Friends, family members and just about anybody we meet who's a fan of the show ask us the same question all the time. "What's [insert designer name here] really like in person?" Time and time again, we give the same answer. "They're exactly like what you see on TV." For all the designer pouting and stamping of feet accompanied by the common refrain of "It was the editing!" the fact is, the designers we see onscreen are pretty much the same people you mee
t in real life. With one notable exception: Emmett McCarthy.Memorable mainly for his somewhat controversial auf'ing at the hands of Not-Nina Elle editor Anne Slowey and his gracious exit in a hot pink ice skater's costume, Emmett didn't exactly burn up the screen with his presence - and he'll be the first one to tell you that. "Before I went on the show," he says, "My mother sat me down to watch The Apprentice. She said, 'The more dirt you throw, the less ground you have to stand on, so be cautious. They will play that show forever.' She's a woman with a lot of dignity. She wanted to caution me because she watched my career develop from a high school student to a 42-year-old professional. She was familiar with all the intimate details of my career and she didn’t want me to do anything that could hurt that.”
Spend any length of time with Emmett and you realize that his family is a huge part of his life and had a profound influence on it. The first thing you notice when you walk into his elegant, understated apartment is the wall of photographs, almost all of them depicting family members. The sixth of eight children in what he describes as a "religious Irish Catholic family," he grew up in New Haven, Connecticut in what he also describes as a "Bloomsbury environment," referring to the early twentieth century English collective of aesthetes, writers and artists. “My mother had started painting at 40 years old, my two older sisters were violinists, and I was given a violin when I was about 4 years old. My first exposure to life was academic, music and art.”
Admitted to the Talented and Gifted Program at the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, he went on frequent class trips into New York City for art and cultural
education. “I knew that I didn’t fit in with the rural, small town; that I wanted to do something big in the arts in NYC. I didn’t know what yet. I thought perhaps I’d be a classical musician but my road got sort of redirected.” Said redirection came when he met his first honest to god fashion designer through a friend, the painter Anna Bresnick, and suddenly found his purpose. “I could sew and I was really good with color and construction, so I thought I’d blend this art and commerce. I was very impressed with the fact that you could earn a living and still be creative. That was very appealing to me.”“My brother was killed in a car accident when I was thirteen and time stopped.” He says this not matter of factly, but in the voice of someone who has dealt with it. There’s no maudlin sentiment in the words. “When you’re thirteen years old and your brother dies, you sort of look at life as very finite. You don’t have forever. Soon thereafter, my two sisters were in a car accident, like 3 weeks later. My entire high school and college life, my sister Pegeen was very ill with diabetes and had many complications. I always had this conscious feeling of you gotta make the most of what you have at hand.”
“And I knew that I wanted to be around gay people,” he continues. “I was growing up in a conservative family; I didn’t quite understand what being gay was about. You don’t know how you fit in when you’re thirteen years old. I knew I was capable, I knew I was smart and I knew if you really apply yourself to anything you could be successful.”
Success is what drives him, more than anything else. It doesn’t spring from any sort of overcompensation and it’s not from a desire for material wealth. Emmett strives to be the most successful designer he can be because his neck is on the line. “I don’t think people understand
what it’s like to come out of a reality show and the reality of hardcore business. What it’s like 7 days a week to pay your rent, pay your salaries…” His voice trails off with a feeling of exhaustion. He’s hustling like crazy in an insanely tough business and an insanely tough town and he’s always got multiple plates spinning on multiple poles at the same time.“MARY!” We’re once again in Emmett’s cool, chic little boutique, EMC2 on Elizabeth Street in the burgeoning Nolita section of Manhattan. Emmett comes out from the back at the sound of our voices, as always, stylishly dressed and elegant in his bearing. For such a tall man, he moves with a lithe grace…we want to say “of a dancer,” but that’s not really it. More like a big, gay, slightly aristocratic giraffe. And he always calls us either “Mary” or “Marge.”
“Come on back, I want to show you the studio!” Behind his store is a courtyard, one familiar to us from previous events held to promote his popular line of Tim Gunn bobbleheads. Today, it’s a disaster. He’s having a design studio built in the back and the yard is littered with construction detritus. We step gingerly around the debris as he talks excitedly about the usual million things he’s got going on at once. Before we know it, we’re apologizing to the work
men for getting in their way while we each have about a half dozen of his new shoes and bags in our hands. “Look at this one. Did you see the dresses they’ll be wearing for QVC?” Everything is impeccable. He works in a classic style with modern twists and everything he produces is always of the highest quality.“I am a consumer myself and I like quality merchandise,” he explains. “When you go buy expensive merchandise, you expect beautiful details; the hardware, the stitching, the technique. I feel like I’m bringing the techniques of the old masters into new product.”
