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Malaika Crawford - Hodinkee's Style Editor Talks Curating Fashion & Diversification In The Watch World
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Today I’m chatting with Malaika Crawford, style editor at Hodinkee. Our chat is a bit different than the usual you’re used to here, as I really wanted to get Malaika’s thoughts on styling, diversification, and what all of this means for us collectors. After moving to New York in 2014, Malaika started working for Mel Ottenberg, you know, Rhianna’s stylist. Getting an early exposure to all things luxury has propelled the trajectory of her career and here we are. But all of this had to start somewhere, and it actually began with the collector she looks up to the most. Malaika’s got a pulse on all the latest trends, and if anyone has an eye for what looks intriguing, it’s her. So here it is, Malaika Crawford, for Collectors Gene Radio.
Malaika's Storie's - https://www.hodinkee.com/pages/masthead/552
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Transcript
Introduction to Collector's Gene Radio
00:00:00
Speaker
That's what stylists and fashion editors are really here to do. They're just making little magical dream worlds for you to kind of escape in. What's going on, everybody? And welcome to Collector's Gene Radio. This is all about diving into the nuances of collecting and ultimately finding out whether or not our guests have what we like to call the collector's gene. If you have the time, please subscribe and leave a review. It truly helps.
00:00:28
Speaker
Thanks a bunch for listening, and please enjoy today's guest on Collector's Dream Radio.
Meet Malaika Crawford: Stylist and Collector
00:00:35
Speaker
Today, I'm chatting with Malaika Crawford, style editor at Hodinki. Our chat's a bit different than the usual that you're used to here, as I really wanted to get Malaika's thoughts on styling, diversification, and what all of this means for us collectors. After moving to New York in 2014, Malaika started working for Mel Ottenberg, you know, Rihanna's stylist.
00:00:57
Speaker
Getting an early exposure to all things luxury has propelled the trajectory of her career and, well, here we are. But all of this had to start somewhere, and it actually began with the collector that she looks up to the most. See, Malaika's got a pulse on all the latest trends, and if anyone has an eye for what looks intriguing, it's her. So without further ado, Malaika Crawford for Collector's Geem Radio.
Insights into the Fashion World
00:01:22
Speaker
Malaika, so great to have you on Collector's Geem Radio today.
00:01:26
Speaker
Thank you for having me. Excited to be here. My pleasure. So I know it's been a few months since you started, but this is our first time really talking other than, you know, Instagram or social media. But, um, I just wanted to congratulate you on your new position over at. Thank you so much. Yeah. Honestly, it feels like I've been working there for years at this point. The stress is real.
00:01:48
Speaker
I think I'm just so deep in the depths of what world that it feels like I've been doing it my whole life, but I really haven't.
00:01:58
Speaker
Good deal. Well, obviously you're into watches and anyone that knows you knows that you're also into fashion, no doubt, and you have a collection that you're building yourself. But I wanted to kind of take a little bit of a different angle today and discuss some topics around styling and diversification within that and ultimately how collectors can become more comfortable with the styling aspect of the watches that they wear.
The Art of Styling and Collecting
00:02:21
Speaker
Yeah, sure. I mean, that's my favorite thing to talk about. Perfect. So let's back up a bit and let everyone in on the life of Malaika. So you moved to New York in around 2014, if I understand correctly. And by 2016, you're working for Mel Ottenberg who styled for Rihanna, which is just insane. So I got to know how you landed that gig.
00:02:44
Speaker
Oh my god, it's it's way less I I feel like whenever people find that out about me It just sounds so much more glamorous than it really was and I got it I think honestly, I just got that job through word of mouth. I was styling free well styling assisting for a couple of years after moving here and Mel was looking for a new assistant and it was sort of a a
00:03:09
Speaker
Hey, would you be willing to work full time for Mel Ortenberg? Here's an email and had an interview and that was that. You're like, would I? Although I have to say, I have no idea what people really know about styling or what goes on behind the scenes, but being an assistant to a stylist is kind of like. Devil wears product.
00:03:32
Speaker
Yeah, it's a totally real thing. As much as I think, I mean, Mel's awesome. I love Mel. We still talk to each other to this day. He was not quite as bad as Miranda Priestley, but the fashion world is way kind of, I think, I'll never forget my ex-boyfriend was watching the movie with me and just paused and turned around and said, oh my God, it's actually real. It's a little more cutthroat. Yeah, exactly.
