La beauté sauvera le monde

Where do you find inspiration?

I enjoy reading, researching, studying, and I love everything. At one point I am blown away by e.g. Givenchy beauty campaign, in the next one I am drawn to the detail on the wheels of a car. Being a big Francophile, I swear on Vogue Paris, I am infinitely in love with the facades of Parisian buildings, and I regularly return to the work of Thierry Mugler, which is why I started out in fashion.

To what extent does fashion fight stereotypes, and to what extent does it create them?

I see fashion as freedom, openness, beautifully packed hedonism, one of the items that will make beauty save the world. It is not a burden, and it is certainly an important indicator of social trends. It doesn't depend on our lives but it makes it more beautiful.

I think it has more of an impact on the fight against prejudice and breaks the boundaries than it does. Fashion is the ability to choose, find that cosmopolitan within yourself, open up to the world.

How would you describe the woman you design for? Her character, personality, preferences, relationship with fashion…

Uh, well this is not a difficult question. My women is Parisian. She makes everything sound a little cliche, but I think that informal chic, these timeless pieces like a white T-shirt, ballet dances and a trench coat will never go out of style. And bangs, if I'm wondering ☺. I love women who have something from that gangster, who are difficult to define, a little unpredictable, in whom passion prevails over reason, who do well in the man's world, and whom fashion serves as one way to express themselves and enjoy their own appearance. And yes, they have to be versatile and their own and not do things because "that's the way it is". Says who? If I had to name the name, then Duška Jovanic.

Does Serbia recognize the value of original design?

In Serbia, there are a number of very high quality authors in all fields of design who, I am sure, could compete with the creators of the time in the world market. However, in our midst there is a "foul taste of the masses" dominated by cheap, superficial, overly ... and only a few people recognize that original, authorial moment. I myself am trying to find out what prevents people from trying something new, being more open-minded, daring… But, as Dusko Radovic would say, someone has to start first, that is, someone has to set an example. It is no novelty to say that you need to believe in your own vision and creativity, everything and that you are supported by a narrow circle of people; however, these are people who recognize the quality of what you do and share with you the same sensibility and energy. I believe that this circle will grow larger over time.

What direction do you think that the domestic design fashion will take in the upcoming period? 

I sincerely hope that the new generations of designers will look like Tamara Radivojevic, Danijel Bishop, Olga Markovic… They “know the job” and work very well in every sense. I think this phase where every girl with a little more instagram followers wants to be a creator and start copying Saint Laurent, will soon pass by and will highlight talented, educated designers who enjoy experimenting, combining different spheres of art, additionally backed by advances in new textile technologies.

What makes an outfit effective, or, let’s say, perfectly put together? How important are accessories, as an element of style, in the present time?

My dad used to say that before we leave the house, we stand in front of a mirror and have a good look, wondering "Is this really nice". There has to be that self-critical review. I learned from him that he should always be clean, clean, exaggerated with nothing, no murders, no details, no skirt length ☺. That's where we clashed. The visual moment is very important to me, I have to be very pleased to see it. The environment with laughter wash out my statement, let me be beautiful when I sleep. Dressing should not be in the “no matter what, give it whatever” manner. I endure neither neglect nor slackness. We don't have to look like a magazine at all times, but there must be some connection. Accessories know more than anything to "pull" a situation. I always vote for one, two pieces. An effective combination of a watch and a belt, for example, can be a very good combination, or attractive shoes and earrings ... And it must be in line with your personality, for people to believe that it is your "signature". I, personally, love total black combinations with the addition of one cocktail ring. And that is that.

Is the visual language more important today than before? What is your guiding principle when you are deciding on an outfit for yourself for the day?

I'm sure it was, whether we wanted to admit it or not. I am a visual type and that is very important to me. As I have already stated, this very bad taste is generally present and people dressed in mass withdrawal are often unaware that this piece of clothing can totally distort the image of them as personalities and automatically put you in certain baskets, which are difficult to get out of. It seems to me that the more opportunities we have to dress and play with fashion more diverse, the more we go with the fashion side. And at least it's easy to find inpiration today. Kate Moss, Bianca Brandolini, Leia Sfeiz… well they never go wrong.

What I am guided by is literally the mood and what is what I want to achieve. Andy Warhol used to say that in black he wanted to emphasize his authority; my black says - I'm brave, nobody can do anything for me, I keep everything under control or simply feeling sexy (sometimes it means "Let no one approach me" ☺). One of my recent fashion combinations was called "Caroline de Maigret when she goes to the Chanel Show".

What items of clothing do you find immortal?

I am not very innovative here ☺ And I could transcribe all those items from the book “How to be Parisian wherever you are” but let my favorite be a white T-shirt and a black, tight midi dress, long sleeves with a roll collar. She is, say, my trademark and I have a few. I make sure to add some piece of jewelry with a star motif. To my remark that I am half a woman - half a star, a friend added "More stars than a woman."

Interview with  Nataša Milojević