Anna dello Russo, she of the giant fruit shaped head pieces and brazenly over-the-top outfits, has a blog-ebrity that grows with each fashion week. Her Fashion’s Night Out party with Macy’s to celebrate her collaboration with the clothing line INC, was one of the most jam-packed of last night. We met up the morning before to talk bijoux, maximalism and the high/low revolution.
Between the Karl Lagerfeld collaboration and your partnership with INC, this feels like Macy’s week. Why do you think the phenomenon of high/low collaborations is reaching its tipping point?
I think it’s a reaction to the web revolution. When Macy’s approached me I was not that surprised because I am the link between the old and the new world of fashion. Because I started to blog when nobody at this level was really doing it. There is change in the air, this phenomenon. I think [these brands] are changing their level of communication by trying to put the high quality in mass market. That’s the formula.
Would you say that you’ve influenced the current maximal moment in fashion?
I hope so. But I think, in fashion you give and you get. I was feeling that it was time to put all of this bijoux, stuff like that, on because we didn’t see this in a long time. It was time to go back to this maximalism. But I don’t pretend to influence fashion. I can just be the witness to it. I just catch it. Now you can see many, many accessory brands coming back with hats, costume jewelry and I think I’m a witness to this moment.
How do you pack for the four fashion weeks?
I always do a pit stop in Milan like Formula One. I can’t survive more than one week. I have to go back to Milan and change my luggage. It’s quite a big job. It looks like an editorial shooting. My fashion month is kind of like my issue, my personal magazine. I have to take care of it.
Do you change your level of dress from city to city? Do you go all out in Paris as opposed to, say, New York?
Before I used to dress quite different for each city, but now it’s from the top to the top to the top to the top [ laughing.] I want to look different and project myself. It’s about impact. I want to have impact.
Now that your Internet celebrity has grown so dramatically, are you getting recognized on the street outside of fashion week?
The younger generation recognize me more because they go to the Web. That’s good because when the young generation comes to me that means you’re [doing something] right.
Can you see a difference in how these partnerships are done now as opposed to, say, five years ago?
Five years ago, this level of collaborations wouldn’t have even been possible. I remember when H&M approached Roberto Cavalli. I was consulting for Cavalli at this time and they were like, “What do we do? What do we do?” And I was like, “We have to do this! This is the future.” And it’s interesting but if you notice, this Macy’s collaboration, it’s the web that has covered it more than the printed press. The web is less serious, and kind of more spontaneous. It’s a modern approach.
