We can’t think of anything more natural than the talented Mr. Mickey aka Mickey Boardman transitioning to full-fledged fashion designer. As a front row fixture for years, he’s seen it all. The Paper magazine legend tells The Daily about his eponymous new line with Live Rocket and how he became known as Mr. Mickey.
How did the idea of a Mr. Mickey line come up?
I studied fashion design at Parsons and failed out with one semester left so I never thought I’d end up with a clothing line. Mark Bozek, former CEO of HSN was the home shopping king and I’ve known him for decades. He knew I was obsessed with home shopping so when he started Live Rocket, he asked me if I wanted to do some kind of products and I immediately thought of sparkle.
What appealed to you about coming up with your own line?
I’ve worked at Paper for 30 years and it’s been amazing but things have changed in magazines and since the pandemic, I’m only working part time. So it was the perfect time to start working on outside projects that I never had time for. My thinking is very editorial so I bring that to the Mr. Mickey line. Plus I have so many great relationships with creative people that I can work with on the line. Whether it’s doing a paparazzi print with Patrick McMullan, the collabs we’re doing with artists for future drops, or friends like Michael Musto, Lynn Yaeger, Bonnie Morrison and Steven Kolb modeling for the lookbook at Indochine, my favorite restaurant.
Michael Musto, Mickey Boardman, Lynne Yaeger (Marco Ovando)
What elements did you feel had to be a part of a Mr. Mickey collection?
Shiny, shiny, shiny. I love sequins, lame and lurex for all occasions. Also fabulous prints! Of course, it all has to be size-inclusive because I’m fat and all that!
How is the collection sized?
Basically we have XS- 4x and it’s unisex. We’re working on expanding into even bigger sizes.
What kind of feedback have you gotten from buyers?
It’s only available through Live Rocket. People have sent me photos of themselves looking adorable and saying they think the line is super fun and comfortable. Really I want it to be fun, glamorous, and easy to wear.
Mickey Boardman and friends (Marco Ovando)
How often will the collections be coming out?
We have the second drop for holiday in November and we’ll have something new every 2 or 3 months.
How did the Mr. Mickey nickname for you even come about?
When I started doing a fashion advice column for Paper in the mid 90s, we needed a name for it. Kim Hastreiter was the one who came up with the idea of calling me Mr Mickey which I thought made me sound like a middle aged hairdresser (in a cute way). The name just stuck. Coincidentally there was a middle aged hairdresser named Mr Mickey on the show The Comeback. Or maybe it wasn’t a coincidence.
It looks like you’ve been traveling a lot lately. Where have you been and where are you off to next?
I was in France for two weeks, in Paris and the Loire Valley. It was my first international trip since COVID and I was so happy. It was so relaxing. I was in Paris during Fashion Week but only went to a few shows. Then I went to Kyiv for Kyiv Art and Fashion Days, which was so much fun. It’s such a vibrant, creative city and since I’m Polish, I really love that part of the world. One of my favorite things is meeting young creatives around the world. Now I just need to get back to India, my favorite spot in the universe.
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