GTN 0:06

Hi, I'm Glynis Traill-Nash and welcome to episode two of In Fashion. Now, even if you don't know the name, Michael Schmidt, you will definitely know his work. Remember Lil Nas in gold armour at the Met Gala? That was Michael Schmidt. Katy Perry's chandelier dress? Moschino with Michael Schmidt. Lizzo's disco ball ensemble? Michael Schmidt. The list of entertainers that have worn his creations is legendary. Tina Turner, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Eartha Kitt, Madonna, Debbie Harry, Poison Ivy, Miley Cyrus. I mean, I could go on. I was lucky enough to first meet Michael at his studio in LA last August. I was visiting to see the first iteration of the exhibition, Alexander McQueen: Mind, mythos, Muse at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Michael had done the head pieces to complement McQueen's designs on the mannequins. He'd also known Lee McQueen, which brought a whole other level to his work. When we met, he was in the process of creating another 50 headpiece for the exhibition's next stop at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, where we sat down to speak in December. I hope you enjoy this episode of In Fashion. Michael thank you so much for joining me today on In Fashion.

Michael 1:26

Thank you for having me.

GTN 1:28

So, you know, I think it's fair to say that whether people realize it or not, they have seen your work because you have been creating outfits for the entertainment industry for some time.

Michael 1:40

Mm-hmm.

GTN 1:40

and it would be as easily Lady Gaga on the cover of Rolling Stone, dressed in Bubbles. Tina Turner in concert in a Chain mail mini dress, Lil Nas X in gold armour at the Met Gala.

Michael 1:51

Mm-hmm.

GTN 1:52

Maybe it's easier to ask. Who haven't you dressed and who would you like to

Michael 1:56

Well, let's see. there aren't many living artists that I, I would really like to work with that I haven't. I really had wanted very much to work with Michael Jackson. I met with him once I developed this concept for him that he really loved, but it was shortly before he died, but yeah, he, to me, is the king, you know, of all Bowie also, of course, but you know, by that time, he was more into suits and things he wasn't really doing particularly, you know, the innovation was in his music, not particularly in the way he dressed But yeah, masters.

GTN 2:35

So how did you get your start in design?

Michael 2:38

Well, I grew up in the Midwest, and I had always been sort of creative in school and I had an affinity for clothing and I, you know, because I grew up watching the Sonny and Cher Show and all of these, you know, magical television performances in the seventies that we're so incredible by today's standards, they were insane.

GTN 2:59

Wild, right?

Michael 3:00

Yeah. and that kind of taught me, Cher in particular, taught me how glamorous a woman could be. And I thought, somebody's gotta make her clothes. Of course I knew it was Bob Mackie. And then I would see Grace Jones, or I would see, you know, Debbie Harry, or all my favorite musical artists. And I just thought, man, somebody's gotta do it. You know? But it wasn't, there was no real way to break into that world. What happened to me was purely accidental. I had moved to New York in 1983. I went actually to see a concert. Diana Ross did a concert in Central Park, which was a legendary concert. One of the greatest things I ever saw. And, you know, it was rained out and she held the stage during this incredible downpour, and there's like a hundred thousand people there. And she, she single-handedly kept people from stampeding. The governor came out, he said she was gonna get electrocuted, you know, but she really showed me the power of commanding an audience. And, and that changed me. And so then I, you know, I was 20, 21 years old. Didn't have a job, so I, and I decided to stay in New York. I was really only gonna go for a week, but couldn't leave. It was fabulous. And, uh, so I started making jewelry out of things I would find, you know, on the street and, whatever.

GTN 4:18

The original up cycler in a sense.

