IT’S THE SHADE OF THEIR TRADE
PART T H R E E O F OFFICE: Levitt Goodman Architects CITY: Toronto STYLE: Casual minimalism F I V E
Janna Levitt says the architectural look is commonly referred to as Prada Army.
Case in point, Levitt was recently part of a panel discussion on architecture and, of the seven participating architects, only Levitt and a fellow from Holland were not wearing black. For the record, Levitt wore a pair of Seven jeans and a white button- down shirt, while the Dutch guy had a “ biker meets Stella McCartney outfit.”
In fact, says Levitt, not much has changed about the profession’s tidy casual-yet-conservative black-on-black through the years except for the glasses.
At one time, architect specs were heavy, round and black à la Philip Johnson, but now the frames are rectangular and decidedly Daniel Libeskind.
David Warne, an associate in the firm, says architectural fashion sense is dictated by architecture’s changing moods.
“ The round Philip Johnson glasses reflected his concern with primary shapes and postmodernism,” Warne says, referring to such Johnson work as the classicallypink-granite AT& T ( now Sony) building in New York.
“But the minimalist style is quite prevalent right now, so I think that is reflected in the way architects dress,” he says. “Buildings have become less flamboyant and more like a finely tailored suit, well-cut and customized for the people who live in [them].”
For his part, Warne generally customizes his dress to a well-cut jacket, white shirt, clean black shoes and comfortable pants. It’s definitely a look insofar as he can label it casual minimalism, but isn’t so scripted that he can recall where any of the pieces came from. The facial scruff is a fairly recent development.
Just as Daniel Libeskind is currently fashioning a mammoth glass structure for the Royal Ontario Museum’s staid exterior, much of Levitt Goodman’s work involves retrofitting old buildings. Fittingly, the Levitt Goodman offices are in an old warehouse loft where exposed brick and old wood beams are juxtaposed with clean white work spaces and computers.
Similarly, the interest in what comes from melding the old and the new is reflected in fashion.
“Old jeans are like old buildings, and when added to a nicely cut suit jacket create a dialogue between old and new,” says Warne.
Brock James, a partner in the firm, adds that the architect’s job is not confined to the drafting table but involves formal presentations, design meetings with young entrepreneurs and site meetings with contractors, and consequently, versatility plays a role in getting dressed for work.
For James this means mixing things up — a suit and tie interchanged with less formal pieces such as jeans with a jacket, suit pants with a well-matched coloured T-shirt or even a tie and sweater combination.
“Brock is extremely neat and he has an incredible attention to detail,” says Warne. ( It’s true: Unlike Warne, James can recall where all his clothes were purchased — sweater, Club Monaco; shirt, Shirt Fit; pants and tie, The Bay; wristwatch, Longines.)
Levitt, who graduated from the University of Toronto in 1987 and joined the firm in 1992, is wearing pants from Ewanka on College Street (“She makes really beautiful, simply crafted clothes”), blouse from Banana Republic, shoes from Costume Nationale and a bracelet by Alexis Bittar. She says she was initially surprised to learn what an inherently conservative field architecture is.
“But there is very little design work that is the the architectural equivalent to the innovative, high-design of Yohji Yamamoto or Vivienne Westwood,” she says. “ The buildings can still cost a millions of bucks, but it’s conservative.”
Warne agrees that architects do have a fondness for monochromatic dress. “If you go to an architect party, it’s a sea of black,” he says.
But is it a fun party?
“Oh yeah! It’s a fun party.”