| He might be beloved of megawatt celebrities, and worn by America’s new First Lady, but, in person, Narciso Rodriguez is not at all what you might expect of one of New York’s most feted fashion designers. Sitting in a dark suite in a hotel in the city for an interview to promote his new perfume, Essence, he is dressed in a plain white shirt and jeans. His voice is so low it barely registers on the Dictaphone. His answers thoughtful and careful, he is the antithesis of the flamboyant fashion stereotype.
It is a thoroughly unshowy and understated performance from a man who has become loved for his unshowy and understated designs, and who - in an industry that thrives on self-promotion - remains something of an insider’s secret. ‘I don’t like things that are loud,’ he explains at one point, a little gratuitously.
‘I like things that have much more substance to them.’
Rodriguez is the sort of designer who engenders a special sort of devotion from the women who wear his clothes - women who, as he quietly explains, tend to be ‘very modern girls, who just don’t have time for any nonsense.’ Kate Winslet adopted Narciso Rodriguez as her designer of choice on her awards campaign earlier this year, wearing sharply tailored black dresses to the London premiere of Revolutionary Road, and a floor-sweeping cobalt-blue gown to accept her best supporting actress award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Rodriguez’s name gained more exposure when Michelle Obama (whom Rodriguez met some years ago at a benefit in Chicago, and describes as ‘so inspiring – intelligent, no noise) added a number of his designs to her wardrobe.
She has worn several outfits by Rodriguez, including a lilac coat and dress, and a camel– coloured coat and dress with a black beaded skirt in the run-up to the inauguration. It was her choice to wear a striking red and black dress from his spring 2009 collection on election night, watched by 71.5 million people in America alone, that really got people talking. The dress caused a media hoo-ha, splitting opinion and inspiring some heated commentary (even Germaine Greer weighed in, calling ‘it a sour note’ and ‘a travesty’).
All Rodriguez will say is: ‘She had ordered a dress, but we dress many women for many things, and I never think about it because five minutes before she leaves the house she may decide that she wants to wear pants, who knows? Suddenly it was like, “She’s wearing my dress!” It was one of the proudest moments of career.’
Claire Danes has been a client and close friend since Rodriguez designed her first Oscars outfit when she was just 16. Like all the women I talk to about him, she seems to love him as much for his personality as his clothes.
Rachel Weisz emails to say: ‘He allows the person to shine through the dress. This takes humility and respect, which he has in abundance. He loves women, really loves them. He loves their power and their sexuality and their intelligence. And when you put on his clothes you feel the love. He has created clothes that remember and celebrate curves.’
The reason for his discerning and dedicated following is no mystery: Rodriguez doesn’t follow trends.
‘I don’t work on themes, so I can’t give a nice sound bite,’ he says apologetically-yet his style always feels modern, is always flattering and surprisingly sexy. His clothes instil confidence rather than demand attention. For his close friend and fan Jessica Seinfeld it’s a winning formula: ‘A Narciso look helps you walk into any room feeling confident and strong. What I especially appreciate is that he does not design for waify supermodels – he designs for real women whose bodies are not perfect.
You do somehow end up feeling like a supermodel, though, because the fit of his clothing is always perfect. He is not a flamboyant fashion type at all. He is quiet, cerebral, and an artist and architect for the body.’
Rodriguez is a designer who, in spite of his talent, has not always had the smoothest of rides. Born in New Jersey in 1961 to Cuban immigrant parents, he was 14 when he knew that he wanted to make clothes. While his parents weren’t initially supportive of his fashion aspirations, his upbringing was essential to his creativity: ‘I had ideas and I created because I saw that around all the time. My mother just cut fabric and made clothes – she didn’t use a pattern.’
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After graduating from Parsons art school, in New York, he worked with Donna Karan at Anne Klein. It was with Karan’s encouragement that his career progressed rapidly. He moved to work at Calvin Klein, and was head designer for Cerruti in Parks when his close friend Carolyn Bessette asked him to design a dress for her wedding to John Kennedy Junior in 1996. The sleek bias-cut sheath spawned a million imitators and launched him into the big league. Two years later he started his own label, an instant critical success. By 2003 the Council of Fashion Designers of America had named him Designer of the Year twice and his clothes were generating annual sales of nearly $14 million.
Rodriguez sounds sanguine and carefully vague about how the current economic situation might affect his business. ‘For me,’ he emails after the interview, ‘fashion becomes even more relevant during an economic downturn because it provides a singular means of escape and aspiration.
Certainly fashion on the street becomes more pragmatic, but in these circumstances especially fashion should also play a role in lifting people’s spirits; it should be fun, life-affirming.
Courtesy - Stella -The Sunday Telegraph |
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