Tanya Ravichandran Dresses to be Feared

The McQueen addict opens her closet.

From the moment I scrolled upon Tanya Ravichandran I knew one thing… I wanted to steal the entirety of her closet. There! I said it, lock me up! In lieu of actual theft, I interviewed the fashionphile and McQueen collector and got the full debrief.

How would you describe your work?

I’m a photographer, director, and creator, but really I’m just compulsively collecting and living inside an archive of clothes. My work is heavily pulled from brand archives and old editorials, and I spend a lot of time researching, through books, movies, and even social media, inspiring them into something new.

How did you start collecting?

I started collecting during my freshman year of college, 7 years ago. I was always thrifting and antiquing in high school, but during COVID, when I got sent home, it kind of spiraled, and I became obsessed with sourcing online. My gateway piece was a Prada Spring/Summer 1994 tan skirt suit. I just thought it was cute and got it for a steal, not realizing it was early Prada and actually rare. That’s what sent me down the rabbit hole; I fell into a full Prada obsession.

Tell me about your current collection.

You mean my addiction? It kind of started with one Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2000 piece I bought junior year of college to wear to parties (I know an insane thing for me to do–wear McQueen to the college party). It was the pants that had coins running down the side. I started obsessing over that collection, then McQueen more broadly, and it spiraled from there.

I think as a collector, you have to fixate. Once you really know a designer, you know what’s worth buying, what’s rare, and what’s underpriced. I definitely fell into that with McQueen. I probably have around 100 pieces now, and I wear all of them religiously. I don’t really believe in keeping clothes precious.

At the same time, I realized I’d been collecting without knowing it, like owning Ann Demeulemeester purchased from a thrift store in high school, before I even understood what it was. Now my collection is a mix of a lot of early Prada, mostly pre-2000, Belgian designers like A.F. Vandevorst and Martin Margiela, some Hussein Chalayan, Dior Homme (Hedi, obviously), and then a completely separate obsession with vintage band tees. I’ll buy any Pixies or Siouxsie and the Banshees shirt on sight.

What’s the oldest piece in your closet?

Oldest in terms of actual age… I just got this 1930s monkey fur long coat with a matching collar, but don’t worry, it’s vintage fur!

What’s the newest piece?

The 1930s monkey fur coat was unboxed as I was typing this. But I also just won a small auction for a Fernande Desgranges 1940s bag. It’s a tiny doctor-style purse with a watch built into the exterior. I’ve been getting really into antiques recently, and honestly, it’s starting to inform everything else I buy. Even a lot of the ’90s and ’00s pieces I collect trace back to earlier silhouettes, like Alexander McQueen’s Fall/Winter 2000 fur coats that echo 1930s monkey fur; they just have a more McQueen-esque silhouette.

Were you always into fashion?

I loved fashion, even when I wasn’t necessarily participating in it. I was always obsessed with photography and documenting anything I found beautiful. I started an Instagram when I was 10 and would approach girls at my local mall, asking if they wanted to model for me. I’d run around my city shooting them for my social media, which somehow led to a photo going viral on Tumblr and Instagram and getting the attention of PacSun when I was 14. I started shooting campaigns for them, then small indie magazines, and eventually spent my summers in New York doing test shoots with agencies and collaborating with local designers and fresh Parson’s graduates for their final collections.

At the same time, I was a really shy kid and definitely didn’t feel like a fashion person. I grew up in Cupertino, California, right in the center of Silicon Valley and home to Apple. I was told you can only be three things in life: a doctor, an engineer, or a loser, so I thought computer science was my endgame.

Photography was my escape from this tech world from a really young age. I still just love photographing beautiful things, people, and clothing. The difference now is that it’s filtered through this deep obsession with vintage and archival fashion, so even the way I approach shoots and campaigns comes from that same instinct, just with a lot more knowledge behind it.

Do you have any family heirlooms?

I’m the daughter of two immigrants and, cliche as it sounds, they came here with nothing. I guess you can call my mom’s early-’00s Bebe sport bedazzled top an heirloom cause I’m never getting rid of that.

How would you describe your style?

I’ve called myself gothic on the internet once, and I don’t need to relive the public reaction to that. I honestly dislike reducing my style down to words. Alexander McQueen’s shows had no real continuity or relation to the previous ones, they each built their own little worlds, with models as characters and the clothing as part of the story. So I guess I love dressing like a character, too.

Are there any moments sartorially you regret?

I don’t regret anything I wear. I buy everything with conviction and wear it to death. If I regret anything, it’s not buying something rare because I was busy trying to negotiate $30 off like a psycho. Like when the McQueen S/S 2003 button jacket and pants were on eBay for $600, and I was arguing for $500… I’m just always convinced I can find something cheaper.

What are your favorite designers?

I feel like it’s obvious, but in no specific order: Alexander McQueen, Ann Verhelst, An Vandevorst, Hussein Chalayan, Hedi Slimane, Tom Ford, Miuccia Prada, Haider Ackermann, Yves Saint Laurent. I’m especially obsessed with ’80s YSL.

Tell me about what attracts you to McQueen.

He dressed women to be feared, not just admired.

What’s your grail?

I don’t think I have a specific grail, I think I’m kinda addicted to the thrill of the chase of finding pieces. I find “my grail,” and then it’s still not enough. I guess I wouldn’t mind the F/W 2004 Dior Homme kilt, but I don’t see that in my near future; They’re basically impossible to find, but wish me luck!