He learned those techniques the old-fashioned way: hard work, schooling, and taking every opportunity that came his way. Unlike many of Project Runway’s contestants, Emmett showed up on the first day of filming with a literal lifetime of experience. The day after he graduated high school, he went straight to New York City and the Fashion Institute of Technology. “I was advised to go to FIT because it was more of a technical school and you’d want to have technical skills before you tried to enter the industry.” After two years at FIT, he transferred to the Parson’s School of Design. “There were like 27 different countries represented in my class. They enlisted 150 students and only 49 graduated. The attrition rate was really high but it was really tortuous. You never slept. It was sort of like Project Runway in a way.” At Parson’s he continued a friendship with Tim Gunn that started years before when
Tim came to his high school to speak. Most fans of the show don’t know this, but Tim and Emmett have been friends for a quarter century.After graduation, he bounced around between London and Paris for a while, working a variety of jobs in the industry. “It was one of those things that you’d only do when you’re 25 because everything seemed so grand and like such a great idea. And you can take risks. I really wanted to explore the world, to interview with all the couturiers in Paris.”
He came back to New York when his sister had another health crisis and he needed to be closer to his family. Despite the stressful circumstances, he speaks of the time with great fondness. “I moved to New York at the onset of the AIDS epidemic. It was a really gritty time but there was so much vitality, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Keith Haring, Robert Mapplethorpe, all the vogue parties. I was a party boy. You’d get really dressed up and go out. All of that was sort of mocking the establishment. Everyone was striving to be something. It was really quite thrilling to be a part of that. I always had that sort of reserve because I knew that life was precious. I had family members that were sort of living on the edge and so I was kind of timid to take any risks, but I certainly was in the thick of the whole cultural revolution. I was also watching 40 of my friends die between the ages of like 20 and 30. There was a lot of uncertainty and the creativity was killed, really.”
With his education and training, Emmett thought the more corporate side of fashion was where he needed to be. “The fashion industry was also making major transitions, as it does. You go through a job; things don’t sell, you go to the next job; the company closes, you go to the next job. There was a lot of attrition in the industry” He found himself at one of the most established giants in the industry, Kellwood Company, but as he says, it was “was a little bit too regimented” for him. Finally, he wound up as the design director for a small menswear company. “That allowed me to be the designer for several Bryant Park shows and it taught me how to run a company.”
After years of working in the industry, Project Runway practically fell into his lap. “I was called by a friend who said ‘You should try out for this TV show.’ I never saw myself as being a risk taker but I guess I am. I went on this audition and I got on but I was not really prepared.” He took his mother’s wise advice and, in his words, “I tucked away the acerbic Emmett and became the silent Emmett.” Does he regret his calculated low-key persona? Not a bit. “I wouldn’t have done it any differently.” His take on the show is that of a person with decades of training and experience behind him. He saw it as an opportunity to further his career and nothing more than that. No drama, no attention-whoring. Just a simple, low-key approach to getting the work done, which is of a piece with his entire career philosophy. “I’ve been under so much stress in my life that that did not seem that stressful at all. It’s just covering two arms and two legs. It’s not like I worked in an ER and someone’s life depended on me.”
Still, it’s not as if he doesn’t have some strong opinions about the experience. “Santino was like 'Oh, he doesn’t know how to make patterns.' That’s total bullshit. I was very well trained and it all came back. It wasn’t like I didn’t know what I was doing.” He looks at it now with no small amount of amusement, even when he’s taking the judges to task. “They were never consistent in their judgment. That’s what keeps the show lively because it’s so unpredictable. I mean, what the fuck? You’re gonna keep Santino on? You’re gonna send Daniel Franco home? Look at this atrocious lingerie we made! You think this is a fashion point of view? It’s a circus costume!”
Still, despite his criticisms, he truly loved the experience because it felt like coming home to him. “I think I was the first Parson’s graduate who came back as a PR contestant. And there I was 20 years later and it all came back like a physical memory - and I got to reconnect with Tim as a professional. I met him as a teenager and now I was grown up and professional. I got to meet him on adult terms. That was really important to me.”
After his aufing, he spent not one second feeling sorry for himself or entertaining grand ideas of stardom and fame. He did what he has always done, got right back to work. “I took the chance, I got the exposure and I thought ‘I’m gonna open a boutique.’” He approached his plans the same way he approaches everything, with care and planning and the gathering of as much information as he can find. “I took out business loans. I sought out business advisors. I met with Tim Gunn and a friend of mine who’s a branding consultant and another friend who’s a financial services consultant and we mapped out the constellation of brands for my business. Right in the beginning, I invested in all the legal trademarking involved in these brands. It’s like anything in life. If you want to be successful then you need to reach out to other successful people in their fields.”
