It’s hard to believe, but Derek Lam was a 1980s fashion victim, hitting the party scene in a red-and-black Jean Paul Gaultier toreador vest. “It was a good time to be a club kid in New York,” the designer, 49, tells Alexa with a laugh. “I think I learned a lot about what it means to inhabit your style or exhibit it. It was so much fun.”
Fast forward 30 years and Lam is a two-time CFDA-award winner, famed for his modern, trend-proof clothes. He avoids gimmicks, instead designing timeless, feminine pieces favored by stylish women such as Naomi Watts, Karlie Kloss and Michelle Obama.
“Derek’s clothes are chic, classic and beautifully done,” says Marina Larroudé, fashion director at Barneys. “His collections are filled with staple pieces that help build a strong wardrobe, season after season.”
Indeed, Lam’s pieces are often worn in heavy rotation. The former first lady loved his spring 2011 toffee-colored ikat-print dress so much that she rocked it two ways: with sleeves in Indonesia and then without for a luncheon at the White House. Unbeknownst to the designer, a tailor had transformed the garment. “She looked amazing,” says Lam. “She always made an impact.”
Lam grew up in retail, the son of San Francisco import/export merchants. His grandparents owned a wedding-gown factory, which he credits for his early fascination with fashion. “That was a time when everything was made by hand,” he says. “I remember these huge dresses, lots of tulle.”
After graduating from Parsons in 1990, Lam landed a job assisting Michael Kors, eventually becoming VP of design for Kors’ secondary line. In 2003, Lam launched his own signature collection with business partner Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, now his husband. In 2011 they introduced Derek Lam 10 Crosby, a relaxed diffusion line inspired by the lively world outside their offices, then located at that Soho address; five years later they unveiled a 10-fragrance, color-coded scent collection of the same name.
For spring 2017, Lam was feeling more of a Santa Fe vibe. Artist Georgia O’Keeffe inspired his sublimely simple washed-twill skirt and eyelet voile blouse, and a strapless dress with a fringed scarf in a desert palette. And he’s now gearing up for an intimate fall presentation on Feb. 15. “It’s going to be very eclectic, a mix of what I love in the ’70s,” says Lam, who has a penchant for flared pants and elongated silhouettes. “But I don’t want to make a retro collection — it’s a modernist collection.”
Speaking of retro, what ever happened to that prized bullfighter vest? Lam sold the memento of his disco days to NYC’s Resurrection Vintage about a year and a half ago. When he stopped by the store recently, the vest was still available for $450. “I think I have to buy it back!”
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