00:04:02
Speaker
So working for Mel, is that when you fell in love with watches and fashion? So I think the fashion thing probably started in my infancy. I have a grandmother who was a stylist and she had sort of a little gang of friends who worked in fashion. So the fashion thing started from, you know,
00:04:25
Speaker
probably like age three or four but the watch stuff definitely started when I was working for Mel because we had to well firstly when you work as a stylist or when you're kind of on the masthead of a magazine for the fashion team you have to check off advertiser credit so when you're doing a photo shoot I don't know how many people know this but
00:04:49
Speaker
Everything is sort of, it's not as free as you'd like to think it is. There are a lot of advertiser credits. So for instance, brands like Cartier and Tiffany or Omega who advertise with the magazine expect a certain amount of product to be shown in editorials.
00:05:09
Speaker
I mean, you could say that it's sort of limiting, but a good stylist will be able to kind of figure out how to use what they're given. So I was always pulling, you know, a product for Cartier or Omega or Tiffany. And that's initially how I became familiar with a lot of product. I wouldn't say that I had an enormous knowledge of like, I think I knew what a tank was, but I don't
00:05:36
Speaker
I definitely had no idea what reference numbers were or anything of that ilk. But you start to kind of handle things and build up a curiosity. And then when we were doing Rihanna stuff,
00:05:52
Speaker
She was actually super into watches. And so a lot of the time it was, you know, when I was pulling jewelry and accessories for her, I'd always think, oh, maybe we should find a matching watch. So I, again, pull stuff from Cartier or, you know, like little diamond gem set evening watches from Jacob and Co., who she had quite a long lasting relationship with. Or I'd pull vintage watches from
00:06:21
Speaker
Kent Shire at Bergdorf Goodman was always a great source for Art Deco Cartier or even this place on Madison Avenue that is my all-time favorite jewelry spot in New York called Camilla Dietz Bergeron. I'd just go in there and play for hours and chat to the animals and just touch all this stuff and pull watches for her. That's the fun part of the job. Are you kidding? It's my favorite part of the job.
00:06:49
Speaker
And also, the access that you are given to product is just off the charts. You're sort of a young 20-something in New York, and all of a sudden, Cartier, like, oh, we can present you these pieces from the vault, and you're just like, ugh. My eyes are just light up. It was my favorite thing ever. Yeah, if you want the inside baseball on what all the watch brands have in the vault that they're not showing you, just become a stylist.
00:07:19
Speaker
either become a stylist or really become a celebrity stylist. I think there are certain celebrities that just open the door to sort of everything. They're few and far between, but I think a Beyonce or someone would do the trick. So you said that watches were always something that you had to pull, and whether you like them or not, you're kind of forced to start liking them because you have to start really styling them to your subject, if you will, right?
00:07:48
Speaker
Well, you know, I always think about this funny anecdote that didn't happen too long ago. I was on a jewellery trip, or maybe last summer, and I was sitting with a bunch of kind of jewellery and fashion editors, and we were talking about watches. And I think this must have been a table of about 10 people, 15 people, and everybody just started attacking me with
00:08:13
Speaker
Oh, we don't care about watches. We hate watches. We just don't understand, like, what's the point? And I remember just feeling so attacked and so shocked as well, because to me, it just felt like watches were another layer of jewelry. They were just like another type of accessory. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I think
00:08:34
Speaker
It's because people feel like there's a serious barrier to entry with watches, and so they're kind of put off because they think, oh, if I don't have that insider info, then I can't really partake in this. But I feel like fashion people, either they don't care,
00:08:52
Speaker
which I find really hard to believe, or they're a little intimidated. I could see that. Yeah. So for someone like Rihanna, who's obviously got a well-known love for watches, is there a battle sort of thing of like the subject ever wanting to use their own pieces versus you wanting to style them in something else? I mean, I would have to imagine that if you're styling someone like her, that she would sometimes want to wear some of her own stuff, no?
00:09:21
Speaker
I think if you've got a client who is as big as that, it's a two-way conversation, right? Celebrity styling and sort of editorial magazine or commercial styling are just so different. They're almost like just two separate worlds. When you have a celebrity client, you know, it depends on obviously who the person is, but it's often a two-way street, right?
