Building A Brand with Mark D. Sikes

Caroline Gidiere: Okay guys, our next guest needs no introduction. He's a design celebrity of the highest order, member of the AD 100 and Elle Decor A-list, natch. He projects literally around the US, including the White House and renovation of the Blair House, America's guest room, which had been renovated since the 1980s.

Paloma Contreras: you

Caroline Gidiere: He's known for his all-American style. His rooms have been celebrated in all the shelter magazines and there's really no sense in listing them because it just includes all of them. He has a furniture collection, a fabric collection, a trim collection, a lighting collection, indoor and out to be sure, a dishware collection and a multitude of mini collections. He's been on permanent tour for his book series, bestselling, beautiful, more beautiful and wait for it.

Paloma Contreras: you

Caroline Gidiere: forever beautiful. the D in his name stand for devilish good looks, delightful be around, dedicated, dashing dapper? Let's find out today. Give it up for the beautiful man himself, Mark D. Sikes. ⁓

Paloma Contreras: Welcome, Mark. Caroline is the ultimate hype girl. There's no one better to do an intro.

Mark D. Sikes: Thank you. Totally. Like I'll think of my middle initial, like so many different ways.

Caroline Gidiere: Well, we're so excited to have you here today. Thank you so much for doing us a big favor and coming on our fledgling pod.

Mark D. Sikes: It's exciting to be here with you. I love you both.

Caroline Gidiere: Yay. Love you too. We're so excited. We're going to talk later, but we have our big trip coming up.

Mark D. Sikes: I know. Something to look forward to next week, London. ⁓

Caroline Gidiere: I know. Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: week. Yes, we're headed to England for a big chinoiserie tour which will be so exciting to get to get a peek behind the curtain at all of these amazing estates.

Caroline Gidiere: really just can't wait. ⁓ If I were packed, that'd be even more exciting. I'm excited. I'm still struggling with this chinoiserie dinner. What are you wearing, Mark? What are you, or do you want to surprise us?

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: you

Mark D. Sikes: No, no, you know, it's easier for guys, right? So, ⁓ I have those lots of little Neru collar, like jacket situations from a lawn. So that should be fine. So I'm just going to a little narrow collar jacket suit thing. The thing that's got me stumped is like walking shoes. So like we need to have like walking.

Paloma Contreras: That's perfect, yeah.

Caroline Gidiere: Perfect. Okay, well I ordered.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, it's a lot to consider. It's, you know, multiple outfit changes a day. There's a black tie dinner, a chinoiserie dinner. And then in the daytime, you want to look polished enough to have lunch with a lord or lady, but you're also trudging through potentially muddy gardens. So it's quite a tall order, I think, in terms of packing. I've been stressing out about it so much. And I know that I'm gonna spend all this time fussing about it and that I'm gonna get there and I'm gonna hate everything I brought.

Mark D. Sikes: Or it'd be the best girls. ⁓

Caroline Gidiere: 100 % without a doubt, without a doubt. Paloma, was thinking I was gonna take pictures of different outfits so that I could say to myself, okay, it works. Like I know it works. I'm just gonna put it on even though I hate it in this moment.

Paloma Contreras: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I do that too. I have a full length mirror and I'll take pictures of myself in things and I do it from the front, from the side and from the back. So I know how it looks in all angles and whether I dislike it the day that I'm putting it on. I know I've tried it on before and it looks fine and I can get over it.

Caroline Gidiere: Hmm, okay. Yeah. What is everybody's thought on a tennis shoe? mean, is that a no go?

Mark D. Sikes: I normally wear this one Navy New Balance tennis shoe always for the last 20 years, which probably is not the right thing. So I have actually pulled out of my closet, like a white leather shoes. like, you know, a white leather kind of, I know it's odd, but I think it'll just go with everything. So just be, let's be comfortable.