Michael 4:20

Yeah. And well, it was all like, could afford. but, um, then I found that I had an affinity for making chain mail, clothing, or jewelry. It started, and then I made a dress and this little chain mail dress ended up in the window of a store in soho. And a friend of mine, Jessica, worked in this store and they put the dress in the window. And one day, lo and behold, Cher walked by and she went in the store and she inquired as to who made the dress, because she wanted to have some custom things made. And they wouldn't tell her because they, you know, wanted her to have to go through them to have anything made, you know, I understand that. So she left. And my friend Jessica ran after her and slipped her my phone number And so I'm, you know, 20 whatever, three at this point, something. And living in basically a squat,

GTN 5:15

Living the dream.

Michael 5:16

Yeah. And we had beepers back then. Pagers.

GTN 5:19

Oh my God, yes.

Michael 5:20

You remember these?

GTN 5:21

Doctors had them certainly

Michael 5:22

Yeah. Long before cell phones. So, uh, it was the only way you could reach anybody. So you would call this number and, you would have this little machine and it would tell you the phone number that was trying to reach you. So you would have to go to a phone and call 'em back. So I call, I went down to his payphone and I called this number and it was Cher.

GTN 5:39

Oh my God. And did you die?

Michael 5:41

I died. I died and she was so lovely and she invited me over to her home and I mean, I was, I was like a little goth kid, you know, I was really, I was an original goth kid, and so I don't know what she thought when I showed up, you know? But, we got on so well, we just fell madly in love and she basically handed me my career. You know, I started making things for her and then she started giving my things away as gifts to, you know, John Bon Jovi and Tina Turner and all of these artists that were friends of hers. And so I started working with entertainers that way.

GTN 6:25

Oh my actual God.

Michael 6:26

I know. I mean, you can't, Plan that or make that happen in any way. I mean, now we have the internet and you can kind of, introduce yourself to people, to stylists and whatnot. Yeah. But back then there were no stylists. So it was a really magical thing. And she was and still is a great, great friend. And, it's just, the luck of, you know, how, how can you explain it.

GTN 6:48

So, so not traditionally trained then?

Michael 6:51

No. Never went self to college. Self entirely self-taught. I never had the patience for school. I resented being told what to do and how to do it. And so, which I probably shouldn't say to out loud, but, um, there are any kids listening,

GTN 7:07

it's important to study hard.

Michael 7:08

Exactly. That's right. Kids stay in school. But, I figured, well, anything that I want to know, I can read a book and teach myself. So I did, and onward, we marched

GTN 7:18

Wow. So when did you gain momentum in this whole world?

Michael 7:21

Well, when I began working with John Bon Jovi, he had been asked to do a line of Bon Jovi clothing, which no artist had at that time. Now everybody does, but back then that didn't exist. So these Japanese people had asked him to do this line of clothes and he thought it was a stupid idea and he said no every time. And then he met me and he went back to these people and he said, okay, I'll do this thing if you get this kid to design it. So I designed this line of rock and roll clothing, around 19 85, 86, something like that. And, I went to Tokyo to work it all out and get it manufactured and so forth. The line of clothing never materialized because they couldn't somehow agree on the financial side of things, but I did this whole thing and in doing so, he moved me to Los Angeles. So in around 86 I was living in LA and then I really started doing a lot of bands. So back then it was a time of glam rock and metal and all that stuff.

GTN 8:24

Cool.

Michael 8:24

And it was such a fun time, in music. And I was doing bands like, you know, INXS, Iggy Pop, The Cult, Aerosmith, Skid Row, all those great bands back then having a great time. And, uh, and then all of a sudden, in 19, I think 91 Nirvana came out with this record, Nevermind. And boom, the whole thing just shattered. The whole industry just came to crashing down. And so I, was basically out of a career. I didn't really know what to do. So I went back to New York. And wow. For all of the nineties, I didn't really do any design work I actually ran a nightclub. which was the funnest time of my life. It was really fun because it was I, this club, it was called Squeeze Box, and it was drag queens singing with a live punk band. And so it was every Friday night, and this is actually how I met Lee, because he would come to this club all the time.

GTN 9:26

That's Lee McQueen,

Michael 9:27

John Waters in his act still says Squeezebox was the greatest club in New York City history. Because you know, you would go there and I wouldn't allow the press in.

