It’s a classic case of knowing the rules so you can break them. Or bend them. Or blur their lines. Having worked in design and production for such leading-edge, conceptual designers as Thom Brown and Helmut Lang, artist Anna Rose Telcs explores fashion as an idea and shapes fabric and cloth the way sculptors shape metal and wood. Her shows—most recently at the Americas Society in New York—are like oblique trend dissections staged much as fashion presentations were back in the day: on static forms and models with commentary and studied discussion.

Tone on tone on tone
Yeah, it starts with my hair and keeps going. This is a Thom Browne oxford that I Rit dyed in my backyard, and I’ve had this butter-colored vintage leather skirt for about 12 years. The heels are Marni.

Supernatural blonde
Leigh Dawson is a hair diviner. She just knows. She recently left Gene Juarez to take over Blink Lash Atelier. My color, however, is completely natural.

Your look in three words
Intuitive, intrinsic, silhouette-based. I design pieces because I’m inspired by materiality, color, silhouette, and a heaviness and lightness in balance—which is exactly how I dress myself.  

Regalia
An old man asked me recently what uniform I was wearing; my response was, “I just like a lot of navy blue.” I can’t really wear black; I’m so fair skinned it washes me out. I wear navy and cream with a side of off-white. I do plan to get into some serious color in my 70s.

Northwest nights
I just had a wonderful Saturday in Thom Browne shorts and high heels: I hit the opening party at the gallery and studio Land Management, then ended up falling asleep in front of a beautiful fire in a friend’s backyard. That says it all for Seattle. Where else can you go to a fabulous design party and end up lying in a backyard, listening to a live band play a house show?