For the next installment of the Lingerie On Film profiles, we chatted with our friend and CDFA nominated menswear designer, Robert Geller. 

Robert Geller was nominated this year for the CFDA Menswear of the Year Award, among Tim Coppens, Thom Browne, Raf Simons for Calvin Klein and Todd Snyder.

Robert was a participant in our 2011 look book; here we asked him to answer some questions regarding, well......all kinds of things.

Stella Jones: Do you remember how you met Araks, and what is your first memory of her?

Robert Geller: We met at my wife’s showroom (Fiftytwo Showroom) many, many years ago. She cracked me up, because she was waiting for Barney’s and I think that they had rescheduled twice already and we laughed about how awful that felt. I loved that she didn’t get anxious or sad. She was laughing about it and I knew she was my kind of a person.

SJ: Where did you grow up?  What were you into as an adolescent?

RG: I grew up in Germany until I was 21, except for three years when I lived in LA. I was into skating and smoking and hanging out with friends and falling in love.

SJ: When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up 

RG: First a cook, when I was really young, then a photographer. I even worked as an assistant for 2 years after high school. I switched to fashion at RISD.

SJ: When did you know you wanted to be a fashion designer?

RG: I’m not sure there ever was that moment. I knew that I wanted to learn how to be a fashion designer when I was at RISD. I think it may have happened at my first Marc Jacobs show. I was an intern there and I remember when the run-through started, the lights and music came on and these amazing creatures started stomping down the runway. My eyes filled with tears and I felt that I was watching the essence of everything that had ever attracted me in my life.

SJ: Which traits have led you to where you are today?

RG: I think it is mainly authenticity. I was never good or interested in faking anything, so I worked hard to make things that are real, act real and have real conversations and interests.

SJ: Did you work for any designers before starting your own label?  If so, who?  If not, what was your path?

RG: I worked for Marc Jacobs for 2 years and then relaunched Cloak with Alexander Plokhov. Those experiences taught me all the things that school couldn’t, how it all works and how fucked up this industry is.

SJ: What is favorite part of being a designer?

RG: Designing. I love the process of having ideas and being able to turn them into clothes.

SJ: Is there a particular time period in fashion or sub culture that you feel a special kinship with stylistically?

RG: I think I feel super close to the whole post-punk thing. I like the time, I like the sound and I like the look.

SJ: Can you tell us some of your muses through the years?

RG: Really just one: Klaus Kinski

SJ: How does your work influence the way you see the world?

RG: It’s the other way around. I think that it is the way that I see the world that let’s me design the way I do. I feel like I am a filter that processes the outside world and produces designs on the other end.

SJ: Describe your style in three words

RG: Romantic. Masculine. Worn.

SJ: What is something that you feel is overrated?  Underrated?

RG: Hype is overrated. It is a career killer.

SJ: Is there anything you could recommend to us?

RG: There is a band named The Sound. It’s a hidden Gem. It is early 80’s post-Punk heaven.

SJ: Can you tell us a joke?

RG: Yeah, my daughter just told me one. Why was the Math book so depressed? Because it had soo many problems. :)

SJ: What’s your favorite Instagram post that didn’t receive the love you think it deserves? 

RG: Whenever I post a picture of my family I lose like 100 followers. So fucked up :)

SJ: What is your favorite Instagram account?

RG: Araks, of course.

SJ: What item of clothing have you gotten rid of but wish you still had?

RG: Nothing. I really don’t regret much. Not that I don’t make mistakes, I just don’t feel a lot of regret.

SJ: Could you name a quote that sums up how you live your life?

RG: “Life doesn’t have to be either or."

SJ: What’s your favorite store to shop when buying something for your wife?

RG: There is a little store called Feliz in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Near to where we live. It is full of beautiful little things.

SJ: Best piece of advice you have been given?

RG: “Never settle for unhappy."

SJ: What’s the last photo you took?  If it’s good, can you share?

SJ: What are you currently…

SJ: Coveting?

RG: My Wife

SJ: Wanderlusting?

RG: An Island with turquoise water and tons of colorful fish.

SJ: Watching?

RG: Twin Peaks

SJ: Listening?

RG: A lot of Nina Simone

SJ: Reading?

RG: Just Started Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Not sure if it is any good.

SJ: Dreaming?

RG: About warm days in New York and running and eating healthy and feeling really good.

SJ: Beauty is:

RG: Being at the bottom of the pile underneath my three daughters and my wife in our Sunday morning love fest. Wait, I hope that doesn’t sound weird. Ana and I grab our three young daughters and we try to hug them for as long as possible : )

Thank you Robbie! 

