Anyone who hasn’t skimmed through Details magazine in awhile is denying themselves the pleasure and advice found within deputy editor Katherine Wheelock’s one page style column in the Dossier section. With titles such as “Enough with the Skinny Ties” and “Time to Lose the Dad Jeans”, it’s apparent that she knows when certain trends have overstayed their welcome in this fickle fashion universe or when average guys have just lost their way altogether when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. I’ve come to look forward to see which celebrity’s misguided fashion sense she has chosen to make a lesson out of with each new issue that arrives in my mailbox: Will it be Josh Hartnett? Maybe Justin Timberlake? Her poignant writing is sharp and is bound to make you laugh, but deep down she cares about her readers because she wants us to avoid the pitfalls that we sometimes don’t see ourselves falling into when we step into our latest duds. Artificial Flavor recently caught up with Katherine to get a personal perspective on how she goes about her trend-terminating business.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your background of how you came to become deputy editor of Details.
A: I was a Journalism and English major at Washington & Lee University. Working in magazines was something I’d always wanted to do. I moved to New York after graduation and worked briefly as a sales assistant at the New Yorker (it paid more than editorial assistant positions), and then went to a launch called One. It was a design magazine that was born during the shelter-book boom. It lived and died very quickly but it was a great experience. Pilar Guzman, now the editor in chief of the very successful launch Cookie, was a boss of mine there. As was Chris Mitchell, later the publisher of Details, currently the publisher of Wired. Both have been good friends of mine since. After One, I got a job at Time Out New York as the Check Out (style section) writer, and later became the editor of that section. After a few years, I moved to the Fairchild launch Vitals, as an associate editor. When that folded, in part a casualty of the merge between Fairchild Publications and Conde Nast, I was fortunate enough to fall into a spot at Details. I had long wanted to work at a men’s magazine.
Q: How long have you been writing for Details?
A: Two and a half years. My primary duties are as an editor. Writing the style column and the occasional cover stories is something I do when I can.
Q: In a time when magazines seem to come and go, what keeps people coming back to Details?
A: I think what keeps people coming back to Details is its most distinguishing characteristic—an irreverent tone and a willingness to take an unpopular position on an issue. It’s provocative, and writers are given great liberties in terms of expressing themselves, which means there’s always something interesting to read in Details. There are stories in every issue that get people talking. That, combined with really unique service that’s informative but doesn’t talk down to the reader, compelling design, and comprehensive fashion coverage make it a men’s magazine that stands out from the rest—and that appeals to a wide range of readers.
Q: How do you come up with the ideas for your column?
A: The ideas come from a lot of places. Sometimes they’re my own. Sometimes they come from the extremely observant and insightful fashion department. Sometimes they come from other editors at the magazine and even the art department. We’re open to ideas from anywhere, and we’re an opinionated staff. But often, they come from Dan, our editor in chief.
Q: You seem to quote some notable names in the fashion trade, such as Rogan Gregory. How do you get in touch with these guys?
A: Our fashion editors are very well-connected, and they’re usually the ones who put me in touch with the right designers and buyers and store owners for each piece. But after you’ve been writing about one subject for a while, you begin to make your own contacts and form your own relationships with sources as well. For example, I’ve talked to Tim Gunn so many times for some of these stories that I feel pretty much like I can call him up anytime and quickly get a quote or a comment from him.
Q: Have you ever met any celebrities after you’ve used them as an example of what not to emulate?
A: Ha. No, not yet. But it could very well happen.
Q: Who is someone that you think is never in need of style advice?
A: Oh, I guess the usual. George Clooney gets referenced a lot, and it’s true. But I think a lot of Hollywood guys dress pretty well these days. They know what they like.
Q: Are American men finally catching up to their European counterparts?
A: I always sort of thought that was a myth in the first place. I mean, certainly Europeans have always had an appreciation for tailoring, and American men are only now beginning to really get into custom suits and shirts, but I don’t think significantly more European men have always dressed better than American men. I think it’s pretty even. I’m sure people will argue with me about that.
Q: What are some current trends that desperately need to go the way of the dodo bird?
A: Skinny jeans, for men.
Q: What book is currently on your night stand?
A: Ooh. That’s hard. It’s usually a lot of started-and-unfinished books. Richard Russo’s Bridge of Sighs. An Anthony Bourdain book. I think the last thing I finished was The Brief and Wondrous Life or Oscar Wao, and that was an embarrassingly long time ago. And there are always lots of food magazines and men’s magazines.
You can find Details at your local newsstand or visit their website for additional content and subscription info: http://men.style.com/details/
