What Do Lady Gaga and Her Fashion Director Share in Common? French Bull Dogs
I went to visit the fabulous Brandon Maxwell a few weeks ago in his NYC digs. Stylist to Lady Gaga, clothing designer and magazine editor, this man had it going on with his dog. I asked him a few q’s and this is what I got.
WHY STELLA?
I really wanted to have a daughter named Stella; I had imagined in my head what she looked like, what she dressed like, what she was interested in, etc. As I got older and started to work non-stop, I started thinking that maybe I wouldn’t be having a child as soon as I had imagined and that maybe a dog was more suitable for my lifestyle. So I used my dream name on my dog! She still dresses like my dream daughter and has the same interests that I imagined my daughter would (being obsessed with her dad, mostly). In the future, if I do end up with that phantom child, I can name her something really interesting like Cashmere or Birkin, like everyone’s doing now.
AS A STYLIST WHAT VALUES DO YOU IMPRESS ON YOUR DOG?
Well, I try to have her groomed regularly and keep her in nice matching outfits (mostly for the weather, I’m not that much of a show mom). As much as I want to go over the top with everything, I have to remember that she is not a little girl with pig tails, she is a dog! It’s just most important to me that she has all the toys she wants, gets enough time to play and socialize, and lives a happy healthy life!
OK, NOT THAT I AM LABEL CONSCIOUS OR ANYTHING BUT WHAT BRAND OF LEASHES AND COLLARS DO YOU FAVOR?
She’s a little butch, so she’s not one for pinks and delicate things; she is super active and tough on everything, so I have to buy accordingly. I love the leashes from Wagwear, they’re super durable. They also make a really nice camouflage tent for when we’re upstate for the weekend and customized it with a door for her. She likes to hide in things, it makes her feel safe. Her collars are Balenciaga and Goyard, I guess that’s where I splurge the most!
SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING, WHAT DESIGNERS DO YOU PUT STELLA IN?
Most of her cashmere, puffer jackets and rain coats are from Canine Styles. They design everything themselves each season and it’s really cute. Her day bags, to go visit friends or for overnight stays, are all LL Bean and they’re monogrammed with her name. She’s only two, so as she grows and matures she’ll get nicer things!
AS FOR LUGGAGE, I KNOW THERE HAS TO BE A BAG OF CHOICE?
She flies A LOT and has since she was first born. I got her a Sherpa when she was a baby and it’s sort of like her security blanket. Since she travels so much it’s her one constant place, so I always come home and find her asleep in there even though she has beds all throughout the house. It’s not fancy, but it’s airplane friendly and I have tried SO many new bags over the years and she absolutely refuses to even go near them. It really stresses me out!!
WHAT DOG FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?
Her two best friends are Asia and Charlie, my two best friends’ - Lady Gaga and Bo O’Connors - dogs. They’re all Frenchies so they have crazy times together. She also has an incredible dog walker, Ryan, and so she has her poochie clique there too.
WHERE DOES STELLA SLEEP?
If she hasn’t been playing in the dirt in the park all day, she sleeps with me. Usually about 5 am she hops out of bed and into her carrier until she wakes up. She also has beds in every room of the house (made custom for her to match the draperies or fabrics) and at my office. She’ll kind of sleep wherever. During the day when we’re home she lays on top of the Hermes blanket on the couch, that’s her chill out daytime place.
