Why are you drawn to vintage?
I started buying vintage when I was a teenager. At the time, in the 80s, there weren’t so many alternatives, if you didn’t have a big income; there wasn’t all this fast fashion — all these rip-offs — so the only way to have special pieces was really to go to flea markets. Back then, the queen of vintage in Paris was Anouschka, so I used to go to see her a lot. My father [an Argentine diplomat] was living in Washington at the time, and I would also always find really good things there, as well as in Buenos Aires when I would go back to visit… Later, when I joined Azzaro, I started working with Cameron Silver from Decades; through him, I got to know all the American designers, like Halston and Galanos.
I’ve been collecting since 1985. It’s a bit of a nightmare; now I have to rent out a little studio for all of my clothes. I’m a victim of my obsession! As a designer, I’ve always been attracted to timeless beauty. My favorite, favorite decade is the 30s; I have three or four evening gowns — they’re very fragile — and nightgowns, which look like slip dresses. When I was working at Chanel in the 90s, I used to wear a lot of 40s dresses; Karl [Lagerfeld] gave me a few too, which I still have. I don’t have much from the 50s and 60s because it’s really not me — it’s so not my silhouette — but there are a lot of designers that I love from the 70s. One of my favorites is Ossie Clark; my mother used to wear Ossie Clark too. And Saint Laurent, Guy Laroche, Louis Féraud, and Marc Bolan for Dior… The 70s were inspired by the 30s, you know, and I think what’s in common is their beauty and simplicity, which is a bit timeless. I also like mixing in random vintage pieces — pieces that aren’t signed but are spectacular — which is what I find a lot in Los Angeles. I love the street vintage you find in the States.