00:09:48
Speaker
you're going to present things to them. They're going to tell you what they like and what they don't like. And at the end of the day, if they want to wear their own piece, then hey, they're in charge. When it comes to a photo shoot, I think, whether it's model or talent, I think you have a little bit more power to say what you will and won't include. But I do think a lot of the time when celebrities
00:10:14
Speaker
are featured in, you know, magazines, whether it's like portraits or like editorials. It's like quite common for them to keep their personal jewelry on,
Role at Hodinki and Editorial Views
00:10:24
Speaker
yeah. Yeah, for sure. So you're at Hodinki now as a style editor, which is kind of a whole new position over there. Did they bring you on looking for someone in this position or was that a contingency on you leaving High Snobiety because this is kind of your bread and butter? I don't know how it even came about.
00:10:45
Speaker
I think it was to ensure that I didn't really lose my identity. I think it came about because my boss Nick Marino and Henry, who's the Chief Business Officer, wanted to make sure that my identity didn't get lost. I don't really know their reasoning for it.
00:11:08
Speaker
I remember it wasn't like, oh, would you come and work as style editor? It was more, would you come and work at Houdini? Then the conversation turned into, we're thinking of giving you the specific title. It made a lot of sense to me and honestly, it was a huge relief when they told me that that was going to be my title because it felt like, all right, now it's clear what my lane is.
00:11:34
Speaker
And what does it exactly mean to be a watches and jewelry style editor? Because it's easy to tell people in the past that you were a stylist, right? You went to shoots and you styled celebrities, but now you're working for Hodinky, which is a little bit different. And I'm curious to know how that carries over. I mean, it's completely different.
00:11:54
Speaker
What makes me laugh is when I run into people on the street or old friends and they'll just be like, what on earth are you doing? Because I think they'll have seen snippets on social media and people are super curious as well. Yeah, I don't know. Life at Houdenki is quite different to life before, but there's definitely a lot of stuff that I've taken from previous positions.
00:12:21
Speaker
It's making sure that I'm on top of the watch market from my perspective, understanding the product that I deem, I mean this is so awful to say, but like stylish, quote on quote.
00:12:39
Speaker
It's kind of a new sort of rubric, right? So I think I'm still figuring it out. But what's cool is that I've been given quite a lot of creative freedom. So we just started this column called How to Wear It, where I take
00:12:56
Speaker
a specific watch and style it a bunch of different ways. And I style a photo shoot, but there's also a written component where I sort of contextualize and maybe intellectualize the fashion side of things a bit so that I can really explain how fashion and watches do cross over. So it's like creating columns like that. There's still a lot of nerdy watch stuff.
00:13:21
Speaker
in my day-to-day life, I mean, I do work at Houdini, but I think it's like a mix of starting new columns, getting new types of photo shoots underway and figuring out the content that would make sense when it comes to that fashion and watch crossover, because it's quite niche.
00:13:46
Speaker
for sure. And I was going to ask you about how to wear it because I'm really pumped for this column and I've been excited to follow it along and all that. And I'm curious to know what your goals are and in terms of helping collectors be more adventurous to try new things, right? Because it's really hard to picture a watch for yourself from a typical advertisement photo that we're used to seeing in magazines or newspapers or wherever, even billboards.
00:14:16
Speaker
But that's kind of your job, right? As a style editor is to make people like me feel, okay, I'm really actually excited about a Bogari Sarpenti for a male even, right? When it's typically a more feminine watch. So what are kind of your goals to help collectors in that realm?
00:14:36
Speaker
Okay, I've got quite a few goals. I think number one goal is to just embrace this idea of personal style and to kind of explain to people or, you know, let them figure out that
00:14:51
Speaker
above anything personal style is so much more important than whatever is trending or whatever you think the higher authority is telling you to wear. I think it's like freedom of expression right and in the fashion industry anything kind of goes despite what people may think. I think in the fashion world you're encouraged to
00:15:17
Speaker
express yourself freely via what you're wearing. Maybe people don't necessarily always deem it a stylish outfit, but I think there's this idea that you could kind of... The more innovative you are, the more you break the mold, I guess, the more exciting it is. I think in the walked world, it kind of feels like the opposite, right? It's like there are all these rules and regulations
00:15:47
Speaker
No, you should only wear this millimeter diameter. No, this reference is better or this area of Cartier is superior. I think my whole thing is, hey, who cares? Let's just wear what looks good. If there's a cool technical aspect or historical element, that's like an added bonus. I guess the ultimate goal for me was twofold.
00:16:16
Speaker
It was to introduce people outside of the watch industry or, you know, collect a world who maybe identify with more contemporary looking imagery and fashion. I kind of wanted to speak to them and introduce them to new watches that weren't just the tank or, you know, day to day. It's like, hey, these are watches that you can be interested in also. And then,
00:16:42
Speaker
For people who are kind of deep in the weeds of the watch world, it was just like a way to say, hey, I think this is cool and stylish and this is just, you know, a fun way to wear maybe a watch that you already have in your collection.
