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Johnny Weir Talks Fashion, Reality Show, More
Thursday, May 19, 2011
BY KELLY NICHOLAIDES
On or off the ice, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir is equally famous for his athleticism, fashion choices, hairstyles and unapologetic attitude. The three-time U.S. National Champion (2004-2006), 2008 bronze medalist, two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist and 2001 World Junior Champion, Weir, in 2010, was ranked 12th in the world by the International Skating Union (ISU). He moved to Lyndhurst in 2007.
Weir, 26, took time out of his busy schedule of promoting his book, "Welcome to My World" (2011) and reality show to talk to the South Bergenite about his gender bender style, what every man and woman should have in their closet, his favorite area shopping destinations, his hair, his debut as a fashion designer, and of course, figure skating.
South Bergenite: You're a famous Olympic skater, but you have also transformed into a pop culture icon with an eccentric fashion sense and hairstyles. What and who inspires your fashion choices? How do you go about putting a unique outfit together?
Johnny Weir: I am inspired by my mood more than anything. I love fashion and love to "live" fashion, but there are certain days where you just can't get into a pair of skin tight leather pants, so I dress the way I feel. I'm very inspired by many fashion luminaries like Karl Lagerfeld and Lady Gaga, but when I get ready for an event I imagine what my whole look will look like, down to my nails. I like my looks to be cohesive. If I'm wearing a giant fur coat, my hair has to be equally large for balance. I like to play with masculine versus feminine, and color and shape. I like to play and never take myself too seriously, and that influences my fashion.
SB: You live in Lyndhurst, just miles away from New York City the epicenter for fashion in the US, but also just miles from Paramus, the epicenter for fashion in Bergen County. Where do you shop locally when you thirst for new clothing? Is the mall out of the question?
JW: The mall is never out of the question! I go every month to Garden State Plaza and visit Neiman Marcus or Hermes and Ilori at Riverside. My favorite place to shop in New Jersey is at Steven Corn Furs in Paramus. I of course choose to hit the New York City shops more often than the malls in Jersey because I find the selection in New York is a little more cutting edge and progressive than anything I've found in New Jersey. In New York, I love Barneys, King of Greene Street, Chanel and Jeffrey.
SB: You designed most of your costumes when skating and thrust yourself into a double alter ego for a time, skater/fashion designer. Many still see you as a figure skater, however, who likes fashion. Do you consider an authority on both? Why should people listen to your fashion advice?
JW: I think because of my world travel and a very real picture of what's hot all over the world, I can give good advice on fashion and costuming. I consider myself a figure skater before anything else, but I'm so excited that the fashion world has opened up to my vision and my opinion, even to the point where I designed for furrier Adrienne Landau and also I have a line on edressme.com. As my own personal costumer, I love avant garde and extravagant costumes, but in fashion I have a lot of restraint and a vision that is very feminine and unique. I think the fashion world is so open to me because I don't say I am a fashionable person, I don't brag about anything I acquire, I simply love fashion as an art form and wear only what I love.
SB: Who is your favorite clothing designer? Why?
JW: My favorite designer is definitely Karl Lagerfeld. He can do so many things for his own line, change them completely for Chanel, and then completely determine what is chic, and in many cases, who is chic. I adore his work and believe in his talent. I also love my dear friend Chris Benz's designs. He's a young American New York City-based designer and I think he's far better and more talented than any American designers who've come before him. Christian Louboutin is preparing a pair of skates for me and I've been a huge fan of his for years, and I also love British designer Garreth Pugh and Russian designer Denis Simachev.
SB: Who designs your clothes now?
JW: In my day-to-day life I wear a huge range of designers and wear my treasures from all over the world. I still design all of my costumes and hopefully soon all my girlfriends and fans will be wearing Johnny Weir through edressme.com.
SB: What should every man and woman have in their closet?
JW: Every man should have an immaculate black blazer. You can throw it on over a T-shirt and a pair of dark jeans and always look handsome and well put together. I think every woman should have a Johnny Weir little black dress, that can go anywhere and be so versatile. They should also have a pair of Louboutin heels; they are the height of sexy.
