Bustle Exclusive
He wasouttathere, says the 81-year-old New Yorker and visionary stylist.
To have this jerk be rude to them showed how stupid he was.
In 1970, 28-year-old Pat Field was about to make a name for herself.
The daughter of a dry cleaner and a tailor, she opened a tiny boutique called Pants Pub.
It was so successful that by 71 she decided to move into larger digs at 10 E. 8th St. (Until 1980, homosexuality was considereda criminal offensein New York State.)
After the 70s, the culture really did open up, Field tells Bustle.
My shop especially when we moved to 8th Street was very joyful.
But mainly artistic people makeup artists, designers.
I probably just took it for granted, because that was my life.
But it was quite a time.
Amanda Lepore ran the makeup counter.
Keith Haring painted her front picture window.
Jean-Michel Basquiat drew with magic markers on white synthetic jumpsuits, which Field sold for $25 a pop.
If somebody impressed me with the way they put themselves together, I hired them.
If you could do it to yourself, you could do it to a client.
That was very important to me that each of my staff had an individual look.
The same standard applied to her customers.
But I wanted everyone to feel included, says Field.
What did that teach her about aging?
Its the same thing I say about choosing clothes, she says.
Dont look around and listen to everybody.
Do what your heart tells you to do.
Understand that you are an individual.
Your stores defined fashion in every decade the 70s, 80s,and 90s.
And with your costume design career, you really created culture.
Well, Im glad I did.
I didnt do it with the intention, Im gonna create culture.
I just did what came naturally to me.
Heres a partial list of the trends you launched: black leggings, stacked rubber bracelets, corsets.
Were you responsible for Madonnas whole look in the 80s?
Well, she took her cues, Madonna.
You know, Madonna is Madonna.
I remember Madonnabeforeshe became Madonna.
She used to work as the elevator operator in a club called Danceteria.
Tell me about Studio 54.
Youd walk in to Studio 54, and youd immediately start dancing.
That was that disco mood.
Studio 54 was theitclub to go to.
All the hobnobby people went there.
The girls lounge, the bathroom, it was a place to hang.
ButParadise Garage that one was after hours, and it went all night.
It was just an experience Ill never forget.
In your memoir, you write about the homophobia back in those days.
Even someone who was supposedly liberal likeJFK Jr. when he came into your store, he actually was not.
No, he was not.
He was this little rich snob.
Your stores culture could be tough.
If your staff didnt approve of a customers look, theyd let them know.
When a pre-fame Beyonce came in, you said a staffer was rude to her!
So you had to look cool to shop there?
Yeah, but I have to say, Beyonce and the girlswerecool.
They used to come in for the wigs.
It was just somebody new I had hired.
The only reason I knew is I read about it in some magazine.
Anyway, I knew they were down in the New Jersey [Performing] Arts Center.
So I got in my car and I went down there personally to apologize for that jerks rudeness.
I was honored that Beyonce and the girls were customers!
It was exciting for me.
And to have this jerk be rude to them showed how stupid he was.
I didnt think about it.
She looked great on camera because shes graceful.
I have to tell you, Sarah Jessica is very, very strong in her fashion mentality.
It was a great relationship, professionally.
You didThe Devil Wears Pradaat 65.
At an age when most people slow down, your career exploded.
I always wanted to dress Meryl Streep because I love her as an actor.
The white hair was her idea.
And I was able to put her into a more sophisticated look.
When I finishedDevil Wears Prada, I looked at it and I said, OK, it looks alright.
I had even forgotten that I got an Academy Award nomination for it.
In the book, you grapple with whether or not to call yourself an artist.
Why is that a label youre reluctant to wear?
Its not that I dont want to wear it.
I just never saw myself that way.
I saw myself as a business person, taking after my mom.
Its not positive for a person to think that theyre superior.
Everyone is buzzing about your costume design work onEmily in Paris.
Anything you touch just lights people up.
Well, thats wonderful.
Thank you for saying that.
I just do what I know how to do, and thats about it.
I take a look at something, it makes me happy, thats the first step.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
