The Helen Frankenthaler show at Gagosian, where Ehsan first hatched her idea.
Photo: Naho Kubota
The art and fashion worlds alike have fallen head over heels for blogger and Instagram maven Pari Ehsan. After drooling over her amazing uploads of high-end fashions expertly coordinated with art exhibitions, we caught up with the New Yorker to learn more about her creative process, her favorite galleries, and the moment she knew she had made it in the ultracompetitive world of fashion blogging.
How did you come up with the idea for your blog?
It had been on my mind for a while that I wanted to find a more free-spirited creative outlet to the architecture and interior design that I was doing. One day I was out shooting a portrait for my interior design website, and the photographer and I decided to shoot at the galleries in Chelsea. My fur jacket was the perfect complement to the Helen Frankenthaler paintings at Gagosian and the idea struck me. My original loves have always been art and fashion, so it was perfect.
What does your creative process look like? How do you select an artwork, and how do you go about creating a complementary ensemble?
It’s a very intuitive process for the most part. I try to go out and physically see as much as I can, and usually at that point I instinctively know that I would like to create a pairing. Once I decide upon an artist/installation, then I will pull out elements from the work—form, texture, color. I try to capture the overall feeling. I think that the beauty of seeing art is that it creates an emotional response; I try to emanate that as best I can.
Photo: Instagram/@paridust
When did you realize you had “made it” in the fashion blogosphere?
I think being recognized by the CFDA [as a nominee for the new Fashion Instagrammer of the Year award] was a huge honor for me. I was honestly shocked, one of the best surprises I’ve ever received.
If you could live in any decade, which decade would it be and why?
I would have loved to live during the 1920s. I feel like it was a decade of all things experimental. There was also a shift in art and architecture towards modernism. I tend towards anything more minimalist and streamlined with interesting details, I think the ’20s relished that aesthetic.
If you could own any work of contemporary art, what would it be and why?
I would love to own an Agnes Martin painting. Her work is so minimal and pure; it is in my mind the perfect representation of balance. Her use of color is sublime.
Photo: Instagram/@paridust
What are some of your favorite art galleries and museums in New York?
There are so many. Downtown some favorites are Untitled, David Lewis Gallery, Marianne Boesky, Team Gallery, Karma, Rachel Uffner, Eleven Rivington, and Lehmann Maupin. In Chelsea, Jack Shainman, Mary Boone, David Zwirner, Skarstedt, and many more. Uptown I like Venus Over Manhattan and Half Gallery. For a day trip my favorite museum is Dia: Beacon and I am also in love with Jack Shainman’s The School, his space in Kinderhook, New York.
What does a typical outfit look like for you on a day when you aren’t shooting?
When I’m not shooting I tend to dress more minimal. I like black, white, and primary colors. I go for pieces that are clean with interesting details.