Category Archives: Design 101

Yesterday we celebrated a fashion designer who has successfully applied his skills to furniture.

But most of the time we here at The Colonies are much more cynical about celebrities or fashion designers who turn their hands to industrial design.

I chatted with The Colonies’ uber-design-conscious friend, Lauren Howey.  Our conversation had me rolling on the floor with laughter. Here’s how it went:

Lauren: [After referring to the Jason Wu faucet/tap.] Fashion collaboration has gone hilariously too far. Yeah, my faucet is by Jason Wu. And have you seen my Versace disposal? The piping in the wall is Tom Ford…

Me: I saw that tap – I hate that I don’t hate it. What’s next, Kate Spade ballcocks? Have you read about Justin Timberlake’s homewares line for HomeMint? *

Kate Spade’s ballcock would be pink and polka-dotted.

Lauren: Justin Timberlake and homewares. Because when I think Justin Timberlake, I think plates and vases. That’s hilarious. I don’t hate the Jason Wu faucet either. But he just took a normal faucet and  turned it black. Ta-da! Though I suppose I don’t want a fashion designer to actually redesign the faucet and it’s mechanisms – what would Wu know about plumbing??

Me: You’re so right! But we are okay with Kelly Wearstler doing fashion right? RIGHT?

Lauren:  Well that’s because Kelly Wearstler can. do. no. wrong. Even when she’s charging $900 for a brass star bookend, she’s the queen!

I guess celebrity interior lines is the next frontier. I mean, when Kanye West is debuting a collection at Paris fashion week, the celeb fashion line has jumped the shark and they all need something new to claim they “designed”!

My favorite though was when I was watching Fashion Police on E! (a fact I would not admit this to many people…) and one of the hosts said, “You know Brad Pitt has a background in design.” So apparently shopping at Design Within Reach means you have a background in design. Just kill me.

*I won’t be linking you to JT’s range. It is every kind of wrong.