SB: What's in your closet?
JW: The question should be, what isn't in my closet? I have everything from a corset I used from a recent shoot that came from Lady Gaga, I have the samples from my collection, I have many furs, Russian military coats, Louboutins, Rick Owen's wedge booties, a Hermes Birkin and a gorgeous Martin Margiella blazer I got at Century 21 in Paramus!
SB: What's your most essential piece of clothing? Accessory?
JW: I love jeggings. I have big legs and a big butt from skating, and J Brand leggings are the best thing that will fit my waist and stretch over my bulging leg muscles, ha, ha. I wear a lot of fur which many people hate about me, but I even wear it in summer, and a good coat is essential to me. I carry a purse every day, not even a man bag, it's a full on purse. Chanel, Hermes, Balenciaga, doesn't matter, I'll always have one. I also can't live without my Yankees cap.
SB: What kind of fur coats and fur accessories do you own? How do you respond to critics who slam you for wearing fur?
JW: Wearing fur is a personal choice and I understand that not everyone supports or likes fur for their personal reasons. I don't bend to critics in any aspect of my life and if I enjoy fur, I'm going to wear it. I have everything from lynx to sable, many colors of mink and beaver. I've got Russian trapper hats, and amazing fur-trimmed gloves and boots. I go to Russia a lot in the middle of winter and if you go out in a plastic coat, you'll get frostbite.
SB: You sported a pink/black mullet for "Sex & the City 2" on May 21, 2010. How did you modernize this style? Do you see a future for mullets?
JW: My hair stylist, Eric Alt, loves to explore new styles with me and I have always had long hair. Playing with my mullet is something we do for fun as I'll never change my style. I grew up in Amish country in Pennsylvania and mullets were quite common, my father still has one. I own my mullet and love to change it up to modernize or go with the theme of an event. Owning and accepting everything good and bad about your looks is the first step of being fashionable.
SB: You wore a cross between a black bun and a "Snooki" poof to the Aug. 3, 2010 GLAAD event in Manhattan. How would you bring back the 1980s big hair trend without looking dated?
JW: I've rocked a "poof" since 2005, long before Snooki dominated our airwaves, so I take partial responsibility for the passion of the modern poof. I think if you don't do a full on '80s look, with the clothes, plus make-up, plus hair, you're golden. Fashion always comes around in five- or 10-year cycles, so what's dated and gross today is hot tomorrow, so I just wear what I like. I try not to be trendy, I try to dress the way that I feel: beautiful and happy.
SB: How has Eric Alt helped you with your hairstyle choices?
JW: Aside from me saying I want black hair, and I want my mullet, Eric does everything! He travels a lot and takes inspiration from everywhere he goes and everything he sees. I don't know how to do my own hair and I trust Eric to never lead me wrong. He's been with me through my hair and his expertise for some of the biggest moments in my life: my book's cover shoot, at the Olympics, the shoot for my line with Edressme and many, many more. Eric is part of my family now, and there's nobody else I'd trust to make me beautiful.
SB: What can we expect from your reality show?
JW: In season two of "Be Good Johnny Weir" there is a lot in store. It's all about how I transition from competing at the Olympics into more of a life of pop! Running from country to country performing, doing appearances and so on. The big mission of season two is creating my own concert, my own spectacular show including everything from huge pop stars, to Olympic skaters, to incredible dance and music acts, burlesque artists and pink elephants. Season one was a huge success, and season two on Logo TV will hopefully be even more interesting and revealing.
SB: Will you go back to skating professionally? Do you still skate now? If so, where?
JW: I train still as often as possible at Ice House in Hackensack. I am currently unsure of my competitive future and if I want to dedicate three more years to an already very long and successful career. I do miss skating competitively, and if I decide to return for the next winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, I will vanish from the pop culture world. To be an Olympic athlete, you need to live like a monk and I don't do anything half-way.
Source
He's also really cute in this...
