Rachel Tashjian
Writer
WHAT IS YOUR CALLING CARD?
My hats, and when I’m not wearing a hat, my hair. I am, I admit, a big shopper—but I’m more like a hunter. I rarely buy things that are new, because I’m much more interested in the design and quality (not to mention the price!) of vintage. When I travel for work, I find having a few good hats or an excellent haircut comes in handy.
WHAT’S ONE BOOK, WORK OF ART, ALBUM, OR FILM THAT GOT YOU THROUGH AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE?
Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir films. Chilly, naïve, unsentimental, a woman struggling to figure out how to be a person and an artist—with Tilda Swinton grousing about her “shopping headache.”
WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT WERE YOU KNOWN FOR?
I threw great themed parties in elementary school.
““I hope I remind people that journalism can be glamorous.””
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF IN YOUR INDUSTRY? LESS OF?
More skepticism, less superficial reactions. There have been a lot of changes in the industry that tend to draw quick knee-jerk responses, particularly across social media. I’m aware that this is an industry of waste, vanity, excess, and exploitation, and I think there can be more reporting to explore and acknowledge that in a way that has more integrity.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS YOUR BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION TO CULTURE?
I hope I remind people that journalism can be glamorous. In my coverage for The Washington Post, I do a lot to share what my job entails with our readers—how I do interviews (like FaceTiming with designer Rick Owens), how I pack for several weeks of fashion shows, how I run around New York covering shows and picking up the narrative threads that become the subjects of my reviews and feature reporting. Yes, I’m cramming a bunch of sparkly vintage sweaters in a suitcase, traveling to Europe, and watching Jennifer Lawrence find her seat at a Dior show, but always in the service of reporting what is new in our world and what change means.
in your life?
