How I Go It Washed: Julia Haart, Artistic Director at La Perla

Julia Haart. Photo-Illustration: Stevie Remsberg

The La Perla Creative Director travels two to three weeks out of the month, receives v phone calls earlier five a.m., and designs between two,000 and 4,000 pieces of lingerie a flavor. Here's how she gets it done.

On her morning routine:

By and large I'm upwards between 5 and half-dozen a.one thousand. because if I'1000 in New York, it's already 11 a.m. Italy fourth dimension. By five a.yard. I'thou getting phone calls. Very often what I stop upward doing is drawing or working or reading in my pajamas first before going to the part. I'll depict for 45 minutes and then I'll accept a pause and practise 15 minutes of stretching, or some yoga or exercise and then around nine o'clock I'll go dressed and leave.

On getting set up:

I take my shower, exercise La Mer body lotion, and then get dressed. It takes v minutes — I'chiliad super fast; I have no patience. My whole thing with La Perla is comfort, condolement, comfort. The clothes have to be sexy and beautiful, only they have to exist comfortable. I'grand a big fan of jumpsuit dressing. I dearest jumpsuits, rompers. I design built-in bras in my clothes — no layers, no worrying most whether your bra is going to prove, it's office of your dress. Makeup is like, a thing of mascara and either a BB foam or a tinted SPF. I am obsessed with sunscreen — I sunscreen myself all over, head to toe, every day.

On her shoe wardrobe and the virtues of condolement:

I'm tiny — I'm vertically challenged, so I always wear behemothic, mega-high heels generally reaching the five- and six-inch range. With me it's either sandals or boots. Y'all either zip the boots on or you slip your foot in the sandal and you're off. We take all of our [La Perla] patent applied science — I changed the arch of the shoe so that the pressure points are evenly distributed, and since we brand our own molds I put a layer of gel inside the shoes. I vesture them 14 hours a 24-hour interval, then information technology'southward got to exist comfortable. I don't call up yous have to endure to be beautiful. I'chiliad trying to simplify women's lives while still enabling them to feel beautiful, sexy, confident. 1 without the other is non enough. I test everything we make; it's a part of the job I dearest. I call back that's one of the large benefits of being a female person creative manager. I'grand not only concerned about how beautiful a woman is going to expect, I'grand concerned about whether or not information technology'due south comfortable to wear. And we don't brand a shoe that I don't starting time test and wander around in.

On her commute and morning elixir:

I have a commuter, which is slap-up considering I don't accept to worry about parking, which is incommunicable in the city. More often than not I accept my outset coffee when I'one thousand going towards work — scalding-hot cappuccino. I literally tell them "fire-your-tongue-off hot," because I like to sip it slowly through the morning. So, that's my breakfast. If I take time, I'll sit down down and slowly sip my cappuccino, simply generally it's in a to-get cup. And when I'm in New York, afterwards my java, I take something called a Hot C from Juicy Cube, which is a lifesaver in the mornings when I've had three or 4 hours of sleep. It's orange juice and ginger and cayenne pepper and green tea and turmeric. I also inquire for it scalding hot. Information technology will change your morning — it gives you an amnesty boost and it makes you feel more energetic. And I always take my vitamins.

On a twenty-four hour period in the life:

Last Tuesday, for instance, we went through the spring/summer pre-collection — I presented the drove to internal people, explained what my concept was, and then we went through particular past particular and went over what makes everything so boggling. We've been using a lot of different materials at present and I want to educate everybody on what unique feature these wearing apparel are going to have.

On her ability lunch:

Around one, I close my door, have my tiffin, and relish the quiet. I unremarkably do a salad or soup — sometimes from Chop't, sometimes from Le Pain [Quotidien], and and then there'southward Past Chloe. I'm a big laic in calorie counting; watching what y'all put in your trunk. You just got one; yous might too take good care of it. I do dejeuner in the office because I can look through manufactures or read the paper, and I generally like to consume by myself. So much of my day is spent surrounded past people and I'm an extroverted introvert, so I definitely need that moment. Often I read. I simply read an amazing book about Catherine the Cracking by Robert K. Massie. My favorite genre is biography and autobiography. And the sub-category of that is definitely stiff, kicking-ass women, specially if they lived during a time when women didn't have power. There's this amazing book nearly Cleopatra, who was a brilliant leader. Information technology gives me inspiration and strength and when people tell me, "You can't do this," which I hear probably in one case a month, I only go to those women for inspiration.

