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Simon Doonan speaker
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Simon Doonan

Celebrating creativity and style, inspiring with wit, wisdom, and a unique take on fashion and cultur

About

Gender: Male
Nationality: United States
Languages: English
Travels from: United States

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Biography Highlights

  • Author, Cultural Commentator, and TV Personality

Biography

Author, CFDA winner Simon Doonan made his name in the overlapping worlds of fashion and art for many decades. In addition to his legendary window displays for Barneys New York, Doonan assisted Diana Vreeland with various Met Costume Institute exhibits in the 1980’s and, in 1997, collaborated on The Warhol Look, a travelling exhibit which opened at The Whitney and toured the world.

His Style books include Confessions of a Window Dresser, Wacky Chicks, Eccentric Glamour, The Asylum: A Collage of Fashion Reminiscences… and Hysteria and How to Be Yourself: Life-Changing Advice from a Reckless Contrarian.

His more recent writing offers a broader cultural perspective: Drag: The Complete Story, Keith Haring, and Transformer: A Story of Glitter, Glam Rock and Loving Lou Reed. This most recent book gives a unique perspective on the worlds of Andy Warhol, David Bowie, and Lou Reed.

He is a regular guest at the MOTH, the well-known storytelling series. His contributions have consistently become their most popular podcasts and NPR broadcasts.

A TV comedy series based on his memoir, Beautiful People, aired in the U.K., the U.S., and Australia. He has regularly appeared on America’s Next Top Model, VH1, Chelsea Lately, Full Frontal Fashion, Bravo, and is currently a judge on the Emmy-nominated NBC television show, Making It, co-hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.

Videos

Media, podcast appearances and interviews

Speaking videos

Topics

From Shakespeare to RuPaul’s Drag Race, Doonan offers a vivid fascinating history of Drag. Simon Doonan’s book on this subject donates 100% of author proceeds to the Ali Forney Center in Harlem.

Available: In person, Virtually

Simon Doonan has instigated many Warhol collaborations and written extensively on this topic. Doonan’s unique access to Andy’s world has given him a vivid insider perspective on all aspects – style, art, fashion, music – of Warhol’s personal and creative life.

Available: In person, Virtually

Simon Doonan’s well-received biography of Keith Haring forms the basis for this highly visual exploration of the exciting and all-to-brief life of one of America’s most important artists.

Available: In person, Virtually

The unapologetic and unbridled style choices of today’s soccer stars – Ronaldo, Messi and Mbappe – offer a fascinating window into the heart of the game. Looking at the beautiful game through the lens of style, cars, fashion and WAGS, Simon Doonan entertainingly explores the magic and madness of this unique culture.

Available: In person, Virtually

In How to Be Yourself, Simon Doonan walks us through every aspect of our lives – fashion, socializing, love, work, decor, and family – to you find, and then flaunt, your own creative style and vision. In his talks, Doonan brings the lessons of the book to life, teaching audiences to find the ways of being that are authentic and original, and doing so with his signature humor and personal honesty.

Available: In person, Virtually

In this very visual presentation loaded with gorgeous images of his award-winning window displays, Simon Doonan explores the pop culture of recent decades, including the grooviest merchandise, the hottest fashion trends, and the most gossiped about glitterati. With his inimitable British sense of humor, Doonan shares his creative inspirations, insights on his collaborations with fashion designers and what it’s like to work with some of our day’s most notorious artists and celebrities, including Warhol and Madonna.