GTN 9:36

Great.

Michael 9:36

You know, and so, you could be crazy and, and there was no VIP room or anything like that.

GTN 9:41

Or social media.

Michael 9:42

Exactly. Nothing like that. We didn't have cameras, no recording of anything. So it was quite debaucherous Plus, I would have my band friends come and perform with the queens. So you never really knew who would show up. So, you know, it could be Joan Jet, it could be Debbie Harry, it could be Mark Almond, or you know, one night I did a number on, I very rarely did drag myself, but for a birthday party, I did it once and Marilyn Manson was there and he got up and sang back up for me. And I mean, it was just like that, it was an important club. Hedwig and the Angry Inch...

GTN 10:16

oh my God.

Michael 10:16

...started there. A lot of amazing bands came out of there. I think it was Antony and the Johnson's first shows. It was a really it was an important thing for New York City because we were under Giuliani's reign at that time, which was highly repressive. And so we kind of flew under that radar and it was a great mix of gay and straight, and I had Gogo dancers of every ilk, one of my dancers was 80 years old, one, you know, they were every body type, they were, every, you know, everything. And it was really healthy, you know, for the community. And a lot of designers came, a lot of photographers, I mean, Steven Meisel came and then two weeks later there was a Calvin Klein ad campaign with all these little punk kids in underwear. So that was a highly, creative period in a different way.

GTN 11:03

Mm.

Michael 11:04

For, for me.

GTN 11:05

Yeah. And a kind of, uh, a kind of coming together, like a hub and a creative melting pot.

Michael 11:10

Yeah, very much so. It was, it was important for a lot of people. Clubs are important for people. Yeah. As meeting grounds, as places for people to, find their chosen family, you know? Yeah. So I, I feel very, fortunate in that I, I was able to have that, in my life. Yeah, it was great.

GTN 11:27

And so then from there that well ended. And you're back in LA?

Michael 11:31

Yeah, it petered out after about seven years, which is a good long run for any club. And uh, and then I was not really sure what to do and some friends in LA asked me to said, just come back out to LA and start, you know, doing stuff again. Well, you don't just start doing stuff, you know. So I came out and I was kind of casting around for something to do. And Cher said to me, look, why don't you design for these friends of mine? They're called Chrome Hearts and they have this great leather company. And I said, oh, I know who Chrome Hearts is because back in the eighties, I had been making a suit, a leather suit for Joe Perry from Aerosmith. And we had this great fitting and he loved the suit. And then as I was leaving, he said, oh dude, you gotta see this stuff I found. And he pulls open a suitcase and he pulls out these leather pants that were the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. Sterling silver zippers and, you know, beautiful stitching. The quality of the leather was just insane. And I said, you know what, Joe? I can't finish this leather suit for you. I mean, I, I can't approach the quality that, that you've just shown me. You know, these are the people that really you should be wearing. And I never did leather again after that. Cut to 2000 when I moved to LA. So Cher says, oh, you gotta meet my friends Chrome Hearts. So, she calls up Richard and Lori, the owners, and she says, I've got this friend of mine who, is a designer and he does his, like mesh things and he does all this crazy stuff. And they, I, they brought me in and I, I started with one bracelet and it did well and then just progressed and, you know, they were very welcoming to me and really wonderful. And it's been 22 plus years that I've designed for them.

GTN 13:16

Wow.

Michael 13:16

So that was a nice little thing that, once again, Cher bailed me out.

GTN 13:21

Cher is like the fairy godmother.

Michael 13:22

She is my fairy godmother. Absolutely.

GTN 13:26

And then in terms of dressing stars again, like the tours and stuff, how did that all kick off again?

