Time traveling with Maggie Norris
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| A Collage of Inspirational images in Maggie Norris's Couture Atelier. |
I felt like I had time-traveled to another era when I stepped into the studio of couture designer Maggie Norris. Elaborately detailed garments in rich fabrics have a vintage air about them. Some pieces are crafted with a fitted Victorian cut while others flow in layers, reminiscent of 1920s flapper gowns. Much like her handiwork, the designer, Maggie Norris is delicate and has a quiet way about her that makes one feel very coddled.
When I walked in here I kind of felt that I was walking into an 18th century salon – the clothes are so beautiful in here and it also has vintage clothing store feel but much more beautiful. Do you want to talk a little about your approach to your work? I think the approach is a lot about with research and also collaborating with wonderful artists. Recently we did Fashion’s Night Out with Gilan, and also with Audrey Schilt who was with Ralph Lauren for twenty years and did all of his illustrations. Now you were also with Ralph Lauren, weren’t you? Yes, I did the collections. It’s so funny because you actually look very Ralph today. I love the idea that clothing should be honored and can be a work of art. If you have something that is made well and fits you well, you can wear it forever. |
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| The Resdale shirt in 100 % Italian cotton paired with a Cummerbund made from a Vintage Hermes Scarf. |
The Marlton shirt in 100% Italian cotton with a Peter Pan collar accompanied with a handmade Damask embroidered blue belt. |
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| The La Fleur Corset paired with the Ohati skirt adorned with Chinoiserie embroidery. |
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| The Sada Coat in a creamy duchess satin with floral embroidery. | The hand beaded Liu Chang Corset accompanied with the Claudette gold tulle skirt, and 18th century military belt. |
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| A detailed shot of a hand embroidered hat and white leather gloves in Maggie Norris’s Atelier. | The Niral corset with ruching, hanging up in Maggie Norris Couture’s Atelier. |
| It’s very funny when I was younger, I bought very expensive clothing and I really did keep it for years and years but somehow my attitude has changed. I think the world is really different about clothes – we live in a much more disposable society now. It’s like a mix. You can have very disposable underpinnings and then elements that you put on top of it that are very beautiful and well-made like the actual jackets and vests that you honor and take care of. It’s how you put it together. One of my favorite accessories is this belt that I bought a few years ago from a military collector. If you find very iconic accessories you can make a jacket look different just by putting a belt on it. So buying something like this military belt is part of your research as well. Yes, I look into history, art, music and also literature. There are so many wonderful writers who have written about style, like Balzac. |
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| The Obi cummerbund in gold iridescent silk taffeta with an exaggerated bow. |
Burghley Shirt in a 100% Italian cotton shirting with black embroidered detachable cuffs. |
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| The Maila Jacket in a pale salmon satin. |
| Now how does that influence your thought process—how does Balzac translate into your clothes? Well one of the things he says in, I think it was Lost Illusions, is how when he got to Paris he was so excited because he saw all these men in “light, sparkling shirts”. To me it says, “Well I’ll do a collection of shirts” … it’s just the idea of what people notice, the beautiful things said about fabric … or [I will remember] some of the things Paul Bowles said about Morocco that are very visual. But I do think a lot of people don’t notice anything. How do you get people to notice things? I think by continuing a thread. There’s a sense that if everything you do has a story, a true story, a meaning, then there is a difference in just saying “Here’s a rack of clothes” as opposed to “Here is something that was inspired by a shirt that I bought in Paris and then I went to my patternmaker and we created it. This [military] jacket took about three months… there is this enormous amount of great military inspiration out there. And then there is the challenge of making it more feminine, more modern … the way you play with the buttons … a cleaned-up military jacket that would be great in other fabrics …” |
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| The Astaire Jacket in a Cadmium red silk duchess satin with brown velvet top collar. |
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| The Laverne Corset with a collage of hand embroideries. | Hand beaded Adelaide Beret. |
| It’s interesting because you’re one of the few American designers who still only does couture. Oh no, actually I do have a ready-to-wear collection, which I’m going to start launching in a bigger way. Where do you have your clothing made? These shirts are made in New York, which I’m very proud of. |