00:17:00
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you posted a great photo not too long ago of the rose gold Bogari Octo Finissimo, which is arguably one of the larger wearing watches on the market. Wait, I have to correct you because it was yellow gold, not rose gold. Oh, was it yellow gold? Okay. It had a chocolate dial, right?
00:17:21
Speaker
The Chocolate Doll, and it's so funny because the first article I
Styling and Personal Choices in Watch Collecting
00:17:25
Speaker
ever wrote for Hidden Q was the second Opinions article where I went completely ham on how much I hate rose gold. And it's been quite hard to maintain that level of complete disgust.
00:17:40
Speaker
But yeah, I'm a yellow gold gal through and through, and that watch is like a giant hunk of yellow gold. A hundred percent. It's a chunk. But it's also really thin. There's an extremely important, I would say, elegance about that watch, whether it's steel or gold. And I think that photo kind of sums up a lot of what your
00:18:06
Speaker
probably goals are in terms of your position in the watch world at this point is showing people that this 40 millimeter square case watch can look good on anybody in any outfit if you just give it a shot.
00:18:23
Speaker
It really represents what I absolutely go crazy for in watch design. I don't always want a huge 40 plus millimeter diameter watch. That's the unique case, right? And what's so special about Bvlgari is the way that they just make these really sculptural pieces that are serious watches.
00:18:50
Speaker
Optifinism is just like this crazy phenomenon of you know high watchmaking but also just a seriously elegant design and the profile of that watch is just like I could look at it all day long it's just it's it sits so beautifully even though it's so big um I do think that in yellow gold it did have a bit more of a feminine appeal to it because
00:19:15
Speaker
It got quite industrial looking in steel or titanium or even carbon. I think the yellow gold is what made me just kind of fall head over heels in love with it. But I do think it's also worth noting that brands like Bvlgari are just so good at design because it's primarily a jewelry house just like Cartier.
00:19:39
Speaker
They know how to make good design and I think that appeals to a lot of women. But yeah, I suppose that picture where it's, is it the one where it's like I've got all my rings on and then there's like two, you know, diamond bracelets and a giant watch. I think it's that picture, right?
00:19:56
Speaker
Yeah, you're dripping in elegance in that photo. That's so ridiculous. Also, it's this idea that I guess when you're a stylist, your whole MO is to create a fantasy world. And I think that's kind of the disconnect with
00:20:12
Speaker
what I'm doing and some of the more traditional watch community, it's like I'm not by any means saying that everybody has to go out and buy a yellow gold opto-finissima and cover themselves with diamonds. I think it's okay to fantasize and create your own little dream landscape, you know, and that's what stylists and fashion editors are really here to do. They're just making like little magical dream worlds for you to kind of escape in.
00:20:42
Speaker
Something that you're passionate about is creating diversification in the watch world and you're doing a really darn good job at it. I find that folks have a hard time adjusting to diversification and sinking into the things that truly speak to them when it comes to watches. What's your advice for collectors to kind of
00:21:04
Speaker
lean in a little bit more to the things that speak to them just from a photo shoot that they see, you know, or an advertisement that they see instead of just constantly going on this hamster wheel of the hype train.
00:21:20
Speaker
Well, I think there are different types of collectors, right? They're like the collectors who are obviously in it for the money, profit. Then you have your sort of deep watch enthusiast collector, who often has a kind of theme. This is something I've noticed. There are a lot of people with thematic collections.
00:21:46
Speaker
And then I suppose what I'm trying to introduce is, you know, there are a lot of people already doing this. I guess it's in a similar way to the way I approach jewelry. I don't think it needs to be so serious all the time. I think it's really about what you feel comfortable in, what looks good.
00:22:10
Speaker
I don't see watches as any different to any other accessory. I do in the sense that there's a whole history behind it. If we're talking high watchmaking, then I have such a level of respect for what goes into the watch. But in terms of just wearing the thing, why is it any different to just wearing a bracelet or a necklace or even a handbag, to be honest? Yeah, for sure.
00:22:36
Speaker
So when you're choosing watches for a style, edit, or a shoot, I mean, obviously there's, I guess, a plan in place of the watches that you want to be shooting, but are you typically styling based on the watch, or are you styling based on the subject of the shoot? I guess it depends on what the shoot is for.