Caroline Gidiere: Nice.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, well, I mean, the itinerary he sent finally was ⁓ pretty detailed and it said tennis shoes were okay. And then I talked to a couple of the women who've been on the trip before, the first time around, and they both said the same thing, like walking shoes or, well, not like nerdy old lady walking shoes, but comfortable walking shoes or like a chic, like fashion sneaker kind of thing.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. I could get away with sneakers with like trousers and then save my loafers for denim instead of being like tennis shoe and denim. It's too casual, but tennis shoe and a trouser, right? We can do that. And then.

Paloma Contreras: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I don't wear a lot of trousers, so you might see me in tennis shoes in denim, but we'll figure it out.

Mark D. Sikes: Bye.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay, okay, all right, all right. Well, I'm just trying to figure out where is the lime. Okay.

Paloma Contreras: you I doubt it though. think I'd rather, I'd probably wear like, I have these ballet flats that are the most comfortable thing ever. Like more than a sneaker, so much more comfortable. I'd probably wear that, but I don't know if that's gonna work in a garden. I don't know, I don't know. It's stressful. Mm-hmm.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, particularly when it's raining. Okay, okay, so I have prepared a game for us to play today, which I'm calling, at least today, we might change it if we do this again, serve honey or swerve, okay? So these are, are we going to serve this look or are we going to avoid it? And this is a list of, with some additions,

Mark D. Sikes: Cough

Paloma Contreras: You

Caroline Gidiere: ⁓ the summer trends that Vogue is looking forward to. And there are a lot of things as I look through it, I thought. Well, I guess they have a wide demographic. So anyway, all right, first stop. And so you both have to tell me your vote and that is lingerie shorts.

Paloma Contreras: ⁓ That's gonna be a swerve for me. I mean, I'm sure anything can look chic on the right person if they're 25 and tall and thin, but generally speaking, I would say no, you keep that for home.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay. Okay, how about you, Mark?

Mark D. Sikes: I'll definitely swear from that myself, but it could work at Coachella maybe, but let's say swear.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay. Okay, well, I am going to be serving this look because, no, but I think if they're short, so everything is lingerie right now, guys, like coming down the runway, everything's silky with lace on it, these shorts have been really short, but now, ⁓ always embarrassed to say this out loud, but ⁓ are some.

Paloma Contreras: In England?

Mark D. Sikes: ⁓ English.

Caroline Gidiere: like Bermuda shorts that are lingerie shorts. Well, it doesn't really look like Nellie Olsen. They look very chic, but I thought with like a black blazer, if they were cream and they just had lace and you wore like a little kitten heel or something, come on, work with me guys, no? Okay.

Paloma Contreras: Bermuda lingerie shorts.

Mark D. Sikes: Well, that sounds-

Paloma Contreras: you

Mark D. Sikes: Maybe. What about like a ⁓ silk and lace little slip skirt? That makes the blazer. It has to be shorts. Or I guess what these are.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: I like that more.

Caroline Gidiere: Well, the shorts are the trend is the thing.

Mark D. Sikes: Well, let's just, I'm swerving so you can serve.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay. Well, I'm going to serve it. All right. How about flip-flops with everything? Okay. That's the big summer trend is everybody's wearing a flip-flop. Guys, girls, black flip-flop. The Row started it. What are we thinking?

Mark D. Sikes: I can serve that. I can serve it.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, I can serve it. mean, I don't necessarily, it's not my favorite, but I do think it can be chic if it's like understated and minimal and leather and the proportion is right. I think the scale has to be right.

Caroline Gidiere: Do you think this is anything you should ever wear in New York City? Doesn't that kind of seem gross?

Mark D. Sikes: In the summer when you go to New York, mean, there's so many beautiful people and they're all half-dressed.

Caroline Gidiere: Sure, true. I wear sandals, but there's something about a flip-flop, like your toes kind of sometimes. Sure. Well, if you're beautiful, I think you can really do, you have carte blanche You could just kind of, beautiful, tall and thin. All right, wide-leg denim.

