Photo credit: Courtney Perry for F!D
I had the privilege of meeting one of the most powerful figures in the fashion industry, Julie Gilhart- Fashion Director and Senior VP of Barneys New York, last month in Dallas. I was invited to attend a breakfast with her and although I was inexcusably late she was kind enough to spend an hour with me after breakfast to talk about fashion (and by the way, talking to Julie about fashion is like talking to the Dalai Lama about buddhism!).
Background
Julie grew up in Dallas but always wanted to be a surfer girl (she now surfs regularly). Her first job was at Lily Pulitzer and she went to work for Neiman Marcus after college as the Assistant Buyer to Benita Downing, one of the great legendary buyers of NM who traveled extensively with Stanley Marcus.
The Love of Bags
As with all the uber fashionable, Julie has a thing for bags. The classics she loves are Balenciaga (which Barneys was the first to carry in the US) and Givenchy. For Spring she has chosen the Lanvin clutch/tote, the white Balenciaga with gold grommets and the Givenchy Clarabelle. Currently, she has been toting around her fave - the Bottega Veneta beluga tote in black (which Bottega has renamed "Julie"), other than the braided handle, it is non-recognizable as anything but a beautifully made bag. As for the “it bag” phenomenon, she thinks it instantly makes a bag non “it” when it's being marketed or called "it". Either you got it or you don't. When asked if there were any bags to watch for, she had a couple immediately in mind; Valextra, for their beautifully made structured classic lines and Paula Thomas for Thomas Wylde.
Style Secrets
Anything simple and easy. Functional clothes that you don't have to think too much about is important to her so that she can focus on family, her job and the state of the world. She says that fashion has a way of infiltrating every aspect of our lives so it is important to be in conversation about it and understand it but she marches to her own beat and does not follow any trends. As Julie said, “Vogue put it best, ‘Intelligent clothes allow you to be intelligent about everything else’. For me that is it, clothes need to make you feel beautiful and confident so you can think about everything else.”
Barneys Approach
The Barneys approach to fashion is very simple. They ask two basic questions: Is the product good? And is the designer behind the product interesting and talented? Barneys does not subscribe to marketing tricks, hype and the red carpet. They are firm believers that it is the product and the designers that create the energy.
What’s Next?
Interestingly, the designer she said to watch for is Isabel Toledo who is designing for Anne Klein (her husband did the paintings in the store and Barneys was the first to carry her collection). For years, Isabel has been an underground favorite. Every designer that comes into Barneys admires her work. “Her collection for Anne Klein is amazing, clothes you can wear everyday, plus glamour for evening, “ Julie said.
Another important designer is Sophia Kokosalaki of Vionnet (dresses photographed with Julie) Julie explained that The Vionnet House was founded in 1912 and closed in 1939. It was by a woman considered as one of the greatest dressmakers of the 20th century- a fashion genius who has inspired almost every designer since that time. She based her aesthetic on glamour, simplicity, sensuous, and innovative designs. In fact she is credited with inventing the bias cut. Azzedine Alaia (Julie is a regular in Alaia's kitchen, often eating lunch or dinner cooked by Alaia while discussing fashion- what I wouldn't give to be at one of those meals!) has said that Madame Vionnet's dresses are the only garments you can take apart and cannot copy the pattern. I tried on several of the Vionnet dresses and they are amazingly flattering. Pale in coloration is Julie's favorite color tone of the season and she declared strapless an important look for spring.
Julie is the consummate cool chick, just hanging out with her made me feel cool! After our interview, we both proceeded to scour the racks at the new Barneys in Dallas for the latest Spring goodies before her taxi whisked her off to the airport to make her flight back to New York.
BS: I soooo want to be you, and after today's post, the longing has escalated. Julie gave great advice and I hung on every word. You did a great job telling her story.
Thank you so much bagsnobs for bringing us this wonderful entry! I like Barney's the most out of the US department stores coz they don't only carry those labels that are overworn by all the starlets these days. They carry beautiful and less-overdone brands like lanvin and givenchy. and Julie sounds like such a cool person!
What a fantastic interview! I will keep the fashion advice from Julie and refer to it often. Thank you Bag Snobs!
First of all, BagSnobs, you are my idols. Secondly, who are those dresses in the background by? They are both utterly fantastic!!!
Thank you so much for the interview!
Hi eclair,
The dresses are Vionnet (I will add it to the interview, thanks for reminding me!.), Barneys has the line designed by Sophia Kokosalaki and it is exquisite! Julie also gave me a beautiful Vionnet book and a custom Le Labo candle made just for me with my name on it so I can cuddle up to it while reading about one of the greatest dressmakers in history, I felt so special :)
xo
Sophia Kokosalaki is Greek, born and raised in Athens and as a fellow Athenian I feel very proud of her, even more so that she was gutsy enough not to comrpomise her Greek identity while building her huge career (Kokosalaki is hard to pronounce even by greek standards!!)
Julie was just written about in Vogue and if I may say, yours is the better feature. Showed readers a better grasp of how she is as a person and as a key participant in fashion innovation.
that's a nice looking balenciaga bag (it looks light and sleek). BagSnob can you pls tell what style it is and where can i get it in LA or online. price too pls.
big thanks!
ps. u dont need to post this boring inquiry of mine.
I am so jealous!!! I am a Ft. Worth native; the next time I come home I hope I get to have lunch with the Bag Snobs!