Olivier Zahm for Style Council MR PORTER

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Mr Olivier Zahm

Fast Facts

Restaurant: 15 East
Bar: The Bar Hemingway
Hotel: The Standard
Gadget: Atomic Floyd headphones
Car: Porsche 924
Style icon: Serge Gainsbourg
Watch: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

Brand: Yves Saint Laurent
Suit: Yves Saint Laurent
Jacket: Rick Owens
Shirt: Steven Alan
Shoes: Yves Saint Laurent low boots
Bag: Leather Dior Homme

Biography

Mr Zahm worked as an art critic for Artforum, Flash Art, Art Press and Texte Zur Kunst during the 1980s and early 1990s. He is a renowned curator and has worked with over 150 exhibitions of contemporary art throughout the world, including institutions like PS1, MoMA and Centre Pompidou. In 1992, he founded Purple Prose magazine (1992 - 1998) with Elein Fleiss, and the publication has created numerous spin-offs. The realistic, sometimes dubbed ‘anti-fashion’ aesthetics of Purple was a reaction against the glamour of the Eighties, and can be linked with the global counterculture of that time, featuring work by Juergen Teller, Terry Richardson, Wolfgang Tillmans and Mario Sorrenti. www.purple.fr

Mr Zahm's Recommendations

FAVOURITE RESTAURANT AND DISH

“In New York, my favourite restaurant is 15 East, they have the best sea urchin. In Paris, my favourite restaurant is La Maison du Caviar.”

BEST BAR

“The Bar Hemingway bar at Ritz Paris.”

VACATION CHOICE

“Greece, Italy, Turkey, Croatia. It's not a difficult flight from Paris and it's the origin of Western civilization.”

TOP CITY

“New York for it's creative energy.”

FAVOURITE HOTEL

“The Standard is my second home.”

TYPE OF BAG

“I have a couple of leather Dior Homme bags that fit all my oversized stuff and photo materials.”

FAVOURED BRAND

“ Balenciaga for women. Yves Saint Laurent for men.”

ESSENTIAL WARDROBE ITEM

“My Ray-Ban glasses. Without them I can't see.”

MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN

“My girlfriend, Natacha Ramsay.”

STYLE ICON

“The French musician Serge Gainsbourg.”

STYLE TIP

“The most important style tip for men is to create a uniform that you feel comfortable in and stick to that. Find the items that fit you best and just wear them every day, until they are completely destoyed.”

TAILOR

“The only clothing that I get altered are my denim jackets. I have been wearing the same ones for years and have to take them frequently to get patched up at a great tailor in the east village.”

BEST SHIRT BRAND

“My favourite shirts are from Steven Alan because they are cut slim and have great patterns.”

FAVOURITE SUIT

“ Yves Saint Laurent and Dior Homme.”

CUT OF TROUSERS

“I only wear jeans.”

JEANS BRAND

“I wear the same jeans every day - American Apparel in off-black.”

PREFERRED JACKET STYLE

“I like fitted leather jackets from Yves Saint Laurent and Rick Owens .”

SHOE MAKER

“I always wear low boots with a small heel. I like Yves Saint Laurent and the bottines I designed for JM Weston.”

FAVOURITE GROOMING PRODUCT

“I like La Prairie skin caviar, Dr Hauschka day lotion, Azzaro by Azzaro perfume, Kiehl's olive oil shampoo.”

DREAM CAR

“Porsche 924.”

WATCH BRAND

“Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in gold.”

ESSENTIAL GADGET

“I hate gadgets. I only have technological items that I use all the time, like everyone. BlackBerry: I have tried the iPhone and just can't get the hang of it. Though I do always travel with my iPod and Atomic Floyd headphones. Also my Lumix camera.”