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If the folks at Barneys don't seem perturbed by Doonan's outsize persona, that might be because he is their own personal André Leon Talley, a witty gay guy who serves as their public face, a perfect brand extension of their seemingly anticorporate corporate philosophy. And though Elle editor in chief Robbie Myers calls Doonan "a brutal truth teller," it's also true that he uses his soapbox as a means by which to relentlessly promote the store. Since he began his Observer column in 2000, Doonan has managed to plug Barneys over a hundred times while waxing sarcastic on a seemingly endless array of topics.
Here are some of his current opinions, delivered over lunch, plugs for Barneys included....
On the porno-chic trend, which is the subject of a chapter in the book called "Say No to Ho": My problem with it isn't that it's vulgar. It's that it's become an act of conformity. There's so much flash and cleavage in the world. That's why I always want Barneys to be perceived as an intriguing place. That's why at Barneys, we're always very focused on the people who have a story, rather than the people who are red-carpet divas. We're interested in people who are practicing the craft of fashion."
On Hillary Clinton and her penchant for all things yellow: "She looks entirely appropriate. I don't want a politician who is going to wear a backless Dior gown. I don't want a politician who's thinking about fashion for even one millisecond. It's the same as medical professionals. The idea of a person in a Comme des Garçons humpback dress giving me a colonoscopy is just not groovy." (For the record, both Dior and Comme des Garçons are carried by Barneys.)
On plastic surgery: "I am completely opposed to it. I understand it with performers who might want to extend their careers, but the whole concept of being antiaging is very questionable to me. Regular people torturing their faces, it's nasty. Learn to glue on false eyelashes. Don't become Jocelyn Wildenstein when you can be Louise Nevelson."
As for what Doonan plans to do as an old man, he says: "Maybe I'll become Amy Winehouse. I want to take back the night for senior citizens."
Here are some of his current opinions, delivered over lunch, plugs for Barneys included....
On the porno-chic trend, which is the subject of a chapter in the book called "Say No to Ho": My problem with it isn't that it's vulgar. It's that it's become an act of conformity. There's so much flash and cleavage in the world. That's why I always want Barneys to be perceived as an intriguing place. That's why at Barneys, we're always very focused on the people who have a story, rather than the people who are red-carpet divas. We're interested in people who are practicing the craft of fashion."
On Hillary Clinton and her penchant for all things yellow: "She looks entirely appropriate. I don't want a politician who is going to wear a backless Dior gown. I don't want a politician who's thinking about fashion for even one millisecond. It's the same as medical professionals. The idea of a person in a Comme des Garçons humpback dress giving me a colonoscopy is just not groovy." (For the record, both Dior and Comme des Garçons are carried by Barneys.)
On plastic surgery: "I am completely opposed to it. I understand it with performers who might want to extend their careers, but the whole concept of being antiaging is very questionable to me. Regular people torturing their faces, it's nasty. Learn to glue on false eyelashes. Don't become Jocelyn Wildenstein when you can be Louise Nevelson."
As for what Doonan plans to do as an old man, he says: "Maybe I'll become Amy Winehouse. I want to take back the night for senior citizens."
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