Available: In person, Virtually

Books

Simon Doonan book

Transformer: A Story of Glitter, Glam Rock, and Loving Lou Reed

In this funny and poignant memoir and cultural history, the television personality, columnist, and author of Drag pays homage to Lou Reed’s groundbreaking album Transformer on its fiftieth anniversary and recalls its influence on his coming of age and coming out through glam rock. In November 1972, Lou Reed released his album, Transformer because he thought it was “dreary for gay people to have to listen to straight people’s love songs.” That groundbreaking idea echoed with the times. That same year, Sweden was the first country to legalize gender-affirming surgery, and San Francisco struck down employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Sometimes an artistic creation perfectly aligns with a broader social and political history, and Transformer—with the songs “Walk on the Wild Side,” “Perfect Day,” and “Vicious”—perfectly captured its time. “Walk on the Wild Side” was banned on radio across the country but became a massive hit when young people threatened to boycott stations that would not play it. The album’s cover featured a high-contrast image of Lou, flaunting a new mascara’d glamrock incarnation, shot by legend Mick Rock, thereby underscoring his intention to create “a gay album.” In Transformer, Doonan tells the story of how Lou Reed came to make the album with the help of David Bowie, and places its creation within the course of Reed’s life. Doonan offers first-hand testimony of the album’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community, recalling how it transformed his own life as a 20-year-old working class kid from Reading, England, who had just discovered the joys of London Glam Rock and was sparked by the artistic freedom of Warhol’s The Factory. Transformer was a revelation—hearing Reed’s songs, Doonan understood how the world was changing for him and his friends. A poignant, personal addition to modern music and LGBTQ+ history, Transformer captures a pivotal moment when those long silenced were finally given a voice. As transgender icon Candy Darling, highlighted in his lyrics, told Reed, “It’s so nice to hear ourselves.” Transformer includes approximatively 16 pages of black-and-white and color photos.

Read more..

Transformer: A Story of Glitter, Glam Rock, and Loving Lou Reed

In this funny and poignant memoir and cultural history, the television personality, columnist, and author of Drag pays homage to Lou Reed’s groundbreaking album Transformer on its fiftieth anniversary and recalls its influence on his coming of age and coming out through glam rock. In November 1972, Lou Reed released his album, Transformer because he thought it was “dreary for gay people to have to listen to straight people’s love songs.” That groundbreaking idea echoed with the times. That same year, Sweden was the first country to legalize gender-affirming surgery, and San Francisco struck down employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Sometimes an artistic creation perfectly aligns with a broader social and political history, and Transformer—with the songs “Walk on the Wild Side,” “Perfect Day,” and “Vicious”—perfectly captured its time. “Walk on the Wild Side” was banned on radio across the country but became a massive hit when young people threatened to boycott stations that would not play it. The album's cover featured a high-contrast image of Lou, flaunting a new mascara'd glamrock incarnation, shot by legend Mick Rock, thereby underscoring his intention to create "a gay album." In Transformer, Doonan tells the story of how Lou Reed came to make the album with the help of David Bowie, and places its creation within the course of Reed’s life. Doonan offers first-hand testimony of the album’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community, recalling how it transformed his own life as a 20-year-old working class kid from Reading, England, who had just discovered the joys of London Glam Rock and was sparked by the artistic freedom of Warhol’s The Factory. Transformer was a revelation—hearing Reed’s songs, Doonan understood how the world was changing for him and his friends. A poignant, personal addition to modern music and LGBTQ+ history, Transformer captures a pivotal moment when those long silenced were finally given a voice. As transgender icon Candy Darling, highlighted in his lyrics, told Reed, “It’s so nice to hear ourselves.” Transformer includes approximatively 16 pages of black-and-white and color photos.
Simon Doonan book

Keith Haring (Lives of the Artists)

Keith Haring was a revolutionary artist, who transformed the art world during his short but impactful life. Brought to life by Simon Doonan, Creative Director for Barneys New York, this new pocket-sized biography tells his inspirational story. Revolutionary and renegade, Keith Haring was an artist for the people, creating an instantly recognisable repertoire of symbols – barking dogs, space-ships, crawling babies, clambering faceless people – which became synonymous with the volatile culture of 1980s. Like a careening, preening pinball, Keith Haring playfully slammed into all aspects of this decade – hip-hop, new-wave, graffiti, funk, art, style, gay culture – and brought them together. Haring’s fanatical drive propelled him into the orbit of the most interesting people of his time: Jean Michel Basquiat envied him; Warhol, William Boroughs and Grace Jones collaborated with him. Madonna and he shared the same tastes in men. Famous at 25, dead from AIDS at 31, Keith Haring is remembered as a Pied Piper, an unpretentious communicator who appeared happiest when mentoring a gang of kids, arming them with brushes and attacking the nearest wall. A series of brief biographies of the great artists, Lives of the Artists takes as its inspiration Giorgio Vasari’s five-hundred-year-old masterwork, updating it with modern takes on the lives of key artists past and present. Focusing on the life of the artist rather than examining their work, each book also includes key images illustrating the artist’s life. Hardbound, but pocket-sized, the books each sport a specially-commissioned portrait of their subject on the half-jacket.

