Sartorial chronicles 

In the realm where fashion and art intertwine, Julie Ragolia stands as a visionary force, shaping narratives that transcend the ordinary. Renowned internationally for her work as a stylist for such brands as ZEGNA and Winnie, Ragolia’s approach is modern, rooted in observation, and driven by a profound understanding of the human connection to clothing. 

hube: Could you share some insights into how you approach styling to create a distinct impact across editorial stories, fashion shows, and advertising campaigns?

Julie Ragolia: No matter which facet of fashion I am working within, it all begins from the same premise for me: from the human who wears the clothes. My job is to dress people and to make them feel good once they are dressed, or upon seeing people who are dressed. This is always at the forefront of my thinking. Clothes are a human link. We all get dressed every day. We all make decisions about how we present ourselves to the world. And, while this may change from person to person based on many factors, from economics, to geography, and all in between, we are all linked by this human interest in personal taste. For me, that’s a fascinating premise for inquiry.

h: You’ve collaborated with many renowned photographers. How do these collaborations shape and inspire your creative vision? What does ‘the art of collaboration’ mean to you?

JR: Collaboration is everything to me. I was not a student of fashion. I studied philosophy, so ideas and the shaping of a dialogue are everything I care about. There can be no creation without collaboration. There would be no clothes without collaboration. Many hands come together to make a garment. It’s the same for image-making. The multiplicity of relationships is the spark at all points.

h: As a Fashion Director of Autre Magazine, what challenges do you face in curating fashion content for a global audience?

JR: The biggest challenge is rectifying the strength of an idea with the reality of budgets. It’s a difficult time for independent magazines. Our voices are stronger than ever, but so, too, is the pressure. I’m very lucky to have a lot of great friends in both fashion and art; people who would go to bat for me, and I for them, no matter what. By way of friendship, I’ve pulled off some stories for Autre that, perhaps, would not have been possible elsewhere. When you see some of the people who have agreed to be styled, photographed, or to lie on floors in Comme des Garçons (thanks, Shirin Neshat), this is what I would consider to be my superpower. Dialogue is key, and mutual trust is immeasurable.

h: Paris and New York are both influential fashion hubs. How do you find the balance between the two cities, and do you notice any contrasting trends or influences in the fashion scenes?

JR: The world is in the midst of so much transition. Not all of it is positive, but fashion is a mirror of what is happening in the world at large. I’m very lucky to live between New York and Paris and to see how people are responding to cultural change in each city. 

Paris, for example, has become a lot more youthful in its fashion approach. Kids are more inventive and exploratory. They play with the bourgeois leanings of generations before them to make it far more individualistic and wild. I love to see it. New York, as it widens the gap between rich and poor, is transitioning geographically. We no longer live as intertwined as we once did. That brings with it more homogeny. Chloë Sevigny said it best when she said there are now far too many leggings and dogs in NY. I worry about what this means for a city as once diverse as New York. Just the same, I don’t think Miu Miu could have put women in underwear down the runway without New Yorkers having done it first, so we still have our edge. We will always have our edge.

h: Among the diverse collections you’ve worked on, which ones stand out as the most challenging and interesting, and what made them particularly memorable for you as a stylist and consultant?

JR: I have been lucky to work with Alessandro Sartori, Artistic Director of ZEGNA, for many years now. Not only is he a master of form and colour, but also pace. His approach to growing ZEGNA is as scientific as it is inspiring. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a creative in being by his side. I tend to want to see things materialize quickly. Through Alessandro, I’ve learned that the tortoise does, indeed, win the race. Plus, the ZEGNA shows are so beautiful that you can often find me backstage during the finale with tears in my eyes.

h: As someone deeply passionate about art, how does your appreciation for artistic expression shape the aesthetic decisions you make as a Fashion Director?

JR: I didn’t study fashion, so everything I’ve learned about material and craft has been on the job. I did, however, grow up in museums, so I hold a strong sense of colour, form and scale. When I see clothes, I see them in the context of still images. Even out in the world, say, on the subway or street, my eyes pause on texture and style as if taking a snapshot. My memory is pretty bad, but those images I hold onto as if catalogued in my mind forever. I continually reference this bank when dreaming up fashion stories or styling ideas. It doesn’t always make it easy to express my ideas to collaborators, but we figure it out.

h: We live in a world where rigid concepts of gender still heavily impact many aspects of our lives. Exploring and observing the evolution of women’s and men’s fashion, how do you see the future of fashion in terms of gender?

JR: I love how blurred the lines have become. Gender is an abstract notion. A restriction, really, for how to define ourselves or our place in the world. I love when people just wear what feels good to them; what represents who they are in the world visually, not for anyone to put them into a box. I’ve been wearing boys’ clothes since I was a baby. Now I wear expensive suits if I feel like it, or thigh-high boots just the same. I have similar opinions concerning how one dresses as they age. The artist, Miles Greenberg, showed me a photo the other night of his mom wearing a Mugler, body-revealing jumpsuit in her 60’s. That’s inspiring to me. I often joke that I’ll be wearing skate clothes when I’m 70. I can’t wait to be that cool old lady with the chicest style.

h: Which talents do you dream of collaborating with?

JR: Oh, the list is long.