Cameron Silver, a California fashion retailer, talks about the caftan

2024-10-11 13:17:00

Mr. Silver, let’s start with the typical fashion question: what are you wearing today?

A caftan, of course! I waited 25 years to wear it. This is a Pucci caftan from the 60s, I bought it at an auction, probably in the late 90s, and it was hanging in my closet. And here it is!

We are in Florence – the weather suggests a caftan.

That’s how it is. In California it’s the same: for the climate and for the glamour, the caftan is almost always fine.

How many caftans do you have in your wardrobe?

About 30. Many of them from the sixties and seventies, the heyday of this garment.

And what else have you accumulated as a fashion collector and retailer?

Lots of Yves Saint Laurent for men over the years. I also love Tom Ford for Gucci. I own significant vintage Pucci men’s clothing, and have collected Aloha shirts, probably 40. Thanks to my book “Caftan” which just came out, my designer friends are now designing more caftans for me. So I won’t finish them.

They are called the “King of Vintage Fashion”. You founded your vintage couture boutique “Decades” on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles in 1997, with clients such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna. When did you start getting interested in fashion in general?

Even as a child. A pivotal moment was Woody Allen’s 1977 film The Urban Neurotic. I wanted to emulate Diane Keaton, the way she dressed, with the fedora, the open tie, the vest and the khakis. Even as a child I probably understood that if I dressed up people would be interested. You attract attention when you dress a certain way.

You’re from Los Angeles and grew up in Beverly Hills. Did your parents have a passion for fashion?

My father was very careful about his clothes. And we weren’t foodies. When we traveled, we didn’t go to restaurants, we went to shops. But we have not spent our lives in the most beautiful holiday resorts. No, I have very solid parents.

I studied acting at the University of California, Los Angeles. By the way, I sang a lot of Kurt Weill and Friedrich Hollaender, German cabaret – I have a great affinity with German culture and music of the interwar period. I should have been a famous actor, but unfortunately I wasn’t that good. As a costume designer, however, I was talented. At university I learned a lot about the history of fashion and textiles. But I had never thought about working in the industry.

Did you start collecting then?

I wore vintage dresses to prom in 1987 and my family was always buying antiques and going to auctions. So I’ve been collecting for a long time, mostly men’s designer clothes, because there weren’t many people interested in men’s fashion.

And you like glamour. You’re less interested in work clothes, right?

Well, I grew up in Beverly Hills and there was a lot of glamour. Let’s put it this way: work clothes or jeans are not my area of ​​expertise. For me it’s quite exotic.

But do you sometimes wear jeans?

Yes, I bring everything. You should see me in Texas! It makes me look like a cowboy.

Do you also sell things? Or do you keep everything yourself?

I have cleaned out my closet many times through public auctions and donations to museums. I’m open to less. The thing is, when you pick up, it gets out of hand. At some point you just have stuff everywhere. And no matter where I go, I’m always looking for something new or old.

So you have to clean out your closet every year.

Every month! Sometimes you buy stupid things. Even though I have a lot of experience, I still make a lot of mistakes. I’m human, that’s the problem.

When did you find out about caftans?

Very soon. I was interested in ancient fabrics, whether Persian or Arabic. Kaftans are both festive and colorful. They are items of clothing that many in the West wear in their happiest moments. So I had a lot more caftans than I thought. As I browsed through my collection, I thought: Wow, yes, there are a lot of these lying around in my closet.

And how did you get the idea to publish a book about it?

When Mark Magowan, one of the owners of Vendome Press, the Palm Beach publishing house, approached me with the idea, I wasn’t initially enthusiastic about it. I thought: caftans, who cares? When I started researching, I realized the importance of this piece of clothing. We’ve been wearing them since we lived in caves. Our Paleolithic brothers and sisters started it all. And caftans are still relevant today. The book focuses on modern glamour, but always with a respect for historical significance. I think it’s exactly the right time to talk about such an ancient and at the same time so current garment.

Was the search difficult?