Read more..

Keith Haring (Lives of the Artists)

Keith Haring was a revolutionary artist, who transformed the art world during his short but impactful life. Brought to life by Simon Doonan, Creative Director for Barneys New York, this new pocket-sized biography tells his inspirational story. Revolutionary and renegade, Keith Haring was an artist for the people, creating an instantly recognisable repertoire of symbols - barking dogs, space-ships, crawling babies, clambering faceless people - which became synonymous with the volatile culture of 1980s. Like a careening, preening pinball, Keith Haring playfully slammed into all aspects of this decade - hip-hop, new-wave, graffiti, funk, art, style, gay culture - and brought them together. Haring's fanatical drive propelled him into the orbit of the most interesting people of his time: Jean Michel Basquiat envied him; Warhol, William Boroughs and Grace Jones collaborated with him. Madonna and he shared the same tastes in men. Famous at 25, dead from AIDS at 31, Keith Haring is remembered as a Pied Piper, an unpretentious communicator who appeared happiest when mentoring a gang of kids, arming them with brushes and attacking the nearest wall. A series of brief biographies of the great artists, Lives of the Artists takes as its inspiration Giorgio Vasari's five-hundred-year-old masterwork, updating it with modern takes on the lives of key artists past and present. Focusing on the life of the artist rather than examining their work, each book also includes key images illustrating the artist's life. Hardbound, but pocket-sized, the books each sport a specially-commissioned portrait of their subject on the half-jacket.
Simon Doonan book

How to Be Yourself: Life-Changing Advice from a Reckless Contrarian

“How to Be Yourself is a cheeky, kind and vibrant look at what it takes to shape your one beautiful and wild life.” – Amy Poehler An irreverent book of radically honest advice by renowned fashion arbiter and legendary window dresser Simon Doonan How to Be Yourself is an irreverent book of radically honest advice by renowned humor writer and cultural commentator, Simon Doonan. Through his unconventional wisdom and singular storytelling, Simon Doonan is the ideal instructor to help readers find – and then flaunt – their own creative style and vision. With provocative wit, he walks us through every aspect of our lives: fashion, socializing, love, work, decor, and family, sharing case studies, quotations by cultural icons and practical tips. Illustrated with amusing vintage and contemporary photographs, some lifted from the Doonan family album, How to Be Yourself is an inspiring, joyful and entertaining survival guide – a literary GPS that promises to transport you away from your phone and back to yourself.

Read more..

How to Be Yourself: Life-Changing Advice from a Reckless Contrarian

"How to Be Yourself is a cheeky, kind and vibrant look at what it takes to shape your one beautiful and wild life." – Amy Poehler An irreverent book of radically honest advice by renowned fashion arbiter and legendary window dresser Simon Doonan How to Be Yourself is an irreverent book of radically honest advice by renowned humor writer and cultural commentator, Simon Doonan. Through his unconventional wisdom and singular storytelling, Simon Doonan is the ideal instructor to help readers find – and then flaunt – their own creative style and vision. With provocative wit, he walks us through every aspect of our lives: fashion, socializing, love, work, decor, and family, sharing case studies, quotations by cultural icons and practical tips. Illustrated with amusing vintage and contemporary photographs, some lifted from the Doonan family album, How to Be Yourself is an inspiring, joyful and entertaining survival guide – a literary GPS that promises to transport you away from your phone and back to yourself.
Simon Doonan book

Drag: The Complete Story

Drag is transformation, communication, and, above all, exaggeration, where gender non-conformity is the plat du jour. This fearless book observes this increasingly complex world by exploring drag’s journey – from the surprising, to the sophisticated, to the utterly bizarre – through the twentieth century and up to the present day. With witty text, dazzling photography, and corralled into thematic chapters, this is the first flamboyant and poignant survey of drag culture. Drag is not just for fabulous queens and drag enthusiasts, but for anyone interested in gender fluidity and the culture surrounding it. Simon Doonan is a former drag queen who impersonated Queen Elizabeth. A veteran in the fashion industry, he has won every fashion award on Earth including the CFDA Award. Today, Simon is the Creative Ambassador for Barneys New York and a judge on the NBC television show Making It, co-hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.

Read more..

