TED 2008 -- Isaac Mizrahi
Where does inspiration come from? Not from research. It comes from lying awake at night. I don't know where it comes from. [He's going to try anyway.]
Color is something that motivates me. It's rarely a color that I find in nature. I'm inspired by the color of movies. I watch women in movies a lot. I think about their roles. I look at the way woman are portrayed and glorified (sometimes ironically), and denigrated or ironically denigrated. How can I make anything as beautiful as Natalie Wood or Greta Garbo? That's what keeps me up at night.
Balance of irony and earnestness. Skinny and fat. Balance is what its really about, that is part of my process.
I go to astrologers and tarot card readers a lot. I do what they tell me to do. Once a fortune teller told me I would meet a someone named Eric. I would go to bars and anyone named Eric I would be humping a lot.
I don't say that I do everything well, I try to do a lot of things. I try not to look back, but sometimes I do and think "what a fool!"
I don't think of myself as a fashion designer. I think of myself -- uh I don't know what I think of myself, so that's that.
In fashion, you always have to be slightly bored with everything. If you aren't, you have to pretend you are. But I am always slightly bored. I don't like to be bored. I play computer bridge.
I had a TV show, and that was a very big part of my process. [Shows a clip from his show, with some guy cutting Rosie O'Donnel's hair.]
I like to cook. I look at things like they are food. I always relate things to kitchenry. Everything boils down to that.

Where does inspiration come from? Not from research. It comes from lying awake at night. I don't know where it comes from. [He's going to try anyway.]

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I've seen the light. This is priceless insight. If anyone needs me, I will be humping Eric.
uh, didn't isaac file for bankruptcy at one point? not sure i'd be taking any kind of advice from him, even if it did include eric-humping.
Did he slag any actresses for not wearing his dresses or feel up any up & coming actresses? It just doesn't seem to be a real Isaac Mizrahi interview without a petty bitchfest & boob grabbing.
Why do fashion designers always wear boring black shirts from the gap? Insight indeed, eat your own dog food.
...didn't isaac file for bankruptcy at one point?
Donald Trump has as well. I wouldn't consult him on hair care, but making money - sure. People who do creative things don't always follow the money. I'd take Isaac's advice on inspiration. On public speaking - maybe not so much.
I'm mad at him, because just when I lost enough weight to wear the clothes he makes for Target, he announced he's discontinuing that line. Damn you, Mizrahi! *shakes fist*
what is this goofball doing at TED ?
So, people pay to attend this thing?
I find him painful to listen too. Too gay, and not in a good way. Target's contract saved his ass. Besides, I don't like his designs.
I'm going to go grab Scarlett Johanssen's breast, so I can speak at TED!
Too gay, and not in a good way.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing, but can you elucidate. He is an odd choice, what with being completely inarticulate and all. I'm wondering if people don't like him because he's a bore or because he's too girly for the geek crowd.
When I worked in fashion, it always surprised me that people took this sort of stuff seriously and expected me to as well. Apparently not much has changed 20 years since I went back to jeans and running shoes.