Vosovic Inside Out
You knew him as the down-to-earth designer who won a record five challenges on the second season of Project Runway in 2006... and then you barely heard from him again.
But 27-year-old Daniel Vosovic didn’t permanently fade into obscurity. He’s due to launch his signature line next year, and he spent the past month touring the country with his new book Fashion Inside Out, a coffee-table reader with robust photographs, Q&A’s with fashion professionals, and insight into how the fashion machine operates from creative and industrial perspectives.
Before a signing at Borders on Michigan Ave. in Chicago, Vosovic sat down to chat about his life post-Runway and beyond.
Q: Tell me a little bit about what readers can expect from the book.
Vosovic: I really wanted to aim it toward a wide range without diluting the content. So [in terms of audience], I have people who are aspiring fashion designers or just interested in design. I have people who watch Project Runway. And then there’s also the third category, which is people who just love a good coffee-table book. And that really was my goal: to really give something to all of those categories so that it is pretty to look at, it’s informative, it’s sort of like a disguised how-to, and it’s a beautiful photography book.
Q: What made you decide to write Fashion Inside Out?
A: I was first approached with the idea from an editor. I have a blog on Bravo every week, and she’s like, "I love your writing voice. Have you thought of writing a book?" And I just thought to myself, "What the hell am I going to write a book about at 26?" So I took the meeting, and [they pitched it] very much like a how-to, Rachael Ray, my face on the cover, very smiley and perky, and full of tips and tricks and stuff. And I was like, "You know, this really isn’t me as a designer." And the idea began to evolve: "Well if it’s not that, what is it?" And I looked at what I learned. I looked at what I still have to learn. I looked at what I wish I had learned years ago.
Q: How do you deal with the fact that total strangers just know things about you?
A: Isn’t that weird? Yeah, like, immediately after the show, it freaked me the F out. I loved being on the show and sort of the exposure that it gave me, but it’s a very slippery slope, being on a reality show. Dating in New York after the show was insane, though.
[Vosovic describes at length how he met his current boyfriend, Kieran, at a Marc Jacobs store]
I’m looking at him, looking at this kid, and I’m like, "He’s cute. He’s odd. He’s cute, though." And then I ended up calling him the next evening, and we went on a walk for four hours around Manhattan, and it was a great summer night along the water. We saw a hummingbird, which is insane to see in Manhattan. And then we ended up-we like, kissed, and there was a homeless guy who started singing "Wonderwall" by Oasis. And I was like, "I guess that’s romantic!"
Q: It’s romantic for Manhattan!
A: Exactly. You have to remember, like, it’s Manhattan, so like, you think it’s like a rain shower, and it’s really like someone peeing off a balcony.
Q: How would you describe your own point of view?
A: I guess all I know is what I design. I try to have a modern sensibility in all my clothes. I don’t feel like I’m a retro designer. And I don’t really love all of Marc Jacobs’ stuff, but in an interview that has really stuck with me, he said, "I design clothes to be one or the other. Either you absolutely love it or you absolutely hate it." In my clothes, I feel that I’m a little broader in my designing, and that’s probably just my Midwest upbringing.
Q: Name a female and male celebrity you’d just die to dress, and why?
A: I’ll nix the male, keep him naked, and he’s gonna switch it out with two girls. Top of my list: Michelle Williams. I think she’s stunning. I think she’s introverted. I think she’s very unique, and I really, really love that. And let’s say, like, Kate Winslet or Cate Blanchett. I would say either, because I think they’re just powerhouses. I love both of them. I love their performances, and I love how much they respect what they do.
Q: So no menswear?
A: Not yet. I think it’s a really tricky territory for a young designer to design too much too soon, and my heart is in womens wear.
Q: So you’re going to be launching your signature line in the fall of this coming year. What exactly does that entail?
A: It means that the clothing will be in stores. It means that it’s going to be a focus on what I love and what I think my strengths are, so that means structured garments. That means jackets. Coats. Great dresses.
Q: What stores can we expect to see your clothes in?
A: I guess because I’m hesitant to put down names before it happens... But it’s all going to be high-end.
Q: What’s it going to be called?
A: Daniel Vosovic. Clean and simple, just like me.
Q: What are some philosophies that you follow when you dress yourself?
A: I like playing a character. So tonight’s theme was sort of like schoolboy prep, with the satchel and the shoe and the shrunken blazer. I find myself taking a theme throughout the season, and then next fall I’ll probably get all new stuff and change it up. I don’t know. I think it’s fun to play a character!
