Drinking French 75s With Fashion Designer Nili Lotan

Nili Lotan started in the fashion industry working for brands such as Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne and Nautica, before launching her own line in 2003, drawing in admirers from Kendall Jenner to Martha Stewart. Now, almost 20 years after opening her first womenswear store, she’s opened her own menswear store in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, designed with mid-century-meets-rock-and-roll flair. I spoke with Lotan about her introduction to wine, the new men’s boutique and the musicians who inspired her fashion sense.

Was wine a part of your family life growing up?

I grew up in Israel and the wine scene was very different than what it is today. People were focussing on building a country, not on wine and luxury. But I had a Russian dad who was educated in Paris and he taught us that wine was a part of culture. Wine is the taste of life. Wine is what makes the meal so good. So now I drink wine with every dinner.

He also had a bar where every night, before he would turn on the TV, he would get himself a whiskey on the rocks and he would sit there and with his pipe or cigar. I learned learned a lot of things from him. I don’t sit with a cigar and a whiskey, but I’ve always admired that international flavor he brought to our lives in what was a very undeveloped country at the time.

What are your wine preferences now?

Mostly French. I like them very rich and round and velvety. Usually the blends of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Even when I eat fish I prefer red.

Do you enjoy cocktails?

There’s a drink I only have on specific occasions, a French 75. It’s something my husband and I used to drink quite a lot of while we were dating. It’s citrusy and sweet, kind of bubbly and a little dangerous. So we went kind of wild with that. And so now when we want to remind ourselves of those moments we drink it.

What led to opening your first menswear store?

I started in fashion trying to help women in dressing and feeling good about themselves. About a year ago I was having dinner with Alison Loehnis from NET-A-PORTER and she asked if I would ever consider doing a men’s line — that there wasn’t anyone approaching a man’s wardrobe the same way that I approach a woman’s wardrobe, thinking about their needs from the bottom up. There are the clothes that we need to helps us function and go through the day and then there’s the clothes that just makes us feel great. That’s how I build a collection. So I followed the formula that I did with women when I started 20 years ago.

What are the similarities and differences in designing for men?

Design is the aesthetic, the color and the sensibility. Then there is the fit — putting the garments on a model and understanding the conversation between the garment and the body. And men are built very differently than women. At the same time I have a lot of men buying my women’s clothing and a lot of women buying my men’s clothing. But although the lines between femininity and masculinity are blurring, there is very much of a different approach as well as different fabrics. My women’s collection is a bit of a tomboy, but still very feminine. The men’s collection is very masculine.

The menswear store is decorated with your record collection, hosted an exhibit by rock photographer Allan Tannenbaum and donates a portion of in-store sales to to One Million Guitars. What inspires the music theme?

My husband David Broza is an internationally-known guitarist and singer-songwriter. The record collection we curated there is more from him — but it’s also become mine. We grew up with the same music, 70s-style soft folk rock from James Taylor to Bob Dylan. Joni Mitchell. Leonard Cohen. We’ve done a lot of trips to Spain together and I’ve also fallen in love with flamenco music. The rhythm and the energy is something I connected with immediately — to the point that I want to be a flamenco dancer in my next life.

Does music inspire you when you are designing?

Very much so. But it started more with the imagery. I was in high school in the early 70s and what affected me the most, from Woodstock onward, was not just the music, but the freedom. The attitude. The spirit. And the clothes. And I’m still holding on to this although life kept going on. I think that’s what makes me unique among my peers in fashion — that this is something that is so specific to me. Even though it’s not really ‘me,’ it’s the world I grew up in.

Did any specific musicians inspire your fashion sense?

I was inspired more by designers like Yves Saint Laurent. But as I was evolving I realized there was something about Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix. They had a style that appeared as not having a style because they were mixing all these things that were not to be mixed together in the eyes of the fashion police. I liked the idea that they broke all the rules. And to me that’s their voice: not only what they did through their music, but also through their clothes. That’s what I found attractive. I use a lot of elements today of what Jagger and Hendrix were wearing then. So in every collection I have a Hendrix jacket — he was wearing all these military band jackets with the gold buttons. And then I always have a ruffled shirt, like what Mick Jagger and Keith Richards used to wear.

What is next for your brand?

We are launching a bag called The Voyager. Sometime I create something because I’d like to own it and this is a beautiful luxury leather travel bag that I carry. I’m going to be opening a new showroom in New York, very much mid-century inspired. And then the same thing in Paris. And then we will be opening two stores in Seoul, Korea. This is very exciting because while I am in other stores this will be our first branded Nili Lotan store in Asia.