YES. When you make a book where the idea is that a picture is worth a thousand words, you have to find images that tell the story and yet are unfamiliar. So we searched for some photos for a long time. We had to buy a photo on Ebay. It features actress Diana Rigg because I wanted Missoni’s iconic fringed caftan from the 1970s to be featured in the book.

You presented your book in Berlin this summer. But the caftan really looks better in southern countries.

Well, think of Dawid Tomaszewski, a Berlin designer whose aesthetic fits this. Her clothes have a wonderful resort vibe. The last time I was in Berlin, I took my friends to his showroom and they all bought caftans. His prints are fantastic. Of course, it’s easier to wear bright colors when it’s sunny. But if it’s gray outside, you should still wear something colorful. This helps. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you have to dress glumly like the end of the world is coming.

They wear caftans not only in California but also in New York. Have you ever received unpleasant comments?

No, no one in New York cares. But overall it’s about bringing people together. When I wore the traditional Arab style, I thought, maybe the Arabs would smile and think, Oh, it’s so cool that this Westerner is wearing this. If I wear a caftan, perhaps in this conflicted world it will remind us that we are more similar than different.

You also promoted your book in Texas. What were the reactions there?

I was in Dallas, on television’s premier morning show, seen by millions of people. I wore a caftan with cowboy boots! See what I do to sell my book. The reactions to it? The book sold out in Dallas.

Which celebrities were caftan lovers?

Elizabeth Taylor. She was a great protagonist of the caftan. Her contribution to the history of fashion is unique because she has been famous for so many decades. He began acting in films at the age of nine and was almost 90 when he died. Elizabeth Taylor is the queen of caftans. He demystified the garment for Western culture. She always said she learned to move more sensually when she wore something bulky. Here’s what you can learn from her: It’s easy to feel sexy in a little black dress, but you can also create sexiness with a piece with a lot of volume.

At first glance, caftans do not seem so seductive.

I’m sorry, what? Look at Raquel Welch. She is the most seductive woman I have ever seen in my life. In the Western world, most people think that the less you wear, the more attractive you are. Exactly the opposite is true. Caftans create illusions and ideas. Something to dream about before showing it fully. The volume teaches us to be sexy. Even when you think the world is ending, you should try to look gorgeous.

A caftan is difficult to define. As light as the garment is, the definition is equally fickle.

There is only a very vague definition. It is a variant of the robe or tunic, simply a piece of fabric with three holes, in many variations. It has been worn by many cultures around the world for thousands of years. Moses, Jesus and Muhammad wore caftans. What other extant item of clothing was represented on each continent? For me it’s just the energy of the caftan. It is also the symbol of gender-neutral clothing.

In any case it is very versatile.

Yes, it can be cut like a kimono or like an abaya. Caftans can be cut straight or slanted. It’s about playing with proportions. And yes, you can style it pretty much however you want and wear it however you like: wrapped around your waist or paired with sneakers. In any case it is light and elegant.

And how does the caftan change the silhouette of the body?

It helps you feel taller and slimmer. The body is elongated. Of course you have to find the right proportions. A solid piece of fabric that reaches down to the floor just gives you some height. Stretch your entire upper body. And if you wear it a little open on the neck, the neck appears longer.

So is it also an expression of freedom?

YES. In Washington I signed my book in front of an exclusive political audience, more than 100 high-ranking politicians. And some guys came in wearing caftans. They were excited to wear them because they were liberating. I don’t think they were wearing underwear! This piece could unite the world, like the United Nations of fashion, because it exists everywhere. The caftan brings people together. Whether you are Queen Elizabeth II or suffering economic hardship in Sudan, you wear the same garment and it can unite us all.

But it’s not a bestseller in stores yet.

Kaftans are an essential part of the wardrobe. From a commercial point of view, for the retailer it is a season- and gender-independent item of clothing, which does not have to be put on sale and which truly suits every customer.

Cameron Silver: “Caftans: from classic to camp”. Vendome Press 2024, 237 pages, 82.49 euros.