Wes Gordon kicks off our New Monthly Series: Into the AD Archive! Each month, we’re inviting leading tastemakers from the design world and beyond to explore the vast Architectural Digest archives—more than a century of extraordinary homes, innovative designs, and cultural landmarks dating back to 1922. Gordon, our inaugural archivist, is a fashion designer and the creative director of Carolina Herrera, and his own Manhattan apartment recently graced our September cover.
Since taking the helm at Carolina Herrera in 2018, Wes Gordon, an Atlanta native and Central Saint Martins graduate, has demonstrated an ability to honor heritage while embracing innovation. Sometimes that’s through structured silhouettes that nod to couture tradition; other times, it’s through the daring contemporary art that fills the homes he shares with husband Paul Arnhold and their children. Here Wes Gordon’s favorite spreads from the AD Archive, in his own words.
MAY/JUNE 1974
I’ve always loved this living room by Mark Hampton: the contrast-color parquet floors, the mix of furniture, the Ellsworth Kellys. In the article, he gives a great quote: “It’s much more than fabulous fabrics and furniture or an expensive apartment; it’s the possessions and the personality of the client.” This is a space with a lot of personality.
JAN/FEB 1978
Le Clos Fiorentina is one of the Côte d’Azur’s most beautiful homes. Decorated by David Hicks, the house itself is fantastic, blending contemporary art, French antiques, and local textures (terra-cotta, raffia, cotton). But for me, the true star of this shoot is the beautiful garden: Built into a cliffside, it’s home to olive trees, orange trees, and boxwood topiaries. It is formal and meticulously planned, but has been given a romantic patina by the passage of time.
APRIL 1987
How could I not include this one? I’ve been lucky to spend many an evening in this beautiful town house, and I love these images captured by Derry Moore of an early iteration of the decor. The red damask living room (unfortunately not shown in this shoot) is one of the most iconic rooms in the city. The design of this home is a true testament to the beautiful relationship and collaboration of Carolina and her late husband, Reinaldo Herrera.
MARCH 2000
This shoot is of an earlier incarnation of our home, designed by Peter Marino for the prior owners. The romance of a pre-war New York apartment is the history and stories the walls can tell of the lives lived there before you. As evidenced by these images, the apartment housed an extraordinary art collection, ranging from Old Masters to contemporary masterpieces. Since the 1920s, each occupant of our home has left his or her mark—often with the assistance of America’s great decorators—resulting in its current appearance.
NOVEMBER 2006
We have worked with Stephen Sills for four projects and consider him a close friend; this one was one of our early introductions to his work. One of Stephen’s great skills, shown so masterfully in this apartment, is his command of a neoclassical aesthetic in a way that is totally modern and fresh. He mixes art, furniture, and objects from disparate genres in a way that is completely harmonious. His eclecticism is serene, never brash.
OCTOBER 2018
Our neighbor in Litchfield county, Daniel Romualdez, has a garden that is my dream inspiration for rural Connecticut landscaping. I’m a big fan of Daniel’s work (Tory Burch’s Hamptons home is a standout), and this landscape, done with the incredible Miranda Brooks, seamlessly blends the wild with the manicured. It’s a fine line to walk in upstate Connecticut—avoiding things looking too “done.” By focusing on layers of greenery rather than formal floral gardens, Daniel and Miranda set the bar very high.
SEPTEMBER 2020
I’m so grateful to AD for this shoot of our last home; it serves as a great memory of the many happy years we had there. I love how colorful this apartment was—the walls were painted a rich pink, and the fireplace was tiled in a vibrant green. A vivid yellow bench sat next to an emerald green goatskin table. A stroke of genius from Stephen was displaying the Meissen collection in the den, on a wall papered in a bold damask print. Somehow the pair of Brazilian midcentury chairs work with the Meissen, an impossible conversation between centuries and continents.