To see all the editions of from the Lingerie on Film Lookbooks, click here.

http://www.robertgeller-ny.com/

Illustration by Cerise Zelenetz

~ Wear your Ally Pajama Pants out on balmy Spring nights with a feather light turtleneck and modern heeled sandals. Adding a clean, rolled cuff is also a welcome idea.

~ Collect an assortment of seven uniquely scented perfumes and alternate use with each day of the week. This rotational routine will keep your hectic schedule dreamily on track.

~ Invite each of your closest co-workers to bring their favorite trail mix component to the office. Create a collective snack mix to share communally at meetings.

~ Affix artificial pink roses to the collar of your family dog. Take him on a leisurely stroll through your nearest botanical garden.

~ Scatter your pocket change throughout your home. Go back and pick up each coin separately while performing a walking lunge.

~ On rainy Spring days, pack a picnic of tapas along with sangria. Spread a light blanket and enjoy with friends on your living room floor.

~ Locate a street within walking distance that you’ve never visited before. Stroll over on a sunny day and initiate a verbal exchange with someone you encounter on the way.

~ Slide a drawing of your partner’s favorite flower into their pocket as they head to work. When they arrive home, greet them with a tangible bouquet of the flower you penned.

~ Improvise a dinner recipe inspired by the last inspiring movie you saw.

~ Shop the Ally Pajama Pant.  

This Mother's Day, Araks shares with us her top 10 things about being a mom ~

1. I’m a goddess in my boys’ eyes.
2. They always tell me like it is, especially when it comes to my outfits.
3. We get out and explore the city all the time. They inspire me to find new experiences we can share together.
4. I played baseball the other day for the first time ever.
5. They love to cook. Breakfasts in bed and candlelit lunches are regular occurrences.
6. I’ve read so many wonderful books that I wouldn’t have otherwise, like the Wizard of Oz, Winnie the Pooh, and various stories by Hans Christian Andersen.
7. Endless, delicious cuddles.
8. They keep me healthy and fit. They follow my lead, so I only keep healthy food in the house.
9. The like-minded friends I’ve made through their school, people I would have not otherwise been connected to.
10. They go to bed at 8 o’clock.

A few weeks ago, I visited the Brooklyn Museum too see the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit. Before entering the exhibit, I noticed the signs for Judy Chicago’s permanent installation, The Dinner Party.   I couldn’t believe it; I didn’t know that it was housed permanently anywhere. I’ve known of this piece of work since I was young, but had never seen it in person.  

Presented in 1979, the exhibit consists of a large triangle table with thirty-nine seats for mythically and historically significant women.

Each place setting has a table runner, napkin, utensils, glass, and plate all crafted by hand.  The plates and table runners are uniquely designed for the women they honor. The table runners were executed in the needlework of the time and region in which each woman lived. The china plates, stylized vulvas representative of each woman and the period of time that they made their mark upon history.

In addition to the honored thirty-nine women, nine hundred and ninety nine other women are recognized as well. Their names are inscribed in gold on the white tile floor, on which the table sits. 

The Dinner Party is a labor of love, taking six years to produce and having as many as four hundred contributors (mostly women but some men too.)   It’s intention to celebrate celebrate women’s heritage in creative culture.

 Permanently residing at the Brooklyn Museum, if you are near, I definitely recommend an afternoon to see this amazing piece of work.

The three sides of the triangle shaped table honor women from different periods of time.  Prehistory to the Roman Empire, the beginnings of Christianity to the Reformation, and The American Revolution to feminism.

 The Primordial Goddess is the first place setting on the table.

Six Aubusson tapestry banners hang at the entry of the installation. The banners are stitched with fragments of a poem written by Judy Chicago.

Judy in her china painting studio

The Needlework Loft

Judy working on the banners to adorn the entrance.

Volunteers work on the 999 names inscribed on the Heritage Floor.  

Shooting the swim lookbook is one of our most favorite projects of the year.   We love creating this book because it’s all about collaboration.   Every year we work with a great team ~ a photographer, art director, stylist, and a hair & makeup artist to create beautiful images that speak to the Spring swim collection.  This year we shot in the beautiful Minnewaska State Park, just north of New York City.  Here are a few shots taken from behind the scenes......  

 Our creative director, Tony Yumul, holding the shot list.

Photographer, Matthew Kristall, with his assistants throwing some shade for the photo. 

Elmar One Piece Poppy Rosso ~ shop 

 As they say, it takes a village.

Melika One Piece Black ~ shop

 It's all about the lighting.