00:22:59
Speaker
Houdini is that special scenario where it is more about the watch than anything. But in any other context, I would never style something around a watch. I'll just be completely honest about that. Like I said, it's kind of the part of the accessory game. And styling, I think, is massively instinctual. Like, you can't really plan
00:23:29
Speaker
like what you're going to do that far ahead of time. I mean, you can mood board and come up with a kind of a narrative. You can plan that. But for me, at least, it's very instinctual.
00:23:41
Speaker
I'll call in all the clothes and then this is going to sound so weird, but I like spend time with all of the things I've pulled and sort of do what's called a run-through where you go through all of the looks and you decide what you're going to use, but you're building a character, essentially. And so the watch is, I guess, just another element of the character. And a lot of times I don't use watches or jewelry when I'm styling because
00:24:11
Speaker
Maybe it feels too forced or it just looks a little bit wrong in the picture. Are there ever times where the subject wants to purchase the watch or the clothing that you pick for them? Oh my god, it's happened so many times. I'm sure Renata wanted everything. Oh man, it's happened so many times. When I worked in Interview Magazine with Mel, who became creative director in like 2018, now he's actually editor-in-chief,
00:24:40
Speaker
We just had so many back-to-back-to-back celebrity figure shoots because that's really the premise of Interview magazine. But whether he was styling or I was styling, I think that's when I actually figured out that I must have a bit of a knack for this because I would pull watches and jewelry and oftentimes people would always ask to buy stuff. So I was like, hey, there's going to be something good going on here.
00:25:08
Speaker
I love it. I want to make sure we talk about your podcast, Killing Time with Brynn and Malaika. I had Brynn on the show and she was shocked to hear that I listened, but I truly do. I really do. And I just want to say that I think it's so great what the two of you have done for the watch industry. I mean, you both obviously didn't come into the watch industry with your podcast, but it's obviously kind of formed into this whole thing, along with a few other notable mentions in the female watch game.
00:25:37
Speaker
I think it's just really neat how much you guys are putting women in watches on the map and making this really more of a thing in the watch industry. Yeah. I mean, I just think that podcast is hilarious because we genuinely just sit down and have a chat. That's the best part about it though.
00:25:55
Speaker
Yeah, sometimes we come away and we're like, did we talk about watches today? Did you guys just gossip? Yeah, it's amazing. I mean, I absolutely adore Brin. I could not imagine her sort of not being such an integral part of my life
00:26:13
Speaker
at this stage she's you know so supportive and she just has such a great kind of viewpoint and I think her perspective is I mean I think we actually have quite different perspectives and tastes but like the underlying kind of you know desire to just really say hey you can wear what you want to wear and it's you know we just want to make things a little bit more casual and why not have a podcast where your
00:26:42
Speaker
Chatting and talking about all the things that people want to talk about anyway.
Malaika's Personal Watch Collection
00:26:48
Speaker
It's so funny how many people I came across at Watches and Wonders who had remembered such specific points from the podcast. I was like, oh my God, people actually listened to this. Now we got to go back and listen to all the episodes. I was like, oh my God, Bryn, what if we've said something insane?
00:27:10
Speaker
No, I think you guys are good. Don't worry about it. Okay, cool. Let's talk about your watch collecting journey for a minute here. Where are we at in the personal collection and your personal collecting in general? What do you have your eye on? Oh, God, I see. I actually did listen to that episode that you did with Britain, and I was like, oh, no, she's revealed the fact that I have this massive shopping habit. You and I both, though, so you're right at home.
00:27:39
Speaker
Look, it's not just watches. I don't even know how. At this point, I think I'm going to have to get a storage space because I have my little one-bedroom apartment in New York, and it's just not big enough. But watch-wise, oh, God, where am I at? Okay, so I think the collection has grown quite a bit. But I think the watch that I wear just day in, day out, is my Explorer I.
00:28:08
Speaker
I don't know why, but I'm just completely obsessed with this watch. I've purchased a yellow gold Reverso since earning the Explorer. I've got a tank, I've got a vintage Datejust, and every single day I put on my Explorer.
00:28:29
Speaker
It's like my armor. I think it's the idea that you can just put it on and forget about it. It's not too precious. It's a Rolex, but it doesn't scream Rolex in the way that maybe a GMT or a Datejust or a Day-Date would. A lot of people who aren't into watches have no idea what it is, which is something I quite like. I like that it's discreet. I'm obsessed with it.
