campbell and Hillary Frazier for this feature!
You might remember my brief post a month back about my visit with Yvette and Vivian of the style and culture blog Gallerina Off Duty. They came by to scope out my studio and of course my wardrobe and do a little interview with me. The interview is up on their site as of now in Mandarin but I've taken the liberty of translating it below so you can read it. Apologies if some of the sentences have translated strangely. I did the best I could without rewriting it.
Of course, you still need to go read the original post which features gorgeous exclusive photos of me, my room, and my mood board for my upcoming collection. The amazing images above are just a teaser.
Yvette and vivian are adorable and so sweet! I love how this article turned out! Leave a comment on Gallerina Off Duty if you like what you see!
Stella Rose Saint Clair, designer of the cutting-edge brand STELLA, and a super special girl that is difficult to ignore.
The way we recognized Stella is in fact a series of coincidences. Remember Dry Goods– a small store that we featured before? We photographed Stella working there, lovely girl! When Yvette met her for the first time, she was impressed with her eyebrows, and her tall figure. One day Vivian payed a visit to another Vintage Shop owned by the mother of the owner of Dry Goods boss and purchased a fancy chic collar (between friends, everyone knows that Vivian is mad about collars), immediately the enthusiastic proprietress told Vivian the collar is designed by a young and beautiful, but also quite stylish (likely to become New York's New It Girl) girl, and even enthusiastically showed a photo of the girl. That was when we found that the designer is Stella!
Born in New York but grew up in Seattle. In 2011, Stella moved back to New York to become a fashion designer. She re-settled in New York like a natural. This is the day we visited Stella's apartment-cum-studio, a super pink-pink painted room full of Stella's finest creations.
Each corner of the room is filled with her wide range of colorful collections. Watching her try wigs on her head is exceptionally cute!
The inside of her wrists feature a tattoo of Stella's own design–bow cartoon characters (If you look carefully this tattoo also appeared in Lanvin ad), and she wore a manicure from "Fierce Spa"– very fierce nails both conflicting and wonderful at the same time.
V + Y: What piece of clothing are you most proud of in your collection?
S: My 1960's vintage pink leather jacket + pink leather knee-length A-Line skirt set.
(S: But you have to be very careful when wearing so much pink...)
(V + Y: Although there are no photos, the suit is indeed very Pink. If it is not worn on the fair-skinned, tall people, it will most likely become a disaster)
p.s. used to be a lot of exaggerated Favorites Lolita Lolita Style fans _ Stella, and now she is still quite concerned with the Japanese fashion style, but also tells us about other wonderful popular fashions (for example, said to be currently very popular Cult Party Kei, her back to us watched her play Shibuya 109 sister precious photos!)
V + Y: Favorite color?
S: Pink and mint green
V + Y: How about those hats in cupboards?
S: Oh those are my collection! After I moved to New York my hat collection expanded, I have found many lost in thrift stores. I am constantly praised by individuals who see them.
About the same name brand STELLA
Currently she has only launched a colorful hand made family of collars in gold, silver, and navy blue. The next glitter designs will be considered in some of Stella's own love- pastel colors (S: But I'm still looking the right fabric). Exaggerated hair bow accessories (on top) are the forthcoming order to meet the younger fans.
V + Y: tell us about your latest designs and source of inspiration?
S: I intend to start doing a full range clothing collection (expected next year), including T-shirts and hats. You can see a few partially finished hats there in black with mauve (pale pinkish gray), I really like this mauve color. As for inspiration, I have been in love with the 1960s style, but this time I intend to draw from 1930 period style, some of the basic elements such as heavy eyes, drama, and actress Marlene Dietrich as a muse. I hope to make some chic, but not overly cute designs.
V + Y: Your fashion icon?
S: 80's german singer and actress Nina Hagen! Also Barbie (Stella, very envious, said: "Barbie has perfect outfit for every occasion!" Immediately she came up with her collection of Barbie books to show us)
V + Y: In addition your own designs and Dry Goods, are you doing any other projects?
S: Well, I also write columns on the Beautylish website. During the period of New York Fashion Week I'll be gathering content for them.
V + Y: Where do you usually go shopping? Do you recommend a "must go to" store?
S: It seems I have not yet found a "must go" shop, but I kind of like visiting Williamsburg's second-hand shop Beacon's Closet. But I recently discovered that they have shortcomings– taking vintage clothing "apart to sell" (for example taking a skirt with matching belt to sell as two separate products in two different regions of the store). This point I really do not agree with... I think each set of vintage has it's own story and personality. To separate a set is very sad.
V + Y: Do you usually go Brooklyn shopping?
S: Not really, I prefer Manhattan over Brooklyn, the pace of life there is too slow for me. (Stella, moved from Seattle and seems to like the relatively fast pace New York rhythm)
We asked Stella how she is preparing for NYFW and if she will appear in New York clothes and she immediately put on a leather dress to wear NYFW. Designer of the dress is her friend SENA.
V + Y: What do you do when you're not working?
S: Well it seems like I'm always at work (laughs), but sometimes I go clubbing, like at the Le Bain at The Standard Hotel and Westway.
V + Y: Favorite foods?
