This week we visit the apartment of Rachel Antonoff the super duper inspired fashion designer and cutie extraordinaire. Although Mrs. Sizzle got lost in the rain she was relieved to get to the cozy apartment with the barking dog, none other than Lafitte Antonoff. Amy Lombard was on hand to photograph and there to help us look stylish was the brilliant DOG & CO.! I had to ask Rachel many questions about this handsome scruffy dude.
Tell us a bit about how you came upon this lover?
I was obsessed with Barkbuddy and kept applying for dogs and not getting them. Danielle from Barkbuddy emailed me saying they had found a little guy with "wobbly legs" at a kill shelter in LA and I fell in love with him the moment I saw his picture. I was in LA and went to meet him. As soon as I saw him I knew he belonged with me!
How did he get his name?
Lafitte was named after my uncle's Bichon.
What does it mean?
I've heard a bunch of different things but the most popular seem to be a famous pirate.
What got you going with animals?
I've loved animals for as long as I can remember.
Do you like dressing him up?
I love dressing him up but he seems happiest in the nude so I typically let him go au natural.
Does he come to the office with you?
He comes to the office a few days a week but he has the greatest time at his daycare so I try to bring him there a few days a week too.
Will you be designing dog clothes anytime soon?
I think so, yes! I got really excited to do it while we were playing dress up at our shoot.
Tell us about the sweater you are wearing in the rain and how you came upon being a fashion designer?
That is the Randy Reproductive Sweater, actually named after my good friend's gynocologist Randy. I have been designing for roughly eleven years and fell into it in a really strange way. I always designed in my head but it wasn't until my early 20s that I thought to really attempt it. A friend and I relayed our ideas to my childhood neighbor in New Jersey, Marlene Sapoff, who sewed us three samples which we immediately photographed and cold emailed to random editors. We were mostly ignored but one editor, Jane Keltner, emailed back and had us into Teen Vogue to show her our three samples. She called Megan Mitchell at Barneys and scheduled an appointment for us and thus began the weirdest year of my life. I really got my education from being thrown into the deep end with no formal training.
I hear Amy Lombard just shot your look book for Spring 2016! How did that happen?
I have been a fan of Amy's for a while now. I first met her when she shot my brother and I for Nylon last year and she was just such a pleasure to work with. She seemed like a really natural fit for the lookbook and we were so excited she was into. She is really very talented andI love the images so much!! Here is a sneak peek:
