The Creatives: An Interview with Katherine Nolfi

Katherine Nolfi is one of a small group of film makers redefining what we expect from the independent film world.  Her debut feature film, UPSTATE (co-directed with Andrew Luis), premiered in competition at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival where it was selected as  “Best of the Fest” by LA Weekly. She has written and directed several short films of note, including UNLIMITED (co-directed with Andrew Luis), which was an official selection of SXSW 2009, MOUTH BABIES (co-directed with Lisa Duva) an official selection of the 2011 Slamdance Film Festival and which won Best Short at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival.

Her current screenplay, THE WORLD OF MEN, was a finalist for the 2012 Nantucket Film Festival’s Tony Cox Screenwriting Award.  When she is not behind the camera, she works in various capacities within the film and television industry. Like the other smart and compelling women featured in The Creatives posts,  Katherine has a easy and effortless style wholly her own, part gamine, part downtown, and utterly covetable.

What do you see trending in fashion now?

High-waisted everything, head wraps, clogs.  Did I just describe the cover of a Vashti Bunyan album?

When was the last time you had a fashion epiphany?

Recently I watched Andrzej Żuławski’s POSSESSION.  Isabelle Adjani spends the whole brilliant freak-out of a movie running around making love to invertebrate creatures and luxuriating in spilt milk on the floor of a subway station.  She wears a blue dress throughout and it gets pretty gnarly towards the end but she still looks glamourous.  I guess my initial epiphany was “Be Isabelle Adjani.”  Short of that miracle, I think the clothes slowly form to you so don’t stress about it so much.  Is that an anti-fashion epiphany?

What is your favorite High brand? And your low brand? How do you mix high and low?

There’s not a lot of High in my life, but I do occasionally throw a seriously crisp cream and white Theory blazer over my usual T-shirt and jeans.  Major fairy godmother results.    Add the perfect Yves Saint Laurent black flats scored from eBay and I rock a real Working Girl vibe on my way to the train in Queens.

What is your go-to uniform for a day of work? The weekend?

You’d think after after twelve years of catholic school I’d never want to wear another uniform again.  Alas, every day I can be found in my school colors: white T-shirt, blue jeans, blue shoes and frankly sometimes my old penny loafers.  I do throw on a non-regulation pastel-marled cardigan for when I get the chills. 

What is your favorite ILR piece and why?

I’m currently losing it over The Couplet Ring.  I love the modern design offset by the hand-forged details, both of which make The Couplet Ring feel really alive.  It’s like seeing Zeus’ fingerprints on a lighting bolt.  So dope.

Who are your style icons? 

As a broke young woman my grandmother drew black stripes down the back of her legs so it looked like she had nylons, she raised six kids, briefly ran a vintage store that provided the props for my childhood fantasies and fed the raccoons even though everyone said they were a nuisance.  Oh and she looked good doing it all.  She was one of those people who could pull off a jaunty hat, you know what I mean?

What are you living in these days?

The perfect white V-neck T-shirt that will disintegrate on my body, Raleigh Denim, blue suede oxfords (see above uniform).  Now that the mercury is rising, I’m mixing in a wide-stripped jersey pencil skirt and Sanita clogs for this Spring rain.