Suzanne Rae
Fresh from debuting her second collection, designer Suzanne Pelaez reveals how her inherent interest in sexuality leads to the feminine lines that characterize her work. Open to ever-evolving ideas and with an insatiable desire to please, Pelaez works in a world where notions of femininity are re-appropriated.
Riffin': If we consider clothing an extension of ourselves, what power does that grant designers? Are they cultural/social barometers?
Pelaez: I've always said that I love design, as it's the best way I can represent my ideas, thoughts, and personality. When someone wears my clothes, I see it more as an extension of myself. I also went to an all women's college, so an element of my design is the focus on women's studies and women's issues. I'm very body conscious, and often try to redefine what I feel to be feminine or feministic.
Does all this talk of a feminine focus mean men will be forgotten by Suzanne Rae?
Pelaez: No! I'm interested in working men's clothing into my future. I have an inherent interest in gender and sexuality. It is inevitable coming from an all women's college, you can't escape it.
What role does music play in your creative process?
Pelaez: First thing I do when I get up in the morning is get my music going. I like to listen to a balance of men and women vocalist, in what I call "Pretty Music." My first collection, for the spring/summer show, I picked music that helped to carry the collection. Specifically, Lucienne Boyler "Parlez moi d'amour," Carla Bruni's "Quelqu'un m'a dit," and Yo Lo Tengo's "Center of Gravity."
Each collection stems from an idea, and I listen to music to inspire and enhance my ideas. For my second collection, which I centered on the lost generation, I listened to a lot of jazz. Yet I also listened to T. Rex to try to keep an edge, and see the past from a modern perspective.
I have an inherent interest in gender and sexuality.
Do you ever take fashion cues from musician, or certain musical movements?
Pelaez: I'm in love with the color and aesthetic of The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love" video. Also, I love Siouxsie and the Banshees styles. Sometimes these influences go into my work directly and other times indirectly.
What song/album/or musician best represents Suzanne Rae?
Pelaez: It depends on mood really. I'm not sure I feel comfortable answering this question, as everything changes. We evolve and grow and music is part of that change. But if I was forced to choose a defining band for Susanne Rae, it is Stereo Lab. It's hard to confine oneself to just one favorite, though, as everything changes.
What do you want your clothing to tell women, your customers?
Pelaez: To not be afraid to be a woman, to embrace what it means to them, and to maybe explore what it means to them. This middle aged woman loved all the clothes in my past collection and didn't feel she could wear them. She is full figured, and I wanted to hear that. I wanted to know what the clothing meant to her. I'm having a fitting with her soon to try on the clothes, and it's all experimental. It's a creative process, and as long as it sparks thoughts and ideas in a progressive way, I'm happy.