Drag: The Complete Story

Drag is transformation, communication, and, above all, exaggeration, where gender non-conformity is the plat du jour. This fearless book observes this increasingly complex world by exploring drag's journey – from the surprising, to the sophisticated, to the utterly bizarre – through the twentieth century and up to the present day. With witty text, dazzling photography, and corralled into thematic chapters, this is the first flamboyant and poignant survey of drag culture. Drag is not just for fabulous queens and drag enthusiasts, but for anyone interested in gender fluidity and the culture surrounding it. Simon Doonan is a former drag queen who impersonated Queen Elizabeth. A veteran in the fashion industry, he has won every fashion award on Earth including the CFDA Award. Today, Simon is the Creative Ambassador for Barneys New York and a judge on the NBC television show Making It, co-hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.
Simon Doonan book

Soccer Style: The Magic and Madness

Author Simon Doonan has two passions in life: Fashion and Football. At one time these two obsessions would have made very strange bedfellows. But times have changed: football and fashion have fallen in love. The unapologetic and unbridled style choices of today’s soccer stars offer a fascinating window into the heart of the game. Looking at the beautiful game through the lens of style, Doonan entertainingly explores the magic and madness of this unique culture. Charting football style from its very beginnings, he pays homage to the great style icons of the game, from George Best to David Beckham, before turning his gaze to the hair, the tattoos and the cars, not to mention those other style icons of the game: the fans, the managers and, of course, the WAGs. A laugh-out-loud read for even the most fickle football fan or fashionista.

Read more..

Soccer Style: The Magic and Madness

Author Simon Doonan has two passions in life: Fashion and Football. At one time these two obsessions would have made very strange bedfellows. But times have changed: football and fashion have fallen in love. The unapologetic and unbridled style choices of today's soccer stars offer a fascinating window into the heart of the game. Looking at the beautiful game through the lens of style, Doonan entertainingly explores the magic and madness of this unique culture. Charting football style from its very beginnings, he pays homage to the great style icons of the game, from George Best to David Beckham, before turning his gaze to the hair, the tattoos and the cars, not to mention those other style icons of the game: the fans, the managers and, of course, the WAGs. A laugh-out-loud read for even the most fickle football fan or fashionista.
Simon Doonan book

The Asylum: True Tales of Madness from a Life in Fashion

After nearly a lifetime spent in the Industry, author and fashion insider Simon Doonan is ready to let you in on a little secret: his peers in this multibillion-dollar industry are just as nutty as the denizens of your local loony bin. In The Asylum, an unabashedly hilarious memoir-in-essays, Doonan, the creative ambassador for Barneys New York, tells the real-life stories of glamorous madness and stylish insanity. Doonan has seen it all: from dealing with models unable to work for fear of ghosts, to deep-sea fishing with a couturier pal and his jailbird companion, to watching Anna Wintour remain perfectly calm while the ceiling fell–literally–in the middle of Fashion Week. The outlandish family Doonan knew as a child has given way to alarmingly similar lunatic peers in the fashion world: style insiders see patterns and trends in everything; they suffer from outsize personality disorders and delusions of grandeur; and, of course, they have a predilection for theatrical makeup and artfully destroyed clothing. No one is more suited to the asylum than the truly die-hard fashionista–after all, eccentricity and extremism are the foundations of great style. Hailed as “a must-read for fashionistas and non-fashionistas alike,” (Michael Kors) and “raucous and revelatory” (Booklist), Doonan’s critically acclaimed collection gives us the scoop on the kooky, cutthroat–but always fabulous–fashion world, and proves the author to be one of the sharpest humorists writing today.

Read more..

