Texas Monthly Talks
Todd Oldham
Meh says: Oh Hell no! "People with great style are rarely stupid". This is about the most ignorant, ego-inflating piece of horseshit I’ve heard in this short year. You cannot judge a book by it’s cover. I know enough idiots with the cash to pay someone to shop for them within my own work contacts and in my personal life enough brainiacs who wear Atari t-shirts 364 days of the year to disprove this little theorem. (February 17th, 2009 at 1:09pm)
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I think some of the see-through spider bras I’ve sent out through the years might contradict me.
Didn’t I see you were also working for La-Z-Boy?
I don’t any longer. They were the manufacturer of a furniture line I did. Unfortunately they have a lot of hiccups over there, and we chose not to go forward. The trick is going into these behemoth companies—sometimes they’re flexible, and sometimes there’s a reason that they’re behemoths. There’s a very, very big misconception that big businesses are run by big brains. It is so not true.
Let me ask you about another venue for bringing your aesthetic to a mass audience, and that’s the work you’ve done as a mentor on Bravo’s Top Design. Many reality shows attempt to traffic in design or fashion sensibilities. Do you believe it’s a good thing for people to learn about taste and style this way?
I don’t think it’s a good way to learn. People enjoy these shows, but I don’t personally—never mind that I’ve actually been involved in one. I don’t understand the pecking orders and the voting off [of contestants]. The show was nightmarishly hard—one thousand times harder than what it was shown to be. That never happens on TV; it’s always way easier. Also, you’d never believe the manipulation that the editors can [pull off]. They can weave together footage. They can do anything they want with you, basically.
So it’s not quote-unquote reality.
The interesting part is that the reality of it is sort of pushed to the back. The reaction shots are probably coming from some other shoot entirely. But I’m sure no one really—
I don’t think anyone’s looking for great integrity there.
It’s TV, yeah. Don’t pet a rattlesnake.
Can we talk about the work you’ve done purely as a clothing designer? Is that something you still enjoy doing or have you gotten completely away from it now?
It’s the only thing I’m encoded with. Everyone’s got their gifts. I have a supernatural ability to make patterns. It’s the one thing I can do with extreme ease. I took it so seriously that when it wasn’t in my heart anymore, which was about twelve years ago, I knew I wasn’t going to do it anymore. It was such a privilege to do, and I didn’t want to fool anyone. Plus, I mean, who needed what I did? The clothes were fun, I had a great time doing them, and people enjoyed them. But if you needed something, there was always something else, another choice near you.
Who are the most talented people designing right now?
It’s the same answer I would have given you ten years ago: John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix. I like original effort. Unfortunately, the arena for fashion is really not the same as it was ten years ago.
What happened?
There’s been a big shift, because there are about a billion more designers. It looks fun to do, right? And with the onslaught of celebrity designers, people got fooled about what design is, and we got into this kind of weird design that ate itself up so many times that it turned into nothing.
It’s been a while since you’ve been connected to Texas in a direct and consistent way, so I’m wondering how you feel about your home state in terms of style. Do you think to yourself, “How did I, a reasonably stylish person, come out of a place like that?” Or do you think more fondly of us?
I have total respect and a lovely feeling for my time in Texas. Not only was I born in Corpus Christi, but pretty much every relative I have was born in Texas or Oklahoma. So I still feel very attached to it, and I am so grateful for the way it shaped me. There is a unique duality that is so charming and appealing, or maybe it’s an “I don’t give a f—.” I love that people are just themselves. I think of all the crazy characters I’ve encountered over the years—the ones in fourteen-carat diamonds and overalls. It’s just great.
The rumor is that you stitched together a dress for your sister from two pillowcases when you were nine.
Yeah, I guess that’s true. I learned to sew when I was about seven. My grandmother taught me. She gave me an old machine that had a short in it. It would only go on, at a thousand miles an hour, or off, by kicking it. I guess I was in early industrial training at that point.
Neither parent was in anything like the business you’re in now, right? So you didn’t inherit the family mantle.
I did as far as the creativity goes. Both of my parents are crazy creative, and I have a lot of brothers and sisters who are in creative fields and own their own businesses.
Your dad was a computer consultant who moved your family to Iran when you were still in middle school.
Yeah, we lived there for four years.
How did that experience affect you?
Anytime a kid realizes how tiny the world is, it’s a big eye-opener. I loved Iranian culture, and the Irani people were fantastic to us. And it was very influential. My color sense was formed, in part, by the bazaars in Iran. They were often in these beautiful high-arched halls that had beams of light coming down. It all had that movie-set beauty.
Can you tell me what your next big projects are?
We have a new edition of Hand Made Modern. I did a book called Kids Made Modern, and it’s all kid-friendly projects—I think it comes out in September or October. I’ve been shooting state fairs for the last eight years, including the State Fair of Texas, which is one of the best state fairs ever, ever, ever. That book comes out in December. The thing I’ve been working on for the last couple of years is a feature film that I hope to start. I’m getting behind the lens in about another year.
You’ve dabbled in film before.
Yeah, I’ve done tons of things: music videos, shorts, and lots of costuming. Also, because of my days as a fashion designer, I got to know and meet a lot of interesting actors and visit sets. I got to watch Robert Altman direct. I’m a quick study. It’s the same way I learned about photography: by being on the other side of the camera and by working with the best. Sitting in front of Patrick
Demarchelier’s camera, I looked at the lighting and I understood.
Before you go, because we’re running our picks in this issue, I need to ask who you think the most stylish Texan of all time is.
You know who immediately popped into my head? Ann Richards. She always looked clean and pulled together, though I can barely remember what she wore. It was her bravery and cleverness, the way she sifted through tough times. I always thought she was fantastic.
Yeah.
And Molly Ivins—those two, I think, had style. And I don’t mean physical style. When you have a graceful style, when you can weave words, that’s way more stylish. You need nothing else. You can show up in a burlap sack if you can talk like those women.
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