00:28:57
Speaker
Yeah, I recently acquired my long-awaited yellow-gold reverse that
00:29:03
Speaker
Kindly, the heritage director at Jaeger helped me kind of get it back into perfect immaculate condition. And I love it. It's on a bracelet. It's beautiful. I think I'm going to have it forever. I don't wear it as often as I thought I would, but I think that's also just because wearing a gold watch these days feels a little bit not the right move.
00:29:31
Speaker
I have a Chanel J12, which was something I desperately wanted when I was a teenager. So that felt like a full circle moment for me. Pulling at the heartstrings.
00:29:41
Speaker
Yeah, I mean a lot of people have a lot of opinions about that watch or just that kind of genre of watch, but I mean that- Yeah, who cares? Yeah, I truly don't care and it is just so iconic to me. Every celebrity of the early 2000s wore that watch and I wanted it so desperately and it was just like a beautiful moment.
00:30:05
Speaker
Is it the all black one? It's all white. I mean, it's an insane looking watch, but it's just so awesome. You kind of just wear it. I think it's such a Miami watch. Honestly, it's a very Europe watch too. I see it everywhere every time I go to Europe. Tons of people are rocking it. It's great.
00:30:28
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it's Chanel at the end of the day. It's going to be chic. What I like about it is it's a little bit of a FU to the watch community. Then of course, I've got to mention the watch that my grandmother gave to me on my 18th birthday because I have such a close relationship with her.
00:30:54
Speaker
And somebody recently asked me about this watch, and I was so honest with them, I told them that when she first gave it to me, I was actually quite disappointed, which is like the most spoiled thing ever. But I think I just felt like it was way too ladylike for me, and it made no sense as an 18-year-old. I didn't think I fully appreciated it.
00:31:18
Speaker
And I finally grew into it, but I just remember putting it on and just thinking I looked like an old lady in the same way that if I, I don't know, was walking around with a Birkin bag, I would just feel completely like just not me. But I finally grown into the tank, so maybe one day, maybe one day I'll A the Birkin. And you'll enjoy it.
Dreams, Desires, and Collecting Philosophy
00:31:43
Speaker
Yeah.
00:31:44
Speaker
What's a brand that's really speaking to you right now that wasn't on your radar when you first got into watches? Oh man, there are so many. God, I guess a lot of the indie brands, but if I'm being real, I don't think
00:32:02
Speaker
I think I had a period of just being really romantic about the Indies, and now I just think the practical reality of that is just like, I'm never gonna probably wear something as crazy as in all work. I like the story behind that stuff, but I don't think it's necessarily gonna look good on me. Oh, Bran, I'm super into, I mean, when I first got into watches, all I really knew was,
00:32:30
Speaker
the usual Rolex Cartier Patek. And now I'm super into all kinds of vintage things, I guess. Oh, quite a tough question. I mean, I love Grand Seiko, which also feels like quite a romantic brand. I guess I really like their stories, you know, when you can just get wrapped up in somebody's like fantasy.
00:32:57
Speaker
Well, everything they make has a story behind it, which is really neat. I don't think there's many other brands that do that. No, it's very Japanese. I'm also desperate to go to Japan. It's like, I've never been. I can't believe I've never been. It's number one on my to-do list. You'll get there. You'll get there after your summer trip.
00:33:17
Speaker
Exactly. I need a summer off. I can't spend all summer in New York, and I also need to go to Japan. I'm just manifesting it. Tell Eneri, tell him that you and I spoke and you just need the summer off. The whole summer. Yeah, and maybe into the winter. We'll see. You'll let him know when you're ready. Exactly. I will.
00:33:40
Speaker
I'm like, let's wrap it up here with the collector's gene rundown and you can Answer these questions based on any of the collections that you have whether it's jewelry or clothing or watches anything. All right. Okay, I'm ready All right. What's the one that got away? Oh God, okay. I thought quite deeply about this and yesterday I was on set for a shoot and I confessed to everybody that I used to own a lady deal bag and I
00:34:10
Speaker
got rid of it because I was lasting after a piece of jewellery and I needed to sell the bag in order to be able to afford the jewellery and everybody looked at me like I was a complete lunatic.
00:34:24
Speaker
I regret so badly selling that bag, and I think the value of that bag has increased enormously since I first owned it. I don't know if that's the strict definition of one that got away, but yeah, the Lady Dior bag, and there's probably countless other things that I have lasted
00:34:49
Speaker
over the... I'm a huge vintage shopper, clothing and accessories, and I'm sure there's a whole host of things that I missed and would have been worth a fortune now. Yeah, that's always a bummer for sure. How about the on-deck circles? So what's next in your collecting? Anything you have your eye on that's imminent?
