Gladys Perint Palmer is the rarest of a species known as
“fashion folk!” Here is a woman who
studied on both sides of the Atlantic at 2 of the world’s most prestigious
“colleges” and has been giving back to her passion/art/craft/profession ever
since. She has lived internationally and
has been a chronicler or maybe a diarist of the world of fashion. The one thing you can never say of Ms. Palmer
is that she was an observer who sat by and watched!
With this in mind, she has been an illustrator, educator,
editor, friend and so much more to so many within the international world of
fashion. She remains as active as she
has always been; after all, fashion is in her genetic make-up, it is not just
her profession. She is immersed,
engaged, intertwined and is an integral part of fashion as we know it
today. In much more common vernacular...
“She is a player!” …no dilettante is she.
To highlight her appearance tomorrow, Tuesday June 4, at
Neiman Marcus (SF) which celebrates the release of her newest book Adam & Yves, I introduce you to
Gladys Perint Palmer whom I suspect will be a good friend of mine for years to
come. My advice is to pay close
attention to her as she not only brings her knowledge and talent to the table;
she brings her unrestrained wit and encyclopedic insights! Brava! Bravo! And Kudos to you Gladys
1-What is the most
treasured possession in your wardrobe?
Silver ribcage wheelie
by McQueen.
2-What is your most
sterling trait and what trait do you treasure most in your friendships?
Honesty and irony.
3-What is your bliss?
Fresh snow, empty
piste, no snowboarders.
4-What is your guilty
secret?
Two Mont Blancs– a chestnut
and cream confection at Angelina (café on the rue de Rivoli in Paris); and my
fat Mont Blanc pen.
5-Where is your ideal
home?
An island a thousand
miles North of California
6-If you could not be
a designer/retailer/etc:, what would you be
A detective because I
enjoy research and discovering things.
7-What is on your
bedside table right now?
Clutter observed by a
curious peacock outside the window
8-What do you wear to
bed?
Valentino bed-jacket,
if it’s chilly.
9-What if any, book
are you reading now or last read?
‘The Hare with Amber
Eyes’ by Edmund de Waal.
10-What’s your advice
to the “newcomer?”
Persist, Push, be Patient.
11-Who or what is
your inspiration/style icon?
Muriel Pemberton, my
mentor, my teacher, a great artist, who invented fashion education
12-What is the best
advice you ever received?
“Go to the head of the
river, darling, and wait. The bodies of your enemies will float past.”
13-In 3 words or
less, describe the current state of fashion.
4 Too much.
14-If you were a
retailer, would you wear your own designs or shop in your own store? or where
would you shop?
I’d shop when I travel,
as I do now, and buy only what I cannot resist.
15-If you won a
$200,000,000 power ball (lottery), what is the first thing you would buy or do?
Underwrite small opera
companies.
16-If you could
invite up to 4 people for dinner, who would they be…dead or alive?
Jesus Christ, Buddha,
Mohamed and Moses – to enlighten me
17-What is your
favorite movie /or movie star?
Beverly Hills Cop with
Eddie Murphy
18-What is the one
thing you would change about yourself?
Never gain weight.
19-Whose opinion do you
value most?
Those who know me well
and wish me well.
20-What store or
which designer do you most like to shop in or wear ?
Picasso said, “I don’t
look for things, I find them”.
21-What’s your take
on magazines, books versus the internet?
I like books, I’m
addicted to Facebook; magazines are for
the bath (if too heavy, I rip out the ad pages).
22-Do you have a
dream collaborator?
No.
23-What is your
crowning achievement thus far in your career?
My sons, Tim (left) and
Barnaby Palmer.
24-What’s your music
library like?
Classical.
25-What and where is
your favorite meal?
Foie gras at La Cordonnerie, 20 rue Saint Roch in
Paris.