On her office:

We just moved to a new office, so we're in the centre of decorating it. It'south really cool — a lot of leather and metal. I wanted something that was very elemental to go along things grounded, simply and then I have cheery things to brighten information technology upwardly; I have flowers, and I'll starting time doing the artwork for a pop of colour. On my desk-bound I take pair of scissors, highlighter, my computer, and my iPad, that'southward it. I'k not a big fan of clutter. If you give me things, I just lose them anyway.

On her afternoon:

Subsequently lunch, we went dorsum to reviewing the drove — nosotros take lingerie and beachwear, fix-to-clothing, haute couture, and men's. For example, this last season I had 250 ready-to-wear pieces, just and so I had probably 3,000 or four,000 lingerie pieces, and probably a couple hundred beachwear pieces. And then you do the math … It's standing upwards again for another five hours and going through the collection piece by piece. That basically took until five o'clock. And then I went back to my office and started working on Fall/Wintertime 'xviii. Research is i of my favorite parts of the job. I have an thought in my caput, I take thousands of pictures, I become to museums and art exhibits all over the earth, and then I have to bring it all together.

On emails and advice:

I go a couple hundred emails daily, only I endeavour not to spend more than than an hour doing nonemergency ones because otherwise your whole life is e-mail. I have 20,624 to sort through right now — it's impossible. Basically what I do is have the people that I work with on an everyday footing in my "favorites" then I go pinged when they email me. Otherwise … it is what it is.

I think texting is a miraculous thing — I'm e'er reachable by text. With my kids, evidently I like to talk to them, but it's really great to have that choice. I would rather have someone text me than email me any day of the week! I always tell people, "If yous actually need something, exercise not email me." But I'one thousand super-conscientious most responding to texts.

On staying organized:

My phone is my lifeline. Google Calendar, Notes, Reminders — and of class I accept an assistant who is my memory, thank god. My phone yells at me on a regular basis, "Julia, it'southward time to do this; in five minutes information technology'due south that." It'southward funny considering I am super-organized nearly piece of work, and completely unorganized about everything else. Like, at piece of work — everything is in a binder, everything is labeled. I practise copious amounts of research. I accept thousands of books — I besides hunt for antique books everywhere I go — but I know where everything is. When information technology comes to my personal life, I lose everything. Requite me a pair of gloves, and I volition lose it. Give me sunglasses, any piece of paper that'southward not work-related — information technology's gone. I stopped wearing jewelry. I only wear earrings or necklaces every once in a while when it's a huge event. Otherwise, no. Because I play with information technology and I get out it somewhere, so at this point, I've given upward. Work I tin can keep track of, my four children I can go along track of (three are in college), but non jewelry or pocket-sized items.

On remaining fueled:

The concluding couple months I've cut down on my Diet Coke intake tremendously. I'm very proud of that. I used to but drink like 12 cans a day, and at present I'm downwardly to similar, ii. I switched to water and at first it was really difficult, but now I've gotten then accustomed to information technology. I take a fiddling fridge in my office and I just drink water all day long. I honey sour and spicy things, so generally, hidden somewhere in my office, I've got a bag of Hot Tamales and a tiny bag of Lemonheads if I need a carbohydrate pick-me-upward. I tin eat ii and experience similar I've fed that sugar demand. If I need a 2nd java, it's later on lunch. I never ever drink coffee after 5 p.m. Because and then I won't be comatose until two in the morning. Especially when I'chiliad in Italian republic — Italian java is so strong. If you potable it afterward 5, you're non going to bed. If it's a super stressful twenty-four hours, I'll have a Diet Coke in the morning and one at 3 or iv p.m. If it'due south not a super stressful day, I'll just do the ane in the afternoon.