Paloma Contreras: I wear sandals in New York, yeah, in the summer. Yeah, it's like...

Mark D. Sikes: But if you're beautiful, you can play.

Paloma Contreras: Mm-hmm, you can do anything.

Mark D. Sikes: And a pedic.

Caroline Gidiere: you

Paloma Contreras: I'm gonna swerve. I know that that's the silhouette that's been popular. We've talked about this, Caroline. It's been popular for the last couple of years. Again, I think if you're tall and thin, you can wear anything, but for a curvier person, like on me, they're just not flattering. I look frumpy and I feel frumpy and that's not what I wanna do. So for me, it's a swerve, but I think on the right person, I don't mind the look.

Caroline Gidiere: How about you, Mark?

Mark D. Sikes: mean, I think it's fine, right? Is it just like a high-waisted, wide-leg denim jean? Yeah. Yeah. It's fine. Good serve.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Okay. All right. How about you serve it? All right. I don't have the silhouette for it. just don't. My thighs are too wide and so that starts us off bad You know what I'm saying? Like I think if you can keep it narrow, if you can keep it narrow at the top, if you have a thigh gap, you should consider a wide leg jean. But if you...

Paloma Contreras: same.

Mark D. Sikes: by high wasted is good because it elongates it all, right?

Caroline Gidiere: For sure. Yeah. When mine goes from the waist, it's all good. But when we hit the thighs, that's when it skids off the rails. All right. What do we think about loafers with short shorts?

Paloma Contreras: in theory, but not in practice, if you're truly curving.

Mark D. Sikes: Serve. Amazing.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, serve.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay. I love that. And I wish that I had those legs, but I have to wear my loafers with long pants and longer skirts.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, again, that's another one where you're, you know, if you're tall and thin, you're Kaia Gerber, it's gonna look amazing on you. But if you're a regular lady, it might, like, I would feel frumpy, but I like the look.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. I do too. I think it looks great. I'm loving it. I just wish in my next life I'll have like really long legs. Vans checkerboard skaters. Okay. With everything. Like a suit, like a tuxedo, like even.

Paloma Contreras: Swerve. Swerve. I ⁓ abhor. That's a visceral reaction for me. I abhor a Vans checkerboard sneaker. I don't like a Vans slip-on sneaker to begin with. ⁓ So that's a no for me, swerve.

Mark D. Sikes: Thank I agree. It's just not good on anybody.

Caroline Gidiere: Anybody? Okay, alright.

Mark D. Sikes: Now I don't think that's even good on someone beautiful and thin. It's just like.

Caroline Gidiere: Well, they're making the rounds guys. Okay. All right. All right. Okay. How about the teeny tiny 90 shades? It's supposed to be what we're all wearing this summer. No, no. Swarp. Paloma.

Mark D. Sikes: I don't love them. Swipe. Swipe.

Paloma Contreras: I'd rather, I like the look of a larger frame. I just think it's chic and timeless.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay. How about now the oversized Phoebe Philo with the bridge that's like that wide that are almost like ski goggles? What are we serving or swerving?

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, it feels like costume. ⁓ does Caroline have them in her purse? She's got them.

Mark D. Sikes: Where'd she go?

Caroline Gidiere: ⁓ please.

Mark D. Sikes: ⁓ no. Well, you can explain them like that.

Paloma Contreras: See, they look good on you.

Caroline Gidiere: Y'all don't like them? Mine aren't, mine aren't Fifi Fila. They're a knockoff by, but they're Gucci, but they're not the Fifi Fila.

Paloma Contreras: Those aren't as exaggerated. I was picturing like the ones that they wear. You guys don't watch this stuff like I do, but ⁓ on the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, they all wear, like I don't know if it's because they live in a place where you ski, but they all wear these crazy oversized sunglasses that look so ridiculous. But those are chic. I like yours.

Caroline Gidiere: ⁓ My mother coming up out of the 60s and the 70s with ⁓ Jackie ⁓ as her North star always, always. I've never saw her in anything that wasn't a big circle that was like this big around. Okay. How about oversized leather bomber jackets?

