W Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, and Elle, have all had the luxury of being nourished by the words of prominent fashion writer Merle Ginsberg. Television is no stranger to her certain j'ne Sequa, as one of the last-standing contestants on Bravo’s popular show, “Launch my line,” and a judge on RuPaul’s “Drag Race.” Currently as Editor-in-Chief of the highly acclaimed style site, Fashionrules.com, Merle is taking on a variety of platforms, and took the time to fill The Confessionals in, on her past, present and future.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Philadelphia, but grew up in Margate, New Jersey, because my dad ran hotels. It's near Atlantic City, so we lived right near the beach. When I was 15 we moved to upstate New York, Liberty NY, and I lived there till my parents decided to move to Miami. I spent a few summers in Miami while I was going to college at Cornell in Ithaca NY, but I didn't like it. I moved to New York City right after I graduated college. It's been all NYC and LA ever since.
Who has been your biggest fashion influence?
It started with pop and rock stars like Chrissie Hynde, and even Janis Joplin from seeing the "Woodstock" movies. Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane. The Beatles and their women. And then, it morphed into literary heroines like Anais Nin and Colette and Edith Wharton and Virginia Wolf and the Bloomsbury Group. Anyone I ever saw in a Ken Russell movie (like "Women in Love" and "The Rainbow") inspired my sense of fashion - I love looking at very individualistic artistic women, and how they express themselves through clothes. I really love the ladies who broke all the rules, Coco Chanel, Audrey and Katherine Hepburn. I'm inspired by Yohji and Commes des Garcons and Marni and Dries van Noten - but more their work than their lives. They make exotic clothes but live quiet lives. Why not both???
Someone you have met or written about that made your knees go weak
Hmmm - that doesn't happen very often. You are probably asking what CELEBS make my knees go weak (Tim is in a ton of tv and movies, fyi). Jeremy Irons. Daniel Day Lewis. Bono. I've interviewed them and they all make me melt, but Jon Stewart and Craig Ferguson also make me melt. I LOVE smart guys who make me laugh. Creativity is what gets me.
Why did you want to become a writer?
So many answers. I was living in Europe as a student, and I just felt the need to write about the experience. Writing has always calmed me down and made me feel saner and safer - not sure why. I guess I was very quiet and thinky as a kid, and writing allowed me to have a voice and be heard. What is more important in life than words and how you communicate? I was reading as a kid before I was watching tv. Words have enormous importance to me - because they are the carriers of our emotions, and unlock the mysteries - as much as they CAN be unlocked!
How did you get on Launch my Line, and how has the experience been?
I was called by a casting scout for Bravo and told they were interested in me. The casting people there set up an audition for me - which I thought I did a good job on, but got zero feedback. I was sure I would not be cast. About a month later, they asked me to write to them to describe the kind of line I would do. I gave it a lot of thought - the line you see on the show is exactly what I wrote up. A few weeks later, they hired me. We started about 3 weeks later - not much prep time.
What can we expect from you in the future?
That's a good question! I loved the line from the new movie "Invictus": "How can we exceed our own expectations?" More tv, more books, my blog Fashionrules.com, and hopefully, a clothing line, a line of undergarments with a great concept, a perfume, a novel, a comedy act - and that's just this year! I've got a lot of goals - let's see how much I can actually pull off. One thing you should not expect from me: Marriage.
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