Women's
California Dreamin’ With Derek Lam
This week, Derek Lam went back to his Cali roots. Lam, who was born and raised in San Francisco, hosted an intimate Pre-Fall and Fall 2011 presentation at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills. Dressed in an immaculate white button down and crisp dark jeans, the articulate designer narrated each look that hit the runway. He even stuck around to help the event attendees, including a few mother and daughter pairs, pick out versatile pieces for their wardrobes.
NM: Who are the women who inspire you?
DL: For me, it’s all about a sense of informality but still wanting to look stylish. I think women who share that sensibility are the women I’m trying to reach—and have reached—with my line. What’s amazing when I come to these trunk shows is that it reaffirms who I have in mind when I design. It’s these women who love fashion but they really also need to get on with their lives. By that I mean, they have kids, and they have work. And yet, they don’t want to give up a sense of their personality and that love for fashion. For me, it’s about balancing all those nuances.
NM: Tell us about your influences for Fall 2011.
DL: For this fall, I was thinking all about that excitement we always had around “back to school.” So the inspiration became uniforms. But how we do that is tongue-in-cheek, having a spirit of whimsy with the color and the color blocking. But it’s really about easy items that will wake up your wardrobe come September.
NM: Love that. Speaking of childhood, how does your upbringing in San Francisco influence your work today?
DL: My grandparents had a factory that did wedding clothing. So clothing has always percolated through my background. And I lived in California until I was 18 or 19. So really I have that strong imprint of the California lifestyle which I compare to the Mediterranean lifestyle.
NM: Interesting. I guess it’s the weather?
DL: It’s the weather. Yes. And it’s the point of view. It’s the nature. I work for Tod’s and I see so many similarities. The love of great food, and it’s just not so formal. It’s not London or Paris. It’s a little more relaxed, in a kind of embracing life way. So that’s what I bring to my work. This idea of how do you make fashion but take out the stuffiness and just make it a little bit less formal. And I think ultimately that’s what people look to as what American style is.
NM: In what ways does your work as creative director at Tod’s influence your Derek Lam collection?
DL: Everything is kind of a big stew for me as a designer. It’s hard to separate because design is design. What I discover over time is that what I love is what I love. And I don’t think the audience is looking for two sides of my personality. It’s a point of view and a vision. I think with Tod’s, it’s about being very specific and much more classical. Whereas for Derek Lam, I’m able to express a little more of what I’m thinking about, what’s my theme, what’s my life in New York like, what’s my take on the American point of view of fashion.
NM: Work must keep you so busy but what are your interests and passions outside of fashion?
DL: I’m very interested in art and what’s happening in contemporary art in particular. Like everybody else, sometimes you’re like, “Really? That’s considered art?” But beyond just making that judgment, I like to understand why something is interesting, why everybody is talking about it. I like understanding that background story. Whether it influences my work or not is another thing. But it’s really about a kind of communication that spans the globe, spans different visions and points of views, that makes art interesting to me.
NM: Do you find it challenging to marry the creative and business sides of being a fashion designer?
DL: That’s actually why I decided to be in fashion. The creativity comes from looking at it as a business and vice versa… I’m always fascinated by the 360 of what goes into this business. How it looks in the store versus how you show it on the runway. How does it look on the model versus what does it need to look like in reality. That constant balancing act is what’s most fun to me.
NM: What do you think you do best as a designer?
DL: What I’ve found is that the women I attract really love what I love, which is the simplicity and integrity of design. I give them that graphic quality that they’re looking for because they want to look interesting and authoritative at the same time. They’re not just fashion socialites. There is a real purpose to why they select what they select. I think of them as connoisseurs.
NM: Looking forward, what are your greatest goals professionally?
DL: I always think that quality and integrity of design are really important. Ultimately, I think that’s the thread that goes from historical clothing to modern clothing to future. So my goal is maintaining that level of craft but also looking at how I make it modern. I ask myself what kind of modern technologies can be adapted so the clothing and my work looks of this moment.
NM: And what are you looking forward to most right this moment?
DL: Summer vacation! I plan to go out to the beach. I’ve been working on my house out on the beach in New York. Well not me personally, but I’ll be spending a lot of time there this summer.
NM: Will we see you back in California soon?
DL: I try to come out here at least three times a year. There’s just that time of year when it’s so cold in New York…well, I really love coming out here during those times.
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