Michael 13:30

Yeah, well from there, they were very, clued plugged into the rock and roll community and plus I still had a few tricks up my sleeve, you know, so I reached out to a few people and I just very slowly started and I built up my team, which is, you know, all important. And just kind of inched my way back into it and then it just kind of grew. By this time there were stylists, back when I was starting, it would just be me and Tina Turner alone in a hotel room, you know? Yeah. Just doing it. But this was a very different animal, you know. but I quickly you know, met a lot of the best stylists that there were. And I did some movies and I did some just stuff and it just, grew organically and here we are still doing it.

GTN 14:19

Here we are. I feel very fortunate because I first, we first met in LA.

Michael 14:23

Yeah.

GTN 14:23

And I was able to see the original iteration of the Alexander McQueen exhibition.

Michael 14:28

Mm-hmm.

GTN 14:28

Mind Mythos Muse, which was then on at LACMA. And I just remember walking into your studio and looking at the walls going, wow, I don't think there's anyone, this guy hasn't dressed seriously. And it was just, it was so incredible. But I remember very specifically you saying to me that you had found a particular sort of niche in a way. I mean, entertainment is its own niche, but within that it was working with unusual materials on the body.

Michael 14:59

Yeah.

GTN 14:59

So, how did this come about?

Michael 15:02

Well, I had always had this interest in fashion, but I wasn't interested in being like a sort of typical clothing designer making dresses and that sort of thing. I wasn't skilled enough at that, and I knew it, but I did know how to innovate new, new materials. And, the challenge for me would be to create a malleable material out of an immobile motile thing. You know, plastic wood, metal and then making those work on the body. That was the challenge for me, and I thought, you know, you're never gonna invent a, a color that doesn't exist. You're never gonna invent a fabric or a silhouette that hasn't been done. So the only way to really distinguish yourself is gonna be to adapt these materials in, in unusual but sexy and, you know, entertaining ways. So, I just sort of specialized in that, and it worked for me because, you know, I have an appreciation for fashion, I understand it, but I don't really do fashion, I don't compete in the fashion world, you know? I like working with entertainers because I'm such a fan, I'm a music fan.

GTN 16:15

Yeah.

Michael 16:16

So I do it because I love it I love the artistic mindset, and I love, I love musicians and I just, I have a lot of actor friends too, but I, I really love musicians. It's just some, it's a form of expression to me that really, you know, it speaks to me and I'm not alone in that, you know?

GTN 16:32

I mean, given you've been known to get on stage at your club and stuff, are you a frustrated musician yourself?

Michael 16:36

No. My, my great regret in life is that I can't sing a note. Not at all. I wish I could have, but...

GTN 16:43

well, not everyone can make chain mail dresses from scratch...

Michael 16:45

Exactly.

GTN 16:46

So it's, it's Even Stevens You've described yourself as part designer, part engineer. How do you approach your design?

Michael 16:55

Well, I have an amazing studio my kids that work there are just fantastic and they come to me from a jewelry background because you have to be able to work in my studio on all scales. You have to be able to work small, you know, we do a lot of jewelry and then of course we do clothing, but then we also do large scale sculptural works. So if you can work small, you can expand, you can work bigger, but if you work big that you can't always work small. So you have to have the finesse of working with pliers and working with metals and, you know, all these things. If you can do that, then we have the basis of the start of a relationship. And my people that have been with me now for a very long time, can really accomplish most anything, you know.

GTN 17:46

What's, what's the craziest thing you guys have been asked to make?

