PrintRecent University of Pennsylvania grad Rachel Seville moonlights as the wordy genius behind the fashion blog Pizza Rulez. She agreed to this interview after an introduction at a Lindsay-Lohan-themed party thrown by two female journalists, to which she arrived late from a “jazz loft party in Chelsea” wearing a trash bag as a cape over her mother’s old black mink coat. (From the blog: “Aforementioned mink coat, made of several baby animal pelts all strung together inhumanely with commercial strength threads.”) The Eye chatted with Rachel in her apartment on Friday night as she served champagne in china teacups.
How much irony are we supposed to read into Pizza Rulez?
One night, a woman approached me and asked, “Is your blog about how women can eat and still love fashion?”
What did you say?
I said, “Well, no. It isn’t about that.” Naming the blog after food just seemed like the punk thing to do. It is funny to be in a room full of fashion bloggers during introductions. People are like, “I write Pinkberry and Pink Fabric,” and I’m all, “I am Pizza Rulez.” But a silly name is one of many fashion blog tropes.
How did you go from being an undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania to fashion blogging in the city?
At Penn, I was pretty weird. Of course, being weird at Penn is being pretty normal. Penn students are not odd people. Everyone at Penn grows up to work in finance or management consulting or to be miserable. Not to say that you can’t have it all. Everyone can have it all. By which I mean, everyone can get a Tumblr.
What is the creation myth behind the blog?
In college, I would read fashion blogs and think to myself, “Um, I could do this,” followed by, “I’m embarrassed I want to do this.” I moved to New York, and eventually, I said, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to take pictures of myself wearing my weird clothing. And I’m going to make fun of myself for doing it. I will also make fun of everything that exists.” For a really long time, it was a joke. It was a joke a couple months ago. It might still be a joke.
On Pizza Rulez, a hyperlink is as likely to lead the viewer to Barney’s CO-OP, as a Google Image Search for “Outstanding Chinese Woman,” as a clip from Bringing Up Baby. I feel compelled to click on 30 links in a single blog post.
Hyperlinks are funny! It’s the way I use the Internet—60 tabs open at a time. I do worry that some people have their browser set up to open links in the same page. I think about that at night. I guess I haven’t really figured out how to be like, “Hey ladies, check out this Rodebjer blazer.” Instead I say, “Here’s a hyperlink to a dragon!”
Do people know who you are?
The answer is no. Okay, so it surprises me how many people read it! It has been a challenge to get a woman who is interested in fashion blogs to read … my blog. Women are used to rapidly clicking through amazing photos of beautiful women wearing cool clothing! I’m not content to let that be the experience.
Do you get free clothes?
The event I came from earlier was four bloggers in a room digging through free products. Obviously, friends who work in fashion give me pieces, but no designer is like, “You know, product placement on Pizza Rulez is really going to set us apart. Let’s gift this chick a free cape.” If I want something, I’m going to buy it. No one needs to give it to me for free. I would, however, love for a designer to send me a pizza.
How do you pay for your clothes?
I have a full-time job in the high-flying world of management consulting. I’m looking at all these clothes to make sure I’ve bought all of them. I will say that none of them are stolen.
Your boyfriend doesn’t have a job, right?
Charles—the career man! No, of course he doesn’t work. He’s Charles. That’s a full-time job.
How did you two meet?
We were seated next to each other at a dinner for the Arms and Armor Department at the Met [the Metropolitan Museum of Art]. Or, whatever. Charles and I will grow up and donate some really obscene painting to the Met. You know, a painting that is awful and trashy but they can’t say no! Like a Robert Mapplethorpe or something.
You often layer watches on the blog. Are they synced to the correct time?
One of them doesn’t work. Oh, but it has a romantic story! My great aunt was dating this guy, and she bought him this absurd Baume & Mercier watch. She had it fitted to him and everything. But then he passed away, or she passed away. Anyway, one of them died. So my mother and I went to clean out the townhouse where she lived, and here was this watch!
What is your favorite piece of clothing?
My Carven suit. Carven is a weird French brand from the days of yore that this young strapping French man took it over. The clothes make it look like you have very bad posture and extraordinarily long legs. I actually prefer to play the voluptuous woman, but whatever.
Do women ever try to borrow your clothes?
Rebecca Minkoff had this trip where she took bloggers to The Hamptons. One of the women was like, “That’s really great; you should let me borrow that. You should let me borrow that. And that. And that.” That was weird.
What’s with living on the Upper East Side?
I don’t know why anyone would live anywhere else. Those who say it’s the squarest place in the world are wrong. Carnegie Hill is God’s country.For instance, today I went to the local Crewcuts and shopped for sweaters in the little boys’ section. It was then that I decided I want twins.
What would you tell someone who wanted to change their life?
Watch Metropolitan. Then watch it again.