Dear Stylish Readers,

I had the privilege of joining the French Heritage Society today for a private tour of  Coco Chanel’s apartment.  Located on the second floor of Chanel’s legendary headquarters in the Rue Cambon just behind the Ritz Hotel and the Place Vendôme, it was a sanctuary where Coco herself would retire to meet her guests for cocktails, dinner, or simply a tête-à-tête.  Consisting of only four rooms, it functioned as a sort of resting place as she did not actually sleep there (that was reserved for another apartment across the street at the Ritz.  It’s the only way, really.)

Sumptuously decorated in 18th Chinese Coromandel screens, the apartment is a complete contrast to the austere Art Déco aesthetic which prevails in the rest of the maison de couture.  Of course, I couldn’t resist having my picture snapped on the legendary mirrored staircase where so many of the twentieth century’s most stylish women have tread on their way upstairs to be fitted my Mademoiselle herself.

Alas, Karl must have taken the day off as he was nowhere to be seen.  Quelle triste.

Best,

JA

Dear Stylish Readers,

There’s a kind of gal who has always REALLY inspired my work as a jewelry designer:  the Haute Bohème.  Put more simply, she’s what you might more easily refer to as the “rich hippie” (though that doesn’t QUITE nail it).  She’s the kind of chic, soigné woman who’s very comfortable uptown but knows EVERYONE downtown.  She populates her orbit with artists, eccentrics, and demi-mondaines as effortlessly as she does with CEO’s, countesses, and the glitterati.  Some are even creative people in their own right.  And there’s always just the slightest whiff of patchouli pulsating under the silk…. 

For me, one of the most delectable examples of this rare species is Paloma Picasso.  For as long as I can remember, I always thought of her as one of my ideal muses:  polished, striking, cosmopolitan, and with an artistic pedigree unmatched in her milieu.  And accomplished to boot.  She’s pulled off an extraordinary feet:  making an independent name for herself as a jewelry designer while simultaneously being the daughter of the twentieth century’s most famous artist.

This must be one of the best images I’ve ever seen of her (her iconic 80’s perfume ad notwithstanding).   Madame Picasso, merci pour l’inspiration.

Best,

JA

Dear Stylish Readers,

One thing that inspires me as a designer is an actual person, not a far off fantasy. The world of history, high society, film, and popular culture both past and present offer up an incredible feast of women (and men) who just have (had) “it”. The next several posts I do will be a tribute to some of these “gals” who’ve made me sit up and take notice over the years.

Don’t ask me why I thought of Marlo Thomas today, but I did. By the time I became aware of her as a kid in the 1970’s, her famous sixties television show “That Girl” was already in syndication. Her combination of sass, wit, and girl-next-door good humor mixed beautifully with her sultry dark looks and impeccably turned out fashion sense. If you haven’t figured it out already, I have a finely attuned appreciation for camp. It’s impossible to believe that she WASN’T camp from the get go! I mean, flying that damn kite in Central Park during the opening credits! Could you just die?

Best,
JA

Dear Stylish Readers,

I’ve not been a very good blogger, but why write anything if you haven’t anything to say.  Well, here’s a reason to write something:  the fabulous Mrs. Norman Mailer.  Norris Church Mailer to be exact, widow of one of America’s most famous 20th century authors.  She was the subject recently of a profile in the New York Times Magazine.  Could you just die?  She looks Cleopatra sitting on her throne surveying her kingdom (except she’ll turn the asp on YOU if you don’t behave yourself, thank you very much!).  And a good ‘ole Southern girl to boot.

Ladies, in case you were wondering, THIS is how you do “Grande Dame” in the 21st century.

Best,

JA

Dear Stylish Readers,

I’m often asked by clients and friends what inspires me. It can be such a loaded question! Any creative person will tell you that the muse can visit one at any moment and in the most obscure and random of circumstances. But I’ve realized that for those of us in the “style” business, inspiration generally comes from a few basic sources.

First off, I think we’re all marked by the time in which we came of age. I know it to be true for myself: the bold, gilded decadence of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s always seems to be lurking just beneath the surface of my work, almost always unconsciously. One can look at a designer like Michael Kors and immediately see the scrubbed-clean, Breck girl shine of post-war American suburbia.

Secondly, I think geography is often destiny. Where one is raised has massive implications for one’s style “voice”. Most of what I do has a strong feel to it, but having been raised in Texas, it’s understandable. An understated, demure aesthetic is not exactly going to sprout from 100+ degree summer weather and scorpions crawling out of one’s shoes. (Ever wondered why Ann Demeulemeester’s clothes would look appropriate at a funeral for a band member of The Cure? Have you ever BEEN to Belguim?)

But most often, there is a very stylish woman hanging around the scene who casts her magic fashion web around her; some break free of it and are forever doomed to mediocrity, but some remain ensnared in fabulousness, and that’s usually where the “fever” starts.

For me, it was my mother. This photo of her in the driveway of her house in Dallas circa 1965 is priceless. I mean, the hair! No wonder there’s a hole in the ozone the size of Argentina.

When one is little, one thinks everything in one’s small universe is the same for everyone else. Imagine the bewilderment of finding out as I grew up that not everyone’s mother collected African bangles and decorated extensively with animal print.

Dear Stylish Readers,

I know, I know.  The whole world blogs, but it’s my first time.  As an American designer with his own boutique in Paris, I have an interesting window on the world (literally, since I’m on the rue Jacob which is one of the most charming streets in Saint-Germain des Prés, but then I’m biased).

This blog will be not just an adjunct to my website, shop, and brand, but also a kind of style ministry of information.  We will have a definite point of view, and we won’t hesitate to advance it.  But in the interest of clarity, it’s probably important to have a statement of purpose, something to give all of you, my stylish readers, an idea of what’s important to us here chez John Agee.  So here is a list of what is important to know:

1)  Style takes time, so being in a rush won’t do.

2)  True style is individualistic and idiosyncratic.  No one can tell you what it is;  it’s a bit like pornography, you know it when you see it.

3) There is a special place in hell reserved for celebrities.

4)  When in doubt, chose leopard print.

5) There is only one true icon, and her name is Diana Vreeland.

6) Less is not more.  More is more and less is less.

7) Good food and good wine are an integral part of the well-lived life.

8) If one is having a bad day, wear more jewelry.

9) Red is neutral.

10) You’ll know the apocalypse is upon us when the skies above Paris open up, and Nan Kempner descends on a ray of light in her canary yellow silk faille opera coat from YSL’s Spring 1983 couture collection, at which point she will cast all unfabulous people into eternal damnation (celebrities will be the first to go, please see #3).

Thank you for joining us.

JA