GODFREY DEENYdiscusses the perks of being an international fashion critic, the travel and celebrity hobnobbing
What was your initial entry into the world of fashion?
I was Milan correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. Someone took me to a fashion show and I was fascinated. I became Paris bureau chief of Women’s Wear Daily, which is the fashion industry’s answer to Variety.
The fact that I was a straight guy, with reasonable table manners, made me something of a rarity in that world. So I got to know all of the designers and went on to become editor-in-chief of Vogue Hommes International.
So you had no formal background in fashion or design?
No, I’m from Armagh. I always had an interest in art, cinema, fashion and style. But I studied economics and politics at Trinity and did a masters in political economy in New York. There are a lot of smoke and mirrors in the fashion industry, so the fact that I can read a balance sheet has proven very helpful over the years.
What are the qualities a decent fashion critic needs?
You need experience. You need some understanding of the raw materials. You need to know how to write to deadline. And you really need to connect the dots. That means connecting fashion not just to the latest movie or whatever, but to statements about women, about their sexuality and their power.
Who is the most fascinating designer working today?
Karl Lagerfeld is an encyclopaedia of knowledge. You just never know what he’s going to do next. He can crack jokes in four languages, and every time you see him he is raving about some new influence that the rest of us have never even heard of. He recently did a show inside what looked like a giant Concorde jet. The next day, he unveiled a line for Net-a-Porter where things cost $200, instead of $5,000 or $10,000. He’s amazing.
So you weren’t outraged when he said that Adele is “too fat”? Are you kidding? She got off fairly lightly, by his standards.
What do you think of the current craze for celebrity clothing lines?
By and large, I find them disgusting. I generally slate them when I get to the shows. Celebrities add nothing and they copy incessantly. I went to a Puff Daddy show and it was appalling: bits of Gucci, bits of Prada, bits of Burberry. It was scandalous. The only exception I would make is, perhaps, Victoria Beckham. I went to her show expecting to sneer at it but ended up being rather impressed.
Have you ever had a reaction to a bad review?
Once I wrote a very damning review of a show by an American designer called Zac Posen. His people said that he was very upset about it. I was disinvited from his next show. I said, “Fine, but if he does that, I won’t see him again for another five years.” That’s my rule. So they called me back and said, okay, you can come. So I went and they seated me in the front row next to Uma Thurman. I can’t say that didn’t colour my review a little. The clothes seemed to just look better somehow!
At the risk of perpetuating stereotypes, does being a straight man in the fashion industry make you something of an oddity?
It does. A lot of CEOs are straight. A lot of retailers are straight. But as far as designers go, probably 85 per cent of them are gay. In terms of editorial, in terms of sitting at the front row, it is very, very rare. Are you into fashion yourself?
Not in the slightest.
Well, at least you’re honest about it.
In fact, when I looked at your resumé, the first thing I thought was it would make a great cover for a secret agent!
That’s actually happened! Landing in Heathrow once, I was pulled aside . . . They said, “Okay, you were in Rio a month ago, Moscow before that, Beijing, New York. What do you do for a living?” They thought I was a bullion smuggler.
But that’s the beauty of this business. If you like to travel, there’s really no better job than fashion. It sucks in all of the most handsome and dashing people, all of the celebrities you’d be curious to meet, and you get to meet them on your own home turf. Armani introduced me to George Clooney. Versace sat me next to Beyoncé. And they’re the ones who are impressed, because you’re seated in the front row.
You’re judging the Hennessy Best Dressed Lady competition at Leopardstown tomorrow. Is there any fashion faux pas guaranteed to kill a candidate’s chances dead in the water?
Please ladies, don’t wear Ugg boots!
