I have a minimum of 50 embellished cardigans. I’m not a believer in less is more; I’m sort of a believer in more is necessary.
9:15 A.M. I walk to work if I have time. I try not to carry anything, just my one workbag. (I’m very excited about my Doctor Lady bag right now.) Usually, my first stop is Starbucks, where I get a grande skinny vanilla latte. If I don’t walk, I’ll take a cab, and catch up on e-mails and phone calls. I don’t typically travel with other people, but if I’m travelling with a certain someone, he often might have this group with him … some band or another.
9:30 A.M. When I get to work, I review my schedule for the day and the week, then I go over my action list. I turn on some music, and start with my team. I’m very diverse in my music choices. I listen to everything from jazz to blues, R&B, classical, reggae—it just depends on how I feel.
1:30 P.M. My typical lunch is fish, vegetables and potatoes, or pasta if I order from my local Italian. Otherwise we eat Thai food from a local noodle bar, the Phat Phuc. My only snack during the day is chocolate—a bar every day.
7:30 P.M. I leave by 7:30 so I can have my alone time. I like to cook if I have time. If not, I have someone else cook for me. When I have time to cook, it’s usually Sunday; it’s the only day I have off. Often on Saturday, I’ll work and catch up. I have a few little dishes, mostly simple Italian food. And I have this chicken dish—a whole roasted chicken that I baste and marinate for two hours and cook really slow. It’s almost like a spicy kind of jerk chicken. Sometimes I like to watch TV, though I never get to watch any of the shows in real time. I’m a fan of Downton Abbey, Boardwalk Empire, and Boss. There’s a British series called Luther, but in England they think a series means four episodes. And I like Mad Men. Otherwise it’s always good to unwind with a book. 10:00 P.M. I look at lots of things online. I’ve ordered on barneys.com, net-a-porter.com. I just bought a very cute pair of shoes—actually more than one—Tabitha Simmons boots, Manolo Blahniks, and Nikes for the gym. I get my groceries from Fresh Direct. I collect books: Art books, first-edition photography books, lithograph books, architecture books,
and Cecil Beaton books—I think I have almost every one of his. I’m quite into interiors too, and like to look at old Georgian houses. I have different periods of time in architecture, and I also have a little obsession with gardens. Sometimes I look at old travel books. If I’m going somewhere in Asia, it’s fun to buy an old first-edition book about someone’s adventure travelling to Sri Lanka or somewhere. I like to read about the kind of mad adventures they had. As for pets, I have a dog named Star,
her son Guinness, and a cat. They’re just adopted mutts; I think they found us, really. They all have a very nice life because they live on an island where we have a home. I could take pets home
everywhere I find them—it’s a nightmare. I should definitely donate money to an animal shelter because I can’t take them all home. 11:00 P.M. I unwind with a long bath, some reading, and a big piece of chocolate cake. For the bath, I use Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil. It’s great—you put it in your bath, as much as you want, and you get out, put on your dressing robe, and you let it soak in. Your whole body feels incredible. 12:00 A.M. The most important things in my bedroom are the Egyptian cotton sheets, a soft pillow, and a firm mattress. I can’t predict when I’ll go to sleep. If I need to fall asleep early, I do, and if I stay awake until 2 or 3 in the morning, I do. My main ritual, especially during manic fashion seasons, is to take my notebook and write down everything that’s on my mind, anything that will wake me up in the middle of the night. I write it all down and close my book and know that it’s
(going to be) done.