Al igual que muchos elementos de las escenas de la moda y la vida nocturna de la ciudad de Nueva York, Mickey Boardman, el irrepresible director editorial de larevistaundefinedPaper, es un éxito hecho por sí mismo. La personalidad peripatética —y, chico, qué personalidad— proviene de un suburbio de Chicago, enseñó inglés en España y alguna vez trabajó en la línea de producción en una fábrica de bronceado en Florida. A pesar de tener una experiencia tan mundana, Boardman, mejor conocido como el Sr. Mickey, siempre se sintió atraído por la ciudad de Nueva York. Después de pasar dos décadas en Parsons, donde diseñó colecciones de ropa que llamaba “The Supremes Go to Shanghai” y “Jackie Ho” (inspirado en las visiones de Jacqueline Onassis yendo al hip-hop), comenzó una pasantía enPaper . Se alzó entre los rangos de la revista y creó su columna exclusiva, “Ask Mr. Mickey”, que presenta una mezcla espumosa de consejos de moda, lecciones inspiradoras de la vida y humoríficos (¡pero elegantes!) no sequiturs. Nos sentamos con él para hablar de por qué le encanta Fashion's Night Out, su_columna_Paper y cómo Nueva York nunca ha sido mejor de lo que es ahora mismo.
How do you feel about Fashion's Night Out? What are some of your favorite FNO moments from previous years?
Mickey Boardman:
I love the concept of Fashion's Night Out. I wish it wasn't all on one night, because there are so many fun things to do.
always does something so great.
has done great things. I remember seeing Karen Elson perform at
, and that was fabulous. We did a thing with
and Sienna Miller that was super fun. Last Fashion's Night Out, I hung out with Wendy Williams for a story. I asked her to interview [the Gossip's] Beth Ditto, who was performing at
., which is two doors down from Dash, where Pauly D from
Jersey Shoremayhem
.
Sounds like a typically magical New York City evening.
MB:
The magic of New York usually happens when it's not planned. One of my favorite nights ever was a night when I had no money. I was working super-late at Paper's old office on Broadway and Spring with my favorite intern, Hugo. I had been invited to see Nancy Boy—at the time that was the hot band. The members all went out with models, so anytime you went to their shows it was all models and Sofia Coppola and the cool people I wanted to hang out with. But when Hugo and I got there, I didn't know if I was on the list. We walked past to scope it out, and the doorman yelled, “Hey, Mickey!” and let us in. Someone gave me drink tickets. I was waiting at the bar—I'm sober now, but at the time I drank—and the person sitting next to me was John Kennedy Jr. Hottest man ever. I ended up meeting Ann Dexter Jones, whom I idolized. Nancy Boys started playing and Ethan Hawke was dancing. Meanwhile, I didn't spend a nickel the whole night. I came home thinking, “I love New York City.” You couldn't plan that.
I've read that you're the type who hates when people say that New York used to be better.
MB:
I do dislike when people say things used to be better. Michael Musto, the fabulous writer for the
Village Voice
, said it best. [He tells a story about how] at Studio 54, which everyone regards as the pinnacle of nightlife, there were people saying, “This is nothing compared to Max's Kansas City.” When you're young and in your prime of going out in New York, whatever place you're at seems like the best place. Of course, there are places that are great and places that are not, and times that are better than others, but as long as there are fabulous, cute people coming to New York, there's going to be fabulous, cute nightlife happening.
You grew up in Hanover Park, Illinois. Did you know you would wind up in NYC?
MB:
I love Hanover Park, and I love going to the strip mall. But I was just meant to go other places. Everybody should be super-excited to be who they are, to be doing what they're doing, be wearing what they're wearing. If you're not super-excited a lot of the time in your life, there's a big problem and you need to rethink.
Where else did you work before you came to New York? You had a job at a suntan lotion factory, right?
MB:
I did. Hawaiian Tropic. I had gone to Purdue, had a BA in Spanish, lived in Spain my senior year, and, afterward, had been accepted to this German-intensive summer program at Middlebury College where you speak nothing but German for nine weeks. I had time to kill before that started because I had ended school a semester early. My parents were in Daytona Beach, Florida, and my mom was like, “I hope you don't think you'll just be watching
Oprah
and eating bonbons. You're gonna get a job.” I did random things, like climbing into giant tubs of aloe vera that were almost empty and hosing them out. They saw leadership qualities in me and after three days offered me a full-time job working on the night shift. My only other real job before that was at an aluminum-siding factory. I try to act fancy with my Stella McCartney handbags, but I've worked the line in the factory.
Did you always want to be a fashion journalist?
MB:
I never had any writing aspirations, although I was always a fabulous storyteller. But when Rupert Everett, whom I loved, had a book coming out, the editors at
Paper
asked me to write about it. I said, “I'd love to, but I don't know how to be a writer.” They had me pretend to write it before the interview to see how I did and they liked it. Kim Hastreiter, who cofounded Paper, always said that if you can talk, you can write. So I went to meet Rupert Everett on the roof of the Peninsula Hotel. He was in a swimsuit and mesh tank top. We talked about jock straps. It was a dream. I wrote the story, got it published and was paid like 40 bucks for it. Then someone quit
Paper
, and they asked me to answer the phones until they figured it out. That was 20 years ago. And here I am.
Tell us about the start of “Ask Mr. Mickey.”
MB:
About 18 or 19 years ago, there was an online community called
. They asked
Paper
to host a forum, so we would all log in a few times a day. I would write about doing spontaneous makeovers on people like Pope John Paul II. I'm horrible about deadlines, but with this, I would just sit down and do it. Kim said that we should run a column where [the community members] asked me questions. That was the original concept. Kim thought of the name “Ask Mr. Mickey” and it caught on.
Do you have any advice for aspiring fashion types?
MB:
Be yourself and do your thing. Fly your freak flag high, and if you're not a freak, fly your normal flag high. I hate any kind of exclusionary or judgmental thing about what people are into. I say be yourself, and be happy to be yourself.
Para obtener más información sobre el consejo del Sr. Mickey, visite papermag.com . Para leer sobre algunos de sus lugares favoritos de la ciudad de Nueva York, vea a continuación:
A.P.C.
Me encantan sus vaqueros.
Bali Nusa
Un excelente restaurante indonesio en la avenida Ninth Avenue. Me encanta para después del teatro.
Obispos y Barones
Celebro fiestas allí los martes . Me recuerda a Nell, que antes me encantaba. Está en una ubicación de cockamamie en 14th Street, a dos puertas del IHOP. Es recto, gay, lesbiana, negro, blanco... Me encantan los lugares donde hay una sección transversal de personas.
Diane von Furstenberg
Le encanta su tienda. Amala.
Cuatro estaciones
Me encanta comer en el bar. Se siente tan maduro y muy profesional.
La Sociedad Hispana de América
Este es mi museo favorito en Nueva York. Tienen Velázquezes, Goyas y El Grecos. Además, no se ha rediseñado en décadas. Me encantan las cosas antiguas que no parecen restauradas.El Frick tambiénes mágico.
Indoquina
Este es el restaurante más glamoroso de Nueva York. Hago mi cumpleaños aquí todos los años. La comida es deliciosa y la multitud siempre es la más fabulosa.
Estudios de leche
Me encanta hacer fotos allí porque siempre ves a las personas más bonitas.
Rick Owens
Le adoro a su tienda aunque no use cuero. Es muy chic y vampiro.
Gritar Mimi
Mi tienda vintage favorita. Tienen una sección de brillo completa.
El piso 18 en The Standard
Es la habitación más hermosa de la ciudad. Realmente parece que eres un VIP.