Glenn Lawson, designer, Los Angeles
"It wasn't just well-edited, it was real. The moustached prince lived like that and so, I thought, why couldn't I? "
The Power Look At Home: Decorating for Men
by Egon von Fürstenberg
Glenn Lawson writes, "As a closeted teenager in a very small town in Wisconsin, my only outlet for erotica was the local library. One day I stumbled upon von Furstenberg's first book "The Power Look". It was supposed to be a men's guide to style, but it was really just soft core homo-erotica of the best kind.
His advice ranged from do-it-yourself "silk scarf belts" to keeping fit by taking jazz dance classes. Egon was a prince and his stories of jet-setting around the globe intertwined with the most ridiculous "fashion" tips was right up my alley. The pictures were of men around the world in crotch-hugging ensembles, speedos, or sometimes just white briefs, why not?
When I found his second book, I was hoping for more of the same crotch-shots peppered with stories about private jets and St. Tropez.. Instead I found the most awesomely put together book on interiors I had ever seen. It was more than just a book on interiors. He was selling a lifestyle. Of course I promptly checked it out and never returned it. (Sorry Mrs. Budny!)
He was selling a lifestyle I hadn't even dreamed existed. The colors and proportions ( and all the brass and lucite) turned me on to a whole other world. It wasn't just well-edited, it was real. The moustached prince lived like that and so, I thought, why couldn't I? When I painted my bedroom navy and white and spray painted my dresser gold (just like that townhouse in New York) I thought I had arrived.
He definitely gave me something to dream about and opened my eyes to an effortlessly chic style of decorating. I still have that tattered copy and its pages still inspire me.
He definitely gave me something to dream about and opened my eyes to an effortlessly chic style of decorating. I still have that tattered copy and its pages still inspire me.
Glenn Lawson is a designer living in Silver Lake, California. Lawson-Fenning is located both in Hollywood and Silver Lake. In the back ofthe SL Lawson-Fenning is Ivanhoe Books. The best place on the East side to buy art/design/architecture, and vintage books!
------------------------------