Emeline One Piece Midnight Stripe ~ shop

Margot Cover-Up Midnight Stripe ~ shop

 Jireh One Piece Bali ~ shop

Joy Bikini Top Midnight Stripe ~ shop

Millie Bikini Bottom Midnight Stripe ~ shop

Mena One Piece ~ shop 

Araks and Tony making sure we got the shot. 

Elias Bikini Top Poppy ~ shop

 Araks taking a shot of the shot.

 The shot.

Maya Bikini Top Black ~ shop

Matlida Bikini Bottom Black ~ shop

"Diana Vreeland is a fashion icon, and someone I looked up to as a young designer.  It was her advice column " Why Don't you" that she wrote for Harpers Bazaar, that especially spoke to me.  It was outrageous and stylish.  In honor of her, we have created our own version through the Araks lens." ~ Araks Yeramyan

Illustration by Cerise Zelenetz

~ Use your shirt sleeve to blot excess lipstick, creating a wearable Warholian artwork over time.

~ Get out of bed tomorrow on your tiptoes, carrying out your morning routine this way.  Your posture and balance will improve tremendously.

~ Keep a container of blowing bubbles in your shower.  Use them often.

~ Text your significant other using only haikus for a full day.

~ Wear your sweatshirt inside out.  The fleece will feel wonderful when crossing your arms.

~ Buy two of the same silk scarf, attach one to your luggage and one to your pocket bag while traveling cross continentally.

~ Get to your office five minutes before anyone else and dance with feeling to an upbeat song.

~ Give each of your children half a crusty baguette, allowing them to feed ducks and pigeons as they please.

~ Cut your morning toast into four equal parts and spread a different type of tropical fruit preserve atop each

~ Disassemble a fragrant bouquet, place each flower in a separate vase, then group the individual vases together again as a modern centerpiece.

JB:  Can you tell me what being inspired feels like to you?
AY:  It feels like I'm coming to life.  It feels like energy, happiness, and excitement.  Color makes me feel totally inspired, and it also makes me extremely happy.   A pile of assorted color can completely change my mood.  I wonder if this happens to other people?

JB:  How long do you spend researching a collection?
AY: Technically speaking, we have about a month to research for each collection.   But, it's a constant and continual process.

JB:  And so, how do you begin?
AY:  There's really no beginning.  I'm always gathering things and putting them into piles for later sorting.   Being inspired is such an integral part of my work.  It's kind of the same thing as needing to eat food every day.   Beyond going to museums or researching vintage, I try to find and see the beautiful things in my every day life.   I can be inspired by someone I see on the street, or how some shadows are, or a cool building on the side of the highway.  

This is a photo i took in my hotel room in Paris. 

A cool floor that I was walking on

 
JB:  Have the subjects that inspire you changed a lot through the years?  
AY:  No, not really.  They vary from season to season, but always fall into the same camps.  I don’t flip flop around, it’s more of an evolution.  I’ll go back to inspiration from a prior season, and look at it differently.  I don’t really re-invent.  It’s more about refining for me.  I am always searching for new stuff, but I am drawn to the same kinds of things.

JB:  What are some of the subjects or themes that you keep coming back to?
AY:  The Twenties, 1997, and the Victorian period.  

Miu Miu 1997

I also love imagery of cultures that mixed Victorian dress with their own fashion and style.  The Herero Tribe of Namibia, Southern Africa is a beautiful example.   They adopted the German missionaries' Victorian style floor length gowns and mixed the silhouette with their sense of vivid color and cow horn shaped headdresses.

Photo by Jim Naughten

JB:  What movies have inspired you?
AY:  Harold and Maude by Hal Ashby.  The Color of Pomegranates by Sergie Parajanov.  Black Girl by Ousmane Sembene.  

It's not a movie, but I love The Jelly Film by artist Jenny Van Sommers 

JB:  What artists inspire you most?
AY:  Rachel Feinstein, Rudolph Stingel, Kara Walker, Rachel Whiteread, John Currin, and Joe-Graham Felsen.

The Shack ~ Rachel Feinstein, 2001

JB:  What photographers are you most drawn to?
AY:  Roni Horn, Sara Moon, Irving Penn, and Philip-Lorca DiCorcia.

Sarah Moon

JB:  Have you seen anything recently that has stuck with you?
AY:  Agnes Martin at the Guggenheim 

JB:  How about places?
AY:  Zion National Park, I went there a couple of years ago with my kids.