“I wanted to use the store as a window to the world,” he continues. “So people could see this as a fashion laboratory. I could do one-of-a-kind pieces and see how it was received by my customers while I learned what my aesthetic was going to be. I don’t think anybody wakes up one day and says ‘this is my philosophy of fashion.’ I think it’s something you develop and that’s reinforced by your customer base. You listen and you meet their needs. I wanted to create quality merchandise that was provocative that would be anniversaried in your wardrobe year after year.” One ten-minute stroll through his store will tell you that he’s achieved what he set out to do. The racks are filled with one gorgeous, timeless dress after another. “When you walk in the store, it has a clear point of view from the front window to the back room,” he explains. “You understand that there’s a designer behind the look and feel of the store. Everything is nicely framed in this setting. And I do it all; I do sportswear and handbags and shoes. In the end it only helps bring the whole brand identity together.”
Of course, with Emmett, there’s no resting on his laurels. A boutique wasn’t enough. He wants a national customer base and for as long as we’ve known him, that’s been the goal he’s been working on. Not only is he appearing on QVC this week to sell his bags, but he’s also working on a deal with JC Penney for another line of bags. “Not everybody gets the opportunity to shop in New York,” he says. “This is a great opportunity to reach out to the people that are really starving for something that’s new and exciting and affordable.”
We all sat in our living room last week, a massive pile of handbags on the coffee table in front of us. We forced him to go through his QVC pitch just so we could be opinionated and tell him what he’s doing wrong. Turns out, he’s not doing anything wrong. His excitement and pride for his new collection of bags is infectious and he could literally talk about them for hours. “If you look at those bags inside and out, you will see those bags are extraordinarily well made. It has my name on it so I’m not going to sacrifice tha
t attention to detail. My customers trust me and I’m going to offer them quality.” He pauses for a moment. “They’re fucking AMAZING quality!” We advised him not to say that when he’s on the air.We talked a little bit about the inspiration for his bags too. “I’m always looking for inspiration, whether it’s online or in a vintage store. I can pick up a vintage dress and look at the pattern and see that in a handbag.” We’ve been lucky enough to take him on a tour of Philly’s better vintage stores and it’s fun to watch the wheels spinning in his head as he picks up items and sees the possibility in them. Last week, after a day out in the shops alone, he came back with a half-dozen bags of vintage items and laid them out in front of us. “Look at that closure,” he points out. “Or this!” as he unveils a gorgeous purple velvet maxi-skirt from the seventies. “I’m almost tempted to put this in my window tomorrow to see if it sells!” Still, it’s not only the luxurious vintage pieces that inspire him. Sometimes, it’s the most humble. Believe it or not, the pattern on one of his handbags comes from a 30-year-old bowling shirt. The shirt itself was kind of ugly, but only Emmett could see the possibilities in the print. What looked hideously tacky on a shirt looks downright elegant on a handbag.
Back in Emmett’s store, we’re sitting on a couch with a glass of wine as he putters about and wraps things up before closing. When he’s just being Emmett, he’s funny and goofy and sharp as a tack, but when a customer comes in, it’s like a switch is turned on and he’s immediately back to what we would call “hustling,” but he frequently calls “pole-dancing.” After he ushers a customer back to the dressing room to try on a gorgeous Audrey Hepburn-inspired dress, he reflects for a moment on what he’s doing. “I grew up in a house with a mother and four sisters and each of them had very different personalities and very different tastes and priorities as to what they spend their money on. You look at fashion and you look at people’s taste levels and you want to offer something to everyone.” He stops to adjust some dresses on a rack. “I think I have a healthy idea of what a business is like,” he says. “I’m sowing the seeds of a successful business. Like anything else in life it’s a process.” And with that, the curtains of the dressing room open and the customer comes out looking ten times better than she did when she walked in. “Isn’t that gorgeous?” he says with pride. “You know it comes with either a yellow belt or a black one. Here. Try the yellow one. You know what else you need? Shoes. Let me show you what I have.”
Emmett will be appearing on QVC tonight at 10 PM EST and again on September 12th at 4 PM EST to debut his line of handbags, retailing from $89 to $150. These bags are gorgeously made, ladies. Count your pennies.
[Photos and screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]
Post a Comment
9/8/08 10:06 AM
So the answer was a bowling shirt? Wow. Only Emmett darlings! ;)
9/8/08 10:07 AM
We told you we didn't expect anyone to hit the nail on the head!
Now, who were the first two to say "vintage?" Step up, ladies!
9/8/08 10:15 AM
A bowling shirt, eh? Damn. *le sigh*
9/8/08 10:16 AM
I met Emmett in his store and he was really cool. I'm glad he kept it classy on the show.
9/8/08 10:18 AM
A true class act! Who else is hoping Emmett and Tim are (or become) more than just friends?
9/8/08 10:26 AM
So it wasn't the gas flame at the Philly cheese steak place, eh? Oh well.
What a wonderful interview. Funny and sad, the part about his brother made me cry a little, losing a sib is tough. I hope his sister is in good health now. And I never thought he couldn't make patterns. Santino is an ass. The new line of bags is too die for. And I LOVE my EMC2 dress! I'm getting the Jackie O some day too. I just love Emmett!