Paloma Contreras: Mm-hmm.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay, what I'm getting from this is...

Paloma Contreras: I don't mind an oversized jacket. I don't love the bomber silhouette as much, because I think it adds bulk around the middle. Like I'd rather see a barn jacket or a chore jacket that's oversized, because that's just like up and down. I feel like it's more flattering.

Mark D. Sikes: I mean, I think.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Yeah, how would you mark?

Paloma Contreras: And a bomber's never been my favorite.

Mark D. Sikes: I don't know. mean, I get that it's a trend and I get that people are doing it, but I think if I, it's just not something that I would, well, for sure I'm not wearing it. I think people, I know, but I'm not wearing it. I'm not like Jacob Elordi but I get it. But I think I would make a different jacket choice if I was buying a jacket for the season.

Caroline Gidiere: Well, guys are, I mean, it's a guy-girl thing.

Paloma Contreras: Hahaha.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay, well, I bought one from Zara

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: Now, Caroline's going to reach for her jacket.

Caroline Gidiere: to test it out, to test the theory.

Mark D. Sikes: I know, I hope when we're in England, you show up one day with a big leather bomber, those glasses, the lingerie shape, loafers, and the flood.

Caroline Gidiere: and my flip flops ⁓ and my lingerie shorts. Yeah, yeah, it's a vibe guys, it's a vibe. Okay, windbreakers as fashion.

Paloma Contreras: Correction, lingerie Bermuda shorts.

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah, dude. It's about Yeah, I'm a server that that's Your ones are fabulous.

Caroline Gidiere: I'm really loving the windbreaker trend, Yeah. Okay. Serve. Serve, honey. Serve. Okay.

Paloma Contreras: Sure, swerve. I mean, serve. Serve, I know I've said swerve to everything else so it just came out. Serve.

Caroline Gidiere: ⁓ will you like the loafers?

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, yeah I did. That's true.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay, all right, oversized matching sweatsuit and trainers at the airport.

Paloma Contreras: matching like for a couple? Like the Beckhams? ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah.

Caroline Gidiere: No, top and bottom. Top and bottom. A set.

Mark D. Sikes: Make the top matches.

Paloma Contreras: There are other things that equally comfortable that look more polished.

Caroline Gidiere: Mark. like

Paloma Contreras: I mean, a great jacket with a tee and comfortable jeans or like a good trouser that's, you know, that's a pull-on. I mean, it could be anything. It could be a loafer. It could be ⁓ a chic tennis shoe. It could be, I mean, any kind of like slip-on ballet flat kind of thing. Anything that's comfortable that you can wear for a long time and like walk a long distance in if you're in a big airport. But there's many options that are more polished than that, in my opinion.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay, all right, love it. And what shoe, what shoe? How about you Mark?

Mark D. Sikes: Well, I was automatically going to say swerve, but when I think about actually what I wear to the airport, always wear like, it's not like a, it's like a Navy, you know, like a Navy like athletic material, like shirt with a pamp, but the pants not like, it's like not slim or full with like a cool military jacket or something in Navy. But so I guess I would serve it because I mean, I kind of wear a version of it, but not like

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Paloma Contreras: An elevated version, yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah, I guess. It's just comfortable, but I think it looks fine. But I mean, I'm not wearing a blazer and trousers or the tie on the plane. so I guess it depends on what the set looks like.

Paloma Contreras: Mm-hmm.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Sure, sure, right? Like a Navy set of anything is gonna be more elevated than like a hot pink one. Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: Right, is it Brunello Cuccinelli or is it Juicy Couture? There's a difference.

Caroline Gidiere: Right. And I also think it makes a difference which way you're traveling. For instance, I would be hesitant to show up at some nice hotels off of an international flight with a sweatsuit on, but I wouldn't mind slipping out the door in the evening to catch a flight home. You know what I'm saying? And arriving in my home airport in a sweatsuit, if it was, I mean, I don't have, I don't.