Emeline One Piece Swimsuit Midnight Stripe ~ shop

Margot Midnight Stripe Cover~Up Midnight Stripe ~ shop

Maya Bikini Top Black ~ shop

Matlida Bikini Bottom Black ~ shop

Elias Bikini Top Poppy ~ shop

Jireh One Piece Bali ~ shop

Emeline One Piece ~ shop

Melika One Piece Black ~ shop

Myriam Bikini Top Lemon ~ shop

Mallory Bikini Bottom Lemon ~ shop

Elmar Poppy Rosso ~ shop

Mena One Piece ~ shop

Mica Bikini Top ~ shop

Millie Bikini Bottom ~ shop

Joy Bikini Top Midnight Stripe ~ shop

Millie Bikini Bottom Midnight Stripe ~ shop

By Brittany Asch

By Billal Taright

By Billal Taright

By Brittany Asch

By Ana Kras

By Ana Kras

 By Phoebe Tonkin

By Quentin Jones

By Quentin Jones

By Sabine Getty

By Sabine Getty

By Stephanie Lacava

By Laura Bailey

By Laura Bailey

By Caroline Issa

By Serafina Sama

By Serafina Sama

Adina Fohlin is a Swedish model and photographer. She has been described as a girl who does not resemble a typical model, yet she has been on the cover of Japanese and Italian Vogue as well as Flair, The Face, and Swedish Elle. She has walked the runways of Christian Dior, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, YSL Rive Gauche, and Prada.

Stella Jones:  What are you up to now?

AF: I recently finished my thesis in gender studies where I wrote about fashion, so now I have time to focus on my photography again.  I recently shot Maja Gunn’s doctors thesis in fashion.  It’s a project that I am very proud to be a part of, and it was fun because I was both behind and in front of the camera.  Other than photography I have some ongoing art projects.  This summer I will mostly work at a summer camp in the Stockholm archipelago.  Spending time with kids and teenagers is so much fun and inspiring.  Oh, and I’m part of a dance group that will perform in a fountain this summer. 

SJ: Tell us about where you were raised.

AF:  I grew up in the capital of Sweden, Stockholm.  In the southern part of the city center called Södermalm.  It was a bohemian neighborhood then, where a lot of artists and such lived.  I didn’t go to kindergarten.  Instead I would spend time at the theater around the corner from where we lived, where my dad worked as an actor.  I also spent a lot of time at my mum's work borrowing CDs.  My mum worked at the Public Radio station so their music library was pretty extensive.

SJ:  When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?  

AF: I wanted to join the Circus

SJ: What is a girl’s best friend?

AF: Menstrual cups! The best!

SJ: If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?

AF: I love being in the water so it has to be an animal that lives in water.  Since amphibians are the animals most likely to survive climate change (because they can survive both in water and on land), it definitely has to be such an animal.  My conclusion is a mermaid! 

SJ: What was the last picture you took on your phone?

AF: This accidental selfie.

SJ: Do you have a certain outfit that you love wearing, but that your partner dislikes?

AF: She doesn’t seem to dislike anything that I wear. I think she’s really in love with me.

SJ:  What item of clothing have you gotten rid of but wished you still had?   Why did you get rid of it?

AF:   Nothing. I don’t regret getting rid of any clothing

SJ: What is the best gift you’ve given someone?

AF: Breaking up with someone I loved because, for a reason, our relationship was destructive.

SJ:  What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

AF: Sheep testicles in Morocco

SJ:  What is your go-to emoji?

AF:  I love emojis. I have theme all over my house - on pillows and cups and on clothing.  I can’t pick one.  It would be like picking a favorite child.

SJ: What is your favorite Instagram account?

AF: @Nasa because I love knowing about the planets and such. I also really love @swedish_interior which shows images of the Swedish housing market.

Here are a few of the pictures that Adina took for the Lingerie On Film, Spring 2011 Edition ~ Thanks, Adina!

Photos by Adina Fohlin

Photo by Adina Fohlin 

You can find Adina here ~ www.adinafohlin.com  and here ~ @Adinafohlin 

If you like to laugh, check out her hilarious hashtag ~ #shoppingflopping

To book Adina for modeling or acting jobs, head over to www.mikas.se 

Julie Burgardt:  How do you put your color stories together?   How does the process begin?

Araks Yeramyan:  The selection of color is where I spend the most time in my design process.   I start with a color that I have not seen in a long, long time and the rest follows.  After selecting the main seasonal colors, I fill the palette with a selection of neutrals.  Then, at the end I work in one strange color to bring it all together.

Our color library is stored in one gallon glass jars.  I begin by going into my jars and pulling out twenty to thirty shades of the colors that I want to work with.  Then, I spread all of the swatches onto a large board to start looking at their relationships to one another.  From there, I start to edit down.  I will work on the board and then step away, work and step away, a little bit each day. I never know how long its going to take to get down to the final selection.   I’m only clear when it’s done.  Sometimes it takes a week, occasionally it takes as long as a month. 

