My childhood memories seem to be wreathed in the twin and far from harmonious olfactory sensations of patchouli oil and caustic soda. Hamish Bowles More Quotes by Hamish Bowles More Quotes From Hamish Bowles Alexander McQueen's heartbreakingly premature death, at the height of his creativity and influence, has robbed the fashion world of a soaring and unique talent. Hamish Bowles creativityfashionunique I literally in the New York flea market - just when I was despairing of ever having a great serendipitous find - found a 1926 Chanel. Hamish Bowles flea-marketsfleasnew-york I started collecting couture when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and the very first piece I bought was a Balenciaga suit from 1962. Hamish Bowles piecesyearsfirsts I don't have an off-duty wardrobe. Hamish Bowles wardrobeduty Marrakech in May is unseasonably tagine-hot. Hamish Bowles marrakechhotmay Six feet three in her stocking feet, LWren Scott was every inch a great lady. Hamish Bowles sixthreefeet The whole scale and scope of the decorating and fashion business in this country are incomparably grander than in London. Whats thrilling about America in general, and the New York fashion scene in particular, is its optimism. It makes the whole experience energizing and uplifting. Hamish Bowles fashionupliftingcountry I have Tom Ford, Gucci, Saint Laurent, McQueen, and odd pieces that Ive just acquired because I happened to have come across them and felt they have some historical resonance. Hamish Bowles piecessainthistorical I was ten years old when my first Vogue cover sang me its siren call and dashed me against the treacherous rocks of fashion obsession. Hamish Bowles rocksfashionyears Essentially what you're doing is collaborating with the photographer to create an image that reflects the fashion you're trying to capture and also hold a mirror up to the zeitgeist at the moment. Hamish Bowles fashionmirrorstrying When I think of my childhood, I see my mother, the complete sixties parent, decked in purple frappe silk caftans, the acidic smell of newly stripped pine mingling with incense. Hamish Bowles thinkchildhoodparentmother We're obviously in a strange environment where practically anyone can set themselves up as a pundit of sorts. It's all about sorting the wheat from the chaff, and I'm very interested in reading different points of view, and certainly different generations than my own that have such a very different world view. Hamish Bowles viewmy-ownreadingworld I started looking at fashion magazines, specifically 'British Vogue.' I was reading a lot about Cecil Beaton. Then I thought maybe I should start collecting. Hamish Bowles lookingstartfashionreading There are so many different criteria for my collecting, and I have to confess that the goalposts do shift. But obviously, with my background, I am particularly drawn to things that have been documented in contemporary magazines. Hamish Bowles backgroundi-amthingsdifferent Occasionally, I will come across something that has lost its label over the years - maybe the client didn't want to declare the dress at customs and took the label out - but I'll recognize it from an image that I've seen in Vogue, or a little thumbnail sketch. Hamish Bowles dresssketchwilllost This is how I started: My mom was crazy for antique shops and junk shops, and my sister and I would play this game where, if we were driving with my parents and saw a junk shop or an antique shop, we'd scream at the top of our lungs. My poor father would have heart failure and screech to a halt, and we'd leap out and go and explore. Hamish Bowles failurecrazyheartfather Personally, of course it's exasperating when people think you're just swanning around in Europe, going to the occasional fashion show and then being glamorous at a party. Hamish Bowles thinkyoufashionpeople When I started in 1992, I really thought the 'Vogue' fashion department was one of the most frightening places on the planet. Hamish Bowles planetplacesthoughtfashion I think there's much more fashion competition in the more junior levels of the fashion department. And that's exciting and stimulating to see, because it's 'Vogue;' it's great to see people dressed originally and with great style and panache. It wouldn't be 'Vogue' otherwise. Hamish Bowles competitionstylefashionpeople I was a fashion editor for years in London before I came to 'Vogue,' and I spent my life arranging the folds of a ball gown skirt for a picture and pinning fabric and using all those stylist tricks. And you don't have to do that now because they can do it in Photoshop. Hamish Bowles my-lifeyoufashionlife
