Talvi Faustmann is equally inspired by classic American elegance and downtown European grime
With her icy gaze and winged eyeliner, Talvi Faustmann looks like a steely Hitchcock heroine, so it makes sense that one of the movies she draws style inspiration from is Vertigo. She also loves the severe looks of the 1990s (Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct) and the BDSM outfits worn by Cosey Fanni Tutti, who sings in the British experimental band Throbbing Gristle. A pair of latex gloves features prominently in the music video she directed for “Manic,” a song by her electronic duo, Prince Innocence, which released Blue Star, an EP, in 2017. Faustmann’s latest style obsession is La Cicciolina, the Italian politician, porn star and ex–Jeff Koons muse whose perversely innocent aesthetic combines tiaras and teddy bears with unfiltered sexuality. “She had that ’70s dreamy flower crown thing, but then this disgusting, abrasive, almost clownish makeup,” Faustmann says. “I was drawn to her. I felt it was an aesthetic that hadn’t been done before.”
Fantabody bodysuit “It looks like a Russian Olympic uniform and adds this fantasy element to an outfit, like you’re dressing up as a character.”
Converse One Star sneakers “They look super ’90s, like they’re from the video for Sonic Youth’s ‘Bull in the Heather.’ ”
Caudalie Divine Oil “I wear it as perfume because normal perfume is way too strong. It smells like a plant, which I like so much more.”
Maison Martin Margiela Lucite heels “I never really wear them because they’re white suede, but I’m obsessed with them.”
NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY
Sign up for The Vault, our free newsletter with unforgettable long reads from our archives.