Proust Questionnaire
I have this quirky habit about reading magazines starting with the last page instead of front to back, like most people do. My favorite content happens to be there, in the back: lighthearted, short, and sweet—just what I have the time for these days. I love reading the last page of Vanity Fair and it's famous Proust Questionnaire. And, since I probably won't ever be interviewed by the magazine, I decided to interview myself.
Photo credit: Lerina Winter
Photo credit: Lerina Winter, Winter Creative Co.
- What is your idea of perfect happiness? Cross-country skiing by myself while my husband watches my daughter.
What is your greatest fear? Losing a loved one to gun violence.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Self-doubt.
What is the trait you most deplore in others: Indecision.
Which living person do you most admire: If Marimekko was a person, I would say him or her.
Which is your greatest extravagance? Designer vintage clothing (even if it has moth holes that I discover later).
What is your current state of mind? Content.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Maturity.
On what occasion do you lie? When my daughter asks me about a half-eaten piece of candy I have thrown away a week ago.
What do you most dislike about your appearance? My legs.
Which living person do you most despise? He currently lives in a big white house.
What is the quality you most like in a man? Ability to sew on a button.
What is the quality you most like in a woman? Ability to whip up a meal or an outfit seemingly from nothing.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Think about it!” and “Well, let’s see…”. My husband thinks it is "Blasted!"
What, or who is the greatest love of your life? My husband and my daughter.
When and where were you happiest? In recent years, in a small village in Switzerland in January, when it was quietly snowing.
Which talent would you most like to have? Be a badass prose writer like Nabokov, who wrote in both English and Russian and translated his work from one language to the other.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would like to have a better poker face.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Leaving my day job and starting a creative business not having a clue what I was doing.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? My chocolate lab Hazel. She has a pretty good life.
Where would you most like to live? In a place with 4 seasons.
What is your most treasured possession? My LANVIN wedding dress. Following that—my teeth. I paid a lot of money to make them straight!
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Loneliness.
What is your favorite occupation? Doing something with my hands.
What is your most marked characteristic? Sense of style.
What do you most value in your friends? Being up for any of my antics.
Who are your favorite writers? Teju Cole, Joseph Brodsky.
Who is your hero of fiction? Little Prince.
Which historical figure do you most identify with? None!
Who are your heroes in real life? All of the moms.
What are your favorite names? Elsa, Sommerset, Beckett.
What is it that you most dislike? Heat and sunshine 364 days of the year.
What is your greatest regret? Not teaching my daughter Russian when she was learning to speak.
How would you like to die? Without fear.
What is your motto? “Start anywhere.”