Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1461738
Alessandra Codinha: Fern, you've had such an incredible, wide- ranging career: magazines, merchandising, PR, you led the CFDA, you started New York Fashion Week in all its modern glory. And now your Fashion Icons series at the 92nd Street Y is a book series. Congratulations! Fern Mallis: Thank you. I really am as proud of this series as I am of JCXKPIETGCVGFHCUJKQPYGGM6JKUKUVJGFGƂPKVKXGKPVGTXKGYYKVJUQ many of the most fabulous people in and around our industry. We did the last interview with Oscar de la Renta before he died. So many QHVJGUGRGQRNGFQUWEJVGTTKƂEYQTMCPFHQTVJGOQUVRCTVYGFQPoV GXGTJGCTVJGO9GMPQYPCOGUCPFYGUGGVJGOQPNCDGNUDWVKVoU something else to hear the highs and lows and who they really are. AC: Was it obvious from a young age that you were going to have a career in fashion? FM: Does it count that I was voted best-dressed in my high school? AC: Absolutely, it does. FM:+VYCUCDKIUEJQQNVQQ/[HCVJGTCPFJKUDTQVJGTUYGTGKPVJG HCUJKQPKPFWUVT[UQ+ITGYWRCEJKNFQHVJGICTOGPVFKUVTKEV*GYCU KPUECTXGUUQ+JCFOQTGUECTXGUVJCPCP[DQF[EQWNFKOCIKPG+MPGY JQYVQVKGVJGOYC[U+HVJKUYCUVQFC[+RTQDCDN[EQWNFJCXG had a viral Tik Tok account about how to tie scarves. And then in college I won MademoiselleoUIWGUVGFKVQTEQORGVKVKQPCPF+UVCTVGF working after that. It led to a very meaningful career in fashion that NGFVQETGCVKPIVJGVGPVUCV$T[CPV2CTMYJKEJYKNNRTQDCDN[DGQPO[ tombstone. AC: Probably. FM:+oFTCVJGTKVDGQPCDGPEJKP$T[CPV2CTM AC: Do any favorite moments from the series stand out? FM: Almost every single one of them. Valentino was just so charming—such an elegant man—and there was one moment when he turned and looked at me and said "I think I tell you more than I tell anybody ever. I think I have to tell you what kind of underwear I'm YGCTKPIq#PF+UCKFp;GU2NGCUGVGNNWUq6JGCWFKGPEGNQXGFKV+ NQXGFVCNMKPIVQ.GQPCTF.CWFGT9JCVCPGZVTCQTFKPCT[OCP*GUCKF p&QPoVGXGTOCMGCPKORQTVCPVDWUKPGUUFGEKUKQPYKVJQWVCYQOCP at the table." I loved the way he talked about building all these businesses and putting women into positions of power. At the end of our interview he said: "We should take this on the road!" Victoria $GEMJCOYJQGXGT[QPGUCKFYQWNFPGXGTUOKNGCVCNNUOKNGFCPF NCWIJGFVJTQWIJJGTYJQNGKPVGTXKGY$QD/CEMKGVCNMGFCDQWVJKU UQPYJQRCUUGFCYC[HTQO#+&5CPFJQY[GCTUNCVGTJGHQWPF QWVJGJCFCITCPFFCWIJVGTCPFPQYJGJCUITGCVITCPFFCWIJVGTU +VYCUCXGT[URGEKCNOGCPKPIHWNOQOGPVVQJGCTCDQWV Open Book On the eve of her second volume with Rizzoli, Fashion Icons 2: Fashion Lives with Fern Mallis, the ultimate industry insider lets us in on some of her favorite moments from a lifetime in the front row. BY ALESSANDRA CODINHA 1 Rosita and Ottavio Missoni at the 1982 Missoni fashion show in Milan; 2 Fern Mallis; 3 Victoria Beckham at her 10th anniversary show at London