Author Archives: Phil Chanda
THE WARHOLIAN QUESTIONNAIRE: Carolina Herrera
Herrera may be best known for her clean lines, her elegant silhouettes, her celebrity clientele (Renée Zellweger, Amy Adams, and the late great Jackie-O among them), and a kind of effortless aura of uptown chic. But jet-setting between New York and Caracas in the 1970s, the then-budding Venezuelan-American fashion designer was known as something of a fixture in what is now the iconic Studio 54. She watched Halston shows with Bianca Jagger; she danced with Andy Warhol at Studio—and cleverly scored a portrait session with him at the Factory. Here, Herrera uses our Warholian Questionnaire to reflect on that bygone time and Warhol’s eternal legacy.
What was your first Warholian moment and when did you first encounter him?
I don’t remember when. It must have been in the seventies at a party that Ahmet and Mica Ertegun gave for Bobby Short.
What are your latest cultural obsessions?
Poetry
What would you consider Warhol’s most memorable quote or anthem?
One night at a party at Regine’s, Andy was taking pictures right and left and my husband Reinaldo said to him “give me your camera and I will take a picture of you” and Andy answered “But I have no film. I like to see the faces and the ridiculous vanity of people. GOSH! GEE! OH!”
If you could collaborate with Andy on a project, what would it be?
Go shopping with him. He had an extraordinary eye.
Dream night out on the town: you, Warhol, and…?
Catherine Guinness and Steve Rubell
Whose portrait would Andy most want to do now?
Madame Peng Liyuan – The Chinese President’s wife
What’s the best party you’ve ever attended or threw?
I have gone to many great parties, but the most amusing I ever threw was a New Years dinner dance where Taki Theodoracopulos and Reinaldo invited everyone they met the night before. I cannot tell you who showed up for the dance.
Warhol once said: “I have a social disease. I have to go out every night. If I stay home one night I start spreading rumors to my dogs.” Warhol—introvert or extrovert?
Andy was the most introverted extrovert I have ever met!
When I say Studio 54, you think:
Fantasy made reality
Last party tune you downloaded:
A little bit of loving by Mambo No. 5
‘All of us knew . . . that we weren’t at the opening of a discotheque but the opening of something historical.”
- Anthony Haden-Guest“Occasionally, they can’t see me. I’m too short.”
- Capote, in response“Did you have a hard time getting in, Truman?”
- Andy Warhol to writer Truman Capote, Interview Magazine, February 1979“On a good night Studio 54 was the best party of your life. Everything was happening at the same moment: there was the woman’s movement, the gay movement, ethnic movements of all kinds. The whole place was combustible with energy.”
- Anthony Haden-Guest“I love going out every night. It’s so exciting.”
- Andy Warhol“The key of the success of Studio 54 is that it’s a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor.”
- Andy WarholTHE WARHOLIAN QUESTIONNAIRE: CAITLIN FREEMAN
It’s no surprise that we have a major sweet tooth for Caitlin Freeman’s art-inspired confections. From her café in SF MoMA’s rooftop sculpture garden, this pastry perfectionist turns out mouth-watering treats inspired by the art downstairs (her famed Mondrian cake puts Betty Crocker to shame), taking the notion of artful eating to a whole new level. A self-taught baker, Freeman is also the in-house pastry chef for the cult coffee roaster and café, Blue Bottle Coffee. Don’t miss the April 2013 publication of her new book, Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art.
Freeman’s Warhol Jell-O
What was your first Warholian moment, and when did you first encounter him?
I can’t recall when I first became aware of Warhol. But I do know that my deeper introduction to him was by way of a used book store on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. It was about 8pm, it was in a bin outside, and I was on my way to eat deep dish pizza. It was right at the point in my life (my first year of college, 1993) where I was realizing that maybe I would be an art student instead of a dentist.
What or who would be Andy’s muse if he were alive today?
Lindsay Lohan.
What are your latest cultural obsessions?
Celebrity gossip, facebook, America’s Funniest Videos.
What would you consider Warhol’s most memorable quote or anthem?
“Uh, gee, great”. I love that so much was considered art when it came to Warhol, and that such an inane utterance would be considered a quote.
If you could collaborate with Andy on a project, what would it be?
Jell-O, of course.
Dream dinner-party: you, Warhol, and…?
The Jellymongers, Sam Bompas and Harry Parr.
Imagine Warhol had a Twitter account. What kind of thing might he say in 140 characters or less?
Um, gee, great.
Whose portrait would Andy most want to do now?
Osama bin Laden would be quite a provocation.
Soup can or Coke bottle?
Pepper Pot Soup.
Drag every day or only on special occasions?
I like it when people save their razzle dazzle for special occasions.
