DORÉ

Julie Houts recently cleaned out her closet. She doesn’t know I know this but I do. I know this because our mutual friend, Madeline, recently asked if I wanted a purple jumpsuit Julie passed down to Madeline because it doesn’t fit Madeline quite right. My text response was along the lines of, “Logistically I don’t think I could wear anything of Julie’s because of my ass and emotionally I think any garment of Julie’s would be insulted to be hung alongside my plebeian cloths. But who gives a shit, I want it and will do anything to wear something that Julie deemed worthy enough to wear even for a few short years.” Even Tori, who gets to peep inside of some of the most exquisite lady closets, came to me with eyes full of wonder after seeing Julie’s. Julie may be able to skewer fashion with the shrewdest of observations (as seen in her brilliant book, Literally Me) but what’s more impressive is she’s able to do so while looking better than all of us. See for yourself below!

What is your ideal outfit or uniform to wear every day?
Since going freelance, I’ve developed a pretty extensive pajama wardrobe. If I’m feeling particularly fancy, I’ll wear silk ones.

Who are your style icons?
I would say primarily dead European socialites from the ’30s- ‘60s. (Is it sacrilege to answer this question with anything other than, “KATE MOSS!”)

Do you find that your personal style directly effects the characters you create in your illustrations or vice versa?
Yes, pieces I’m wearing often find their way into my illustrations simply because they’re more front of brain. I’ve also definitely incorporated pieces I’d never be able to afford into an illustration. Just living vicariously through 10” tall illustrations.

How has your style adapted to the change of going from corporate to freelance?
As I mentioned, I’ve become a bit of a pajama aficionado. When I actually do leave the house for a meeting, I tend to think a bit more about what I’m going to wear simply because I have the time to. Its exciting now to actually get dressed, so I tend to put a bit more thought into what I want to wear than I did before when I was working at a corporate job, stumbling around half-awake trying to remember if I had already worn the selected outfit earlier that week. Beyond that, sometimes I’ll have several meetings in a row all over town, and as a result my footwear has gotten slightly more reasonable than it was when the furthest I’d walk in a day was from my desk to the copy machine.