'In Her Closet: Cecilia Dean of Visionaire' - Harper's Bazaar September 1997

Model, muse, and cofounder of the avant-garde art and fashion magazine Visionaire, Cecilia Dean is downtown Manhattan’s chicest social butterfly, with a glamorous and exotic beauty to match.

Writer: Jennifer Jackson

“Cecilia was born with style; it’s in her bones. There isn’t an inelegant gesture in that woman’s body,” says veteran New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham, who has shot Dean on several occasions for the Sunday Styles pages. “Heads turn when Cecilia walks into a room,” adds close friend, makeup artist, and Visionaire cofounder James Kaliardos.

It’s true. Whether at the very uptown Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Ball or a very downtown, happening Visionaire party, this glamorous 28-year-old shows up looking seriously gorgeous. Always.

What you might have a hard time believing is that she doesn’t spend much time getting ready. “I’m a really fast dresser—faster than all the men I know,” says Dean. Not one to priss or preen, she simply takes a quick shower, slips into her Comme des Garçons bump dress or a vintage Stephen Burrows gown and Manolo Blahniks, slicks her hair back into a sleek chignon, and applies her makeup in the cab—all in less than 30 minutes.

It’s almost sickening that the dazzling glamour she exudes is practically effortless, especially for those of us who spend hours pulling ourselves together and still leave the house feeling like a wreck.

“I think the key to Cecilia’s style is that she doesn’t labor over anything,” says Kaliardos. “She always looks comfortable and casual—even in a Galliano gown and five-inch Frederick’s of Hollywood heels.”

Dean admits that getting ready in a hurry has its advantages. “When I’m in a rush, I get the most inspired. That’s when I dress the most colorfully; I just start pulling things from my closet.” Having friends like designers Isabel Toledo and Martin Margiela certainly helps.

“Margiela designs some of the sexiest clothes,” Dean says. “He tailors so well. I have a pair of his wide-legged pants with slits at the ankles that are incredibly sexy.”

Other designers Dean loves include Helmut Lang (“I like his classic, simple things and his pantsuits the best”), Comme des Garçons, and John Galliano. “Galliano is a genius. He is what fashion is all about: fantasy, impeccable craftsmanship, and exoticism.”

That fashion fantasy—no matter how difficult it is to wear—is something Dean willingly subjects herself to. “The dress may be uncomfortable, it may take half an hour to get into, and you may have to be carried from the cab—but it’s so worth it.”

Dean dislikes anything too ensemble-driven or worn head-to-toe, preferring instead to mix flea-market and vintage finds with high fashion. One example: a new Margiela pinstriped dress and pants paired with Prada pumps, a silver mesh belt from a flea market, and a vintage Angel Estrada sheepskin jacket.

She’s also not fond of shopping. Luckily, she has two very adept personal shoppers at her disposal—Kaliardos and Stephen Gan (the third, equally dashing Visionaire cofounder)—both of whom enjoy finding clothes for her more than buying clothes for themselves.

Even her mother gets in on the act, searching vintage stores while traveling for antique slips—Dean’s day uniform. Favorite slips and pants are sent to a tailor in the Philippines (discovered on a trip with Gan) to be copied.

Dean’s biggest splurge is eveningwear, because “that’s when you can be impractical and a little bit daring.” Accessories are kept to a minimum. “I would like to have a weakness for jewelry, but I can’t afford it.”

For night, the one luxury she allows herself is a flower in her hair—often a perfect white orchid.

That’s serious chic.

Cecilia’s Closet Favorites
• A vintage Giorgio Di Sant’Angelo feather bustier
• A white mink jacket from the ’50s
• All her evening gowns, including a Martin Margiela black chiffon scarf dress (“it’s completely see-through, so you have to wear a skirt underneath”) and a red Stephen Burrows halter gown from the ’70s
• Beige leather strappy spikes (just ordered)
• High-heeled boots from the ’80s

What She’s Never Bought
• A pair of flats (“I can’t find any I like, except for flip-flops”)
• Jeans—never has, never will

Fashion Philosophy

“People think fashion is superficial, and it is—but clothes are your instant message, what people first judge you on. Your closet is your person.”

Classic Dean Style - Clockwise from far left: Photographed by Mario Testino at the Visionaire Fashion Issue party; in a pink silk jersey gown by Isabel Toledo; dressed as an 18th-century courtesan with Stephen Gan (left) and James Kaliardos at the Visionaire Halloween party; cutting-edge eveningwear in a beige wool, nylon, and lace Comme des Garçons dress by Rei Kawakubo.

Clockwise from top: The perfect gala gown, by John Galliano; Dean in black and white, photographed by James Kaliardos; office attire—a vintage silver mesh top, boys’-size Adidas track pants, and Manolo Blahniks; her favorite photographs, including a recent Richard Avedon image from a Shiseido advertising campaign (center); in a white ’70s Estevez gown and a Philip Treacy hat at the Visionaire Diamond Issue soirée.

Photographs, clockwise from bottom:
Steve Wisbauer; Stephen Gan (2); Mario Testino; Stephen Gan; Patrick McMullan; Stephen Gan

Photographs, clockwise from top:
Stephen Gan; Steve Wisbauer; Stephen Gan (2); Patrick McMullan

This story: Stephen Gan
Hair and makeup: James Kaliardos