Michael 17:50

Well, gosh, good question. Lil Nas X's armor was challenging because it was tearaway. Katie Perry's dress, the chandelier dress for the Met Gala, that was challenging because how do you wear a chandelier? You know? And I really thought, and that lights up and that you can walk in heels up those stairs and you know, not kill yourself. I really thought I was gonna kill that girl but she was a trooper, she was awesome at that. So, those are the kind of projects that are really fun to do. We often do those in conjunction with another designer. A lot of times other designers will come to me when they can't figure out how to make a thing and we figure it out. so that's always enjoyable. I enjoy collaborating with people. But occasionally I really do get to showcase what my studio can do. For example, in 2012, I was asked to do a piece in New York at the Ace Hotel, they were having a symposium for Fashion Week on 3D printing. And they had all these 3D printers in the lobby and the designers could come and play with them. And you know, this was a very new technology. It wasn't new to me because back in the eighties NASA used to have what were called technology transfer seminars, where they would take these crazy technologies that they invent and when they were done with them, they would present them to the public or to industry and then industry, Nike or whoever, you know, would come and they would look at these amazing new technologies and that would inform the direction you know, they could buy into these technologies. So I would go to these things feverishly, and the very first time I, I saw a 3D printer was there and it was the size of a bus. And, it was the most fabulous thing I've ever seen, and yeah, it was magic. So I thought, I'm going to use this one day. I don't know how, I dunno when. And I had to wait, many years for the technology to, catch up and to evolve. But so what happened with the Ace was, They needed like a finale piece to this symposium. And I, they asked me if I would do something and I said, sure, but I didn't wanna just do a dress that would be worn by a model and forgotten the next day. I wanted to really create a moment. I wanted to make this technology sexy. So I asked my great friend Dita Von Teese, who's the greatest burlesque artist in the world, if we could work together on this thing, if I could design this dress for her. And she said, sure. She didn't really have any idea what the hell I was talking about But, she said, sure. So, I designed a dress that was the very first articulated fabric ever to be 3D printed. There had been, pieces of clothing worn, before Iris Van Herpen was using 3D printing. But they were sculptural. They were like a...

GTN 20:47

they would have to be like, joined together at certain places by hand.

Michael 20:50

They would've to be mounted on the body. You know, and they were mostly runway pieces. So what I wanted to introduce to the conversation was how to create an actual fabric. So I designed this mesh that was articulated in that it had joints with like a ring inside the joint that was printed all at one time. And so yeah, it was really, it was quite something. It was a challenge and I worked with this CAD designer in New York and he built a version of Dita in his computer and we kind of draped this dress. You know, I designed this dress that was kind of a nod to her sort of Hollywood classic glamor look, big shoulders but very elaborate and very complex. And so we printed this dress and then dyed it and crystalled it and all that stuff. And then we presented it and it was such a smash because nobody had ever seen anything like that. And it garnered so much press that it was seen by over a billion people all around the world. For the next year I was trying to run, to catch up to the attention this was creating. I went all over the world doing talks at technology expos and things like that. So that was fun to do. So that was probably the most challenging piece, I guess I would say I've ever done.

GTN 22:15

I would hope.

Michael 22:16

Just because, yeah, just because it, it was a new technology and it was really in its infancy and so you don't really know what can be done until you do it. It was like anything else we do. You just don't know what's doable until you do it.

GTN 22:32

What are the sort of briefs that you like to receive? Very specific ones or...

Michael 22:36

It depends. For example, with NGV and with LACMA, they gave me a very free hand.

GTN 22:41

So this is in creating the head pieces for the Alexander McQueen exhibition.

Michael 22:45

Yeah, yeah. They were very generous with me. There was no real dictate, I was just inspired by McQueen. because the exhibition was showing McQueen's work, of course, and the things that inspired him. Uh, meaning the artworks, the writings, the photographs, all of that. And so, in addition to that, it's also about how he went on to inspire other artists. So that's why they're including another artist in this McQueen exhibition. So, that was a dream. But usually for example, when Madonna's gonna go on the road, she has like a narrative arc. That story that she's trying to tell. It's actually quite similar to the way a fashion collection is built. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. And you have to help facilitate the telling of this story. So that's challenging. But you don't just come up with stuff, you work within the confines of telling this story. So I like to work collaboratively. So it's a challenge, but it's fun.

GTN 23:42

Especially when entertainers can go to any designer anywhere, these days, I mean, celebrity and fashion are so enmeshed. To have someone come to you specifically

Michael 23:51

Yeah.

GTN 23:51

Is great.

