Last night, the fashion interview series The Atelier with Alina Cho wrapped its inaugural season with Alber Elbaz, the artistic director of Lanvin. On the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s stage, fashion journalist Alina Cho and Elbaz spoke candidly about Kim Kardashian, Instagram and more. Here are the top seven highlights you may have missed.
On wearing so much black: “For many years, I wear black because a big part of my work is making clothes. I’m sitting in a small studio with a big mirror and I work around the body. I don’t work just with sketches. I work with the model, with my team. I look at myself in the mirror. After awhile, I understood that in order to look at the object I create, I have to disappear.”
On designing pre-collections: “Every designer I know hates doing pre-collections. It’s like being a little bit pregnant. You either are or you’re not. It’s not really Spring, it’s not really Fall…Pre-collection is also called Cruise. I really don’t know anyone who cruises. Gay men don’t even cruise anymore.”
On his many skills: “[Designing] is the only thing I know how to do. I don’t have email. I don’t know how to drive. I don’t bike really…”
On Kim Kardashian: “I love Kim. I think she’s an amazing girl. She’s a truly nice person. The first cover she did for Vogue she’s actually wearing a dress that Lanvin did, that I designed. I remember one day I was at The Mercer Hotel and the elevator opened. I was waiting to go to my room and someone came out and said to me, ‘Alber, don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Kim!’ I looked and said, ‘Oh my god, I thought everyone in America looks like you. I’m sorry!'”
On his one-time aspiration of becoming a doctor: “I’m a hypochondriac, so working in a hospital is a dream!”
On his mother: “I like mothers and I like mothers when they’re not perfect. She wasn’t perfect, but she was mine…I remember one day I called her after I signed with Saint Laurent. It was a great job and a great salary. I called her and said, ‘Mom, here we are!’ And she was giving me one of those ‘Hmm.’ Then she said, ‘There’s only one thing that would make me happy — for you to get married.'”
On Instagram: “It makes me feel so down. I look and I see these people. On Wednesday night, they’re in Beijing having a dinner for Dior. On Friday, they’re in Barcelona or they’re just having a bit of a ski. Everybody is so amazing. There’s just a simple dinner and even the mozzarella looks sexy. Meanwhile, I’m eating leftover tomatoes from last week.”