9/8/08 10:28 AM
Aw fudge, I didn't guess right, but if the handbags are only up to $150 bucks then I will totally get one!! I'll still have to save a little, but that bag is just gorgeous. I must have it.
Also, this was a great read boys. You should write biographies. Your style is clean, concise and yet not overpowering the voice of who you are talking about. Excellent job!
9/8/08 10:28 AM
What a delightful article! I sailed right through it, gobbling up every little detail. Fun, fun, fun! AND inspiring. Oh, and Emmett did well to listen to his mom: Jerks ignite the comments sections for about a week, but class acts last forever.
(And how old would a Rorschach test have to be to be considered vintage?)
9/8/08 10:29 AM
one of my guesses what something he found at a thrift store you visited together. Does that count?
9/8/08 10:29 AM
Emmett is such a darling man and definitely a class act. I admire how he approaches life with undeniable grace and his own brand of elegance.
Thank you for a fabulous peek into his world.
9/8/08 10:32 AM
What a class act.
...big, gay, slightly aristocratic giraffe.
I LOVE HIM.
9/8/08 10:35 AM
What a gorgeous man ... (sigh) if only I wasn't married (and a woman). Emmet was the favorite S2 contestant and MK nearly earned a contract on his life for proclaiming the skating outfit "vulgar." What really surprises me is how much younger he appears on TLo postings ... musta been that reserve.
9/8/08 10:37 AM
Great piece, Boys. You could easily be doing profile pieces for natinal magazines and newspapers. The writing is that good.
And Emmett! What great background. Can't believe the boutique is new since he was on Runway. I visited it soon after and it looked (in a great way) as if he had been in busines for years.
Love that he is thinking ahead, planning and succeeding. Bravo Miss McCarthy!
I want to see the vinatge bowling shirt that inspired the bag. Who knew? It was such fun hearing everyone's guesses. I had a blast writing mine (and pray he forgives me).
9/8/08 10:38 AM
A bowling shirt?!?!? Damn!!!
Another damn to EMc for making me spend money tonight!!!;o)
Emmett really is the poster child for taking advantage of her exposure on the show. When she was eliminated,(too early, mind you) she hit the ground running, and its great to see that it has paid off so well. Emmett accomplished all of this before Chloe, and without the $100,000 prize to boot!
Thanks again, Emmett. Thanks for being so cool, calm and collected when Santino was being a raging jackass and blaming you for his bad design. (Personally, I would have slugged him!)
Thanks for stuting the best catwalk on the "Clothes Off Your Back" episode. You looked so suave and debonair. It reminded me alot of Cary Grant.
Thanks for the WTF??? look you gave to Robert Plotkin when he showed up at your apartment wearing a mail man costume for the skating challenge.
Thanks for wearing the spandex shirt for that challenge. Pink is your color, girl!
And finally, thanks for "Was it the shirt?"
Best auf'd line EVER.
9/8/08 10:38 AM
Seriously, fellas. Great interview. I can't believe you do this for free.
9/8/08 10:40 AM
A fabulous interview/article on a fabulous person!]
Seriously guys; why are magazines dying? Because they don't have talent like you boys writing for them! You should submit that article to the Times Sunday Magazine or someplace & grab some new eyeballs for your work.
And as for Emmett; So terrific, so talented, I cannot say enough.
I love reading articles about how people build their success. It seems like in this talentless celebrity obsessed culture, too many people think that success is like Sea Monkeys (just add water and watch them grow). But anyone who ever tried to grow sea monkeys know that doesn't work either.
He's a smart cookie, and the moral of that old Torttoise & Hare story applies here too: Slow and steady wins the race.
--GothamTomato
9/8/08 10:40 AM
Great interview and Emmett is a classy guy.
9/8/08 10:41 AM
What a great interview / biography! Emmett has always been our family favorite and I was so sad when he was aufed in S2. Thanks for giving us more insight into his world.
TLo, I said a great work of art in a window. Hey, it could've been a vintage shop and art could be on bowling shirts. Please?!
I feel like Lucy in that episode when they're in Paris and how badly she and Ethel want a designer gown. One day I will have something Emmett McCarthy besides by Bobble head and shopping bag. Even if it takes me 10 years to save up for it. Or maybe I'll wait til he gets that JC Penney contract. WOW! What a way to get out to women not in NY! I can't wait.
Again, you guys are amazing and thanks for keeping us informed about the FABULOUS designers like Emmett. Emmett, I love you! And TLo, too!
9/8/08 10:44 AM
I meant "my" bobble head, not "by." I have a cold.
9/8/08 10:46 AM
I love Emmett - he's one of my favorite people. And you did a fantastic interview that really captures his personality. One of the most fun things about him is his dry-as-a-bone wit.
Mmmmwah! to all of you!
9/8/08 10:53 AM
What a doll! And thank you for the looooong story about him. I know that is a lot of work for TLo, and I appreciate it.
Emmett is adorable. I wish I had the cash to be able to afford one of his coats. I covet his coats.