THE WARHOLIAN QUESTIONNAIRE: LEANDRA MEDINE OF THE MAN REPELLER
On her cult-favorite fashion blog, The Man Repeller, the fabulous Leandra Medine has sanctioned a new breed of style defined by its “sartorially offensive” approach that “may result in repelling members of the opposite sex.” (Case in point: at her recent wedding, Medine reportedly paired her off-the-rack Marchesa gown with a white satin motorcycle jacket by Rebecca Minkoff and sparkly platform lace-ups bearing her and her new man’s initials.) Donning shoulder pads, harem pants and denim jumpsuits with equal parts gusto and glam, we salute this young fashionista’s refusal to take style – and life – too seriously.
What was your first Warholian moment, and when did you first encounter him?
Early in high school–a marketing teacher used his Campbell’s soup cans as an example of something I can’t quite remember. The imagery was obviously far more impressionable than the corresponding point about it.
What are your latest cultural obsessions?
Frankly, I’ve become obsessed with what the internet is doing to my generation so mobile apps, see: Instagram, Tinder, Snapchat, Vine and the way in which we interact with these apps/what it’s doing to our social skills.
What would you consider Warhol’s most memorable quote or anthem?
“In the future, everybody will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.” How right he was.
If you could collaborate with Andy on a project, what would it be?
A huge print dedicated to the S.C.U.M. Manifesto in a huge bout of irony indigenous to my gen.
Dream night out on the town: you, Warhol, and…?
George Saunders.
Imagine Warhol had a Twitter account, what kind of thing might say in 140 characters or less?
He would not use it. He’d rack up the followers and maybe, maybe, one time tweet something like, “there is no public display of thought without a voice attached to it.”
Whose portrait would Andy most want to do now?
Maybe a Cara Delevingne type.
Favorite local watering hole?
Tom and Jerry’s on Bleecker.
Best party you ever attended or threw?
My wedding, duh. There was a strict policy that mandated no guests were allowed to leave without having consumed at least three tequila shots.
Andy once said, “I have social disease. I have to go out every night.” What about you – introvert or extrovert?
According to Myers Briggs, 88% extrovert. That said, however, I do like staying home.
Last party tune you downloaded?
I’m still listening to “I Love It” by Icona Pop.
Drag every day or only on special occasions?
Never.
Follow Leandra:
Twitter: @ManRepeller
Instagram: @ManRepeller
www.manrepeller.com
THE WARHOLIAN QUESTIONNAIRE: DEREK BLASBERG
In the same way that Andy held court behind the velvet ropes at Studio 54, Derek Blasberg can be found most evenings rubbing shoulders with the hottest artists, fashion designers, supermodels and socialites du jour – many of whom he counts as close friends. It’s all in a day’s work for the globe-trotting fashion writer, editor, and New York Times best-selling author, who currently serves as the Editor at Large of Harper’s Bazaar and V magazine, and contributes regularly to titles like Vogue, WSJ Magazine, W, Women’s Wear Daily and the London Sunday Times. You can also find him on his website, MrBlasberg.com, where he muses on such topics as best-dressed lists and behind-the-scenes at London Fashion Week. We couldn’t wait to pick Derek’s brain on all things Warhol, starting with his first eye-opening encounter of the Pop master’s work (let’s just say Liz made a lasting impression).
What was your first Warholian moment, when did you first encounter him?
I grew up in Missouri, and my mom would take me to the St. Louis Art Museum often. My first Warhol moment is actually one of my first art moments: she stood me in front of one of his Liz Taylor silkscreens, and I remember being transfixed and impressed and confused. After so many school trips to look at pictures of Old Masters and naked chubby women on velvet couches, I was stunned by the colorful, wonderful idea of Pop art. Been a fan ever since.
Who would be Andy’s muse if he were alive today?
Jeez, probably Lindsay Lohan.
What are your latest cultural obsessions?
I’m obsessed with social media because I think I need to be better at it.
If Warhol were alive today, who’s runway show would Andy attend?
I think he and Marc Jacobs would get along in New York, and perhaps Karl Lagerfeld in Paris.
If you could collaborate with Andy on a project, what would it be?
A movie, of course.
Dream dinner-party: you, Warhol, and…..?
No one else, of course. I want his full attention.
Imagine Warhol had a Twitter account. What kind of thing might he say in 140 characters or less?
I imagine Andy would say very little, but retweet a lot of other people’s amusing observations.
Whose portrait would Andy most want to do if he were alive today?
Barack Obama, don’t you think?
If you could own one work by Andy, what would it be?
Andy and I are both fans of wiener dogs, and he did some drawings and paintings of them. I want one of those.
Soup can or Coke bottle?
Soup. I’m always cold.
Studio 54 or Régine’s or Jane Hotel?
Studio 54. One hundred percent. I’m waiting for disco to come back!
Follow Derek
Twitter: @derekblasberg
Instagram: @derekblasberg
