FASHION

Ohne Titel’s Designers Love Vintage, Hate When Friends Match

Alexa Adams and Flora Gill share a page from their style notes.


Alexa Adams and Flora Gill

Fashion designers Flora Gill and Alexa Adams first met as students at Parson’s School of Design in 1999. After several years of working for established fashion houses, they launched their own collection Ohne Titel in 2006. Since then, they have been designing strong, modern pieces—that embody their personal, quirky aesthetics. Here, the design duo reveal what they wear every day, their favorite stores, and more:

Define your style in three words: Alexa Adams: Stark, feminine, and quirky. Flora Gill: Confident, individual and athletic.

Daily uniform: AA: I love mixing hard and soft. A textured cotton sweater layered over a leather pleated skirt, and stacked silver cuffs by Anndra Neen. FG: I wear a lot of tailored jackets with interesting details over layered knits. I love pattern, print and stripes.

Greatest hits: AA: An Ohne Titel black shearling and suede trench coat. It goes over almost everything I wear. I also treasure a vintage Bedouin dress I bought on a trip to Jordan. FG: A lightweight, cropped motorcycle jacket from our Fall 2008 collection. It’s beautifully worn into shape.

Preferred footwear: AA: Strappy sandals or boots. I have a very sexy pair of Alejandro Ingelmo lace up heels that I love. FG: Men’s wear-style brogues.

Finishing touches: AA: I generally wear stacked rings from Iosellini with an oversized knot cuff from our collaboration with Fenton Fallon. FG: I love a statement earring. I recently bought a pair of oversized earrings made of ebony wood and cotton cording with metal tips.

Nighttime look: AA: I love wearing vintage ‘20s and ‘30s dresses I bought at Bridgitte de la Campaigne in Paris. FG: Knit dress, strong earrings, and dance-able shoes.

Best recent discovery: AA: I found a new beauty shop in Brooklyn called Twisted Lilly that sells niche perfumes by new American perfumers like Slumberhouse. I’ve been wearing their scent Norne all winter. FG: The Vosges Haute Chocolate Italian Collection. It includes a white chocolate with olive oil truffle that is incredible.

Favorite stores: AA: Paula Rubenstein, antiques and found objects. Paula has an inspiring eye. Also, Cold Spring Apothecary for soaps and salves made by hand. FG: Dashwood books—I love to buy gifts there and then get a few things for myself…

Style pet peeve: AA: Obvious trends and people dressing alike. Recently I saw three girls walking together in matching printed yoga pants. Now I see them everywhere. FG: Logos.

Style icons: AA: Shirin Neshat, Anita Berber, and Kathleen Hanna. I am always inspired by iconoclasts. FG: Tauba Auerbach and Marylin Riseman.

Last purchase: AA: I ended up buying a turn-of-the-century milking stool last time I went upstate. It’s a conversation piece. FG: In Shanghai I discovered a delicious dried mushroom called Cloud Ears. In the package they are tiny but when you cook them they expand ten times. I use them in everything.

Lusting after: AA: Anna Betbeze’s paintings on woolen rugs. FG: Summertime in an upstate cabin.

Favorite haunts: AA: I always go to Forgetmenot and Cafe Dancer in the Lower East Side for drinks with friends. Honi Honi for a night out in Hong Kong. Petrelle for an intimate dinner in Paris. FG: Pho Real in Shanghai (the very best Pho soup.) I eat there every time I visit, which is up to three times a year. Also, Brookbin, a wine bar in Park Slope with a beautiful garden and very creative cocktails.

What’s always in your bag: AA: My Kindle loaded up with books. Right now I am reading Angela Carter’s The Passion of New Eve. FG: Miniature crochet hooks. (I wear a lot of knits.)

Photos: Ohne Titel’s Designers Love Vintage, Hate When Friends Match

Alexa Adams and Flora Gill

Dashwood Books. Photo courtesy of Alexa Adams and Flora Gill.

Marilyn Reisman Creme. Photo by Darren Hall.

Cold Spring Apothecary. Photo courtesy of Alexa Adams and Flora Gill.

Anna Betbeze. Photo courtesy of Alexa Adams and Flora Gill.

The Twisted Lily. Photo courtesy of Alexa Adams and Flora Gill.

“I love a statement earring. I recently bought a pair of oversized earrings made of ebony wood and cotton cording with metal tips.” Photo courtesy of Alexa Adams and Flora Gill.

The Twisted Lily. Photo courtesy of Alexa Adams and Flora Gill.

Shirin Neshat. Photo by Lorenzo Bringheli.

Paula Rubenstein. Photo courtesy of Alexa Adams and Flora Gill.

Best recent discovery. Photo courtesy of Alexa Adams and Flora Gill.

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