Living Legends, or Dreams of Barhopping with Geniuses
In my short time on this earth, I’ve been fortunate to make the acquaintance of many a wonderful and interesting human, but there are at least five more characters I’d love to chat with over a nice cup of tea (read: any number of alcoholic beverages).
Phoebe Philo: British fashion designer & Creative Director of Céline
If you haven’t already heard from every style blogger in the universe, Céline is fashion zeitgeist, and Phoebe Philo is the brains behind the label’s most intelligent design. And unlike many of her colleagues (Lagerfeld, Jacobs, Versace), she maintains most of her existence in relative hermitry, lending to her image of being a real artist’s artist and overall badass.
Haruki Murakami: Japanese author
When I first heard about this guy, it was in one of those “How Hipster are You?” online quizzes. After scoring an unimpressive (or relieving?) 45%, I decided to check this guy out. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Murakami, I can assure you that your literary palette is in for a real cleansing, if I may be so bold. His style of magical realism layered over a distinctly Japanese backdrop is dreamy, enlightening and always engrossing (see: “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”).
Sufjan Stevens: Songwriter, musician, performer
Ever since I heard the haunting “For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti” on an episode of the O.C. and subsequently discovered its title, I knew Mr. Stevens either had to be a lunatic or genius. Fortunately, the former quality has yet to be seen. As a performer, he has a disarming stage presence afforded by his apparent ignorance of his own brilliance. Oh, and his name is Sufjan (that’s “soof-yawn”).
Laura & Kate Mulleavy: Founders & Fashion Designers of Rodarte
They’re sisters, they still live with their parents, and they created one of the most prominent designer clothing lines of the past decade straight out of college (and they didn’t even study fashion design). Celebrities and (more importantly) Anna Wintour love their whimsical, ethereal designs, referred to as “wearable art” on almost every occasion. I like them because they seem super weird and—like everyone on this list—mostly removed from their success and incredible accomplishments.
Bill Murray: Actor & Comedian
There are so many things about this guy that make me wish he was my uncle. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s such an unlikely movie star, or his genius comedic timing in “Caddyshack’s” Baby Ruth scene, or the fact that he usually plays the “sweet schmuck” character, but no matter the reason, he’s always been at the top of my list. You CANNOT go wrong with Bill, but my personal favorite Murray roles are definitely from “Groundhog Day” and “The Life Aquatic.”
If you could have drinks with your favorite (living) icons, who would they be?