S: I'm obsessed with vegetarian Japanese restaurant SOUEN! They have very simple and light Japanese style dishes, ideal for vegans but also very healthy. (Stella is vegan)
V + Y: Tell us about your Lanvin ad, how did it come about?
S: Oh, it was actually totally random! I was just eating with friends in the Lower East Side, when a scout came looking for me to shoot a few photos, they totally did not mention this Lanvin ad. A few months later I suddenly received a call to audition over email. I originally thought it was misdirected! Later really went to audition but I did not place high hopes on it, the result turned out to be that I was selected. Shooting was great with photographer Steven Meisel, makeup artist Pat McGrath, the overall shape of Lanvin, director Albert Elbaz!
"When you dress up you don’t need to worry about meeting people. If you look good, good looking people will flock to you. That’s a life lesson. If all your friends are ugly you should probably start wearing more makeup."
Read the full interview on Freedom Spark HERE.
Hey kids! Armour was kind enough to send me a sampling of their rad lip glosses recently and now you can read over this new interview with me on their blog! If you haven't tried Armour glosses yet you're missing out on their full bodied color and delicious chocolate orange scent! Don't believe me? Order one and see for yourself!
These days I've been busy doing lots of interviews and shoots for upcoming digital and print publications. I'm super excited about all of them and I'll let you know when they are available to read!
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Corrections: Photos are by Angel Ceballos and Dana Landon
For all the other english speaking dopes out there, here is a translation of this exclusive interview for StyleMed:
Stella, can you tell us about your beginnings as an independent fashion designer?
I think the very beginning started when I was still in high school. I was creating wild pieces for myself to wear as well as crafting small things like earrings and wallets that I would sell out of my backpack at lunch the way most people sold drugs. Beginnings can last a long time and even though it's been over 5 years since then, I still very much feel as though I am in the beginning stage of becoming a fashion designer. There is so much to learn about the industry and going into the business alone is a challenge that requires you to utilize multiple talents, some of which you never even knew you had! I have a long way to go, it's gonna be a wild ride!
How was born the concept "Female Drag Queen"?
I've been dressing like a maniac for years! After I went through a significant "Johnny Rotten look-alike" phase I headed the opposite direction and began experimenting with hyper-feminine looks: bows, falsies, and too much makeup! Androgeny is usually looked at as somewhere between male and female but, with a nod to the drag movement, could over the top femininity also be considered androgenous? I would like to think so.
What is the source of inspiration in your work?
I draw inspiration from all sorts of things. Often literal things such as fashion icons and runway shows, but also random objects, thoughts, concepts, and colors. Whatever I am inspired by at the time will show in my work. Currently I am inspired by Catholic imagery, funerals, Easter candy, Meadham Kirchoff's SS12 show, macarons, glitter fabric, the japanese street fashion "Cult Party Kei", teenage diaries, red lipstick, and the idea of running away.
Who is the fashion designer you most admire?
I don't know that I have one in particular that I admire. I am forever inspired by Vivian Westwood's history of rotating punk storefronts in the 1970's where she sold clothing that broke all the rules and helped to shape an incredible movement. I love that she would sometimes sell out of the trunk of her car. I like hearing about designers and artists that are unstoppable like that. I also think that people are in to much of a hurry these days to get to the peak of their careers. Westwood wasn't putting on runway shows in London until years later. I think she used the early part of her career to let her own style evolve and learn the ins and outs of the industry in a fun, unique, and honest way. I could only hope to have such a long and colorful career as her.
What is your goal as a Fashion Designer?
I'd like to create an alternate reality through clothing. I believe getting dressed is very much an exercise in changing into the person we wish to be. Altering the way one dresses will ultimately impact the person they become. In that sense, fashion designers have quite a bit of control over the world whether they realize it or not. I may not fit the bill of an activist and even though my political agenda is mostly centered around pastel hats and pieces inspired by vintage girls dresses, I am confident that I too will have great impact both inside and outside of the fashion world.
When you make your designs. Do you imagine who's gonna wear it?
Sometimes! I often have ideas of certain people who might look best in a particular design. Half the fun of creating the clothing however, is getting to see how different people wear it! Sometimes seeing your designs worn in a new way can inspire your next pieces. It's a way of your creations coming full circle.
Do you imagine your designs used on a movie or in a concert? Which celebrity would you like to dress?
Collaborating with a film or musician would be thrilling! Style is such an important creative tool and knowing that something I made was a key element in another person's creative endeavor is a great feeling. I've got a few such collaborations in the works right now and it will be thrilling to see them come to fruition. I think it would be fun to dress transexual club sensation Amanda Le Pore, or the blondest little girls on the hit show Toddlers and Tiaras.
You are working on a new collection currently?
Because I don't have the budget to release a real collection just yet, I'm focusing right now on creating designs one at a time which is a fun learning experience as well as a good way to give each design it's own platform. Right now I'm working on a few variations of my current designs and I have a ton of others in the works. It's my dream to release a full collection one day in order to create a total look and at the rate I'm going, that "some day" could come along sooner than I think! In the end, fashion is art and there are no rules. I just hope that everyone will continue to enjoy my designs and art as much I do!