The Asylum: True Tales of Madness from a Life in Fashion

After nearly a lifetime spent in the Industry, author and fashion insider Simon Doonan is ready to let you in on a little secret: his peers in this multibillion-dollar industry are just as nutty as the denizens of your local loony bin. In The Asylum, an unabashedly hilarious memoir-in-essays, Doonan, the creative ambassador for Barneys New York, tells the real-life stories of glamorous madness and stylish insanity. Doonan has seen it all: from dealing with models unable to work for fear of ghosts, to deep-sea fishing with a couturier pal and his jailbird companion, to watching Anna Wintour remain perfectly calm while the ceiling fell--literally--in the middle of Fashion Week. The outlandish family Doonan knew as a child has given way to alarmingly similar lunatic peers in the fashion world: style insiders see patterns and trends in everything; they suffer from outsize personality disorders and delusions of grandeur; and, of course, they have a predilection for theatrical makeup and artfully destroyed clothing. No one is more suited to the asylum than the truly die-hard fashionista--after all, eccentricity and extremism are the foundations of great style. Hailed as "a must-read for fashionistas and non-fashionistas alike," (Michael Kors) and "raucous and revelatory" (Booklist), Doonan's critically acclaimed collection gives us the scoop on the kooky, cutthroat--but always fabulous--fashion world, and proves the author to be one of the sharpest humorists writing today.
Simon Doonan book

The Asylum: A Collage of Couture Reminiscences... and Hysteria

After nearly a lifetime spent in the Industry, author and fashion insider Simon Doonan is ready to let you in on a little secret: his peers in this multibillion-dollar industry are just as nutty as the denizens of your local loony bin. In The Asylum, an unabashedly hilarious collection of autobiographical essays, Doonan, the creative ambassador for Barneys New York, tells the real-life stories of glamorous madness and stylish insanity. Doonan has witnessed models unable to work for fear of ghosts, gone deep-sea fishing with a couturier pal and his jailbird companion, and watched Anna Wintour remain perfectly calm while the ceiling fell?literally?in the middle of Fashion Week. Once you start looking, he says, you’ll notice telltale signs of lunacy everywhere. Style insiders see patterns and trends in everything; they suffer from outsize personality disorders and delusions of grandeur; and of course, they have a predilection for theatrical makeup and artfully destroyed clothing. No one is more suited to the asylum than the truly die-hard fashionista?after all, eccentricity and extremism are the foundations of great style. With his gimlet eye for the absurd and a love for eccentricity, Doonan’s personal and professional stories never fail to entertain. ?The David Sedaris of the style universe” (The Boston Globe) gives us the scoop on the kooky, cutthroat?but always fabulous?fashion world, and proves himself one of the sharpest humorists writing today.

Read more..

The Asylum: A Collage of Couture Reminiscences... and Hysteria

After nearly a lifetime spent in the Industry, author and fashion insider Simon Doonan is ready to let you in on a little secret: his peers in this multibillion-dollar industry are just as nutty as the denizens of your local loony bin. In The Asylum, an unabashedly hilarious collection of autobiographical essays, Doonan, the creative ambassador for Barneys New York, tells the real-life stories of glamorous madness and stylish insanity. Doonan has witnessed models unable to work for fear of ghosts, gone deep-sea fishing with a couturier pal and his jailbird companion, and watched Anna Wintour remain perfectly calm while the ceiling fell?literally?in the middle of Fashion Week. Once you start looking, he says, you’ll notice telltale signs of lunacy everywhere. Style insiders see patterns and trends in everything; they suffer from outsize personality disorders and delusions of grandeur; and of course, they have a predilection for theatrical makeup and artfully destroyed clothing. No one is more suited to the asylum than the truly die-hard fashionista?after all, eccentricity and extremism are the foundations of great style. With his gimlet eye for the absurd and a love for eccentricity, Doonan’s personal and professional stories never fail to entertain. ?The David Sedaris of the style universe” (The Boston Globe) gives us the scoop on the kooky, cutthroat?but always fabulous?fashion world, and proves himself one of the sharpest humorists writing today.
Simon Doonan book

Gay Men Don't Get Fat

Simon Doonan knows that when it comes to style, the gays are the chosen people. A second anthropological truth comes to him midway through a turkey burger with no bun, at an otherwise hetero barbecue: Do the straight people have any idea how many calories are in the guacamole? In this hilarious discourse on and guide to the well-lived life, Doonan goes far beyond the secrets to eating like the French—he proves that gay men really are French women, from their delight in fashion, to their brilliant choices in accessories and décor, to their awe-inspiring ability to limit calorie intake. A Gucci-wearing Margaret Mead at heart, Doonan offers his own inimitable life experiences and uncanny insights into makes gay people driven to live every day feeling their best, and proves that they have just as much—and possibly better—wisdom, advice, and inspiration beyond the same old diet and exercise tips. So put down that bag of Pirate’s Booty and pick up this fierce and fabulous book. From slimming jaunts through Capri in the evening to an intrepid “Bear” hunt (if you have to ask, you have to read this book and find out for yourself), Gay Men Don’t Get Fat is the ultimate approach to a glamorous lifestyle—plus, you are guaranteed to laugh away the pounds!

