“There’s a lot to be said for a place where creativity and intelligence are still valued cultural commodities” - Horacio Silva, The New York Times

On the eve of the launch of the Australians in New York Fashion Foundation, the final instalment in frockwriter’s series of mini profiles of prominent Australians working in the New York fashion media: a chat with The New York Times’ Horacio Silva. A new media specialist, Silva arrived in New York over a decade ago with Ben Widdicombe and cut straight to the jugular of the fashion business via the outrageous Chic Happens online gossip column.

Describe your current position and what the job involves.
Horacio Silva: I work as the Features Director/Online Director for T: The New York Times Style Magazine, which means I basically write, assign and edit for print and online. It’s fair to say, though, that as the T web presence continues to grow beyond all expectations, my work is increasingly online. That said, we just undertook a really interesting experiment in reverse publishing in which we are running (obviously updated) content in the ‘Sunday Styles’ section of The New York Times newspaper that has already appeared on T’s website. It's a development I’m very excited about and though it’s early days it seems to have struck a chord with readers (not all of whom I can assume already knew about T online.) I think it’s a smart way to expand the brand and get our original content out there to as many people as possible.

How difficult was it to break into the New York media environment? Briefly describe the career trajectory which led you to your current position.
I don’t know that it was any harder than breaking into media in Australia. In most countries, it’s a pretty hermetically sealed industry that takes talent, gumption, luck and contacts to break into. But like a lot of people who work in New York media, I basically just made the move and took it from there. I had worked in Australian publishing for many years – in print then online for Microsoft Australia — and my then boyfriend, Ben Widdicombe, and I wanted a change so we moved at the beginning of 1998. NYC and Hong Kong were the two options on the table at the time, but New York, which I fell in love with when I used to visit for work, was an easy choice for me.

As for my trajectory, I was lucky to have some shekels left over from my previous job so I had the luxury of feeling out the city and meeting lots of people. As a result, I was privy to a lot of fun information that wasn’t being reported and so Ben and I started a catty online column called Chic Happens on hintmag.com. That got the attention of the late Amy Spindler, who was the editor of Fashions of the Times (as T was called during her tenure) and my beloved enabler, and I just kinda stayed.

What do you know now that you dearly wish someone had told you when you first arrived in New York?
Nothing career-related. Seriously. But I would have loved a head’s up about the Thai food being pretty awful. Learn to cook it if you’re a fan and plan to move.

Best part about working and living in New York.
Mmm… the fact that you have the option to compete and do good work on a big stage holds a lot of sway for me. Because I don’t drive, being able to get around the city easily is also a plus. And there’s a lot to be said for a place where creativity and intelligence are still valued cultural commodities.

Worst part about working and living in New York.
A lot of visitors to the city complain that New Yorkers never let up about work, that you can be at a late—night bar and people still find a way to go on about their job. But I don’t mind that so much. (What am I talking about? I’m probably the worst culprit.) For me, the worst thing is really the tyranny of distance.

Where are you from in Australia and what do you most miss about it?
I was raised in Sydney. I’m a Leichhardt boy, but I lived most of my adult life in the Eastern suburbs. Of course I miss my family and friends above all else. And did I mention the Thai food?

What advice would you give young Australians hoping to break into the media/fashion/beauty businesses in New York?
Regardless of where you’re from, geographically or socio-economically, the world doesn’t owe you a single favour. So if you want it badly enough, you have to work hard for it. One thing I do remember from back when I was still working for Microsoft and-–shhhh!!!—talking to headhunters about moving to New York, is that you have to be here, no ifs or buts, so find a way. You’re wasting your time sending out resumés from Australia and expecting people to follow up. To quote the sagacious words of the New South Wales State Lottery: You’ve got to be in it to win it.




RELATED:
- OZ FASHION EXPATS GATHER TO CELEBRATE GETTING THE HELL OUT OF HERE
- "MILK EVERY CONTACT, TAKE RISKS, WORK FOR NIX" - NY POWER PR MALCOLM CARFRAE ON GETTING A FOOT IN THE DOOR OF THE FASHION BIZ
- “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE” – COLAC PICTURES PRESIDENT JULIE ANNE QUAY
- “DON’T LET THE RATS GET TO YOU” – COLIN BERTRAM, NY DAILY NEWS
- “THERE IS SUCH A CULTURE OF ENTITLEMENT IN NEW YORK, THE KIDS WHO WORK HARD ARE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR” – LAURA BROWN, HARPERS BAZAAR

Oz fashion expats gather to celebrate getting the hell out of here

americanaustralian.org

We might as well rename July 22nd 2009 Australia Day in New York. Frockwriter already mentioned Zimmermann’s presentation that night at the Empire Hotel on West 63rd Street. Now comes word of a second, much bigger, event on the same night, back downturn at a two storey loft on West 36th Street: the launch of the Australians in New York Fashion Foundation. What’s that exactly? An initiative to help young Australians gain a foothold in New York’s fashion and beauty industries. That’s right, there just aren’t enough Australians in New York already - and those who are there have really struggled to cut through. The foundation’s 11 Oz expat founding board members include Malcolm Carfrae, who is the executive vice president global communications for Calvin Klein; Julie-Anne Quay, former executive editor of V Magazine, now President of Colac Pictures; Harpers Bazaar features and special projects director Laura Brown; Elite Model Management director of development Doll Wright; The New York Daily News features editor Colin Bertram and V and V Man photo and bookings editor, Pippa Lord.

A swag of honorary board members - some of whom are tipped to turn up to the event - includes Horacio Silva, features director/online director of The New York Times’ T Magazine, Sarah Wynter, Rose Byrne, Miranda Kerr, Catherine McNeil, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Myf Shepherd, Nicole Trunfio, Skye Stracke, Jessica Hart and Lincoln Pilcher.

The foundation - which apparently has no connection to the G'Day USA program of events that take place in New York, Los Angeles etc in January each year - is designed to facilitate connections and, the website says, also scholarships, for young Australians in New York.

According to the mission statement:

"The philosophy of the Foundation is that young Australians can gain world-class, hands-on experience in New York, and return home with internationally recognized training and contacts. By opening these doors and creating this platform, the Foundation believes this will not only assist these individuals but also serve to further expand and enrich the future Australian fashion industry".

Quay's first project at Colac Pictures, meanwhile, is an adaptation of Lee Tulloch's 1989 club classic Fabulous Nobodies.

At a recent launch in New York, Tulloch noted that the novel was written as a “revenge” piece after she was fired from Harpers Bazaar Australia. Fired for being a little too fabulous for Australia, as frockwriter recalls.



americanaustralian.org