00:35:12
Speaker
Oh my God, actually, watch-wise, I need a Cepenti. I feel like it's really a problem that I didn't have a Cepenti. I keep trying to tell my wife, I keep trying to convince her on that watch, and she loves it. Yeah. But at this point, I think I may just buy one for myself and just share it with her. Oh my God, would you wear a Cepenti?
00:35:33
Speaker
Oh, 100%. I think that that watch, to me, has the same feeling that I get about the Benoit. And there's something super interesting about that K shape, whether you put it on a strap or you keep it on the bracelet, I just think there's something really chic about it. About the Benoit? About the Serpenti. Oh, about the Serpenti. Yeah.
00:35:57
Speaker
I just love that watch. I borrowed one for a couple of weeks a while ago, and I've never felt more glamorous. I just wore it with whatever. It's not like I was wearing a full-length ball gown. In fact, I think it looks its best when you're literally wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, because it's that high-low combination. I think Sepentee is like,
00:36:24
Speaker
Or I really, I think about it all the time. It would have to be a triple wrap, yellow, gold. And if I was feeling really obnoxious, and I mean, I totally can't afford this now, but at some point in the future, like a vintage 70s,
00:36:40
Speaker
sort of enamel, sappente, or like inlay gem set. Just something super crazy and like an homage to Elizabeth Taylor and all these glamorous women who wore sappente. But those things can cost, yeah, pretty penny, as they say.
00:36:59
Speaker
Yeah, no doubt. I don't think I'd do, for me personally, the wrap version, but I think I would put it, like I had a custom strap made for my Benoit that's a little bit wider than the typical one. Yeah. And I would do the same thing with the serpentine where it almost more as like a like cuff. So you mean like the, what is it? The sedutary, I think it's called where it's like just the sepenti head.
00:37:26
Speaker
Yeah, I would buy the one probably on the bracelet because my wife would want to wear the bracelet more than I would. And then when I want to wear it, I would put it on the strap. And I just think that there's just something so cool about that watch.
00:37:41
Speaker
My boyfriend just does not care about watches. I think it's so cool when couples share watches. I'm quite jealous, to be honest. When my wife listens to this, she's going to have a chuckle because I don't share with her. I've just bought her her own because I don't know. I'm crazy OCD and I've let her wear a few things and she's done great, no doubt. She'll know that she's done great when she listens. But that's one that we would share for sure.
00:38:09
Speaker
Yeah, but I mean, you're doing her disservice, really, because she should have the triple wrap. I feel like Sappendi at its finest has got a wrap around the rest. Yeah, yeah. All right, we'll have a chat. Okay, good. All right, what's the unobtainable? So one, you can't have, maybe it's too expensive in a museum or a private collection that you know of.
00:38:34
Speaker
Oh, I guess, well, we just talked about the Enamel Supentes, but there's other, I'm really on a tank Sainte-Cher kick at the moment. I just, I'm obsessed with the shape of this watch. I borrowed a early example from Eric Koo for a shoot, and I think it was like, I want to say, 40s, and it was yellow gold, and
00:38:57
Speaker
It was the, you know, they call it ligner to measure the Sainte-Ré. And it's like, I want to say it was the largest size. It's nine ligner, which is a, you know, jumbo size. I think Sainte-Ré at its finest is jumbo. And I just put that thing on my wrist and I felt
00:39:17
Speaker
I don't know, I can't, you know that like euphoria that comes over you and you try on a perfect watch and it's kind of a little unexpected I think as well. It's definitely like a deep cuts Cartier but I would do an early example yellow gold on a bracelet like the Cartier Bricklink bracelet. Oh I just, I think, yeah I mean that's it, I'm in heaven with that one.
00:39:46
Speaker
That watch wears incredible and it is even the smaller versions and it is one of those things that until you've ever put one on, I feel bad for people because you just don't understand how great it is. It's perfect. I don't think it has anything to do with the divine ratio, but it feels like that watch has some divine energy going on. I think it's just so indicative of my taste for things that are a bit over the top.
00:40:16
Speaker
Like, you know, I want the jumbos, André, or, you know, I love a giant yellow-gold octave in SMO. But I think I just, I like having fun. And if you say, you know, pick a dream watch, I'm just, I'm going to pick something that's a bit ridiculous.
