Julie Verhoeven on Art, Flapper Dresses and Mum’s Gingerbread

For over 20 years, the British artist Julie Verhoeven has merged the worlds of fashion and design. The passionate illustrator got her start as a design assistant to John Galliano. More recently, she has collaborated with luxury fashion brands from Louis Vuitton to Mulberry, created Christmas cards for Topshop, and of course, added to her own oeuvre. Here, her favorite things.

Item I own that gets better with age: My 1970s blender
Best vintage buy on eBay: Louis Feraud perfume on a necklace
My secret to looking timeless: Develop a unique look that nobody else wants to copy.
Most powerful photo I’ve ever seen: Man in Polyester Suit by Robert Mapplethorpe
Best souvenir I’m glad I brought back home: A layered sand ornament from the Isle of Wight
Favorite vintage fashion trend: Flapper dresses
Place I love to visit that’s rich in history: Vienna
Music that always takes me back: The Pointer Sisters
Favorite bedtime story as a kid: Can’t remember—my mum always fell asleep mid storytelling.
Favorite family recipe: Mum’s gingerbread
How I like to keep in touch: Anything but a telephone call. I hate the telephone.
Best advice I’ve ever received: Don’t be a doormat.
Unofficial home away from home: That would be my studio.
I couldn’t live without: Television
Words to dress by: More, more, more
Art I’d like to own: Soft Toilet sculpture by Claes Oldenburg.

Image: Sign of the Times. Dansk, Spring 2008. By Julie Verhoeven.