Authors: Brad Goreski
Born to Be Brad (32 page)
This was taken on a Christmas morning in the early eighties. I’m playing with my gift, Crystal Barbie, who also happened to be my inspiration for Jessica Alba’s 2011 Met Ball look. My sister is in the background playing with her new train set, which I clearly had no interest in.
Epilogue: You are the new black.
MY MOTHER ONCE TOLD
me that she wanted to be a French teacher.
She wasn’t a French teacher. No, for most of her adult life, she worked in her father’s pharmacy. I remember my mom waking up every morning and putting on her uniform: the white cotton pants and the sensible shoes and the itchy standard-issue top. You could see the dissatisfaction and the frustration on her face.
I was twelve years old when she said to me, “Don’t ever do something you don’t love.” She said it all the time. “Promise me,” she said.
And that made such an impression on me.
It took me a long time to find out what I wanted to do. Yet when I look back on my life, it seems like it couldn’t have been any other way. I was teased at school for dressing up like Madonna. Then I was in the basement making Fun Fur jackets with my mom. In high school, I styled my friend Tracy for the prom. All of these steps in my life—I didn’t know what they were leading to, but everything, oddly, makes sense.
I feel like I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m lucky that I had people to encourage me along the way. Not everyone is so lucky. If your family isn’t supportive, you have to make your own family. That’s one of the joys of adult life. You can piece together your own support network.
If you are unhappy, I’m here to tell you: Make a change. Don’t be afraid. What is the worst thing that could happen—you’ll be unhappy in your new job? So what. You’ll get another job.
A woman once said to me, “When you hear fear knocking on the door, most of the time when you answer it there’s nothing there. It’s just you holding yourself back.”
I’m here to tell you: Let go.
The bullying I faced when I was younger helped me build a tougher skin. I spent all of that time at school pretending I didn’t hear what the kids in the hallway were saying about me. Now, as an adult, I use those same skills to tune out the noise and focus on the work. Because it’s the work I love.
At the time, I thought the bullies were breaking me down. But they only made me stronger. They helped me develop the courage to challenge myself. When I was drinking, I was only reflecting what I thought people saw in me—that I was this worthless kid from a small town. That I wasn’t good at anything.
But that helps build a fire inside of you to propel you further. It’s a great motivator:
I’ll show you. I’ll show you what I can do.
What I want to say is this: If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. Maybe you think that is silly or cheesy. But it is the truth. Set the bar high for yourself. And grab it.
It takes a lot of hard work. I’m busier now than I’ve ever been, and I’m my own boss. But it’s a blessing. I’m glad I always wanted more for myself. And that I never stopped believing that I was good enough. My dream started small. I was good enough to go to community college. Then I thought, I’m good enough to get an internship. And then: I’m good enough to get an internship at
Vogue
.
I apparently had a large stash of suits and bow ties from a young age. Here I am at around three dressed up yet again for a family occasion. You can see the beginnings of my signature look.
Follow your passion. It’s not about what your parents want you to be doing. I didn’t go into fashion thinking I’d make money. When you take an entry-level position at a magazine, you can barely pay your rent. You cross your fingers and hope that ten years later you’ll be an editor. But you do it because you love it. You have to do what you love. Believe in yourself. Believe that things are possible and they will happen.
Who knows what’s next? But I know there is more out there. So many people come from this place of good enough.
This is my life. I’m happy here.
I’ve had those moments, but I’ve always pushed on. And I’ve never regretted reaching for more.
The other day during New York Fashion Week, I was sitting one bench behind Carine Roitfeld, the former editor in chief of French
Vogue
. She was in a full Givenchy look, on a Sunday morning at the Victoria Beckham show, and I was in awe. Sometimes I think being an outsider is just as exciting as being an insider. Because you get to fantasize about what it would be like to be at a table somewhere having tea with her.
That’s part of what makes me get out of bed every day and want to do this job. It makes me want to do good work. To get to the next marker. To the next milestone.