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| A snapshot of Maggie Norris’s Atelier showcasing her Couture. |
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| The Admiral Jacket in raspberry silk duchess satin shown over beaded Marguerite Couture Corset and hand embroidered Sho-Sho Skirt (right) The Resdale shirt with cummerbund. |
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| Atelier display featuring Horseshoe embellished cuffs and collar adorned with Swarovski crystals. | Poster for “Fashion’s Night Out 2010,” featuring Maggie Norris Couture”s Katarina Corset and Gilan, painting by Nelson Shanks. |
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| Maggie Norris Couture featured in Vanity Fair. |
| Let’s just back up a little a bit—tell me a little bit about how you grew up and how you got into clothing design. Well, I think it’s because of my family. My mother was very much into design. We would just spend hours looking in antique shops and she also had a dressmaker that made her clothes. It was very important for us to look lovely and the clothing, what you were going to wear, was always laid out every day. Who did that, your mother? No, we had someone do that. |
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| The Admiral Jacket in raspberry silk duchess Satin. |
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| The Helenna Trench Coat in navy silk moire with raspberry silk charmeuse lining. |
| Where did you grow up? In New Orleans. And who would pick out your clothes? My mother. Do you still do that, lay out your clothes? Oh, I do it sometimes. |
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| The Natalia Trench Jacket in black silk moire. |
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| Princess Tao Yuan Jacket in an aquamarine silk duchess satin with hand embroidered Bird of Paradise on back. |
The Nicole Shirt in sapphire duchess satin. |
| Yes, that was interesting about your dressing room for Kips Bay … it sort of formalized the act of dressing. I do wonder if people still do that … perhaps the people who buy your clothes. Yes – they’re very caring about their clothes. And what about coming to New York? I came to New York to study at Parsons and in the first semester I got a job a Ralph Lauren. I went to night school after that because I was in the best university of all time working for Ralph. How did that happen? Basically I just loved his things and I just picked up the phone and called. |
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| Detail of Horseshoe embellished cuff with Swarovski crystals. |
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| Hand beaded Veva dress. | Detailed shot of embellished cuffs. |
| Tell me a little bit about working for Ralph Lauren. Well, he loves what he does and if you love what you do, then it’s a perfect marriage. Everyone there works very hard and it’s also about ongoing research. We would go to Morocco and get rugs for him to make sweaters from. A lot of it was finding things that might inspire him and by doing that, you inspire yourself. Every season it would be “Oh let’s study architecture this season” or the next season it would be cars. When somebody walks in here, can you tell straightaway what is going to look good on them? What would you choose for me? I see you more as a classic, tailored sculpted woman rather than a frilly woman. You have a great figure, and that helps a lot. I think for most women, at least a part of their wardrobe, should be tailored or sculpted. The key thing about having a jacket look good is the measurement on the shoulder and as high an armhole as you can possibly get. Oh that’s interesting. It makes you look smaller. |
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| Clockwise from top left: Maggie with interns Eva Bodenmuller and Carolin-Julia Ribarik; Maggie and Anna Lee McNider in Maggie Norris Couture’s Atelier; Maggie’s dog, Timmy; Anna dog, Lulu; Judy working on Couture pieces in Maggie Norris’s Atelier. |
| So what is like dressing Hollywood stars? The most important thing is to make the actress, the soccer mom, the society person, whoever it is, look beautiful. You have to analyze where they’re going, who they want to be. Sometimes I’ll ask the actresses, “Who do you want to be? Greta Garbo? Carole Lombard?” Who did Catherine Zeta-Jones want to be? Catherine just loves beautiful things. And Nicole Kidman? With Nicole it was through a stylist. She picked my couture out right away … [indicating pictures from an Annie Liebowitz shoot for Vanity Fair] I feel like this will be as legendary as a Sargent painting one day. |
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| A sampling of patterns in Maggie Norris Couture’s Atelier. | Illustrations of Couture Suiting by Anna Kiper in Maggie Norris Couture’s Atelier. |
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| A collection of patterns in Maggie Norris Couture’s Atelier. |
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| What do you like to do when you go home and relax? I do yoga and I go to parties and events and museums. I love to cook. What do you like to cook? I like doing simple things, like I’ll get wild salmon and poach it. Well, you’re busy. My life has always been my work. |
| • Sian Ballen • Photographs by Ann Watt |
Twitter: ShoppingDiary |
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