Christopher John Rogers is only 29 years old, but he’s already ascended to a prominent place in American fashion. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rogers moved to New York in 2016, after graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He launched his line by making custom pieces for Eve and Cardi B while working in the design department of Diane von Furstenberg. By the fall of 2019, Net-a-Porter had placed an order, he had won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and he was well on his way to success. Rogers’s judicious, joyful use of color, especially in architecturally constructed gowns, has made him a popular choice among the Hollywood set. Meanwhile, his stylish separates and knits are highly coveted by those who just need something to wear to the office or the grocery store. As his latest collection, titled 011, arrives in stores, he reveals his key components to the good life. —Ashley Baker
Airport: My perfect airport would be easily accessible to wherever I’m staying, minimal traffic to get there, intuitive to navigate, with amazing places to eat in every terminal. I need at least a few salad options or a green juice on the menu!
App: A perfect app would be one where I can dump all of the things swimming in my head (reference images, thoughts, exclamations, screenshots, ideas) and it would compartmentalize and organize them for me in a way idiosyncratically to the way that I think.
Bag: A beautiful, giant leather tote with a removable crossbody strap, kind of like the Ikea bag but rendered in lambskin. That, and my favorite Willie Norris for Outlier crossbody nylon bag.
Bedtime: I usually fall asleep between midnight and 1:30 a.m., but a 10 p.m. bedtime is gorgeous.
Breakfast, weekday: Some type of iced coffee, regardless of season or outside temperature, and something quick to eat, like a granola bar or banana.
Breakfast, weekend: Again, some type of iced coffee and a novel breakfast sandwich of some form. And maybe something tequila-based, if I’m brunching.
Car: Slick, classic—but automatic—and black.
Cocktail: Anything with mezcal or tequila, preferably with something floral or aromatic added. And I don’t hate a Negroni or Aperol spritz.
Cocktail appetizer: Anything with a jalapeño.
Date: An evening laughing over something silly and ruminating over something serious, ideally with a bevy of mezcal cocktails.
Disguise: Something mustachioed with a top hat and monocle.
Good-bye: A carefully choreographed lean over the edge of a departing ship wearing oversize tortoise sunglasses, waving a vintage printed scarf toward your nemesis, exclaiming, “Sayonara, sucker!”
Hotel: I live for Hotel Saint Vincent, in New Orleans. The décor is to die for, the ByGeorge gift shop has anything you could ever need, and both of the restaurants have perfect options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Indulgence:
An entire sleeve of Double Stuf Oreos eaten in a too-warm bubble bath.
Match: Edina and Patsy.
Neighbor: Someone who’s just friendly enough but keeps to themselves.
Nonfiction book: Apparently what I’m currently reading, All About Love: New Visions, by bell hooks.
Novel: A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket.
Pants: A relaxed, but tailored, pair of cargo trousers in a soft twill weave, maybe on the extra-long side. They’re perfect with either a chunky sneaker or heeled boot.
Writing implement: The Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pen in black.
Pet: My blue French bulldog, Pepper.
Pieces of advice: “Don’t look to the left or the right at what anyone else is doing” and “Know who you are and deliver it at all times.” Both from RuPaul.
Restaurant: The Tyger, on the border of Chinatown and SoHo, never misses.
Saying: “Listen to your gut.”
Singers: It changes constantly, but right now Róisín Murphy, Tinashe, and Solange.
Storm: A quiet one.
Television series: Currently, I’m obsessed with Traitors, but That’s So Raven is a classic and was incredibly formative for me.
Time of day: Golden hour.
Toast: Well done with butter and raspberry jam.
Wake-up time: 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 9:30 a.m. on weekends.
Work of art: Something with an emphasis on a harmonious but disruptive application of color theory. I love anything by Josef Albers and Sam Gilliam.
Christopher’s Essentials