I try not to look back, but sometimes I do. And I see myself a decade ago, at a crossroads, still using and unable to sleep, staring at myself in the mirror and thinking my life was empty. Thinking this was the end for me. But here I am: I own my own business. I travel to Milan for Fashion Week. And Donatella Versace knows my name. If that isn’t proof that anything can happen, I don’t know what is.
I was born to be Brad.
“Ignore the bullies and find out where your true passion lies, and when you’re ready, make it happen.”
I cannot thank Mickey Rapkin enough for all of his hard work and dedication. He had enthusiasm for this book from the moment I told him I had the idea to the moment we submitted the final draft. Thank you! I feel so lucky to have had the chance to work on this with you!
To Penelope and Jasper for reminding me that no matter how stressful things are, all that matters is love.
To my dad for his love and support.
To Eric Kranzler, Chris Huvane, and Darin Friedman–I appreciate everything you do for me more than you can imagine.
To Tracy Doyle, Danielle Nachmani, Annebet Duvall, and Trish Lahde for always being there for me through thick and thin.
To my assistants, Lindsay Myers and Thomas Carter Phillips, who are a joy to see every day. They work hard and laugh hard. I couldn’t do anything without you and am grateful to have you in my life.
To John and Felicia Janetti, Maria, Adam, and Sarah and Emily Abeshouse for accepting me into your family with open arms.
To Jessica Alba for taking a chance on me! I will always be grateful to you. It is an absolute pleasure working with you.
To
InStyle
magazine for giving me my first major fashion shoot. Thank you for your trust in my abilities.
To Joe Zee for your friendship and support right from the beginning.
To Prabal Gurung—thank you for your wisdom and great advice. It has been invaluable.
To Amy Bendell, Lisa Sharkey, Farley Chase, Carrie Kania, Andrea Rosen, Cal Morgan, Alberto Rojas, Kevin Callahan, Lorie Pagnozzi, Joyce Wong and Renato Stanisic—thank you for your guidance and enthusiasm through this process.
To Andy Cohen, Ryan Flynn, Shari Levine, and Frances Berwick at Bravo—I feel so blessed to be part of the Bravo family.
To Jen O’Connell, Nick Emmerson, and Stephanie Chambers at Shed Media—I cannot thank you enough for your hard work and belief in the show.
To Yu Tsai—thanks for pulling the shoot together for me and giving me a gorgeous book cover.
To Ron F. for helping me build a spiritual foundation.
To Jhoni Marchinko and Sara Switzer—thank you for helping me get my internship at
Vogue
. You made my dream come true.
To Candie Weitz, everything changed for me the night you took me to the Chanel Fine Jewelry dinner. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and your friendship.
To Diane Lackie for your love and encouragement.
To Tom and Catherine Millar—I am so grateful to you both for making my childhood a magical one. My years in the Scugog Choral Society and the Millarlights are deeply cherished.
BRAD GORESKI
, who has been called the “Zelig of Fashion Week” by the
New York Times
and “a style icon for [the] new generation” by
Elle
magazine, is a celebrity stylist, fashion role model, and the star of the Bravo reality hit
It’s a Brad, Brad World
. Brad is a trendsetter who lives by the motto “Fashion allows you to be whoever you want to be. Take risks and have fun with it!” His hilarious personality has made him a favorite with celebrities and fans alike.
MICKEY RAPKIN
is a regular columnist at
Elle
magazine and the author of
Theater Geek: The Real Life Drama of a Summer at Stagedoor Manor
and
Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory
, now in development with Universal Pictures. His work has also appeared in the
New York Times
.
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Cover design by Amanda Kain
Cover photography by Yu Tsai
The names and identifying characteristics of some of the individuals featured throughout this book have been changed to protect their privacy.
BORN TO BE BRAD. Copyright © 2012 by Brad Goreski. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-212537-8
EPub Edition © March 2012 ISBN 9780062125392
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