Few objects born out of the year 2020 spark joy for me, but Steak Diane’s handmade masks still make me smile — and I mean that literally. (Some featured big red lips smoking a cigarette.)
Now, after selling hundreds of hand-sewn face coverings with fun prints like martini olives and moules-frites on them — Todd Heim, whose drag name is Steak Diane, has decided to embark on a new project: home goods, sold under the moniker Chez Diane.
“I’ve spent some time thinking about who Diane is and landed on this idea that she’s a hostess,” Heim said of his other half. “[She’s] kind of a mess in the kitchen, but makes an excellent martini, sets a stunning table, and knows how to bring people together for a dinner party.” Home goods like placemats, napkins, and, of course, martini coasters, seemed like the logical next step for the both of them, especially as it feels safer to take off our masks and gather around dinner tables again.
Heim started thinking about the collection back in January, when he was cooped up at home and fantasizing about travel, saying that since COVID began, “I have yet to venture outside of the U.S., so I was dreaming about places I have been — Marseilles, Sicily, Greek Islands, etc. — and places I haven’t been — Portugal, so many coastal Italian cities, etc. — and what a visit to any of those places has to offer.” He imagined lying on a gingham blanket on a rocky beach, drinking cheap wine, and maybe smoking a cigarette. Plus, of course, long lunches and late dinners with lots of fresh seafood. With that vibe in mind, he designed shellfish-covered table linens, lobster bibs, and other goods.
All of Chez Diane’s pieces are made locally, between New York’s garment district and Heim’s studio. You can preorder the full collection here, and browse some highlights modeled by Steak Diane herself and photographed by Hunter Abrams, below.
