Fashion designer Pierre Mahéo talks about tastes

My personal style signifier It is the combination of colors, in my work and in my personal life. If I’m wearing navy blue pants, I have to have a navy blue sweater that matches perfectly. I’ve been dressing like this forever; It’s a kind of freedom for me, because I don’t have to think about what to wear in the morning. And I always wear an old watch, from 1979. Cartier Tank Chinoise, which is a fairly rare model.

The last things I bought and loved. They were two works of art by Michael Schouflikir, compositions made of recycled pieces of wood and metal, built on vintage frames. They are from a gallery that I love in Saint-Germain-des-Prés called Tourette, directed by Carole Korngold, showcasing a new artist each month; They have had the work on paper of Laurent Jaffrennou, the sculptures of Thomas Junghans and the paintings of Mirco Marchelli.

My style icons dressed the same all their lives, which I love.

The place that means a lot to me. It’s Ibiza, where I have a holiday home. The first time I went I didn’t connect with it, but I think it’s a place that needs to be discovered. Now my wife and I have a house in the center of the island with a beautiful view of the countryside; It’s absolutely charming. The house is a mix of old estate and Bauhaus style, so it has very interesting shapes. I do the opposite of what most visitors to the island do: I get up at 6:30 am, have coffee in town, and then have dinner with some friends.

And the best souvenir I have ever brought home. It’s a sculpture of a man’s head that I got in Noordermarkt Flea market in Amsterdam. We were supposed to buy it for one of our stores, which always have second-hand objects and furniture, but I felt a connection with it and wanted to have it at home.

The best book I have read in the last year. is Life in employment mode by Georges Perec. I first tried to read it when I was in school but couldn’t keep up. Now I find the way he built it to be exceptional: the construction of it is almost mathematical. There are 99 chapters and they are filled with many different stories about the people who live (or used to live) in a building.

my style icons It’s Roger Vadim and Marcello Mastroianni who, for me, represent the golden era of the 60s and 70s and that casual attitude where they didn’t care what they were wearing. It was more about the way they walked and gestured, not the clothes. They mastered that indifference and elegance that was truly personal, and they basically dressed the same way their entire lives, which I love.

My favorite room in my house. It is the kitchen, because it is where we sit, eat and talk most. It’s also where I started my label, General Office, writing and drawing things on the old table over there. It’s not a big kitchen, but I like the balance and that it’s where people connect.

The last music I downloaded. It was by Phoenixthe album Zulu Alphawhich was recorded in the Museum of Decorative Arts. I’ve been listening to it slowly; What I don’t like about the way we consume music right now is how we listen to it too fast, listening to it in the car and skipping songs. I think I’m going to go back to vinyl at home, where it can’t slide.

The best gift I have received recently. it’s a harvest land rover Defender 110 convertible that my wife, Nina, bought me. I’m a minor car collector and always wanted to have this one. I restored it by giving it very dark navy blue body paint, with black leather seats and silver trim. I love the idea of ​​recycling an old car and turning it into something new.

For a French person, I love Italian food.

And the best gift I’ve ever given It’s an old Cartier Tank Française, from the 60s, that I gave to my wife for no particular occasion. I bought it from an online vintage dealer. Collector’s Square.

my favorite building is he Royal Palace in Paris. I love the garden there, the arches where the shops are, and how strict they have been with the treatment of the façade, with the colors and the signage. That’s a big problem we have in Paris, where not all brands have been able to keep their windows in the same style as the buildings, so there are some really ugly ones under a beautiful building.

I have a collection of chairs from many different eras. Some are made with very traditional workmanship – techniques used in central France on a farm – or I have some brutalist chairs from Holland, which have old leather cushions with beautiful patinas. I recently bought some chairs at a flea market in Paris that are carved from a single tree, without screws or anything. They are more like sculptures.

In my refrigerator you will always find Parma ham and burrata. For a French person, I’m crazy about Italian food. In the summer, this is usually what I eat for breakfast and lunch, along with fresh fruit, which I try to buy seasonally, olive oil, and Himalayan sea salt.

I have recently rediscovered the French Riviera. Some friends who own a gallery in Paris have a house in Villefranche-sur-Mer and I was surprised by what I saw. I went out of season, in October, and the light was beautiful, everything was golden and the little beach was absolutely lovely.

A whim I would never give up is swimming in the sea. I was born in Brittany, which is not known for being tropical, but I always used to swim in its invigorating waters. My favorite beach, however, is called Plage des Salines, in St Barths, which is a long, quiet beach surrounded by hills.

The last clothes I added to my wardrobe There are half a dozen white t-shirts from our Daily Classics line. It sounds stupid, but it took us nine months to develop that shirt and now I’m very happy with the product. It is made of a blend of organic and recycled cotton.

An object that I would never part with is my Hermes 1960s 48-hour travel bag. I bought it a few years ago and it’s a little destroyed from the use I’ve given it, but someday I’ll remake it. It’s not the most practical bag but I love the shape, the patina and all the imperfections it has now.

The only artist whose work I would collect if I could is Giacometti. It could be sculptures or drawings, I really love his technique and also how he always worked with a tie. It is a point of view that lasts forever.

The basic self-care item that I never lack It is the Vétiver colony of Guerlain, which I have been using for 30 years. I think I put on too much in the morning because I don’t smell it anymore, but I do when I put it on a scarf or jacket. It belongs to me, it shouldn’t be in anyone else’s hands.

My grooming guru It’s Fanny, who cuts my hair David Mallett salon in Paris. It is in a beautiful apartment with high ceilings that is very warm and cozy but hidden from the street. I also go to his house in New York when I’m there.

My favorite application is TimePro, because I am constantly looking at the forecast. As a company, we often change the window display if we know it’s going to be warmer or colder, to match what people are wearing.

In another life it would have been a architect, because I think connecting spaces with people is incredible. A building can be beautiful, have amazing colors, but it means nothing if it is not human-friendly. I’m very particular about details: how a closet fits a person or whether the shower is the right size.

The works of art that changed everything for me. were Irving Penn portraits from the 50s, both on a personal and professional level. He is a master of photography and I admire the confidence he had when photographing people, the way he styled them and the intensity of the looks in his eyes. Every time I visit them again I always find something new.

What I couldn’t do without It’s my morning coffee. I sit outside thinking about the day ahead or sometimes meeting a friend. It’s a stolen moment before my full day of work. I live in Saint-Germain, opposite Flore Coffeeso I often sit there, even when it’s very cold, to watch people passing by.