Here at Loverboy we like to think we’ve seen it all. But it seems sometimes even we are capable of having our wigs snatched and really that is the beauty of the job. For when we discovered that the beary, burly, handsome duo that is Jeffrey Costello & Robert Tagliapietra, were the darlings of famed ice queen, Anna Wintour…well, that was just not a match that worked in our head. And not only is Anna a fan but these boys also make beautiful clothes for other celebrity clients like Madonna, Susan Sarandon, Padma Lakshmi & Trent Reznor!
We talk to them about inheriting Keith Haring’s apartment in 80s NYC, how to survive working and living together and working with Madonna.

How did you guys meet?
We met in New York, back in 1994 at the original Sound Factory. These were the days of starting your night at 3am on a Sunday morning and ending it at 11am the next morning…then stumbling into your retail job. Jeffrey was working at the Factory at that time and we were both pretty regular there, but somehow we’d never seen each other. One morning when we finally did, we were both too shy  to speak to each other so after a few weekends of this happening, Jeffrey’s friend Lauren Rosselli grabbed us both and forced us to talk to each other.

What came first working together or dating each other?
We began dating right away and moved in with each other soon after. Jeffrey had inherited Keith Haring’s old apartment and the energy of all of those people that paced through there was always present- remnants of that past were all over the place including a steel door signed by every New York celerity you could imagine. I was attending Parson’s at the time and Jeffrey had a pretty successful line as well as doing a lot of custom work for musicians and actresses. We both grew up in families of tailors so it felt natural to join him in sewing and making clothes….slowly developing into a full fledged working relationship as well.

Has being in a relationship and working together made things easier or more complicated?
It just seems natural to us, probably because we combined the two from the very beginning. It would have been more difficult to begin working together ten years in, for instance. With any working relationship you learn to communicate in ways that clearly define the ‘personal’ from the ‘work’ space. This is easier said than done though and no matter what, if an idea pops up late in the evening, it gets brought up – we have never been one of those couples that shut work off at 6pm sharp.

Draping is obviously a key characteristic of any Costello Tagliapietra collection. What other qualities are important to you?
As we have progressed with JCRT, which is based heavily around the plaid shirt, we’ve realized more than ever how deeply the process varies between making a shirt or trousers and making a draped dress. The best comparison would be that a dress feels more like painting where tailoring lives more in the worlds of math and science. For us they are equally interesting places to be, we have always been interested in the process and craft. This has always informed how something is created. To design anything we always want to fully understand the history behind it and have the ability to make it. For that is the only way to start deconstructing those ideas and making them feel new.

What can we expect from your next collection? 
With JCRT, we have our own factory and printing facility. Having this lack of limitation, in terms of timing and minimums, is truly an inspiring place to be. To begin to show the scope of what we are capable of here, will be informing al lot of what we will be putting out.

You are known for wearing plaid shirts & suspenders. Do you ever feel trapped by your ‘uniform’?
Thankfully no. We have been dressing like this for years (we were both wearing plaid shirts the night we met!) so although we laughingly call it our ‘drag’ we feel so uncomfortable in a t shirt and jeans now!

You dressed Danny Franzese (who appeared in our second issue) for his wedding proposal. How did that come about?
We met Danny and Joey on Instagram, but that proposal was all a surprise! Danny loves his shirt so much and said he wore it because it fits him better than anything else! That just made it all the more exciting for us. What better compliment could a designer receive – and it helps that they are the cutest couple!

You’ve said that Padma Lakshmi is your muse. Is she more so than anyone else?
We love Padma, she is a dear friend and a beautiful woman inside and out. We always think about women like her when we are designing. And when we finish a piece it is always inspiring to see it on someone who brings their story to that piece. Their experience, their work and life bring something new to a piece, something unique to them. That is what makes us inspired to make clothes.

Besides Padma, which famous person have you been most excited to dress and why?
Soon after we met, Jeffrey was asked to make clothes for Madonna’s Bedtime Story video which ironically was one of our first times working together. Then years later seeing Madonna on the cover of Elle in one of our first collections- we have been lucky to have worked with Trent Reznor. I mean anytime you are able to meet and work with people you had pinned to your wall in high school is like a dream coming to life!

You’re very popular with Anna Wintour. How did you manage to break through that icy front. Or is that all a myth?
Total myth. Anna is an incredibly supportive person, who really cares about the next generation of designers. She has always been there for us to lend her advice and guidance. We were incredibly lucky in that Vogue has been a part of our career from the very beginning. When we started we sent twelve xeroxed images of some dresses that we shot on mannequins to their offices and a week later we received a call. Then three months later a two page article came out in the March issue of Vogue telling our story. We were honored to then have been a part of the Vogue Fashion Fund the following two years. They have always been there for us.

Jeffrey, I’ve seen photos of you with Madonna and Debi Mazar. Were you part of that NYC 80s scene too? What are your memories of that time?
Yes, I was a part of that scene. I hung out with Debi, Madonna, Keith Haring, Martin Burgoyne. I formally moved to NY in 1980 and immersed myself into NY nightlife where I met and worked with many downtown/lower east side musicians, actors and performance artists, designing and making much of their stage and tour clothes. Coming from a small town in Pennsylvania, early 80’s NY was like an alien planet. There was a lot happening in the art and music world. They were converging at places like The Pyramid Club, where I worked for a bit. It was a place to see insane Drag shows, dance with William Burroughs and it afforded an opportunity to work with these people that will stick with me forever.

Follow Robert & Jeffrey on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter or see more of their work at www.jc-rt.com