Fashionista

How to Make It in Fashion: June 21, Dream Hotel Downtown, New York

Camilla Morton

Wednesday December 19th, 2012

Author Camilla Morton on How Diane von Furstenberg’s Charmed Life Became an Actual Fairy Tale
Books

Author Camilla Morton on How Diane von Furstenberg’s Charmed Life Became an Actual Fairy Tale

by

Camilla Morton is putting a whole new (chic) spin on the classic fairy tales you know and love from childhood.

The fashion writer and internationally bestselling author’s new illustrated series blends the stories of designers’ lives with those of fairy tales. After penning fairy tale memoirs for Manolo Blahnik and Christian Lacroix, the latest designer to get Morton’s magical treatment is Diane von Furstenberg.

Diane von Furstenberg and the Tale of the Empress’s New Clothes tells both the story of how von Furstenberg became the successful woman she is (a story which, mind you, includes a real-life prince), with a reinvented take on the classic fable The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Far from being just the subject, von Furstenberg collaborated with Morton closely on the book and did all the illustrations. We caught up with Morton to chat about why she decided to write the book, what it was like working with Diane von Furstenberg, and which designers she hopes to collaborate with next. Read on.

Read more →

Published at 3:30 PM

Thursday December 1st, 2011

Manolo Blahnik Is Still Trying to Create the Perfect Shoe
Accessories

Manolo Blahnik Is Still Trying to Create the Perfect Shoe

by

Last night I stopped by Manolo Blahnik‘s 54th Street boutique where the shoe designer was on hand with author Camilla Morton to sign copies of their new book, Manolo Blahnik and the Tale of the Elves & the Shoemaker (Morton wrote it, Blahnik did the illustrations). I only had four minutes to talk to the man whose creations threatened to send Sex and the City‘s Carrie Bradshaw into debt, as the crowd of extremely posh Blahnik-shod women waiting to have the master sign their shoes and books was growing larger by the second.

It makes sense that Morton chose to create a fairy tale of Blahnik’s life since it seems to have played out that way. “Everything in my life is an accident,” he says, downplaying his talent and intense work ethic that has led to his 39-years long successful career. And as the protagonist of a fairy tale, Blahnik–whimsical, witty and utterly charming–fits the bill.

Here’s how my four minutes with Manolo Blahnik played out.

Read more →

Published at 6:15 PM

Friday November 4th, 2011

Fashion Fairy Tales: Author Camilla Morton Tells Us How She Turned Manolo Blahnik’s Life Into a Fairy Tale (He Supplied the Illustrations)
Fashion Is Fun

Fashion Fairy Tales: Author Camilla Morton Tells Us How She Turned Manolo Blahnik’s Life Into a Fairy Tale (He Supplied the Illustrations)

by

Camilla Morton, whose name you might recognize as she’s contributed to this site before, is a veteran fashion journalist with a best selling novel, How to Walk in High Heels, under her belt. But after years of writing countless show reviews, this fashion journo is now penning…fairy tales. “I am enchanted by how clothes make you feel, and the people behind it,” Morton said. “Because sometimes the magic and the art of creation gets forgotten in the rush to find the next big thing.” So Morton set about crafting fashion fairy tales, blending the lives of fashion icons with classic fairy tales. The icons supply the illustrations, of course (see an illustration by Manolo Blahnik, above left).

The first in her fashion fairytale memoir series blended Christian Lacroix‘s life story with the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Out this month is Manolo Blahnik and the Tale of the Elves on the Shoemaker. We talked to Camilla about what it was like to work with Manolo to write his fairy tale. Plus we’ve got a peak at some of Manolo’s gorgeous illustrations.

Read more →

Published at 6:29 PM

Monday June 15th, 2009

The Emperor’s Old Clothes

by

London’s abuzz with talk of a Galliano retrospective. Like Westwood and Laurent before him, some think it’s time the Dior designer’s eponymous clothes receive full attention in an exhibition at say, the Victoria & Albert Museum. But stylist, author and longtime Galliano cohort Camilla Morton’s been asking high and low for clothes to be lent, Read more →

Read more →

Published at 2:48 PM