Michael 23:52

Well, you know, on tour you don't really wear fashion. First of all, clothing, that we know of as clothing, as fashion isn't built for touring or stage, usually in any way. So we have to sort of excel at making things very durable. There's often a quick change element to what we do. I insist that everything that comes out of our studio be museum quality, because if it's been worn by Beyonce or whatever, it's, you never know where it could end up. And I don't want anybody ever looking at the inside of one of our things and saying, wow, this is garbage. You know?

GTN 24:27

How did this even hold up?

Michael 24:28

Exactly. So, you know, it's a different kind of design, it's different kind of designing, but, um, you know, these are the challenges that make it fun.

GTN 24:38

Totally. So as we've touched upon, the Alexander McQueen exhibition, it's such a fascinating concept as you've mentioned, this whole idea of his influences and seeing all those things in the same place at the same time. Now you knew McQueen.

Michael 24:53

Yes, we were...

GTN 24:54

did that help or hinder this whole...

Michael 24:55

It, it helped in a way, in that I had a glimpse into his personality and what he, you know, what made him laugh he had a great sense of humor and that's important when you're doing this kind of thing. a lot of designers don't. I didn't know him well, but I knew him enough that I allowed him to sort of guide me in my ear, you know? And I was always thinking, what would Lee do in this situation? And hopefully, we hit the mark more often than not. But it's daunting in that these are masterpieces. These garments are more sculptural in nature than clothing, really. And, he's one of the greatest that's ever lived. And so to be commissioned to exalt this artist is quite daunting. It was only challenging in that I personally was kind of freaked out because I just worshiped him so much, you know? But, both LACMA and NGV were just wonderful with me, and they really allowed me a, a great deal of freedom to, just run, run free. And, I was always inspired by McQueen and by Philip Treacy and Shaun Lean and the work that was in his world. But you have to also bring your own choices to it. So if you know McQueen's work, you'll see a number of things in the show that are references to various collections, but they're done in a new way. For example, Tracy did this one hat that was so amazing and Grace Jones wore it. It was like spikes coming out from the head, and they were feathers, but there was a tiny, little, like an arrow at the end...

GTN 26:39

mm-hmm.

Michael 26:40

...of the feather and, it's an iconic piece. Great silhouette, and so I redid that, but I did it using black obsidian arrowheads, you know, so similar look, and it referenced the piece and if you know McQueen's work or if you know Philip Treacy's work, you would catch it. So, I wanted there to be little Easter eggs for people to discover

GTN 27:01

For the fans.

Michael 27:01

Yeah, exactly. Cause that's what I like.

GTN 27:03

I mean for anyone who is not lucky enough to see this exhibition in the flesh, it is extraordinary the breadth of materials and approaches you've taken to this. It's everything from beautiful Swarovski crystal bows and crystal and chain mail cloches, quite medieval glamor. Then you've got, a sailing ship is it a galleon? I'm not. I'm not up with

Michael 27:25

sailing ships. Yes. It's a galleon.

GTN 27:26

Made with strung with crystal, and then you've got a piece with pine cones and then there's, oh god, it's just endless. There's the little moths that are robotic that are actually moving. They're sitting on a branch and they just very...

Michael 27:38

That was fun to do.

GTN 27:39

...gently, open and close. And then there's another that's like a mobile. It's like little, almost like cut origami or something. I don't know how you describe that.

Michael 27:47

Yes. They're birds. And, the piece that, it accompanies is a black dress with beautiful silver embroidered birds. And so I wanted to incorporate motion as much as I could. Um, I didn't get a chance to do as much of it as I would've liked, but that was a fun piece to do. We water jet cut these steel birds, they're or origami esque in a way, and created these shapes and then ombre painted them and plated them it was a whole thing. But yes, it circles the head. It's kind of very Tippy Hedren vibe, you know.

GTN 28:22

Very Hitchcockian. Were there any pieces in that exhibition that were really super difficult?