9/8/08 11:03 AM
Excellent article. He was clearly a class act on that show. Especially when standing next to Santino.
9/8/08 11:07 AM
Lovely job, guys. I was expecting a quick snack of dress snark and had a terrific meal instead!
9/8/08 11:12 AM
Hey, I may have not guessed the word vintage, but I did guess hawaiian SHIRT
which at least is the correct item!
Love that bag! What do you think?
Love love love you. Love the bag........
9/8/08 11:22 AM
Congrats to the winners! Vintage bowling shirt, go figure.
This was my favorite interview. What a beautiful, talented and classy man. Thank you, tlo!!
9/8/08 11:42 AM
OK, I am sure that I won. I said it was from something he saw in Laura's apartment.
Laura has lots of vintage bowling shirts in her apartment, right? Doesn't she have her boys all dress in vintage bowling shirts?? I am sure of it. Just let me know where to pick up the beautiful bag!
-TLo Addict-
9/8/08 11:43 AM
I love to hear about how decent people earn their success. There is so much to learn, regardless of one's line of work. Thanks so much for the lessons!
9/8/08 11:50 AM
Wow Emmett sounds like a great person first, friend second, and designer is mixed in there.
Thanks for thinking of us who are in the great Midwest, who'd like to be well-turned out, but for whom a trip to NYC every season is impractical.
I'll watch QVC tonight just to see is bags. That dress looked great and the coat - I could love that coat.
Good luck Emmett!
9/8/08 11:52 AM
Another GREAT article, Boys!! I enjoyed every word. Some of it made me teary, some was funny. It was all good. Emmett has always been one of my favorites. I just don't think he should have been auf'd for that skating outfit, it was my favorite!!! My daughter who has been in skating competitions for years, really liked Emmett's the best, just thought the skirt should have been an inch or two longer. She would have worn it in a heartbeat!!!
His bag and clothing line look just wonderful, and I hope I get in on buying that great purse.
9/8/08 11:55 AM
I thought Emmett showed true class by the way he behaved on the show, his grace during his auf'ing, and the way he conducts his business. My daughter and I stopped into his store during one of his PR designer trunk shows, and he couldn't have been nicer to us. We had a very nice conversation with him and my daughter, who was 12 at the time still talks about that day. He knows how to make people feel special, whether they buy one of his fabulous dresses, or only a Tim Gunn bobblehead. Much luck to Emmett. I will be watching QVC tonight!
9/8/08 12:01 PM
Ummm, so tha bag goes to: Maybe we could all share it and send it around the country like flat stanley. Great article guys! I can not believe no one has offered you a job yet. Step up the begging maybe that will work. You could audition to be hosts on QVC...hahahaha.
9/8/08 12:03 PM
What a great article, not to mention subject matter. Wanted to know more about him and now I do. Very smart guy, with the copyrights and stuff. Did things right. Thanks guys!
I wish you all much luck and success in this crazy ass f---ed up world :)
9/8/08 12:05 PM
What a fabulous article, Tlo!
You guys are amazing and so is Emmett. I can't wait to stop at his store next time I'm in NY.
9/8/08 12:06 PM
LOVED THIS! Wow, I have to read it again. What a fascinating story!
9/8/08 12:09 PM
Great interview, fellas! I believe you have a future in this blog thing! I'm so happy for Emmett; I always love to see good, grounded people have success. I think you should interview his mom and find out her secret for raising such a wonderful man. Now I am off to count my pennies to see if I can buy a bag. How many days can one live off of mac and cheese and PBJs??
9/8/08 12:10 PM
Oh, almost forgot: will the majority of the bags be sold online also?
9/8/08 12:13 PM
I am wearing an EMC dress today! It was purchased at the sample sale (Emmett, someday I'll be able to afford the clothes at full price) and I've gotten more compliments than I can count wearing it these past few months. (It's the beautiful oversized tulip print.) Thanks Emmett, for following your dream and inspiring those of us still trying to follow ours....
9/8/08 12:19 PM
Just because of you, TLo, I've marked the Friday night QVC show on my calendar. Emmett is a lucky man.
9/8/08 12:19 PM
FABULOUS writing - are you sure you boys aren't secret English professors?
Emmett's work is lovely; I adore that bowling-shirt handbag, and I'm not a huge fan of handbags. I have rage deep in my soul over that hot-pink costume they made him wear; it seemed unnecessarily cruel, especially when compared with the relatively more subdued outfits of the other designers.
I LOVE, also, that Emmett's even considering producing items for JC Penney - lots of us can't go to NYC, and have not tons of money to start with, but still would love to own an Emmett McCarthy bag or shoes or what-have-you. so thank you, Emmett, for sharing your wondrous work with the poor slovenly masses!
9/8/08 12:19 PM
Boys, this is fantastic. Loved reading it! When are we going to get this kind of an in-depth profile on, say, Jillian? Or Leanne? *g*
Love this blog.
