THE DOCUMENTED LIFE
THE DOCUMENTED LIFE
Sigmund Freud repurposed the blue Featherweight pages of his notebook as a diary-cum-visitor’s book.
DitaVonTeese’s diary is a packed series of appointments and reminders for her portfolio of creative enterprises.
James might have crossed paths with other influential British psychoanalysts such as Melanie Klein, Joan Riviere and Ernest Jones. It’s a reflection of his status as both a respected doctor and clinician, and a heroic figure for a generation of artists, galvanised by his thinking on dreams and the subconscious. More than just simple lists of dates and reminders, these diaries demonstrate that in the hands of different characters, the diary can be a compendium of inspiration, a record of achievement, a reflection of a world and milieu, and even an extension of the self. What form it takes is very much up to the individual and the world they inhabit. The only way to discover what form your own diary will take is, quite simply, to start filling it.
such formidable intelligence and insight must make a few notes now and then — and, luckily, Freud was no exception to this rule. Among the papers held by the Freud Museum in London — where Freud and his family fled to from Nazi- controlled Austria in 1938 — there is a Smythson notebook which Freud used to document his life in a very particular way: through people. Repurposing the notebook’s blue Featherweight pages as a diary-cum-visitor’s book, he listed the name of every visitor that called upon him between mid-1938 and mid-1939, first at his flat in Elsworthy Road, then at 20 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead — today the home of the Freud Museum London. Though these pages contain, to put it mildly, minimal detail, many of the names are, in and of themselves, enough to paint a fascinating picture of Freud’s life in his final years. His was a house where surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, or the poet and patron Edward
a long way.’ Perhaps unsurprisingly, given her predilection for vintage fashion, sensual textures and the art of the tease, the exterior of her diary is as intriguing as its interior, with its glossy, crocodile-embossed leather binding and monogrammed initials. Indeed, she says, she cherishes her diaries as objects in their own right, and keeps them as a tactile record of everything she has achieved. ‘I have twenty year’s worth of beautiful multicoloured journals and agendas stacked in my office as reference for my day-to-day life, with my goals over the years,’ she says. ‘I believe in the power of writing, especially on paper.’ Sigmund Freud was the father of modern psychoanalysis, a Viennese neurologist, thinker and writer whose ideas about the human mind made him one of the most influential and important theorists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nonetheless, even those blessed with
her signature props. As well as being a major force in the revival of burlesque as an art form, and a muse to such names as Christian Louboutin and Jean Paul Gaultier, Von Teese’s wide-ranging work across various disciplines, from live entertainment to lingerie, fashion and fragrance, provides a shining example of that most modern of concepts: a portfolio career. This much is clear to see in her jottings in her Smythson diary, which, alongside details of her packed schedule of rehearsals, fittings and performances, makes the most of each week’s facing ‘To Do’ page by collecting all the pressing concerns of her various creative enterprises. ‘I love writing my appointments down on paper, which to some may seem a bit old-fashioned, but I’m also someone who writes thank you notes on stationery,’ she says. ‘If you ask for my best advice in showbiz, well… get yourself some nice stationery and stamps. Gratitude goes
Smythson Soho diary. At the same time, it’s not all about the visuals — the act of writing itself, he says, is a way to arrange his experiences. ‘My diary is a place for my thoughts and memories. There’s something about putting pen to paper that brings a sense of clarity.’ Dita Von Teese is a burlesque performer, writer, designer and style icon whose seductive take on 1940s-inspired glamour has won her a legion of fans across the globe. Born in Michigan, she studied ballet as a child and developed an early fascination for the fashion and drama of Golden Age Hollywood cinema, thanks to many weekends spent watching classic movies with her manicurist mother. These early influences are still central to her theatrical, playful live shows which, typically, feature huge feather fans, tightly strung corsets and — more often than not — a giant martini glass, which has become one of
Erdem Moralioglu MBE is one of the most celebrated British fashion designers of his generation. Born in Canada and raised between there and the United Kingdom, he launched his eponymous label ERDEM in 2005, just two years after graduating from London’s Royal College of Art. His work is known for its romantic exoticism, frequently incorporating references from the history of art and culture in exuberant florals and mesmerising combinations of colour. His diary, as you might expect, is less a list of meetings and deadlines (though, as a busy designer, it’s clear he has plenty of these) than it is a repository for anything that sparks his inspiration. That might be backstage photographs or casting images from his latest fashion show, a postcard of a beautiful artwork, or a sample of an equally sumptuous fabric. ‘Images, swatches and photos are all part of my day-to-day,’ he says, explaining the pleasingly stuffed appearance of his
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