Rebecca Taylor sent yet anothereffortlessly cool collection down the runway this New York Fashion Week — lace, leather and florals galore — but we caught up with her moments before to get a glimpse into how she makes it all happen.
The atmosphere backstage at your show always seems surprisingly light and cheerful rather than stressful. How do you acheive that?
They say it comes from the top, and I do approach life like that. It’s kind of my mantra. Treat everybody with respect, be kind, and I think that’s really how my team treats everbody.
What type of girl do you see in the Rebecca Taylor spring 2014 collection?
I think she’s modern, she’s cool, she’s a little bit of a tomboy. We have a lot of workwear references with little printed tops and T-shirts; it’s always feminine, but it’s tampered with a little tomboyish attitude.
If you had to choose, what is the one must-have piece in the collection?
There’s a pair of printed pants at the end that I really need to get my hands on. It’s a pressed-flower print. You know, like when you’re little and you used to put flowers in a book.
You’re always putting a new twist on the T-shirt. What’s a fresh way to wear a classic tee?
Wear one with a pair of floral-printed pants. Using the T-shirt to keep the floral trend down and grounded is great.
What’s your worst Fashion Week fear?
My biggest fear is that a heel will break on the runway!
Have you ever had a Fashion Week mishap?
9/11 happened the day of our [2001] show. We didn’t actually do the show; they closed the tents down … we were right near the Empire State Building. That was terrible.
What about a best Fashion Week moment?
Every show, once it’s finished and it’s ended and everyone’s celebrating, that’s the best moment. We all go around the corner for tequila shots. That’s our tradition.