Paloma Contreras: Mm-hmm.

Caroline Gidiere: It's the pants, the bottoms that are problem for me. I mean, they're just like...

Mark D. Sikes: And it's also all the other stuff, right? It's the back, it's the carry on, it's everything, you know, it's how it all, or, you know, just, I think someone could be like, chic and a sweatsuit depends on like how you're wearing it.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, it goes together. Yeah. Sure, sure. There's some great looking celebrity photos that they put in for that. I mean, they look good. I just, I don't know that I have that. like Loro Piana has ⁓ fabulous, like you said, Bruno Cuccinelli, ⁓ you're an elevated cashmere sweatsuit, you know, of course. All right, how about Capri pants and ballerina flats? ⁓

Mark D. Sikes: Yes, serve! Fabulous.

Paloma Contreras: Absolutely swerve. I serve. Serve.

Caroline Gidiere: This is capri pants. I'm talking about the ones that cut at the knees.

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah, it's great. Audrey Hepburn.

Caroline Gidiere: It is Audrey Hepburn also weighed 85 pounds soaking wet.

Mark D. Sikes: Well, in

Paloma Contreras: Well, again, I think this is one of those looks that looks wonderful on the runway. It looks great on like a chic 25 year old, 110 pound girl who's five foot 11, but you're not gonna see me in those again.

Mark D. Sikes: But I think it's also, that's a combination that feels very classic, right? There was combinations of that in the 50s and combinations of that in the 60s and stuff. So it is a classic silhouette and a classic combination that just never goes out ⁓ or can be relevant. Whereas like the sweatsuit, no one was wearing in the 50s. There's something classic about both of those pieces. mean.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Right. Well, that's the thing. I asked myself, like, who's out here holding the line? everything Karl Lagerfeld would be, Lagerfeld would be ⁓ shocked to see everybody in flip flops and sweat suits. Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: Well, but they were wearing that in his lifetime. That happened in his lifetime.

Caroline Gidiere: I know, but it's gotten to be, there's nobody wearing regular clothes at the airport anymore. I don't know if you looked around, but everybody's wearing sweatpants.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, you're looking at it, it's us.

Mark D. Sikes: It also depends on where you are. In America, it's bad. If you go to Europe, it's probably a little bit...

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, everybody looks chic. Yeah. Okay. How about if the Capri pants are ⁓ like skins, like athletic Capri pants, plus a blazer and a heel? That's the image that they showed for the Capri pants. It was Haley Bieber. She looks great, but can it be replicated? I don't think so.

Paloma Contreras: worth.

Mark D. Sikes: the Well, the heel throws me. I mean, think you can have like a... ⁓

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, strappy sandal.

Mark D. Sikes: I guess, I don't know. mean, it's not a completes for it, but it's also not a serve, but it just depends on the person again.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay, okay. All right, so silk pajamas is evening wear and that's our final category. I think we all can serve them, right?

Mark D. Sikes: For sure, serve that.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, sir, for sure.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay, all right. So for her cultural moment, I'm noting that the Met Gala is one week from today and I'm getting so excited. The theme this year has no subtitle. Fashion is art. Okay, so all the wheels are off. I'm expecting to see some real over-the-top art. that's not wearable ordinarily, right? Coming through the thing. Like, the only thing that's against the rules this year is basic. Like, if you show up with something that's just pretty. you know, what's the art in that, right? But it's Beyonce and Nicole Kidman, Venus, Williams and Anna. So two thick, beautiful, gorgeous black women and two emaciated white women. ⁓ anyways, which should be ⁓ fabulous with all of them putting their ⁓ lists together and inviting everybody. the other thing, Mark, I didn't know if you had been waiting for, but there's a rumor that ⁓ Beyonce may be teasing Act 3 of Renaissance because we're expecting the album on the 29th of May if she follows her regular pattern.

