I Prefer Paris: Parisian of the Month: John Agee

My friend John Agee is a very talented jewelry designer, a proper southern gentleman, and all around nice guy. Did I mention he is tall and good looking also ? Enjoy this delightful interview.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in Brownsville, Texas near the Gulf coast, but moved to McAllen, Texas (about an hour’s drive inland from the coast) when I was two. When I was sixteen, we moved to Austin.

Why and when did you move to Paris?
I moved to Paris because ever since I was a young child, I knew I wouldn’t stay in America. Countless foreign trips with my family convinced me there was more to this world than Texas! These trips confirmed my affinity for Europe and particularly for France. The way of living, the different priorities that people have, the heavy emphasis on aesthetics and the fact that aesthetics are even important in one’s life, all of that was extremely seductive for a wide-eyed restless kid who was itching to see the world. Paris was always my ideal of how civilized people lived (it still is!)

The goal was always to open my first jewelry boutique in Paris, and after many trips over the course of several years, my partner, Luis, and I were able to secure the shop space on rue Jacob. That was the start of the adventure. We moved definitively in April 2006, and the shop opened in November of that year.

What was the process like setting up a business in France and finding a store location?
The “process” was pure hell. Nothing in this country is simple, and many things seem deliberately complicated. The shop space, however, just fell out of the sky. My friend, Susie Hollands, found it, and it was the only shop I looked at. Destiny, I’m sure.

Tell us about the design of your jewelry, the materials and stones you work with, your influences and inspiration, and the process from design to the finished piece.
Generally I prefer to design in the morning, and when I sit down with my paint and brushes, I like to just let the creativity flow. I never over think anything. I think that’s a big mistake many designers make. I prefer to emphasize the metalwork (sterling silver, 18k gold, vermeil), and then to have all of the semi-precious cabochons and strands play a supporting role by adding color. In the metalwork, one can create a totally original design straight out of one’s imagination. Non-representational forms are what I strive for because they are then open to interpretation by the client. Sort of like a glamorous Rorschach test. My system is very old world. I make a scale drawing of the piece which is what the artisans in the atelier use as their blueprint. Everything is handmade, no short cuts.

Almost anything can inspire me. I’m a huge fan of architecture and interior design. Of the fine arts, painting is probably the most inspiring, and I’m very eclectic in my tastes: Rubens, Gainsborough, Sargent, Picasso, Lucien Freud, Gerhard Richter. Style and fashion wise, there are certain women whose style and personality inspire me: Diana Vreeland, Marisa Berenson, Paloma Picasso, Millicent Rogers, Slim Keith, Nancy Cunard, Gloria Vanderbilt, Chessy Rayner, Daphne Guinness. I really never look at jewelry for inspiration because I just want to redesign it!

I see a strong Art-Deco presence in your designs. Is that intentional?
No, not really. There are a lot of ideas and influences in my head, and I’m not at all conscious of them when I’m designing. Oftentimes it’s a client who will point out a particular influence, and I will respond by saying, “You know, you’re absolutely right.”

Who is your customer? Is it mostly Americans visiting Paris?
I have a very international clientele, but we seem to always attract the “usual suspects”: Americans, French, Australians, British, Brazilians, and Italians. Those six nationalities comprise about 90% of our business (with a smattering of other Europeans and South Americans in the mix as well). But no matter if she’s a thirty year old PYT from Sydney, a fifty year old executive from New York, or a seventy year old Grande Dame from Paris, there are always similar attributes that connect them: they are almost all cultivated, well-traveled, well-read, easy going women who prefer “style” to “fashion”. Interestingly, my client almost always has a good sense of humor, which I really like.

I used to work in luxury retail selling ladies shoes at Bergdorf Goodman and I always had lots of great stories about my customers. Tell us your most interesting or surprising customer experience.
Last year a lady was standing outside the window looking very intently at everything. On the surface, there was absolutely nothing to get excited about. She was disheveled, had dirty-looking hair, and was eating a croissant while crumbs were falling out of her mouth onto the sidewalk! In my head I was rolling my eyes. She comes in, says she’s passed the shop many times, and could she try on a necklace that was in the window. Well, 700 euros later, I almost fell off my chair. One can’t judge a book by its cover. Luckily I’m a nice Southern boy and am pleasant to everyone who comes in!

Who is the one person in the world, living or dead, that you would like most to wear your jewelry and why? Which piece would you have them wear and where would they wear it?

Without a doubt it would be Diana Vreeland. Not only because I think she was one of the chicest women who ever drew breath, but also because she was FUN. Sometimes very chic people aren’t always fun. You can sort of get from her interviews and zany musings that she understood the inherent absurdity of fashion, and that for her it was all one great big adventure. Her endlessly curious mind drew her to artists and creative people of all sorts, and she loved being around young people. There were no boundaries for her. Beneath the seemingly camp exterior beat the heart of a truly sophisticated, worldly woman.

I would put the piece shown on her because it’s sharp and modern and would look wonderful against solid black clothing (her trademark). Where would she wear it? I would accompany her on a very glamorous bar crawl through Paris. We’d have our driver waiting outside each place, and we wouldn’t get home until dawn. We’d laugh our heads off.

Necklace for Diana Vreeland

What were some of the biggest cultural differences you had to adjust to when you moved?
You have to do battle over really silly small stupid things that in America would be completed in a nanosecond. And sometimes their rigidity can be breathtaking.

What do you prefer about Paris?
I really appreciate living in a society where the vast majority of people I meet are culturally sophisticated. They read, they’re engaged, and they listen to you when you speak to them.

John Agee
11 rue Jacob, 6th arr.
Metro: Mabillon or St. Germain des Pres
Open Tuesday to Saturday 11AM-7PM
Tel. 01 40 46 93 20
http://www.johnageeparis.com

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New York's best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.