Kelley Hoffman | Lisa Shops

Author Archives: Kelley Hoffman

Rachel Chandler Loves Her Belgian Loafers

September 22, 2009 – 12:30 pm

A self-portrait.

Since February, 22-year-old Rachel Chandler has been snapping shots for the art, nightlife, and fashion worlds for Purple Diary. The L.A. native came to New York to study art history at Gallatin in 2005, and in the meantime, picked up regular D.J. gigs at the Beatrice Inn and now Avenue, as well as a steady slew of cool, private parties. We sat down with the Purple Diary contributor and D.J. to discuss disposable cameras, Peter Pilotto pants, and comfort shoes.

Many of your photos for Purple Diary seem intimate and glamorous, but also very human. Who are your influences in your work (photographers or otherwise)?
My favorite photographers are Guy Bourdin, Irving Penn, and Robert Mapplethorpe. I also watch the film The Night Porter, by Liliana Cavani, a lot.

Do you have a favorite photograph you’ve taken for Purple Diary?
When I went to Venice to D.J. during the Biennale, I had my bag stolen at the airport. I couldn’t replace my camera in Venice, so I ended up shooting with disposable cameras. I love how the photos turned out. A bunch of them are up as a gallery on the site. My favorite one of the bunch is taken of the artist Franz West dancing in the Palazzo Grassi Museum.

Do you have a favorite person you like to photograph?
Hanna Liden. And my favorite New Yorkers, Finbar Craig-Martin (age 6), and Secret Snow (age 2).

How do you decide which photographs end up on the site?
I take a lot of photographs every day, and I only submit the ones that pertain to the concept of the blog. Olivier Zahm edits my submissions.

What are some of your staple songs in your D.J.-ing?
Right now my favorite song to play when I D.J. is “House Jam” by Gang Gang Dance. A few songs that have stuck around since day one: “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus, “Strangelove” by Depeche Mode, “Because the Night” by Patti Smith, “Player’s Anthem” by UGK.

What would you like to do once you graduate from NYU in the fall?
For now, I am lucky enough to get paid to play music at parties. Next year I hope to work on my photographs and self-publish some books.

What’s the inspiration behind your own look?
Being broke. I am inspired a lot by a few films, by my friends, by photos of my older friends when they were my age. I am an art-history student, so I get to look at a lot of pretty things all the time.

What pieces or labels do you wear most?
I don’t buy a lot of new designer clothes. I have some designer staples that get recycled quite a bit — a Rick Owens jacket, cashmere from RRL, Acne leather leggings I bought in Stockholm, and way too many shoes. I also should tell you that I have an old striped jumpsuit that I wear three to five times per week. Most of my friends think it should be illegal.

What was the first designer item you bought?
A baby-blue nylon Prada bag that I bought at the Neiman Marcus day-after-Christmas sale when I was 13.

Who are some of your favorite designers?
Norma Kamali. Christian Lacroix. Olivier Theyskens. Rei Kawakubo. I also bought some Peter Pilotto pants for my last birthday, and I really love them.

Is there an item you are currently saving up to buy?
A new pair of Belgian loafers (they don’t last long in the city). They are basically like wearing orthopedic shoes — I never want to wear anything else ever again.

Finish this sentence: I never leave the house without …
My camera.

Lizzie Fortunato Jewels Thinks You Should Ditch the City for a Harley

March 31, 2009 – 1:35 pm

Twins Kathryn and Elizabeth Fortunato. (Kathryn is on the left.)

Lizzie Fortunato Jewels‘ mantra is that high-end jewelry should not be limited to precious materials. Designer Elizabeth Fortunato uses ecofriendly found and reclaimed objects from around the world, while her twin sister, Kathryn, handles the business end of the company. The young women have grown from winning over their peers during their days at Duke to becoming favorites of Condé Nast editors, and they recently designed jewelry for VPL’s runway show. With their notably statement pieces taking New York by storm, we sat down with the dynamic duo to talk about old-school Betsey Johnson, Obama, and the open road.

Your spring line has a summer-camp feel. What’s your inspiration for fall?
Elizabeth: The collection is called “Long May You Run” and is inspired by the open road, particularly the American West. I was influenced by my own travels through the West and was thinking about this modern girl ditching the city in favor of a Harley and adventures in the desert. There’s lots of leather, studs, coral, and turquoise. It’s a little rougher.

Two other twin designers, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, have spoken of their special, psychic twin connection. Do you two share that as well?
Kathryn: We like to think we do. As kids, we used to pretend we could read each other’s minds.

Any advice for young, aspiring jewelry designers?
E: Work tirelessly; there is always another young jewelry designer in the wings ready to replace you. And oversee everything yourself in the early stages. No one can implement your vision like you can.
K: Even the best product will never sell if no one knows about it. Go out and push your product.