00:40:33
Speaker
Yeah, that's one of those watches that I just wish the brand would realize how great all those dimensions are and just stick with it for the years to come. Update the movement if you have to or update the dial, whatever, but just keep that size because it's so perfect. I know. Why don't they have that? Because obviously they have the pre-vay where you can, I guess, custom order a Santrae. I don't know. I'm not part of the upper echelon of watch buying. Yeah. It's not the same.
00:41:03
Speaker
It's not the same. And I think that particular jumbo size is just, I don't know, it's so perfect. But I don't, what do you think of the smaller, I don't really, I don't feel the same way about the smaller sizes.
00:41:16
Speaker
I personally love them, maybe not as much, but just by a slight margin, but they still wear so well and they still just exude that elegance that you dream of when you think of the Sintre and from the photos that you see of it. It's still way better sized than any other version of that watch that they've done in the recent years.
00:41:44
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's one of those watches too, again, where it's a little bit, a yellow gold watch on a yellow gold bracelet. It's hardly discrete, but it's just such a great piece of design. And so I think
00:42:00
Speaker
That and that's really what I look for I guess at the end of the day I do I do You know not out on the watch stuff too, but not really I mean not really from a technical aspect. I just I love the design of that watch The page one rewrite so if you could collect anything besides your current money no object, what would it be and why? Oh
00:42:26
Speaker
Oh my God, how do I choose if I could collect anything? Yep, money, no object. You have or no money. Anything you want.
00:42:37
Speaker
I think it would probably be jewelry, and I think it would probably be something really just timeless, like art deco diamond bracelets. Cartier art deco diamond bracelets. If money were no object, I would just have a safe full of those. Done and done. I think a lot of people would agree with you there. Great. All right, the goat. Who do you look up to in the collecting world?
00:43:06
Speaker
This is a little bit cheesy, but
00:43:09
Speaker
I think my grandmother. That's the best answer you could give. She's the ultimate collector to me, and I've learned so much from her. She's this really eccentric little old French woman who's lived in London for like 70 years. She's a true collector. Her apartment is just this Aladdin's cave. You go inside and there is just
00:43:37
Speaker
I can't even explain it. It's just fashion books everywhere and art everywhere and little 1920s sort of enamel figurine ashtrays and all these really initial things, art deco furniture.
00:43:56
Speaker
you know, like, Murano glass bowls, she's the ultimate collector, and I think I get my bad habit from her. I remember when I was a kid just going through all her costume jewelry, and, you know, she also wears
00:44:13
Speaker
layers and layers of jewelry still does. I don't know how she, you know, can still lift her arms because she's all these huge bracelets and bangles. She's still just sort of like clinking away through the corridors. And she had, I remember this chest of drawers that was just full of silk scarves. And, you know, you open it and it's like,
00:44:37
Speaker
Emma's Chanel just all these like crazy vintage scars I think I've probably taken all the best ones by now But it was it going to her house and it still is to this day. It was just a bit like shopping. I love that. Yeah the hunt or the ownership I wanna I want to be that person that's really about the hunt but I think it's about the ownership to be honest and I'm just completely
00:45:05
Speaker
obsessed with like building a collection and looking at, you know, I think looking at what I collect brings me a lot of joy. And I, you know, I like to be surrounded by my things. When I spend lots of time traveling for work, it's that feeling of like coming home and knowing that I have all my stuff.
00:45:32
Speaker
It's just a comfort, I guess.
Conclusion and Reflections
00:45:35
Speaker
So I enjoy owning, but I do think it's very important to be able to let things go. So if I lose something or sell something, in fact, recently I lost a pair of Cillian sunglasses and I was really, really pissed for about 24 hours.
00:45:52
Speaker
This is like the God of accessories saying that you have to let this go and something else will come back into your life and it's just a material possession at the end of the day. That's good advice. Most importantly, do you feel that you were born with the collector's gene? I think it's coursing through my veins.
00:46:13
Speaker
I think, yeah, I think for sure it was passed down onto me. It's funny though, because my mom is one of those people that just throws everything out. So she didn't inherit, and then I guess it skipped a generation. That happens often. Malaika, thank you so much for joining me today on Collector's Jean Radio. Pleasure to chat with you, and I look forward to seeing you prosper through Hodinky and everything else that you do.
00:46:42
Speaker
Thank you so much for having me. My pleasure. Take care. Bye. All right. That does it for this episode. Thank you all for listening to Collector's Gene Radio.