Read more..

Gay Men Don't Get Fat

Simon Doonan knows that when it comes to style, the gays are the chosen people. A second anthropological truth comes to him midway through a turkey burger with no bun, at an otherwise hetero barbecue: Do the straight people have any idea how many calories are in the guacamole? In this hilarious discourse on and guide to the well-lived life, Doonan goes far beyond the secrets to eating like the French—he proves that gay men really are French women, from their delight in fashion, to their brilliant choices in accessories and décor, to their awe-inspiring ability to limit calorie intake. A Gucci-wearing Margaret Mead at heart, Doonan offers his own inimitable life experiences and uncanny insights into makes gay people driven to live every day feeling their best, and proves that they have just as much—and possibly better—wisdom, advice, and inspiration beyond the same old diet and exercise tips. So put down that bag of Pirate’s Booty and pick up this fierce and fabulous book. From slimming jaunts through Capri in the evening to an intrepid “Bear” hunt (if you have to ask, you have to read this book and find out for yourself), Gay Men Don’t Get Fat is the ultimate approach to a glamorous lifestyle—plus, you are guaranteed to laugh away the pounds!
Simon Doonan book

Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You

Glamorous eccentrics are irresistible people. They are irreverent, occasionally impertinent, a tad mysterious, charming, often self-invented, good at applying eyeliner, and above all nonconformist. They are a fabulous confection of style, self-empowerment, and black patent sling backs. Everyone wants to be one, but how? Ubiquitous style guru Simon Doonan has the answer. By no means a typical how-to manual, Eccentric Glamour is a mixture of cultural commentary and personal disclosure, generously seasoned with gushings of wildly dictatorial, provocative, and reckless style advice. Through cautionary tales and inspirational examples, Doonan shows how to develop your own brand of eccentric glamour — by magnifying everything that is already unique and idiosyncratic about you. In these comic essays, interspersed with one-on-one interviews with some of the world’s most glamorous eccentrics (including Iman, Lucy Liu, Tilda Swinton, Malcolm Gladwell, and many more), Simon Doonan offers the women of America an alternative to the cheapness and tackiness that currently pass for personal style. Eccentric Glamour is intended as an antidote to the epidemic of slutty dressing and porno-chic that has taken over since the arrival of Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith (may she rest in peace). While the typical TV boobs ‘n’ Botox makeovers force every woman to look the same, the transformations this book strives to inspire are the very opposite. Dressing like a ho is not just bad taste but boring! In Simon Doonan’s book, conformity is the only crime and dressing down the only faux pas. Eccentric Glamour is every woman’s birthright. SO SAY NO TO HO!…and yes to ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR!

Read more..

Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You

Glamorous eccentrics are irresistible people. They are irreverent, occasionally impertinent, a tad mysterious, charming, often self-invented, good at applying eyeliner, and above all nonconformist. They are a fabulous confection of style, self-empowerment, and black patent sling backs. Everyone wants to be one, but how? Ubiquitous style guru Simon Doonan has the answer. By no means a typical how-to manual, Eccentric Glamour is a mixture of cultural commentary and personal disclosure, generously seasoned with gushings of wildly dictatorial, provocative, and reckless style advice. Through cautionary tales and inspirational examples, Doonan shows how to develop your own brand of eccentric glamour -- by magnifying everything that is already unique and idiosyncratic about you. In these comic essays, interspersed with one-on-one interviews with some of the world's most glamorous eccentrics (including Iman, Lucy Liu, Tilda Swinton, Malcolm Gladwell, and many more), Simon Doonan offers the women of America an alternative to the cheapness and tackiness that currently pass for personal style. Eccentric Glamour is intended as an antidote to the epidemic of slutty dressing and porno-chic that has taken over since the arrival of Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith (may she rest in peace). While the typical TV boobs 'n' Botox makeovers force every woman to look the same, the transformations this book strives to inspire are the very opposite. Dressing like a ho is not just bad taste but boring! In Simon Doonan's book, conformity is the only crime and dressing down the only faux pas. Eccentric Glamour is every woman's birthright. SO SAY NO TO HO!...and yes to ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR!
Simon Doonan book

