(Photo: Spencer Heyfron)

What do you do for work?
I was a receptionist, but I just got laid off.

I’m sorry to hear that.
That’s okay, I’m not crying. I’ve worked since I was 15. It’s wonderful, to tell you the truth—I don’t have to get up at six o’clock now.

Do you still dress up every day?
Always. I never wear pants. These days, you see nothing but tight blue jeans, and I think, How do they even get in there?

Do you like fashion?
Sure, but all the good guys have died, the designers from the fifties and sixties. They designed elegant and charming. Fashion now, it doesn’t look right. My life is simple, and I dress accordingly.

Interview by Rachel Baker.

Related:

• Archive: “Look Book”
• Table of Contents: Nov 15, 2010 issue of New York | Subscribe!