THERE WILL NEVER NOT BE BARNEYS.
For me, Barneys was emblematic of the pleasure that comes with discovery, not only of clothes but discovery of self. To wander aisles and fall in love, with new designers and pieces that inspire you. I have this deep intuition that fashion will perhaps begin to shift from online to in-person once more… I hope I am correct. There is nothing as euphoric as the feeling of tactility of knits, silks, leathers, cottons on hangers, walking aimlessly through racks for an aha moment to change the trajectory of your wardrobe.
I hosted a panel with designer Christoher John Rogers, my close friend, a brother, really, at the Hourglass Cosmetics x Barneys NYC pop-up. It was a really special moment for me. Mostly because of my own personal relationship with Barneys. Barneys saved my life, one day soon, I’ll tell you that story. I was devastated when Barneys closed in 2020. Very symbolic that it was a month before the world shut down. I used to work there when I first moved to New York and it was an adventure, a rollercoaster ride, in retrospect, one that I didn’t fully appreciate till it was no longer. There is a picture of me that went viral in 2020, I’m at Barneys on its final day, sitting on the floor in between the Rick Owens and Dries Van Noten section on the fourth floor, taking everything in for one last time. I’m wearing a Jil Sander shearling pullover, my faithful vintage Levis jeans, Loewe Missy bag and JW Anderson converse, all purchased at Barneys.
I’ve been asked several times over the years to host events and panels and I’ve declined them all because the real me is very reserved and I’m also a Taurus, I’m not leaving my apartment unless I absolutely have to but when Hourglass approached me, I said yes without hesitation. Though I was nervous, I'm very proud to have hosted this panel, as someone on the street earlier that week had said, “Amanda, you’re out of the house?” To see my name, next to my brother’s, sharing a playbill with what the Wall Street Journal (the best fashion journalism hands-down, I’ve been saying this) once referred to as the coolest department store was a special experience.
My look was Christopher John Rogers, I loved it. I am wearing Hourglass, their makeup is simply very good. The Unlocked Mascara gagged me, the Phantom Glossy Balm needs no introduction and the Unreal Liquid Blush in Imagine is giving holy grail status, and that's coming from a girl that is or rather was a powder blush fanatic.
The popup is on 14 Prince Street and is open through October 11th. It’s an intimate space. For everyone who DM’d me, thank you for your support, I’m sorry that we weren’t able to invite everyone due to capacity. That being said, I hope to meet you in person, please say hello, though I can be quite shy. I wanted to share some of the conversation between me and CJR.
For an intro to CJR, where do I begin. He’s a talented designer, a Baton Rouge native, recipient of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and a beautiful person. We met in 2016 when he sent me a DM, back when Instagram was still cool, and I thought, who is this person sending me a DM? Many years later, he is my brother. CJR pieces mix feminine and masculine with equal measure, beautiful structures and fabrics that sit well. They are confidence incarnate. I am so proud to have shared this moment with him.
BANTER BETWEEN
AMANDA MURRAY X
CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS
Amanda: Anna Wintour visited the house I went to, right? With the three roommates? I just tried to picture Anna Wintour in Bushwick, walking by the trash saying in Nene’s voice, “ The Ghetto”…
Christopher John Rogers: The trash cans outside. Rats running around. We live. We live.
A: Yeah, I know that gagged her.
CJR: Well Anna walked in, she was doing her site visits. I was there with Christina and two other folks on my team at the time, they lived in that apartment with me. Anna has her sunglasses off and is smiling, realizes that it's not just me, puts the sunglasses back on, and continues with her tour. And she goes, where do you guys make the clothes? And I'm like, oh, over there. And she says “in the kitchen?” and I was like, yeah. We had two home sewing machines and one industrial machine. We did everything there. And she said, you know, this reminds me of John. And I said, who do you mean? And she said John Galliano. That was really magical, that she could see that there was something there, even though there wasn't really a lot at the time.
A: How does it feel to know that there's a young child somewhere in America or London or wherever in the globe that’s inspired by your story? What does that mean to you?
CJR: I feel like I'm on Drag Grace!
A: Bring back my girls.
CJR: For me, it’s a real privilege. I’m still just getting started in so many ways, and when I see people wearing my clothes, whether it's on Instagram or in life, that's so much more important and impactful to me than a celebrity, in a way. I like that people can find the clothes useful. They can find them transformative.. That they can find themselves actualizing. And so if there's a kid out there or someone that looks at the work that we're doing, or me, that feels like they can reach beyond themselves in some capacity, that's really helpful.
A: It's pretty special. I always say to you that you've accomplished so much in such a very short span of time. You've worked for Diane von Furstenberg, Rosie Assoulin, Tanya Taylor and also Harbison. Entrepreneurship felt very immediate for you. Was that always the plan, or did it just happen?
CJR: Both. I mean, it was always something I knew I wanted. I wanted to articulate my vision with ease. I didn't want to have to, like, fight people to create a silhouette or something. So I always knew that that's what I wanted to do, but it did happen faster than I thought. It happened incredibly quickly.
A: It gags me every time. And I always try to remind him, Chris, four years ago —
*phone rings*
A: Who's doing that?
*crowd laughs*
A: I always say that four years ago, you were just starting out. When I worked at Barney's, Chris sent me a DM saying, amanda, I know you're cool with the people at Sies Marjan. Can you help me get a job there? So to know that was just recently, and we’re sitting here now, I am just blown away constantly.
CJR: It’s crazy.
A: Your ascent has just been really incredible to watch. And I think because you are in it, I don't know if you are really able to grasp the moment, but I'm watching it and grasping it for you. But anyway. Wait, did you answer the question?
CJR: What was the question?
A: Entrepreneurship felt very immediate for you, was that the plan?
CJR: Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's something I knew I wanted. I mean, it happened faster than I thought it would. Should I tell the story?
A: Yeah, why not?
CJR: So, I moved to New York and was trying to find a job. I was printing out resumes. I found the Sies Marjan office on Google Maps. I went to the office, I slid my resume under the glass door. The receptionist looked at me like I was insane. And I did that with a few other places, and then ended up getting a job at DVF. I worked on the knitwear team, and then thought, I need to make something with my first few paychecks. I saved up for industrial machines, started making clothes, and then really wanted to release a collection. We did that in 2018, just on Instagram, and then got a lot of traction from that organically. And then one of my friends was like, you know, you should apply for the calendar. I thought it was too soon because we don't have any stockists and it had only been one season, but we applied and got on. Then we had to figure out how to make everything happen.
I ended up emailing a gallery in Soho, a woman named Ebony. Absolutely amazing. She’s now at 51. Walker. I met with her, and she gave us a space for free so we didn't have to pay for that.
We streetcast models and basically did the entire presentation and collection for, like, $5k while I was working a full time job. I used all of my PTO to make the collection. Christina produced it in, like, what, two days? So that happened, we did another collection, and then I was still working full time because we weren't selling the clothes. I ended up getting called to my employer's office at the time, and they were like, you know, you're really talented and we're so happy for you, but you just can't work here. In retrospect, I completely get it, conflict of interest. But that was sort of the push that I needed, out of the nest in a way, to sort of do my own thing. We ended up applying to the fashion fund that summer, recorded the application in our apartment, and then ended up getting in. One thing kind of led to another, but it wasn't planned in that way.
A: What's one piece of advice you'd give to your younger self?
CJR: Everything's going to be okay.
A: Everything works out.
CJR: The thing that you want, wants you more.
A: Anything I want wants me, period.
Someone in the crowd shouts PERIOD.
HOURGLASS FAVORITES