Beautiful People

A charming and funny memoir of escaping a bonkers family and following your dreams Simon Doonan’s childhood was a curious mix of small town boredom and bright light city dreams. Growing up in a working class area of Reading with the mad-cap Doonan clan – Mother Betty, Father Terry, blind Aunt Phyllis, grandmother Narg and Grandfather D.C. – he yearned to get out and find the Beautiful People whom he imagined lived fabulous lives of glitz and glamour. This is the charming and funny story of how Simon eventually finds a way out and escapes to London with best friend Biddie Biddlecombe. Along the way they stumble upon punks, drunks, ladies of the night, the long arm of the law and all sorts of camps, vamps and outrageous scamps. But does he ever find the Beautiful People? Or could they be the ones he left behind…?

Read more..

Beautiful People

A charming and funny memoir of escaping a bonkers family and following your dreams Simon Doonan's childhood was a curious mix of small town boredom and bright light city dreams. Growing up in a working class area of Reading with the mad-cap Doonan clan - Mother Betty, Father Terry, blind Aunt Phyllis, grandmother Narg and Grandfather D.C. - he yearned to get out and find the Beautiful People whom he imagined lived fabulous lives of glitz and glamour. This is the charming and funny story of how Simon eventually finds a way out and escapes to London with best friend Biddie Biddlecombe. Along the way they stumble upon punks, drunks, ladies of the night, the long arm of the law and all sorts of camps, vamps and outrageous scamps. But does he ever find the Beautiful People? Or could they be the ones he left behind…?
Simon Doonan book

Wacky Chicks: Life Lessons from Fearlessly Inappropriate and Fabulously Eccentric Women

In his bestselling Wacky Chicks, irreverent social commentator and humor writer Simon Doonan introduces readers to a bracing cross section of exuberantly unconventional women. In the pages of Wacky Chicks readers will find life lessons from a group of fearlessly inappropriate and fabulously eccentric women, including comedienne Amy Sedaris; fashion designer turned park ranger Spider Fawke; Warhol muse Brigid Berlin; Suzanne Bartsch, the woman who showed Madonna how to vogue; and many more. Distinguished primarily by their wild originality and rule-breaking chutzpah, these women defy rules, shape the cultural landscape, and enrich the world. They are about as diverse a flock as you can imagine, but all of them are Belligerent, Resilient, Uninhibited, Naughty, Creative, and Hilarious (B.R.U.N.C.H. for short). In a word, they are Wacky, and they are ready to enlighten you. A book that pays tribute to the wild and unstoppable female in each of us, Wacky Chicks is the ultimate guide to embracing your inner rebel.

Read more..

Wacky Chicks: Life Lessons from Fearlessly Inappropriate and Fabulously Eccentric Women

In his bestselling Wacky Chicks, irreverent social commentator and humor writer Simon Doonan introduces readers to a bracing cross section of exuberantly unconventional women. In the pages of Wacky Chicks readers will find life lessons from a group of fearlessly inappropriate and fabulously eccentric women, including comedienne Amy Sedaris; fashion designer turned park ranger Spider Fawke; Warhol muse Brigid Berlin; Suzanne Bartsch, the woman who showed Madonna how to vogue; and many more. Distinguished primarily by their wild originality and rule-breaking chutzpah, these women defy rules, shape the cultural landscape, and enrich the world. They are about as diverse a flock as you can imagine, but all of them are Belligerent, Resilient, Uninhibited, Naughty, Creative, and Hilarious (B.R.U.N.C.H. for short). In a word, they are Wacky, and they are ready to enlighten you. A book that pays tribute to the wild and unstoppable female in each of us, Wacky Chicks is the ultimate guide to embracing your inner rebel.
Simon Doonan book

Confessions of a Window Dresser: Tales from a Life in Fashion

The irreverent designer of the window displays for Barney’s clothing store in New York looks back on his most talked-about creations and his collaborations with today’s most controversial artists, in an account featuring color photographs of his work.

Read more..

Confessions of a Window Dresser: Tales from a Life in Fashion

The irreverent designer of the window displays for Barney's clothing store in New York looks back on his most talked-about creations and his collaborations with today's most controversial artists, in an account featuring color photographs of his work.

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Harry Walker
Speaking Agency

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