9/8/08 12:24 PM
Great interview, T Lo. It was a poignant, real, and in-depth look at one of the most successful PR contestants ever. And you called him a big, gay, slightly aristocratic giraffe. Writing doesn't get any better than that.
Of all the people who have been on PR, Emmett has been the one who could see how to make the publicity work for him and build a true success from it. He was smart enough to have a plan for what he wanted to do and has executed it brilliantly. In hindsight, it's not surprising that Not Nina wanted to auf him. She wouldn't recognize class if it hit her in the face with one of Emmett's fabulous handbags.
And one day I hope to be in Nolita so Emmett can pole dance for me. Swing it, Emmie, swing it!
9/8/08 12:36 PM
That coat - I covet!
Very nice interview, TLo. Emmett seems like a truly genuine guy.
Damn Anne Slowey!
9/8/08 12:40 PM
Awesome interview, guys. Now, if you could give MalanBreton the same treatment, I'd be in heaven. The two most under-appreciated PR designers!
With Emmett being 6th of 8 children, one brother lost too soon, and 4 sisters, does that mean there may be 2 additional McCarthy males out there for those of us who may be (more than slightly) enamored of the McCarthy clan? I *love* how supportive his family has been, and how family seems to come #1 to him. But rue the fact that I'm a hetero female. :)
I'd love to say I was the first to say vintage, but I doubt I was. Fortunately, I have a half-year bonus, internet access to QVC, and the knowledge that Emmett's bags are affordable to console me. We need the addresses for the QVC bigwigs to thank them for providing us with affordable PR designer fashions--and when are they contacting Kara Janx?!
9/8/08 12:41 PM
Boys,
I feel very confident that the vintage bowling shirt was based on an old iron fence (my guess) the designer saw somewhere -- I'll be glad to provide my mailing address so you can send me that bag!
Love to Emmett!! oxoxoxo
9/8/08 12:42 PM
'“They’re fucking AMAZING quality!” We advised him not to say that when he’s on the air.'
Love it, and believe that the bags are quality. I'm mean, if you boys are impressed, gotta be wonderful, right?
Best of luck to you Emmett. You're a great designer, and more importantly, an intelligent and tenacious businessman as well.
9/8/08 12:42 PM
beautiful written interview, I agree with Gotham Tomato, you guys have to submit your stories to broader audiences, this would have been perfect for last week's Style issue of the New Yorker.... :-)
is the red bag pictured on the interview for sale today? I love it!!!!
9/8/08 12:45 PM
Oh I wasn't even CLOSE.
But thanks so much for this post. It is hitting very close to home as we open our own business. Alot of what Emmett said rings a bell.
Good luck to him. And maybe someday, I'll own an EMC.
sigh.
Also - I think Tim and Emmette would make a fab couple. Grace and Elegance Galor.
9/8/08 12:49 PM
Emmett, such an inspiration. So many creative people seem to be emotionally messy and (forgive me) pretentious. Emmett sounds so centered and genuine.
One of my guesses was "small, hippie-ish design on the bell-bottomed pants from the misspent youth of one of you". So, if you squint and tilt your head just right you can see that as vintage fabric design. Not anywhere near bowling shirt, unless you're feeling generous.
Very amusing contest to brighten my Friday, thank you!
9/8/08 12:51 PM
"Look at this atrocious lingerie we made! You think this is a fashion point of view? It’s a circus costume!”
Click on that photo and check out the expressions on the models' faces. LOL! Says it all.
I would have loved to have seen what Emmett would have shown us at BP. Nothing against Santino, but really, Emmett really should have been there instead.
9/8/08 12:58 PM
I just wish that I had the income and lifestyle to afford Emmett's clothes!
9/8/08 1:24 PM
So it WASNT streptococcus anhemolyticus ?! Well that's probably a good thing. Congratulations to ptrap, who appears to be the first person to have mentioned vintage. I'm envious. That's a gorgeous bag.
Thanks for the article. I'll have to make a point of stopping in his boutique the next time I'm in the BIG CITY.
Myra Flection
9/8/08 1:51 PM
You know, I think that was the best thing you've ever written, blog-wise at least. Thanks for sharing Emmett with us. :)
9/8/08 2:05 PM
OHMYGOD what a GREAT article, guys!
I'm so happy for Emmett. I've been to his store twice with my sister and his designs are amazing.
9/8/08 2:12 PM
I'll 2nd gothamtomato's sentiments. As much as I enjoy reading your interviews on the interwebs for free, I should really be paying for the privilege of reading your interviews on the glossy pages of a magazine. (Or sneakily reading them for free while I wait in the supermarket checkout line.)
9/8/08 2:24 PM
I am heartbroken that I will be traveling to a wedding in Lake Tahoe when Emmett's bags are showing on QVC. I know they'll be all gone by the time I can get to a computer. That red bag featured in the article is to die for.
9/8/08 2:30 PM
The crocodile bag is calling my name. Don't you all hear it? It's kind of a low deep moan.
