Two
years after closing his business, onetime Perry Ellis Award
winner John Bartlett is back with a men’s show at the
Harvard Club (his alma mater) and a vow to keep his “ego
in check” and to listen more to stores about what sells.
— Jacob Bernstein
What did you do after quitting?
I went to Cambodia, shaved my head, and immersed myself in Buddhism.
The Buddhist monks were so beautiful.
Did you contemplate never returning to fashion?
Yes. I was supposed to start the New School’s master’s
program in media studies—which is basically documentary
filmmaking—next week. But I decided not to go.
Your clothes once called to mind Tom of Finland. Now you’re
showing seersucker suits. Is this a real shift or just another
kind of fetish?
Another kind of fetish. When I first moved to New York, I lived
at the Harvard Club and I felt like Eloise at the Plaza. I was
surrounded by these amazing men in Brooks Brothers suits. It
was as erotic as a leather bar. But my September 2001 presentation
was a prison scenario based on Jean Genet, so I do think this
is a lighter take. No one’s blindfolded this time.
Was Harvard actually fashionable?
Not at all. I was walking around in Burberry trench coats or
dressing up like Adam Ant. They were all in sweat suits.
You once complained that your shows cost upwards of $150,000.
How much is this one?
About $8,000, the price of my first show ten years ago. After
that, I spun out of control.
Two
years after closing his business, onetime Perry Ellis Award
winner John Bartlett is back with a men’s show at the
Harvard Club (his alma mater) and a vow to keep his “ego
in check” and to listen more to stores about what sells.
— Jacob Bernstein