As the Creative Director of his wife’s eponymous label Karen Walker, Mikhail Gherman creates the visual language for one of the world’s most recognisable and respected fashion brands. Here we translate just a few of Gherman’s favourite things.
My personal style can be defined by
In summer, it’s senator-on-vacation: seersucker + polo shirt + Panama hat + retro tennis shoes.
In winter, it’s weekend-landed-gentry: tweeds + brogues + fedora hat + chunky heathered knits.
The last thing I bought and loved was
Lacoste Sideline sneakers
An unforgettable place I visited was
Last winter’s family holiday was two weeks in Queenstown. We’ve been there dozens of times but this trip was the best yet. The snow on Coronet Peak was perfect and the highlight was a chopper trip to Milford Sound landing on a pristine plateau in the mountains on the way back. Incredible.
Next place I’d like to go to
I’ve always wanted to go to Antarctica and I’d chase that with a week in Fiji, which has long been a favourite for me and my family.
An object I would never part with is
My Samsung Frame TV.
My favourite app is
Waterlogue.
An indulgence I would never forgo is
I talk to my brother in LA at least once a day, but usually four or five times a day.
If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city it would be
I love the village vibe of my own neighbourhood, Ponsonby.
My style icon is
Charlie Watts.
The best book I’ve read in the past year is
HHhH by Laurent Binet.
I can’t miss an episode of
Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In my fridge you’ll always find
Apples.
My favourite room in my house is
My sitting room because it’s cosy and calm and has dusty pink walls and dark green carpet and French doors onto the front porch and worn old leather furniture.
I recently discovered
@thelesliejordan.
A gadget I can’t do without is
My Dyson vacuum cleaner.
The one artist whose work I would collect is (if price is not an issue) Grayson Perry especially his tapestry series; The Vanity of Small Differences.
The last meal out I had that truly impressed me was
The French Café for a family dinner when my in-laws were visiting from Scotland.
The podcast I listen to is
BBC’s In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg.
The best gift I ever received was
Last Father’s Day my daughter made me a beautiful grilled salmon.
The grooming product I can’t live without is
Aēsop’s sunscreen.
The last music I downloaded was
Jack White’s Boarding House Reach.
If I wasn’t doing what I am, I would be
Pottering in my garden.
I have a collection of
Harper’s Bazaars from the late thirties to the early seventies.