I wonder if it has a handle?
9/8/08 2:57 PM
Wow ! ! ! great article, I love reading all the comments, everyone so smart and funny, love the one about vintage bowling shirts at Laura home. I'm buying a purse tonight, not everyone can visit NY but if I get a chance I will have to stop by. Great name for his Line and Shop, even the street name is charming !
9/8/08 3:00 PM
Emmett! Design a line for JC Penney.
That's our "good store" out in the sticks.
Lovely interview, Boyz.
9/8/08 3:02 PM
Cheers, to you both, TLo, for another thoroughly entertaining, moving and inspiring piece of journalism.
When I first looked at the total length of the piece, I thought, "Damn-it. I'll wait 'til I get home," but, once I started to read on the job, I simply could not stop. I sailed right through and loved every moment. Love your clear, concise and breezy writing.
You really should do national work for larger publications. This was a very sensitively drawn, candid, succinct and humorous portrait of a very talented, classy and smart man.
Excellent job done, boys. Congratulations, on yet another job (extremely!) well done.
- edina -
9/8/08 3:12 PM
That was amazing! Now I love Emmett even more!
9/8/08 3:23 PM
TLo-Great interview! You really have a knack for this media. Definitely not run-of-the-mill pieces! Kudos!
Glad to hear that Emmett's going to be designing purses for JCP. That's in my price range! He's reaching out to us-thank you Emmett!
Just did a quick scan of our guesses and I see that toddny was the first to use the word "vintage". His sis is one lucky gal! *sigh* I used the magic word too, but way too late.
9/8/08 3:47 PM
Now you bitches, where's the comment on Suede's and Blayne du Soleil's entries from last week?!?!?!?
9/8/08 4:22 PM
Did we have to say EXACTLY vintage? I was 12th to answer and I said from your trip to the trift store (vintage, duh).
Does that count?
KathyC
9/8/08 4:24 PM
You guys do great interviews. What's your secret? Plying the subject with martinis? ;-))
I have to say, though, that I think it's a sad commentary on contemporary journalism when the fact that someone writes well is a cause for astonishment.
-- Lilithcat, mourning the loss of high standards in language
9/8/08 4:36 PM
I got the right answer!!! (very, very close), but didn't post until 6:01pm, so I guess that takes me out of the running....
WAHHHHHH!!!!
*insert Lucy Ricardo-like bawling*
And I, soo-o-o-o wanted Emmett's bag.
- edina(the loser) -
9/8/08 4:38 PM
TELL YOUR OPINIONS ON PINKS COAT during the VMAS that Christian Siriano made!!
9/8/08 4:59 PM
GREAT interview, guys! Wow, what a fabulous read.
9/8/08 5:00 PM
I'm very happy for him. I wish him the best!
9/8/08 5:01 PM
I'm definitely buy one those bags. Thank you for this marvelous interview, darlings! I want to have lunch with you bitches and Emmett.
9/8/08 5:03 PM
A bowling shirt, that's so cool.
Best of luck tonight, Emmett; and thank you boys for such a beautiful interview.
9/8/08 5:05 PM
"I always had this conscious feeling of you gotta make the most of what you have at hand.”"
And you have. Congratulations, Emmett!
And thank you for all the t-shirts, bobbleheads, and dresses you have so generously given us PRG readers.
9/8/08 5:08 PM
What a marvelously written article. Thank you gentlemen so very much.
I must see that bowling shirt. I've never seen a bowling shirt with a design anything like that one. (Otherwise I might have taken up bowling.)
So does the bag come with matching bowling shoes?
9/8/08 5:39 PM
Hah! That photo from the lingerie challenge. Emmett is calm. Santino is ready for a fight. And Uncle Nick is so very ashamed to be associated with those circus costumes.
9/8/08 6:39 PM
Fabulous, boys! There's always a fabulous surprise when I come to your blog.
9/8/08 6:40 PM
What a great guy! Best wishes, Emmett!
9/8/08 6:41 PM
"Callie said...
I met Emmett in his store and he was really cool. I'm glad he kept it classy on the show."
Yes, he is. I bought a few items at his store for my mother and everyone was so nice to me.
9/8/08 6:41 PM
Love you Emmett : )
9/8/08 6:42 PM
I can't wait to watch the show tonight, guys. Good luck, Emmett!
9/8/08 6:42 PM
Awesome interview and writeup. Would have wanted to read something about whether he's going to pursue some degree of menswear in the future. (I remember he used to design menswear for someone else.)
9/8/08 6:43 PM
He was a gentleman of the old school, love him.
9/8/08 6:44 PM
You guys are in Philly?!!! Where? I'm in Bryn Mawr
9/8/08 6:48 PM
I love the interview. Bringing attention to the designers who sometimes get shuffled out of the mix is a beautiful thing to do. Thank you, Tlo! Please do these more often. You guys are amazing.
9/8/08 6:51 PM
Emmett McCarthy has done what few have: He’s made a name for himself out of a reality television show. Kudos to him!