Michael 28:30

Well, let's see, the ship was very challenging and that probably took the longest of them all. I would say there's about a hundred hours in that piece. It's a brass, rod structure, built into the shape of a ship and then strung with crystal beads. So, yeah, that one was a lot.

GTN 28:51

So in terms of materials in the exhibition, the Plato's Atlantis section which of course was McQueen's final, fully realized collection by him in his lifetime. There are some fascinating materials used in that. Can you tell me, cause that's sort of this idea that, you know, climate change has won, effectively...

Michael 29:09

Right.

GTN 29:09

...sea levels have risen. We've devolved back into the ocean...

Michael 29:12

You know, I was fascinated by his concept for the show, and it was, as you say, the idea of us devolving back into the seas from where we came. And so I was thinking, okay, if a woman were to have, you know, receded back into the sea, how would she embellish herself And so of course I thought of all the garbage that we put into the oceans and yet some of it's quite pretty in its way, so I used a lot of highly colorful candy wrappers and those six pack rings, that hold a six pack of beer, You know, because we know that they kill turtles and they're really horrible for the environment. And so I wanted to really take these materials that you would find in that environment and try to help tell that story, you know? So that was the design impetus behind it. There's also a lot of 3D printing in that section of the show. We worked with a mannequin manufacturer and they were doing the bodies, but they didn't quite know what to do with the heads. So I designed the heads and one of them it's like this woman has grown tentacles from her head. And then we embellish 'em with pearls and crystal. And then another is these sort of s moray eels growing out of her head as hair. And then the silhouettes are the same silhouettes for the hair from the show. So, um, so that was great fun to do. That was my personal favorite collection of his.

GTN 30:42

It was so incredible. You even did some sort of, variations on the armadillo shoe, cause they're apparently quite hard to find these days.

Michael 30:48

Yes. Yeah, they weren't able to find any. I think Gaga and Daphne Guinness bought them all. Yeah. And so we made our own version.

GTN 30:58

And so what is next on your horizon for the coming year?

Michael 31:02

Well, when I get back to Los Angeles, I'm doing a dress for Lady Gaga for a film that she's currently, doing the, new Joker movie she and Joaquin Phoenix, so I'm making her a dress for that. And you know, it's touring season again. Everybody's got records coming out and everybody's dying to get back out on the road because of Covid. They haven't been able to in so long. So, you know, you see what happened with Taylor Swift? So we just did, Lil Nas X's tour and several more artists that I work with have records out or coming out, and so come spring there'll be a lot of great, amazing tours on the road. So, I'm looking forward to all that. And you know, you just never know what the day is gonna bring. It's, it's always exciting, it's always unique and it's, it's a mystery. You know, what we're going to do next. It's a mystery to me.

GTN 31:56

It's kind of a great way to work though, isn't it?

Michael 31:57

I love it .I love it. You don't have a parachute of security when you work that way. But, every day is different, you know, and it's always exciting and it's always interesting and you work with fabulous people and it's great fun. It really is. And I would really actually like to do much more museum work because, you never really think about it, but anytime a museum mounts an exhibition of clothing, they do need to think of something to do with the heads. Often they will leave them bald, but you know, I think people are, once they see exhibitions such as this, after that you don't really wanna see a bald head, you know?

GTN 32:40

No, it's really true.

Michael 32:41

You know, so, and how many museums are there in the world? So I could just do that for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy, honestly.

GTN 32:49

Any museums listening, Michael Schmidt Studios are available and ready and willing.

Michael 32:53

That's right.

GTN 32:54

Well, Michael, it has been an absolute pleasure to have you on in fashion today. You so much.

Michael 32:59

Thank you so much. Thank you for everything and coming to LA to the studio. That was fun.

GTN 33:04

It was so much fun. Thank you.

Michael 33:06

In my pleasure.

GTN 33:10

Thank you for listening. You can find the show on Instagram at In Fashion underscore podcast where you can DM any questions. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love you to share it with your friends and on social media and to rate and review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks again for listening to In Fashion.