(28 Mar 2016) ISAAC MIZRAHI LOOKS BACK AT HIS 'CROWD-PLEASING' AND 'FRIENDLY' DESIGNS
Isaac Mizrahi is sharing a look back over his career so far with the retrospective exhibition "Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History" at the Jewish Museum in New York.
The 54 year old designer is known for his colorful, accessible creations which he says he has realized are his hallmark.
"I have to say like the color thing is only evident to me now that I look back on it because I never did anything differently, I always thought about color in the same way, right?" Mizrahi says. "And I never think that, you know, pink is more of a color than sort of like black. I always think no matter what, you're working in color, right? And so looking back I realize that I've done a lot of these kind of bright colors that are intermixed with pastels. I've done a lot of that because to me that is one of the great parts of design, you know, is this idea of getting to you know having the opportunity to express color because it's something I always appreciate a lot in the arts. I always appreciate it so much in painting and I always appreciate it so much in filmmaking. Those are my favorite paintings and my favorite movies, you know like ones that are extremely colorful. Though I have to say black and white movies I love, too."
The Brooklyn native was 27 when he produced his first runway show in 1988, after his Parsons School of Design graduation and jobs in the studios of Perry Ellis, Calvin Klein and other established mentors.
Years of runway shows and couture for the rich and famous followed, including custom work for two first ladies, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, along with Sarah Jessica Parker and Meryl Streep, to name but a few.
His brand, Isaac Mizrahi New York, faltered in 1998, but he continued to create, embracing at times highs and low pricing, often in the same outfit, as his love of women of all ages and body types shined.
Mizrahi says a career in fashion was almost inevitable after a childhood surrounded by it.
"A big thing on a Jewish mother's mind all the time is fashion and it was in my house growing up. I had sisters and it was really important to dress them. It was kind of the central theme, the central motivating theme of the house," he recalls. "You know, my father was in the dress business, he was not actually in the dress business but in the childrens' clothing business. My mother, she was practically like a professional shopper, like that was her thing. She was always in one store or other, you know? And always doing some kind of crazy comparison or a survey of some kind of her own, you know? There was stacks of fashion magazines, you know? So I couldn't really avoid the thought, I couldn't really avoid it."
Coming up with "unique and new" collections of high end couture, on a season-to-season cycle every four months, is something Mizrahi left behind.
"It takes a lot of time now to make something truly interesting," he said. "That's not to say that I couldn't make a collection or that you wouldn't make a collection if you had to every four months because that was really the cycle that one was on but, you know, to really make interesting clothes interesting enough for women to consider buying them at crazy, crazy, expensive prices I do think they should be like something that you haven't seen. I think you need to create something really kind of unique and new and that is really hard."
Mizrahi, who now designs for QVC, explains how he likes to work.
"Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History" runs through August.
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