9/8/08 7:08 PM
"You’re gonna keep Santino on? You’re gonna send Daniel Franco home? Look at this atrocious lingerie we made! You think this is a fashion point of view? It’s a circus costume!”
Emmett just went up 10 points in my book! I thought Franco's auf'ing in season 2 (or more accurately, the decision *not* to auf Santino) was the worst one in the show's history.
9/8/08 7:30 PM
Superb entry, TLo! Thanks for keeping us informed.
9/8/08 7:33 PM
In the long run, I think his mother was right. The quiet confidence and, well, dignity he showed on PR (even in the pink costume!)is what got him where he is and will sustain him.
Emmett, I'm so sorry about your siblings. I commend you for keeping your heart open to things both good and beautiful in this life. I wish you only the best.
Kate
9/8/08 7:33 PM
I have 5 or 6 dresses in my closet that I know I will never part with....a Missoni, a Chanel, a Carolina Herrera....and an Emmett McCarthy. My father was Pauline Trigere's right hand man (he was a pattern maker and a presser). Emmett's dresses remind me so much of hers....I feel like a million dollars when I wear that dress. It literally makes people turn their heads- it never fails- everyone wants to know where I got it- who I am wearing!...the best moment ever was at the PR Runway show last year, meeting Emmett while I was wearing it.
AND you know that I think Emmett had the funniest line eve ron Project Runway....some day it'll be in that little box on the left hand side of my screen here!! :-)
9/8/08 8:23 PM
Quick question for anyone who shops on QVC. Since I cannot watch & call in tonight I got on their website and queried "Emmett McCarthy" but it didn't find anything. Any idea on how to find the bags?
9/8/08 9:05 PM
Wouldn't you just love to meet Emmett's MOM! I have and she is such a balance of creativity and practicality - I mean 8 kids really- she deserves a dress! What do you say Emmett?
9/8/08 9:15 PM
He is the perfect elegant gentleman, and I'm happy Emmett emerged from PR with his class act intact. Terrific article, guys, thank you!
9/8/08 9:23 PM
fabulous interview boys, as usual!
Emmett is a class act!
Someday I'll visit NYC.
9/8/08 9:51 PM
Seriously, if a major fashion media outlet doesn't hire you two to write for them, the world is too crazy a place. You are spot on in your presentation of the material, accessible to the reader and fair in your treatment of all people mentioned. Wonderful job. Thank you.
9/8/08 9:53 PM
The interview was really great, boys. Your prose kept me moving through the story. Interesting, concise, and really down to earth.
Emmett's mom raised him well, and he's smart to listen to her sage advice. I love that he keeps the important things in mind; family, learning, quality, and hard work. Sooooo many youngsters these days seem to think that success will fall out of a tree and hit them on the head if they stand around talking themselves up. Emmett has talent and drive and I wish him the best.
9/8/08 10:07 PM
Great interview, guys. Emmett is awesome.
9/8/08 10:07 PM
I love your interviews! I'll never forget Emmett is that pink shirt. One of the best PR moments.
9/8/08 10:29 PM
Wonderful profile! I'd love to visit his shop!
9/8/08 10:46 PM
“They’re fucking AMAZING quality!” We advised him not to say that when he’s on the air."
Hahahahaha. You boys are the best!
9/8/08 10:50 PM
I'm pretty sure Zulema went to Parson's as well.
9/8/08 10:58 PM
SOLD OUT! Congratulations, Emmett! The bag is gorgeous. I bought one : )
9/8/08 11:49 PM
that emma coat rocks!!
9/9/08 12:50 AM
Love the bags, kittens!
9/9/08 3:38 AM
tl;dr but you guys write amazingly, in general.
9/9/08 10:59 AM
Marge/Mary, you are unbelievably gifted writers. Well done and super compelling. I'll be there on the 12th to buy a bag!
9/9/08 12:14 PM
I met Emmett one afternoon at MC2 a couple of years ago. It was my first attempt at selling my original handmade Sterling silver jewelry. I told Emmett I was new at selling and designing and he said, "I'm only 10 minutes ahead of you", since he had just opened his store. He was kind and generous and set up an appointment for me to return to his shop.
He spent a couple of hours looking at my jewelry and selected several pieces for his store. He couldn't have been nicer. He gave me the confidence to sell my pieces to others. Most of all he spent his "time" with me, and he is a busy guy!
He is a gentleman and has a kind heart.
I wish him the best of luck and success throughout his lifetime.
I'm excited that others also know of his talents and most of all, his kindness.
9/11/08 1:41 AM
Emmett is the best . . . the real thing for sure. He's such a great person and very talented. I have some of his dresses and the materials are just amazing - such quality. Thanks for writing this article.
9/11/08 1:42 AM
Emmett is the best . . . the real thing for sure. He's such a great person and very talented. I have some of his dresses and the materials are just amazing - such quality. Thanks for writing this article.
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