BOOK TALK #2 - KATE BROWN
Book Talk is a series where we chat with people we admire about the books and magazines they love, book memories, why they read, what they want to read next, and more!
Kate Brown has been one of my greatest style inspirations for as long as I can remember. She is a Toronto based vintage designer collector, fashion student and multimedia artist. We met in Victoria when we were teens and have been in eachother’s orbits since, always dreaming of working on different projects together. I was so excited to pick her brain about book related things. Follow along as we chat about our shared love of the Tove Jansson universe, the death and rebirth of print media, and Tavi Gevinson’s chokehold on our teenage selves…
FOAL: What are your earliest memories of books/reading?
KATE: Every night before bed my dad would read Roald Dahl books to my sister and I. We read almost every book of his, and I can still very vividly picture parts of the stories as I had imagined when I was a child! The Moomin comics were also my favourites, I have the whole collection still. I was so mesmerized by the world that Tove Jansson created, I even attempted to write my own version of the comics!
FOAL: That’s so beautiful!! I loved Moomin as well! Do you still have any of your childhood drawings?
FOAL: Do you think your interest in Tove Jansson’s work impacted your personal style as you grew older?
KATE: Absolutely! The first few comics were published in the 1950’s, so there are a lot of classic 50’s silhouettes, patterns and accessories which I’m still very much drawn to! One of the characters, Little My, wears a dress with a ribbon neck tie. I recently found a shirt in a very similar style to her dress at value village! It’s one of my favourites. “Moomin on the Riviera” in particular has really inspired me. There’s an overall theme of luxury and glamour which I found so intriguing as a child. There’s one page where Snork Maiden is trying on all sorts of beautiful clothes that don’t match at all. I love an eclectic outfit, and sometimes I feel like her when I’m getting dressed!
FOAL: I love that you have been able to carry your childhood love for these characters into your current reality! Do you have any fashion books in your collection currently that you cherish in a similar way?
KATE: Yesss! I am so sentimental when it comes to my books, especially when it’s a really good find or has influenced me in some way or another. The Rookie Yearbooks by Tavi Gevinson would probably be my number one. I was so obsessed in middle school, it was like my fashion scripture. My taste and style has obviously changed so much since then, but my love for those books hasn’t wavered. I also have a few Fruits magazines as well as the Fresh Fruits book which are by far the best source for styling inspiration. I came across Fruits in high school, and I was mesmerized by the eccentric, unapologetic self expression. It really pushed me to experiment, develop my personal style and take my outfits less seriously. It’s hard to dress authentically when the whole internet is telling you what’s “in” or “out”, so browsing through my fruits books provides a nice, refreshing source of inspiration!
FOAL: I was obsessed with Rookie too!! I feel like it was my introduction to all of the things I’m still so passionate about, it really changed my life. How do you feel about about Rookie and so many other influential and special print publications closing?
KATE: I feel the same way! Rookie really opened up this whole new world that I didn’t know was out there. I also made a few Internet friends through Rookie that I still follow on IG, it was so cool meeting people from around the world that had similar interests, at school It was hard to share my interests with friends - but the community created through rookie/fashion blogging was incredible. I was devastated when Rookie shut down, i believe it was also around the end of the fashion blogging era too! It’s really sad to see that print is being replaced by the internet, especially when it comes to art and fashion magazines. There are so many creative ways in which editorials, ads and columns can be displayed between two 8.5 x 11 pages, but that experimentation and visual appeal is just not the same online. And.. a lot of these magazines now want you to pay for a subscription, I’d much rather buy a physical copy to keep forever! I have been seeing some small, independent publications that are printing small runs which makes me so happy - it also makes it that much more exciting and gratifying to get your hands on a copy!
FOAL: I absolutely agree!! Rookie brought so many weird teens together and gave them a purpose and something to look forward to (thank you Tavi!!) It has been so devastating to see so many iconic magazines shut their doors, I totally agree that things just aren’t the same online. It’s so much more impactful to be able to own a small piece of your favourite artists and discover new people as well. There is also something to be said about how low and usually nonexistent the budget backing magazines is, it is really frustrating but also can lead to the most creative work as everyone is just creating their best work for the love of it and not for the bag.
FOAL: OK Last question, are there any books or magazines that are at the top of your reading list?
KATE: I’ve always wanted to get my hands on Photothèque Imaginaire de Shuji Terayama: Les Gens de la Famille Chien-Dieu. Shuji Terayama has been one of my favourite artists for a while. I have a bunch of scans saved from that book but it would be a dream to own it! Vogue Italia December 2009 is also a magazine I’d love to read, Steven Meisel has a really cool editorial piece in there called “Meisel Pic”. It’s formatted like a MySpace page, with messy, raunchy photos. Reminds me of the times I’ve drunkenly posted photos of myself thinking they’re cute, and then I look back the next day and I’m like NOPE, delete delete delete. Also, any Buffalo Zine I want/need. They’re always so fun and bizarre but beautiful at the same time!
Kate’s Childhood Drawings (2008)
