DESIGNER'S DOORWAY

Victoria Bartlett

IN THIS FEATURE: Meet Victoria Fashion Focus Details

So its art before fashion?

VBLT: “I WENT TO THE SIR JOHN KATZ SCHOOL OF ART WITH THIS GUY. HE WORKED AT VIVIENNE WESTWOOD’S STORE. IT’S INSANE THAT A PERSON COULD CHANGE YOU THAT QUICKLY. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. PEOPLE COME INTO YOUR LIFE FOR SO MANY DIFFERENT REASONS. I HAD SO MUCH VIVIENNE WESTWOOD. SHOES, CORSETS CUSTOM MADE. A LOT OF IT GOT STOLEN MOVING. YOU’VE GOT TO DETACH FROM IT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT’S STILL ONLY CLOTHES.

But this Vivienne Westwood dress – the bohemian green, orange, white –still remains a favorite. How did you dress back then 80’s?

VBLT: I USED TO WRAP MY HAIR IN RAGS. I WAS ALSO A BACK UP SINGER FOR A GROUP CALLED CANYON AND MATCHES. IT WAS THE TIME OF THE BUFFALO GIRLS AND THE MUDD CLUB. I CAME TO NEW YORK WHEN I WAS TWENTY YEARS OLD FOR THE FIRST TIME AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. AMAZING CLUBS. AREA, DANCETERIA.

Besides clothing, you store a lot of books, photos. Are they a family legacy?

VBLT: I LOVE OLD MEMORABILIA. AT MY GRANDMOTHER’S PLACE IN ENGLAND, I HUNTED IN ROOMS. LOOK AT THIS DOLLHOUSE SHE HAD! NOWADAYS, THEY HAVE KIDS AND GIVE THEM BARBIE. BEFORE THE COMPUTER, PEOPLE KEPT SCRAPBOOKS. THEY RECORDED THEIR LIVES IN A WAY.

Who are your muses as a designer?

VBLT: MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A DANCER. THIS LAST COLLECTION IS BASED ON ANITA BERBER, THE DANCER. SHE WAS RADICAL, TWISTED. I LOVE MARTHA GRAHAM, HER EARLY RITUALISTIC. ALSO NIJINSKY. AND TENNIS OUTFITS. THEY WERE ONCE CONSIDERED RADICAL. I LIKE BRINGING IT INTO EVERYDAY LIFE. I LOVE GRAPHIC AFRICAN PRINTS AND I’M OBSESSED WITH THE 20’S. PIORET IS ONE OF MY BIGGEST INFLUENCES.

I love old memorabilia. At my grandmother’s place in England, I hunted in rooms. Look at this dollhouse she had! Nowadays, they have kids and give them Barbie. Before the computer, people kept scrapbooks. They recorded their lives in a way.

– Victoria Bartlett

How do you store the fragile old treasures?

VBLT: I PROBABLY SHOULD TAKE MORE CARE OF THEM. THE COSTUME PIECES, I KEEP IN PLASTIC.

The gold mini and jacket you inherited… Madonna wore it in the “Fever” video?

VBLT: IT’S VIVIENNE. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO WEAR ONLY GAULTIER. HE EVEN CAME TO THE SHOOT. SHE CALLED ME BEFORE I FLEW DOWN TO MIAMI. OPENED THE BOX OF CLOTHES AND DIDN’T LIKE THEM. SHE SAID, “I WANT TO BE JOAN OF ARC.” IT WAS 7:30-8 PM THE NIGHT BEFORE AND I WAS LEAVING AT 5 A.M. THE NEXT MORNING. THAT’S WHY I NEVER WANTED TO BE A HARD-CORE CELEBRITY STYLIST. YOU BECOME THEIR LIFE. YOU HAVE TO BE A BIT SYCHOPHANTIC.

LINK: “FEVER” VIDEO/MADONNA
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QCC2GNBE7P4