On her evening:

On Tuesday I stayed at work until seven considering Monday was the Met Gala [for which La Perla dressed Kendall Jenner and Mary J. Blige] and then by seven I was just so tired. I had crab legs and raw seafood for dinner and took a really nice, long bathroom. I then did some paperwork, answered emails and then finally around one, i:thirty in the morning, I went to sleep.

On constant travel:

I pretty much travel two weeks out of every month, sometimes three. My packing strategy is to pack everything except for the kitchen sink. I do non believe in traveling light. Very ofttimes what ends upward happening is I'm in two climate zones over one trip. For case, I have to go to London and Dubai. So information technology'southward completely different clothing, completely different shoes. And if I'm going for 2 to three weeks, and and then there's events and you take to speak publicly, yous have to bring clothing for that and you have to bring work dress, and so at least ten pairs of shoes considering of course, each outfit needs a different shoe. I travel with all of my makeup. I'm very light with the makeup, but I'yard a huge proponent of skin intendance — the masks, serums, moisturizers, eye creams. Being on the airplane, and going through so many different climates, if you don't have good intendance of your pare, you pay for it. The just thing I take learned that I cannot alive without is La Mer. It'south my desert-isle product. The body cream and the moisturizer keep my skin completely hydrated. If I've gotten iii hours of slumber for five nights in a row and I've been on two planes for 13 hours, it saves my peel.

On sleeping … or non:

I'm not a big sleeper. Fifty-fifty before I became artistic director, I've e'er been concerned that at that place are 9 1000000 things that I should be doing, and I don't want to be wasting time past sleeping. I actually find that the best sleep I get is on the airplane. I know that sounds crazy, but my trunk feels like: "Okay, yeah you're sleeping, but y'all're doing something, you're traveling to a destination." My best sleeps are on planes. Like, people hate 12-hour flights? I love them! People always say, "How do you not get jet lagged?" And I say, "Hey, if you don't sleep in any land, you don't go jet lagged." That'south the secret.

On plumbing equipment in fitness:

I don't get as much fourth dimension equally I'd similar to practice, so in the summertime I try to do something intensive. Through the yr wherever I am I try to fit in a niggling stretching.

Some months it's a disaster, and some months I'thou more regimented. The final summer I did boot military camp; they made drawings for me so I could remember stretches, a few yoga moves, and a few Pilates moves and then I tin do them in whatever hotel room I'm in. I also have walks. Whatsoever metropolis I'one thousand in, if it's not freezing rain, sleet, or hail, I'g walking every day.

On the power of stress:

I have to tell you that I honey stress. I retrieve it'due south the greatest driving force in my life. I demand information technology. It keeps me focused. I notice that there's two kinds of stress — in that location's the debilitating kind and the energizing kind. Mine tends to lean towards the energizing kind — it keeps me moving. When I'thousand not stressed, I get nervous.

On relaxation and hobbies:

I'm a big fan of baths. I'k obsessed with the tub and exercise a lot of my best thinking at that place. Everywhere I become I'll ask if the hotel room has a tub. I find it the near relaxing thing. And sometimes I read when I can't sleep — I'm a voracious reader. When I accept fourth dimension I take a dance course, which in the past half dozen months has been nonexistent. But I love to dance. I find information technology's super relaxing and freeing. Your mind clears and you don't think well-nigh anything … you merely permit your body do what it does all-time. Whenever I'm feeling downwardly or alone, I get to a museum. Yous just look at all these people who lived earlier you, who spent their lives creating and sharing their fine art with the globe and y'all but feel continued to them.

On her favorite thing virtually the task:

Equally much every bit I like designing, my favorite part of my job is when I see women wearing my clothes. That's the best. I was in Manhattan on Wednesday, and there was a woman walking down the street wearing my bomber jacket and tears came to my eyes. Because information technology's not but something that was in my heed; I know how how amazing it feels and I kind of experience like I fabricated that woman'south day a little chip better, a niggling chip more comfy, a little scrap nicer. That is for sure my most favorite part.

How La Perla Artistic Director Julia Haart Gets It Done