A Shaded View: Diane Pernet Interview

If there ever was the quintessential soup to nuts fashion person, Diane Pernet is it. Her impressive resume includes being a top fashion designer in New York in the 80’s, fashion journalist and editor working for Vogue, Elle, and the former Joyce magazine, writing the popular blog a Shaded View on Fashion with over 3,500 visitors a day, and founder and co-curator of the You Wear It Well Festival,The First International Short Film Festival on Fashion, Style and Beauty. I’m sure you recognize her from sharing the front row with Anna and Suzy at the runway shows, and attending top parties and openings. She defies the clichéd fashionista label, by never changing her trademark uniform: piled high black hair with an attached black lace mantilla going down to her waist, bright red lipstick &pale white non-makeup makeup, black top & ankle length skirt, black platform shoes and her lady-like 50’s sunglasses, hence her “shaded view”. We sat down over tea last week and discussed her take on the fashion world.

You’ve worn a lot of fashion “hats”, being a designer, editor, photographer, journalist,filmmaker and more. Which, if one, has been the most satisfying?
Probably being a designer. You’re actually creating something as opposed to critiquing, but that said,also co-curating the film festival and making my short intimate lo-fi films. I love doing the site too. Being a true Libra, it’s difficult to make a choice.

If you were stuck on a desert island with only one fashion person or artist, who would it be?
Robb Young. He’s a writer/journalist and talent scout. He writes for the New York Times, The Herald Tribune, Financial Times and L’uomo Vogue. He is one of my dearest, closest friends.

If there is one person, living or dead you could have dinner with, who would it be?
John Cassevettes or Fassbinder. Again, being a Libra.

You’ve lived in Paris for over 16 years now. What are some of the differences you see in New York/U.S. fashion world and the European one?
Basically New York is about big business and always has been.European shows are more creative and fun. Paris in particular, has the best shows and everybody on the planet comes.You can miss Milan or London, but you can’t miss Paris. The reason that you cannot miss Paris is that everyone from all of the other countries show here in order to get the most visibility.

Which designers/artists working today are the most innovative?
Boudicca because I like their journey, their inspirations and their constant search for perfection. I admire the intellect of Hussein Chalayan, this season in particular.  John Galliano, Victor & Rolf  and Alexander McQueen have the most innovative shows, but not necessarily the best clothes.
Artist Vincent Gagliostro because I find his photographs and drawings penetrating and artist Matthieu Laurette because I love his sense of humour and regard on contemporary society. Artist Maurizio Cattelan because he does not take himself seriously and I like the way he combines sculpture with performance and loves to provoke. He is with the galerie  Emmanuel Perrontin.   

Which old school/established designers and fashion houses do you think are still relevant and creative and which are resting on their laurels?
Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga, took the house out of the dust and made it one of the most important international collections. Dior Homme- there was no Dior look for men before Hedi Slimane started it.Dior for women, whether you like it or not, you have to look at it. As far as which are resting on their laurels, Givenchy is always looking for a signature. It doesn’t encourage freedom or creativity on any level.I’m curious about how Sophia Kokosalaki will do with Vionnet.

I like the fact that your writing on a shaded view is not bitchy and gossipy and that you don’t write about what the stars are wearing.Much of fashion reportage now is about celebrity fashion. What are your thoughts about that and do you think this obesseison with celebrity fashion has an impact on what people really think is happening in fashion?
If you look at magazine covers, it’s obvious celebrities sell. Look at how many have stars instead of models. People want to be like the person of the moment. Look at sales: if Nicole Kidman is wearing Valentino, then it will sell. I’m not into the bitchy mentality. Bitchy sells, that’s why people care about it. If I don’t like something, I just don’t write about it.I’m not into destroying people with my pen or computer but I won’t say something is good if it was crap.

Which designer do you think will be the next big deal?
That’s what everybody’s looking for. They go to the schools looking for the next John Galliano or Alexander McQueen. Bruno Peters from Antwerp, who won the 100,000 euro Stella prize this year,  is on his way from being an obscure independent to being a star. He might move to New York next April to be a creative director at a big house. Cassette Playa, who graduated Westminster in England, is a young pop designer who has a pulse on the times. She is the Castlebajac of her generation.

How did the idea of the You Wear It Well Festival film festival start and tell us about what’s in store for next year.
About 6 years ago I had the idea to put together a fashion film festival but at that time there was not enough material. I sent a film that I had made on the Gumball 3000 to my friend Dino Dinco in LA, I posted a film that my Mexico City contributor did, Enrique Gonzalez Rangel made on my site and from that Dino and I decided to put together the first fashion video/film festival and call it You Wear it Well.

In May 2006 I had an open call on my blog for films. The first screening was on August 1, so there was a short lag time. We screened 28 films at Cinespace Hollywood in Los Angeles, and The Supper Club in San Francisco. THe festival then went to Copenhagen for their fashion week and then off to the MoMu, fashion museum in Antwerp as an installation for 3 weeks. The highlight was being invited to the ZINE_BI Film Festival at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. We’ve been invited back to screen our films at their 50th anniversary in 2008.

The 2nd edition of the festival will be in July 2007. You Wear it Well is a traveling festival that will go around the globe for one year and then be born again as the next edition. As a tradition, it will always kick off in Los Angeles. We have a proposed dream list including Almovodar, WOng Kar Wai and David Lynch. We are calling for films to be 30 seconds to 5 minutes. In addition to our regular festival we are introducing IQONS.COM  and You Wear it Well/Got a Minute ?  A special open call opportunity for filmmakers, artists, fashion designers and creatives of all walks of life to create and submit a video clip that involves fashion, style or beauty. But it has to be total running time including lead in and end credits of no more than 60 seconds. One film a month will be selected as the winner and the best of the 6 months will be included in the 2nd edition of You Wear it Well.

What one thing in 2007 do you want to see happen?
I want to see the film festival take off and get a great sponsor like Canon to give us money and also sponsorship for my blog.
Money, money, money would be nice.

Logon on to www.ashadedview.com for Dianes's latest fashion dish. For more details about
film submissions for the 2007 You Wear it Well Film Festival, click onto http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=76911053&MyToken=71e6ce2b-da94-4776-bcbb-6991bc5c316c

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Comments

[Mimi]

Richard, you make a great celebrity interviewer! nice job!

[Alan M.]

pretty lady in the pretty chair.
I heart Diane.

[Mlle Smith]

I think this idea that "celebrities sell clothes" allows for passivity on the part of the designers. It doesn't matter that a design is...not the best, as long as the right celebrity has been wooed to the label (paid or unpaid)

I'd like to see the magazines put the models back on the magazine covers where they belong. If the clothes are incredible, edgy, or simply beautiful, the fashion will speak for itself and sell the clothes - not the celebrity.

[Vanessa]

This women is amazing, glad you included her interview in your blog. She lived in the same building as myself in paris, and paid me to buy her groceries once ; - )

[Patricia Laplante-Collins]

A fun read! And I just learned heaps about the fashoion world!

Patricia Laplante-Collins

[New York Hotel]

Good interview. I was in those years in LA thorough ECT and by the chance I presented in fashion film festival. I got much of enjoying to watch the movies.