 The beginnings of a color story

A palette in progress

A completed lingerie palette with fabric indications

JB:  Do you have any rules when it comes to certain colors for certain seasons.  Or, do you think about colors in a seasonal way at all?

AY:  I start there. If I'm in spring I might start with a few lighter brighter colors or at least make sure that they are represented in the scheme;  it can go anywhere from there.  Lately, I love the contrast between light and bright colors and moody dark ones in the same palette. 

JB:  How do swim palettes and lingerie palettes differ?

AY:  I start working with the lingerie palette first, and once it is completed I use it as a starting point for the swim colors.  I have an intention for them to look similar and related.  Lingerie is softer with more neutrals.  Swim is usually bright bold colors, and I use red and blues as our neutrals.

Color allocation for swim and lingerie ~ High Summer 2016

JB:  What’s your earliest memory of color?

AY:  My room as a baby was not typical.  Hanging from my ceiling was a reproduction of a calder mobile, and on the walls we had a Van Gough yellow daisy and a Picasso from the Blue Period.  My Dad was really into art and having us understand color.  From my earliest memories he gave us three colored pencils - red, yellow, and blue along with a color wheel.  He insisted that all colors could be created from these three.  We were limited to this assortment of colors until we were old enough to go out and buy our own.  

JB:   How old were you when you could buy your own and what did you buy?

AY:   At about thirteen or fourteen I went to the art supply store and I bought an assortment of oil pastels.  I was obsessed with the intense saturated color.   I also bought a box set of seventy two Derwent watercolor pencils.  I still have them.

JB:  You mentioned being around art since you were a baby.  What artist has impacted your use of color the most?

AY:  When we were young we made regular visits to the Philadelphia Art Museum.  At the entrance of the Modern Art section (my favorite part) there was this big pale pink painting. Every time I came upon it, my whole mood changed, and I was filled with excitement.  I could never get enough.  I would love to go back and see if the painting is still there, and I would really love to know who painted it. 

My first favorite period of art was definitely Pop.  At an early age I grew obsessed with Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. I devoured everything I could about them and their work.  I remember the paintings I worked on at this age.  I would mix their two styles together to make my own.   That obsession lasted through my early twenties, and I still get excited when I see works from these two artists that I have never seen before.  

 Entrance of Araks' apartment - this is where threads are stored and it also serves as color therapy.  Photographed by Maria Del Rio for Mother Magazine

JB:  How do you like to wear color?

AY:  All of the color in my outfits show up in my lingerie and shoes.  Occasionally I wear a pop of bright color in my clothes, (usually trousers) but if you open my closet doors you will mostly see navy, black, white, and many shades of grey.  Whenever I see the color green, I feel the need to buy it ~ from shoes to bags to trousers.  Recently I saw the most beautiful dark green yarn.   I instantly purchased it and knit myself a hat.

Photographed by Maria Del Rio for Mother Magazine

I always loved his work, and I had only seen one or two pieces at a time at art fairs before this show.  
I was completely blow away to see it all together.  I want one.  Up at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. until October 17, 2015.

By Sarah Harris

By Jason Schwartzman

By Brady Cunningham

By Jason Schwartzman

By Brady Cunningham

By Vanessa Traina Snow & Melanie Glass

By Vanessa Traina Snow & Melanie Glass

By Sofia Sanchez

By Sofia Sanchez

By Sarah Harris

By Sarah Harris 

By Maryam Nassir Zadeh

By Max Osterweis

By Max Osterweis

By Leandra Medine

By Leandra Medine

By Alexia Niedzielski

By Kate Foley

By Kate Foley 

By Christene Barberich

By Richie Culver

By Elin Svahn

By Elin Svahn

In 1692 an artist known only as “A. Boogert” created a 800+ page handwritten treatise on color. He used water colors to create certain hues and change the tone by adding water. The book was intended as an educational guide.

Made-up flags by Mariana Abasolo. See more from Mariana Abasolo here

Found these while doing research for Spring 2015. 

"Maybe not the best things to wear while swimming, but certainly not the worst."

"That awkward moment when you realize your cat might have it out for you…even though you got her a cat tipi!"

"Apparently even unicorns party so hard that they wake up in the morning, hungover with no idea what happened last night." 

"Modest cacti heart Araks."

Love the photo series TENOVERSIX did with Araks lingerie - inspired by our own lingerie lookbook collaborations. You can see the whole story on their blog here.