Patti Smith and PJ Harvey's impromptu live performance at Dover Street Market to celebrate their friend Ann Demuelemeester's new book
Who? Three talented individuals who are close friends: Patti Smith, PJ Harvey and Ann Demeulemeester. All wearing Demeulemeester's iconic monochrome designs: heavy black boots, crisp white shirts, and brilliantly cut black blazers.
What? Last week, it was announced that Demeulemeester would be signing copies of her book in the Dover Street Market basement on Saturday evening. Yet very few knew that she would later be joined by the legendary musician, Patti Smith, who had written the book's foreword. Smith would go on to recite passages and perform a short acoustic set, including a first-time collaboration with PJ Harvey. "I've always wanted to do this," Smith told her audience.
Why? Demeulemeester announced her retirement from fashion last November, and her new book, beautifully designed by her son Victor Robyn, provides a gorgeous visual history of her label. Smith's foreword, entitled The Girl of Flanders, is the perfect accompaniment: “Freedom exists in the soul of one's work. Ann bequeaths this intangible aspect to the wearer. It can be felt in a feathered circle, in winter flakes falling upon the black sleeves of night. It can be found within hooded layers created for a monastic order not yet conceived.”
“Freedom exists in the soul of one's work. Ann bequeaths this intangible aspect to the wearer" — Patti Smith
Demeulemeester and Smith have a longstanding friendship. Music has always been at the heart of the Belgian designer's practice and Smith is regularly cited as one of the key influences of the collections. For Smith, she has Demeulemeester to thank for "an unstoppable friendship" and "the clothes I've worn for the past thirty years."
Ann Demeulemeester is published by Rizzoli and is on sale now.
Text by Laura Bradley
It was a fitting location for such a special moment. The impromptu performance marked the end of a week of events at Dover Street Market celebrating Frieze, and the store has been a long-time supporter of Demeulemeester's designs. “The girl of Flanders has walked her own path, in her own black boots. Never one to bend to expectations, she has made fierce, dedicated, if not radical choices. Always maintaining a measure of innocence while negotiating the thorns of experience," Smith recited.
Smith admitted she was nervous performing in front of a handful of guests – "If I'm singing to 80,000, I never get nervous. This feels different." Smith performed Grateful (dedicated to the designer) before performing Wing with PJ Harvey (below, via @anothermagazine Instagram).
