Simon Doonan
Encyclopedia
Simon Doonan is the Creative Ambassador-at-Large of the New York City
-based clothing
store, Barneys.
town of Reading
. He got his first retail job as a summer job working at Heelas
, a department store
in Reading that belonged to the John Lewis Partnership
. Returning to the same store after university, he first encountered the art of window dressing. Leaving Reading for London
, he then worked dressing the windows at Aquascutum
before moving to Nutters of Savile Row.
Invited to dress his windows by the proprietor of Maxfield, a department store in Los Angeles
, Doonan moved to the United States
in 1978. He joined the Barneys staff in 1986 as a window dresser.
In addition to his work at Barneys, he writes a column
on style
for Slate
. Previously, he wrote a similar column for the New York Observer.
In his latest book, Eccentric Glamour, he has decried porno chic in Western society in general. Interviewed for an article for the New York Daily News
, he said, "There are two horribly worrying trends! Celebrities are becoming so gun-shy that there is no diversity, no sense of fun on the red carpet. There's no experimentation - which is incredibly important to fashion." On "porno chic," (the second trend) he said, "Imagine if you said to people 20 years ago that in 2008 a significant number of women would be going around dressing like porno stars with fake hooters and butt cracks showing? No one would have believed you."
On VH1
's I Love the New Millennium
Doonan said that his favorite movie was Brokeback Mountain
.
's I Love the series, offering social commentary on each decade.
Simon Doonan has also been a guest star on America's Next Top Model
season 2, 3 and 5 to teach the models about style.
He was recently married to his partner of 14 years, designer Jonathan Adler
, in California in September 2008.
Doonan's memoir Beautiful People has been adapted for TV and began airing on BBC Two
in the UK on 2 October 2008 as Beautiful People
.
Simon reads "Fear of Squat" from his memoir for The Moth
podcast.
Doonan appeared as a judge on Iron Chef America
for Battle Sparkling Wine.
We could also notice him in fifth season (third episode - "The Jewel of Denial") of Gossip girl
, where he escorted Blair Waldorf on Jenny Packham show.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
store, Barneys.
Biography
Doonan hails from the EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
town of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. He got his first retail job as a summer job working at Heelas
John Lewis Reading
John Lewis Reading is a major department store in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Until 2001, the store was known as Heelas, and that name is still in common usage. The store fronts on to Reading's main pedestrianised shopping street, Broad Street, and backs onto Minster Street and...
, a department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
in Reading that belonged to the John Lewis Partnership
John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned UK partnership which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and a number of other services...
. Returning to the same store after university, he first encountered the art of window dressing. Leaving Reading for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he then worked dressing the windows at Aquascutum
Aquascutum
"Aquascutum" is a UK-based luxury clothing manufacturer and retailer, owned by Jaeger.-Company history:Aquascutum was established in 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition, when tailor and entrepreneur John Emary opened a high quality menswear shop at 46 Regent Street...
before moving to Nutters of Savile Row.
Invited to dress his windows by the proprietor of Maxfield, a department store in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Doonan moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1978. He joined the Barneys staff in 1986 as a window dresser.
In addition to his work at Barneys, he writes a column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
on style
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
for Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
. Previously, he wrote a similar column for the New York Observer.
In his latest book, Eccentric Glamour, he has decried porno chic in Western society in general. Interviewed for an article for the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, he said, "There are two horribly worrying trends! Celebrities are becoming so gun-shy that there is no diversity, no sense of fun on the red carpet. There's no experimentation - which is incredibly important to fashion." On "porno chic," (the second trend) he said, "Imagine if you said to people 20 years ago that in 2008 a significant number of women would be going around dressing like porno stars with fake hooters and butt cracks showing? No one would have believed you."
On VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's I Love the New Millennium
I Love the New Millennium
I Love the New Millennium, the latest entry into the I Love the... series, is a nostalgia show focusing on the 2000's and premiered on VH1 Monday, June 23, 2008. Each night, from Monday to Thursday, two of the eight episodes premiered, corresponding to the years from 2000 to 2007...
Doonan said that his favorite movie was Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
.
Appearances
Simon has made appearances on VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's I Love the series, offering social commentary on each decade.
Simon Doonan has also been a guest star on America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
season 2, 3 and 5 to teach the models about style.
He was recently married to his partner of 14 years, designer Jonathan Adler
Jonathan Adler
Jonathan Adler is a Jewish-American designer renowned for his "happy chic" approach to home furnishings and interior design...
, in California in September 2008.
Doonan's memoir Beautiful People has been adapted for TV and began airing on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in the UK on 2 October 2008 as Beautiful People
Beautiful People (UK TV series)
Beautiful People is a British comedy drama television series based on the memoirs of Barneys creative director Simon Doonan. The series takes place in Reading, Berkshire in 1997, where thirteen-year-old Simon Doonan and his best friend Kylie dream of escaping their dreary suburban surroundings and...
.
Simon reads "Fear of Squat" from his memoir for The Moth
The Moth
The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. It was founded in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate the feeling of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, when moths were attracted to the light on the...
podcast.
Doonan appeared as a judge on Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
for Battle Sparkling Wine.
We could also notice him in fifth season (third episode - "The Jewel of Denial") of Gossip girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
, where he escorted Blair Waldorf on Jenny Packham show.