You can buy Johnny's dresses here and look at large pretty detailed pictures of them. :D
Also, Vote for Johnny for Tweet of the Week, he's nominated again!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
BY KELLY NICHOLAIDES
On or off the ice, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir is equally famous for his athleticism, fashion choices, hairstyles and unapologetic attitude. The three-time U.S. National Champion (2004-2006), 2008 bronze medalist, two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist and 2001 World Junior Champion, Weir, in 2010, was ranked 12th in the world by the International Skating Union (ISU). He moved to Lyndhurst in 2007.
Weir, 26, took time out of his busy schedule of promoting his book, "Welcome to My World" (2011) and reality show to talk to the South Bergenite about his gender bender style, what every man and woman should have in their closet, his favorite area shopping destinations, his hair, his debut as a fashion designer, and of course, figure skating.
South Bergenite: You're a famous Olympic skater, but you have also transformed into a pop culture icon with an eccentric fashion sense and hairstyles. What and who inspires your fashion choices? How do you go about putting a unique outfit together?
Johnny Weir: I am inspired by my mood more than anything. I love fashion and love to "live" fashion, but there are certain days where you just can't get into a pair of skin tight leather pants, so I dress the way I feel. I'm very inspired by many fashion luminaries like Karl Lagerfeld and Lady Gaga, but when I get ready for an event I imagine what my whole look will look like, down to my nails. I like my looks to be cohesive. If I'm wearing a giant fur coat, my hair has to be equally large for balance. I like to play with masculine versus feminine, and color and shape. I like to play and never take myself too seriously, and that influences my fashion.
SB: You live in Lyndhurst, just miles away from New York City the epicenter for fashion in the US, but also just miles from Paramus, the epicenter for fashion in Bergen County. Where do you shop locally when you thirst for new clothing? Is the mall out of the question?
JW: The mall is never out of the question! I go every month to Garden State Plaza and visit Neiman Marcus or Hermes and Ilori at Riverside. My favorite place to shop in New Jersey is at Steven Corn Furs in Paramus. I of course choose to hit the New York City shops more often than the malls in Jersey because I find the selection in New York is a little more cutting edge and progressive than anything I've found in New Jersey. In New York, I love Barneys, King of Greene Street, Chanel and Jeffrey.
SB: You designed most of your costumes when skating and thrust yourself into a double alter ego for a time, skater/fashion designer. Many still see you as a figure skater, however, who likes fashion. Do you consider an authority on both? Why should people listen to your fashion advice?
JW: I think because of my world travel and a very real picture of what's hot all over the world, I can give good advice on fashion and costuming. I consider myself a figure skater before anything else, but I'm so excited that the fashion world has opened up to my vision and my opinion, even to the point where I designed for furrier Adrienne Landau and also I have a line on edressme.com. As my own personal costumer, I love avant garde and extravagant costumes, but in fashion I have a lot of restraint and a vision that is very feminine and unique. I think the fashion world is so open to me because I don't say I am a fashionable person, I don't brag about anything I acquire, I simply love fashion as an art form and wear only what I love.
SB: Who is your favorite clothing designer? Why?
JW: My favorite designer is definitely Karl Lagerfeld. He can do so many things for his own line, change them completely for Chanel, and then completely determine what is chic, and in many cases, who is chic. I adore his work and believe in his talent. I also love my dear friend Chris Benz's designs. He's a young American New York City-based designer and I think he's far better and more talented than any American designers who've come before him. Christian Louboutin is preparing a pair of skates for me and I've been a huge fan of his for years, and I also love British designer Garreth Pugh and Russian designer Denis Simachev.
SB: Who designs your clothes now?
JW: In my day-to-day life I wear a huge range of designers and wear my treasures from all over the world. I still design all of my costumes and hopefully soon all my girlfriends and fans will be wearing Johnny Weir through edressme.com.
SB: What should every man and woman have in their closet?
JW: Every man should have an immaculate black blazer. You can throw it on over a T-shirt and a pair of dark jeans and always look handsome and well put together. I think every woman should have a Johnny Weir little black dress, that can go anywhere and be so versatile. They should also have a pair of Louboutin heels; they are the height of sexy.
SB: What's in your closet?
JW: The question should be, what isn't in my closet? I have everything from a corset I used from a recent shoot that came from Lady Gaga, I have the samples from my collection, I have many furs, Russian military coats, Louboutins, Rick Owen's wedge booties, a Hermes Birkin and a gorgeous Martin Margiella blazer I got at Century 21 in Paramus!
SB: What's your most essential piece of clothing? Accessory?
JW: I love jeggings. I have big legs and a big butt from skating, and J Brand leggings are the best thing that will fit my waist and stretch over my bulging leg muscles, ha, ha. I wear a lot of fur which many people hate about me, but I even wear it in summer, and a good coat is essential to me. I carry a purse every day, not even a man bag, it's a full on purse. Chanel, Hermes, Balenciaga, doesn't matter, I'll always have one. I also can't live without my Yankees cap.
SB: What kind of fur coats and fur accessories do you own? How do you respond to critics who slam you for wearing fur?
JW: Wearing fur is a personal choice and I understand that not everyone supports or likes fur for their personal reasons. I don't bend to critics in any aspect of my life and if I enjoy fur, I'm going to wear it. I have everything from lynx to sable, many colors of mink and beaver. I've got Russian trapper hats, and amazing fur-trimmed gloves and boots. I go to Russia a lot in the middle of winter and if you go out in a plastic coat, you'll get frostbite.
SB: You sported a pink/black mullet for "Sex & the City 2" on May 21, 2010. How did you modernize this style? Do you see a future for mullets?
JW: My hair stylist, Eric Alt, loves to explore new styles with me and I have always had long hair. Playing with my mullet is something we do for fun as I'll never change my style. I grew up in Amish country in Pennsylvania and mullets were quite common, my father still has one. I own my mullet and love to change it up to modernize or go with the theme of an event. Owning and accepting everything good and bad about your looks is the first step of being fashionable.
SB: You wore a cross between a black bun and a "Snooki" poof to the Aug. 3, 2010 GLAAD event in Manhattan. How would you bring back the 1980s big hair trend without looking dated?
JW: I've rocked a "poof" since 2005, long before Snooki dominated our airwaves, so I take partial responsibility for the passion of the modern poof. I think if you don't do a full on '80s look, with the clothes, plus make-up, plus hair, you're golden. Fashion always comes around in five- or 10-year cycles, so what's dated and gross today is hot tomorrow, so I just wear what I like. I try not to be trendy, I try to dress the way that I feel: beautiful and happy.
SB: How has Eric Alt helped you with your hairstyle choices?
JW: Aside from me saying I want black hair, and I want my mullet, Eric does everything! He travels a lot and takes inspiration from everywhere he goes and everything he sees. I don't know how to do my own hair and I trust Eric to never lead me wrong. He's been with me through my hair and his expertise for some of the biggest moments in my life: my book's cover shoot, at the Olympics, the shoot for my line with Edressme and many, many more. Eric is part of my family now, and there's nobody else I'd trust to make me beautiful.
SB: What can we expect from your reality show?
JW: In season two of "Be Good Johnny Weir" there is a lot in store. It's all about how I transition from competing at the Olympics into more of a life of pop! Running from country to country performing, doing appearances and so on. The big mission of season two is creating my own concert, my own spectacular show including everything from huge pop stars, to Olympic skaters, to incredible dance and music acts, burlesque artists and pink elephants. Season one was a huge success, and season two on Logo TV will hopefully be even more interesting and revealing.
SB: Will you go back to skating professionally? Do you still skate now? If so, where?
JW: I train still as often as possible at Ice House in Hackensack. I am currently unsure of my competitive future and if I want to dedicate three more years to an already very long and successful career. I do miss skating competitively, and if I decide to return for the next winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, I will vanish from the pop culture world. To be an Olympic athlete, you need to live like a monk and I don't do anything half-way.
Source
He's also really cute in this...
Click to viewYou can buy Johnny's dresses here and look at large pretty detailed pictures of them. :D
Also, Vote for Johnny for Tweet of the Week, he's nominated again!