Fashion Week in 2018; 4 Iris Apfel at the 92Y, 2018; 5 The cover of Fashion Icons 2: Fashion Lives with Fern Mallis; 6 Valentino Garavani at the 92Y, 2014; 7 Arthur Elgort and model Christy Turlington Burns; 8 Christian Siriano at the 92Y, 2018; 9 Bob Mackie and Cher preparing for her Las Vegas show in 2018 AC: Did you know off the bat that you'd be such a good interviewer? FM: I was nervous at the very beginning. Out of the gate we got 0QTOC-COCNKCPF%CNXKP-NGKPCPF&QPPC-CTCPCPF6QOO[CPF 6QO(QTFCPF/CTE,CEQDU0QTOCYCUO[ƂTUVKPVGTXKGY9GoF DGGPHTKGPFUHQT[GCTUUQ+HGNVUCHGCPF+EQWNFEWVO[VGGVJQPKV $GECWUG+MPQYVJGUGRGQRNG+ XGDGGPKPVJGVTGPEJGUYKVJVJGO VJGTG UCEQOHQTVHCEVQT+OCMGKVENGCT+ OPQVVJG5'%+ OPQVVJG Wall Street Journal+ OPQVVT[KPIVQƂPFQWVVJGFKTVDGJKPFVJG DWUKPGUU+VCNMVQVJGOCDQWVYJGPVJG[YGTGDQTPYJGTGVJG[ITGY WRCDQWVVJGKTRCTGPVUCPFJQYVJGKTRCTGPVUOGVYJCVJQOGYCU like and their bedroom and their siblings and where they went to UEJQQN+CNUQUVCTVCNNQHVJGOYKVJJQTQUEQRGU+VoUCDCTQRGPGTtKV just breaks the ice a little bit. But it's really about the early stuff and family stories—Tim Gunn getting bullied growing up; Tom Ford carrying a briefcase because a backpack was too sloppy. AC: Were you surprised when the series was such a success? FM: 6JKUYCUQPGVJKPI+FKFPQVJCXGKPO[FTGCOUDWV)QFMPQYU KVYQTMGFQWVDGCWVKHWNN[6GP[GCTUNCVGTKV UUVKNNIQKPIUVTQPI0GZV TQWPFEQOKPIWRYGJCXG$QDDK$TQYP%JTKUV[6WTNKPIVQP$WTPUCPF Tory Burch. We have enough interviews already to do books three CPFHQWT9GoTGYQTMKPIQPCFCRVKPIVJGƂTUVKPVQCUVTGCOKPIUGTKGU #PFYGoXGIQVVJGUGTKGUCVVJG;UVKNNIQKPIQPUQ[QWMPQYVJKU could go on forever. God knows. AC: What would your advice be to someone who was aspiring to a career in the fashion industry? FM: That's usually my last question to a designer in my interviews. 6JG[CNNJCXGXGT[FKHHGTGPVCPUYGTU/[CFXKEGKUVQTGCFVJGUG books: how every one of these designers have been in that kind of RQUKVKQPJQYVJG[UVCTVGFCPFYJCVVJG[JCFVQFQVQRGTUGXGTG what they had to do to get the funding or what they did when they went bankrupt. That's pretty much what all of them are about: JQYFQ[QWFQVJKUJQYFQ[QWDGEQOGVJKU+VTGCNN[KUVJGCFXKEG +CNYC[UVGNN[QWPIRGQRNGDGEQOGCURQPIG6CMGKVCNNKP,WUV NKUVGPCPFNGCTP)QVQVJGVJGCVGTIQVQOWUGWOUCDUQTDCNNVJCV get away from your computer. There's a world out there. I think the books are the best lesson for anybody. 146 BAL HARBOUR IMAGES COURTESY RIZZOLI: VICTORIA BECKHAM PERSONAL ARCHIVE, BENJAMIN LOZOVSKY/ BFA.COM, STEPHEN LOVEKIN/ GETTY IMAGES FOR IMG, PERSONAL COLLECTION (IRIS AND CARL APFEL), PERSONAL (RICHARD GERE, FERN MALLIS), 92ND STREET Y (DIANE VON FURSTENBERG), PATRICK MCMULLAN, ARTHUR ELGORT PERSONAL ARCHIVE, SHAHID/ KRAUS & COMPANY (BOOK COVER), JOYCE CULVER, MICHAEL PRIEST PHOTOGRAPHY, BOB MACKIE PERSONAL ARCHIVE; JOHN LAMPARSKI/WIREIMAGE (MALLIS)