http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2011/04/johnny_weir_t...Tell us about the design process for these dresses.
Well, I’m a busy girl and run around the world at warp speed, but I’ve gone into the office maybe five times and gone over the designs. I was sketching, and going over fabrics and colors and the whole thing with Joanne [Stoner, eDressMe’s founder and CEO]. I’ve been so interested in design for so long that the collection has already lived in my head for six of seven years, so it was very easy for me to put it on paper and to explain myself.
How did you get involved with eDressMe?
My manager and her team moved into a new office that was right across the hall from eDressMe. So, in talking with Joanne, and the rest of the team there, they made this bond and it seemed like a really natural fit. I had never heard of eDressMe before, but now that we have this relationship, I love it. I send all my girlfriends there.
Why did you decide to stick with a limited color palette in this collection?
I think there’s a great deal of restraint in these designs. I wanted to use just black and ballet-slipper pink as my colors for the first collection, because I wanted to show people that I’m not always outrageous and garish like they tend to think of me.
Most of these dresses have a very distinct shape, with a corset-style bodice and fuller skirt. Why is that?
I have two dresses like that because I love the way it shapes a woman. No matter what condition your legs are in, you always look skinny in that style dress. I was really inspired by ballet and by figure skaters, so I used a lot of tulle. As for the bodice — it pushes the girls up and slims down the waist. And I love the look of a skirt that’s short in the front and longer and poofed out in the back.
It’s almost like a bustle.
Yes. I love a bustle. It’s great for the waistline. Especially right now with Beyoncé and the Kardashians and everyone getting so much drama and credit for their booty. And I myself am a lady with quite an ample booty. So I love bustles for that reason.
Are you at all worried that these dresses might look too much like figure-skating costumes?
I think there’s no way that any of them look figure skaterish. Of the six dresses, there might be one that’s a little borderline skaterish.
Are you concerned about people pegging you as a “celebrity designer”?
This isn’t just a celebrity-driven thing. Fashion is something that I want to be involved with for a long time, and I want to show that I can give people what they want while still keeping my pizzazz and my razzle-dazzle. Right now in my life, I’m trying to make a new project that stands on its own without me being Johnny Weir, the figure skater. I want these projects to be able to stand on their own, and the dresses absolutely do. Even if my name wasn’t attached to them, they would be attractive to everyone, not just size-zero girls, and not just figure-skating fans. With my personality and my reputation, it’s very easy to go over-the-top and costumey, and these dresses are things that any lady could wear to anything.