artists & crafts - Departures

128
ARTISTS
& CRAFTS
QUALITY. ARTISANSHIP. ELEGANCE. UTTER SIMPLICITY.
PHoToGRAPHS by MARTYN THoMPSoN STYLEd by CHRISToPHER CAMPbELL
It’s business as unusual.
Gone are the stiff attaché, the
buttoned-up blazer, the heavy
shoe. Instead, it’s LOUIS VUITTON’s
unstructured Doctor bag ($3,870),
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA’s unconstructed
silk-and-linen jacket
($1,695), and JOHN LOBB’s cream
linen shoe ($975). For details,
see page 148.

Set deSign by Jocelyne beaudoin at art department; Set conStruction by richard balado; hair by WeSley o’meara for treSemme at the Wall group; makeup by hung Vanngo at the Wall group; faShion aSSiStant, toure gaddiS
Thierry Hermès founded
his French saddle shop in
1837. In 1956 HERMES named
the Kelly bag after Princess
Grace of Monaco; in 1984 it
christened the Birkin. This
year a similarly understated
and unadorned calfskin clutch
joins the pantheon. Its name?
Goodlock ($5,400).

L ondon’s Jermyn Street
has been home to the world’s
best shirtmakers since the
17th century. EMMA WILLIS
opened shop there a bit more
recently—December 1999, to
be exact—but continues the
tradition in fine Italian and
Swiss cotton. Her bespoke
Swiss voile shirt ($320) is
matched in subtlety by solidiron
cuff links from LONGMIRE,
located, conveniently enough,
just around the corner on Bury
Street (from $550 in iron).
homeSpun linen Sheet from paula rubenStein, ltd

Kazumi Yoshida
Painter
“The textiles I create for
Clarence House can be
quite whimsical. One
called Jules et Jim was
inspired by mythological
creatures on a Pompeii
wall drawing. But right
now the pattern I love
most is a subtle take on the
color and geometry of
Le Corbusier.”
Kazumi Yoshida wears his own
Comme des Garçons shirt,
Dolce & Gabbana cargo pants,
and a watch by Issey Miyake.
131

True luxury,” a wise woman
once said, “is having what no
one else does.” Which is perhaps
why the most coveted items
are one-of-a-kind pieces not
available at stores but through
appointment only at private
ateliers. Current favorites: a
natural pearl and sandalwood
prayer lariat ($295) and handtie-dyed
cashmere scarf ($650)
from I PEZZI DIPINTI, and a South
Africa croc cuff from LOYAPAN
LEMARTI (from $275).
132

antique leather chair from the prop company—maxine kaplan & aSSociateS
The name GIORGIO ARMANI
conjures a world constructed
from equal parts clean architecture,
casual elegance,
and subtle drama. All are on
view at the designer’s new
40,000-square-foot Manhattan
flagship on Fifth Avenue
(com plete with an Armani
chocolate shop and an Italian
restaurant on the third floor).
And though we may live in an
electronic age, the crocodile
agenda ($8,495) and document
case (exclusive to the
store; $17,000) remind us
how wonderfully reliable—and
chic—pen and paper can be.

ogan gregorY
designer
“I believe in a soulful
minimalism. Modern
shapes with a patina that
embody the perfection
of imperfection. Not a
gleaming glass high-rise
but Jean Nouvel chairs
from a schoolhouse in the
West Indies, slightly
corroded with salt.”
Rogan Gregory wears a Rogan
shirt ($190) and pants ($275) with
a Japanese cashmere wristband
from A Litl Betr ($100).

B ling redefined. Paris-
based artisan HERVE VAN DER
STRAETEN crafts his Ghost
cuffs from brass ($270 each).
In New York DEAN HARRIS
strings large beads of natural
dendritic agate ($7,800). And
Istanbul-based jeweler GILAN
sets rose-cut diamonds using
15th-century Ottoman techniques
(price upon request).
135

136
M an versus machine is
an ancient battle, but BOTTEGA
VENETA’s handmade microcrocheted
satchel ($5,200) wins
this round. Equally triumphant
are FRANCESCO LAUDATO’s artisanal
sandals ($90), crafted in
his small workshop in Oltrarno,
Florence, and the hand-strung,
one-of-a-kind picture jasper
necklace from VERDURA ($6,500).

oppoSite page: Vintage toolS from paula rubenStein, ltd
michele oKa doner
sculPtor
“Accessories are wonderful
decoys. They speak
volumes about what we
would like to project
about ourselves. But when
simply put together, one’s
energy expresses itself
more clearly. A long-gone
tailor made this dress for
me in multiple materials.
It’s a kind of uniform,
free of contrivance. No
zippers. No buttons. Just
fabric that allows you to
move through space, safe
from the elements.”
Michele Oka Doner wears her own custom
dress and a one-of-a-kind bronze
and diamond bracelet of her own design.