Their Memories of Red Rock necklace.Courtesy of Lizzie Fortunato Jewels

Which other jewelry designers do you love?
E: Alyssa Norton, Ligia Dias, Natalia Brilli, Philip Crangi, Irene Neuwirth, Scott Wilson … the list goes on.
K: Arielle de Pinto’s work is amazing as well.

In an ideal world, who would you love to wear Lizzie Fortunato Jewels?
E: Zooey Deschanel, Natalie Portman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Chanel Iman — she’s stunning.
K: Michelle Obama!

What was the first designer item you ever bought?
E: I got a pair of black leather and wood platform Betsey Johnson heels on a field trip to NYC in junior high. I was supposed to be in a museum.
K: I scored an amazing Miu Miu doctor bag from my mom’s closet. After that, a pair of Valentino spectator pumps.

Who are your favorite designers?
E: Vena Cava, Rachel Comey, Marni, Lanvin.
K: Mayle, Thakoon, Oscar de la Renta, and I really admire the ingenuity of Rodarte.

What current trends do you like?
E: Saving. ‘Tis the season for spending only on investment pieces.
K: TOMS. I got my first pair years ago and now they’re everywhere. It’s great to give back fashionably.

Where do you shop in the city?
E: Maryam Nassir Zadeh in the LES, Albertine in the West Village, Pas de Deux in the East Village, Stuart & Wright in Fort Greene.
K: 3.1 Phillip Lim in Soho, Chuckies shoe sales.

Any item you’re lusting over right now?
E: I love Richard Nicoll’s color-block shirts for spring, Dieppa Restrepo’s loafers, blazers from Jeffrey Monteiro and the Row, and Golden Goose boots with brass hardware. My fall/winter Western-bound girl would definitely rock those. But I’m buying a plane ticket to India instead.
K: A Wayne Thiebaud cake painting for my bedroom.

What do you think every woman should have in her wardrobe?
E: The perfect, properly fitting blazer. And statement jewelry.
K: Well-tailored black pants.

What’s something you never leave the house without?
E: Chains, needles, threads, and wire in my bag. I always need something to do on the subway.
K: My Billykirk satchel. It fits look books, my BlackBerry, Moleskine, heels, my current reading. My life is in there.

Todd Selby Wants the A.C. Slater Look to Come Back

January 13, 2009 – 1:30 pm

Todd Selby.

After shooting fashion and editorials for eight years, Todd Selby turned a personal project into the talk of the design and sartorial worlds. TheSelby.com offers up amazing shots of creative kinds in their own homes and offices. The voyeur in us is tickled pink to see the lust-worthy spaces of Erin Wasson, Alexander Wang, Isabelle McNally, and Matt Creed, to name a few. (He also shot our All New issue.) We sat down with the man behind the lens to talk about how the project started, who he’d love to shoot, and neon socks.

What inspired you to create The Selby?
I wanted to do something where I could look at the people’s houses and their surroundings and possessions and pictures of them, and try to tell more of a story.

Who else would you love to photograph?
Karl Lagerfeld, Hedi Slimane, Tom Ford, Dita Von Teese, Kanye West, Jason Schwartzman, Rick Rubin, Chloë Sevigny, Bruce Weber, Grace Coddington.

Nicolas Malleville and Francesca BonatoPhoto: The Selby

Whose home, overall, surprised you the most?
Blake Mycoskie, the guy that started TOMS shoes. He actually lives in a sailboat. It’s really interesting because his business and what he does is breaking the mold; he’s a businessman, but he has this whole idea of a bigger picture, and I think it also applies to where he lives.

What’s your own apartment like?
My apartment is basically photo books, white walls, art friends have made. I would say it’s not interesting enough to be on The Selby. I’m really interested in people who have tons of crazy stuff in their house, so for me I kind of live it out vicariously through my photos.

Who are your favorite designers?
Mark the Cobra Snake for his T-shirts, T by Alexander Wang, Barker Black shoes, Brian Lichtenberg, Rugby, Polo Ralph Lauren.

What trends do you like right now?
Neu Rave and Post–Neu Rave.

What trends do you wish would just go away?
None; I am very trendy.

Are there any trends you wish would come back?
Yes. Mismatched neon socks. Fluorescent shorts. Big hair. Greased-back hair. Basically anything to do with A.C. Slater.

Where do you shop in the city?
I shop at Barker Black for shoes, ties, and pocket squares. Earnest Sewn for jeans and man bags. Cobra Snake shop for vintage jackets and all my T-shirts. I have twenty Cobra Snake T-shirts.

What’s something every woman (or man) should have in her (or his) closet?
Every person should have some have some good-looking skeletons in their closet.

What’s something you never leave home without?
My Earnest Sewn for Sol Moscot glasses. I can’t see anything without them.