Joe Zee is the fast-talking, Twitter-happy creative director at Elle magazine. As the fashion industry gears up for the CFDA Awards (think fashion Oscars) Monday night, Zee takes a breather to share the secrets of his life in the fashion world.
Who is your favorite designer right now?
Oh my gosh, there are so many. I love the crop of new-generation designers like Alexander Wang and Rodarte. And Prabal Gurung, of course, who is a friend of mine. I remember when he was just starting out, and now Michelle Obama is wearing his stuff. Amazing.
Is watching new talent a fun part of your job?
Of course. But I really love my job because literally no day is like the one before. I run to meetings, cover photo shoots, film the show [MTV's "The City," in which Zee is a main character]. I also go to see designers and talk about their collections. It really runs the gamut.
Isn't that overwhelming?
My brain thinks 125 miles per hour, so any job that was always the same would be boring to me.
So, for example, at a cover photo shoot, what would you be doing?
I have a vision of what I want to see as the final product. So I direct people, whether it's the photographer, the makeup artist, whoever. My job is very collaborative. There's no way to do something creative - in any field - if you can't work with other people.
Wow. It sounds like you are really calling the shots.
I'm not a control freak, though. I like the control part. Not the freak.
Do you ever sleep?
Not a lot.
Is there any part of your life that is routine?
Yes. Every morning, I wake up at like 6 a.m. and get on my laptop and read everything: blogs, newspapers, magazines. I read until my computer dies. Then I go to work. I just really like knowing everything. And at night, I watch all the TV shows that people are talking about. I've always had a huge appetite for culture.
Beyond fashion?
Yes. I love music, art, celebrity, TV - everything. And that's why my job is amazing, because I can express this love in the magazine. Like, for example, for one season of "American Idol," I was watching it thinking, "Wow. I would love to see her in this dress or him look like this." So I did a big shoot for Elle where I did just that. I made over the top 10 from the show. It was so fun.
