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Vincent Gallo Wants You Out of Those Jeans

gallo

Has that cavemen sitcom started already?Photo: Patrick McMullan


We’ve been spotting Vincent Gallo all over the place — that is, when we can see past the facial hair — and our curiosity finally got the better of us. Why has he been going to so many shows? Does he really know anything about fashion? Would he even deign to talk to us (we had a rather unfortunate moment a few years back when we called his cell phone for a quote and were told, “Never fucking call this number again!”)? Gallo, it turns out, is a rather gentle soul when you’re not sneak attacking him by cell phone. Jada Yuan got him to talk about … lots of weird stuff.

On why he’s going to so many shows (four on Sunday and Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs on Monday).
To be quite honest, in my life, in the top five or six things that I’ve ever seen, a few of them were fashion shows. I’m talking about couture. Alexander McQueen did some Givenchy shows that were incredible. But anytime there’s light, there’s music, and people putting a lot of creative energy into performance, it’s very exciting to me. I’ve never seen a movie I didn’t like. If I had to go to 50 fashion shows a day, I could handle it. I’m easy to entertain in that way.

On the Warhol Factor X Levi’s X Damien Hirst show.
I asked the designer to make me a full jumpsuit out of that shiny leather. I really like jumpsuits now.

On jeans and lazy people.
I don’t wear jeans. Most people who are wearing jeans, I feel are doing so because they are lazy. It’s not to say that denim isn’t a fantastic material, or that jeans can’t be part of a really strong expression, but in general, I associate them with people who are being lazy. I like more thoughtful dressing.

On ThreeAsFour and the meaning of modern.
AsFour’s show was very modern and progressive. They’re not interested in anything from the past, so they’re really making things that are modern, in the way that modern really means — it’s a bit outside of contemporary language because it’s more sophisticated than that. But it’s something that has a profound vision or connection to where we’ll settle soon. They seem to reject things that exist and create their own vocabulary. They’re sort of in a self-contained universe.

On Rodarte’s intellectualism.
That show was much more intellectual than people noticed. Yes, the work was very detailed, but I use the word intellectual because there was a vocabulary that existed in that subtlety that was more than refinement. And there’s something beautiful about those girls. There’s something special about those two sisters. I just got a really good vibe from them, that they were extremely bright and filled with very sophisticated vision.

On Anna Sui.
I loved the show, but especially that one silver dress, the short one with the flowers in the front. I think it’s one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time. Anna’s work is so consistent. It’s always so good. I don’t understand why she’s not more embraced by the bigger magazines and bigger critics. Her work has been good for years and years and years. People are going to look back and look at her archive and realize that she is one of the most consistent, innovative designers we’ve had.

On his ability to look critically at friends.
Anna’s my best friend in fashion, but that doesn’t mean anything. I would say the truth. I’ve hurt a friend before.

On blowing his shot at being a male model.
I walked in Anna’s show once. It’s one of the few shows I’ve ever done in my life, and she was very disappointed in my performance. I was really cool and calm. Everything was cool. And then when we did the walking, I just realized that Anna would be scrutinizing me. So when I got to the runway, I stiffened up, then exhaled or something and she was not happy. She never used me again. —Jada Yuan

Vincent Gallo Wants You Out of Those Jeans