STATUS Magazine July Cover Story
THE MISSHAPES has evolved from spinning in their weekly gigs to mixing the soundtracks for the coolest runway shows and after parties all over the world. Leigh Lezark and Geordon Nicol reveal how they transitioned from being New York’s it DJ group with Greg Krelenstein to becoming the world’s most searched fashion trendsetters…without even trying.
If you’ve spent these last 6 to 8 years clicking across the blogosphere, then you’ve probably heard of The Misshapes legend through one site or another. Being called to interview the DJ group—style and music’s pied pipers Leigh Lezark, Geordon Nicol, and Greg Krelenstein—for a cover story meant that, as a fan, I could finally rise from face-to-computer interaction to face-to-face conversation.
Leigh and Geordon are in Manila, the two of them representing the trio as international projects protocol goes, for a show in Philippine Fashion Week that night. It’s a job they’ve already gotten used to doing. “We do all kinds of different designers—from New York, Paris, London, everywhere,” says Geordon.
Naming themselves after the Pulp song “Mis-Shapes,” the group formed in 2003 and attracted a dedicated following through their weekly parties in downtown New York. Closely resembling the city’s Studio 54 days, it attracted a list of who’s who. A few of those spotted in the scene were models Agyness Deyn, Lily Donaldson, and Gemma Ward, designers Alexander Herchcovitch, Hedi Slimane, and Gareth Pugh, bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Gossip, actresses like Sienna Miller and Chloë Sevigny, icons like Yoko Ono and Madonna.
This morning, the duo is getting ready for a hotel suite shoot. As we wait, Geordon gives me a quick Misshapes history recap: “We started off doing our weekly party, then over time, it gradually evolved to DJing in events and different parties for different people, which evolved into doing lots of runway show music.” He runs down a few of their past runway music clients: Viktor & Rolf, Zac Posen, Henry Holland, Jeremy Scott, and Karl Lagerfeld.
Speaking of Lagerfeld and the great fashion figure that he is, it’s quite noteworthy to mention that he also chose Leigh to be Chanel ambassador, a title beyond any clothing-obsessed woman’s wildest dreams. Leigh talks about the Kaiser in a very respectful way: “I do think Karl has the best energy. He’s a huge inspiration… He’s very good at making people feel like they want to be the best of themselves,” she reflects. “So I did a video for the last cruise collection… He was very supportive, and he had me play Coco Chanel, which was an honor.”
Leigh keeps her answers short and direct. She hardly looks up, and she speaks as she files her nails while perched on the bathroom chair. I ask her what she thinks of the word muse, and she replies hastily, “Nothing…I think it’s kind of silly,” she looks up and pauses. “I mean, you can’t really define that,” she explains and focuses back to her task. She seems a bit nonchalant about the whole experience, remaining unfazed by the title. Leigh never seems to take things too seriously.
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