Mark D. Sikes: ⁓ wow.

Caroline Gidiere: There's some, when she dropped last time, there was an ad, she did a, she did a Superbowl ad ⁓ with Verizon and announced Cowboy Carter. Okay. So I keep thinking of Sarah Jessica Parker walking in with that big Oscar de la Renta train. Some announcement ⁓ on the back of it. Okay. All right.

Mark D. Sikes: happen. I think one thing about the Met Ball that I just want to say is like, they always have these themes, but the outfits that we always love and, you know, always think they're so beautiful really don't, are never on theme. So I don't know if there's not like a, there's not someone at the front door that says, by the way, you can't come in because your outfit doesn't portray art. You know, they're going to let someone eye gerber with a beautiful, just beautiful dress on and looking beautiful. So I think that women should just, or the end of men should just come.

Caroline Gidiere: Right.

Mark D. Sikes: as they are, like what they love, wear what you love and whether you're on theme or not, but that's my two cents.

Paloma Contreras: Well, it's such a broad theme too, that it's so open to interpretation. It could be anything, you know.

Mark D. Sikes: I don't know why I thought it was coming as a piece. Now that you said it, that probably makes sense, but I thought it was maybe about like the fashion that you've seen in art over the years. So like the Mona Lisa. Or like a ballerina. Like a Degas ballerina come in a beautiful belly.

Paloma Contreras: ⁓

Caroline Gidiere: Well, it could be, it could be for sure. Right, exactly. It could be an interpretive... Exactly, exactly. Just don't be basic. Put something into it like, you know, I could see fashion as art is a dress that has beautiful hand embroidered, you know, like flowers or, you know what I'm saying? something that is truly art or is interpretation of a piece of art or is some kind of crazy. You know, whatever, like, you know, I don't know. I've seen things that are like headdresses and things that are very artistic.

Mark D. Sikes: ⁓ Whatever it is, like the Met Gala. It's always a spectacle, whether you like it or don't like it, but it is an amazing kind of fun thing to escape and watch. We all need like right now some type of escape and it really is. The outrageous is spectacular as well as the tasteful is spectacular. It's just a wonderful thing to like, and it's all for, you know, it's for a good cause.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, for sure.

Mark D. Sikes: the Costume Institute, is amazing, which, you know, there's not a lot of events like that anymore that kind of help, but yeah, it'll be fun to watch however they all interpret it.

Caroline Gidiere: Sure. think the Met Ball is a perfect place for the more editorial things that we see on the runway. You know what I'm saying? Like this is the place to bust something crazy out if you're so inclined or if you're a designer trying to be part of the conversation, know, part of that metric that, you know, the worst thing is when you went to the Met Ball and you paid $75,000 per ticket, nobody really mentioned. the people that you sent up the runway. You got to do something right. Did anybody watch Coachella this weekend?

Mark D. Sikes: ⁓ yes. So fun. Just it.

Caroline Gidiere: did you watch it?

Paloma Contreras: I didn't watch, no, I didn't watch it, I mean, I saw clips and things on Instagram. Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter were all over my Instagram.

Caroline Gidiere: I really love that. And I was like saying something to Lou. I was like, did you see that Sabrina Carpenter joined Madonna? And she was like, how old are you? She was like, Madonna joined Sabrina Carpenter. She was like, do you really think Madonna is going to be at Coachella like headlining? She was like, no, Sabrina Carpenter just brought Madonna on stage, which was so great for like a prayer. I thought it was so wonderful.

Paloma Contreras: That's funny. Yeah. Well, she's an icon. mean, I am a child of the eighties and nineties and grew up on Madonna, you know? Like I remember my uncle came to visit once and he brought me on vinyl, I guess it was like a, you know, A B side single. And it was, what was it? Like a, like a virgin for my.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm.

Paloma Contreras: at me as a four-year-old, like a virgin on one side and into the groove on the other side, which is still my favorite Madonna song to this day. And I mean, I grew up on MTV, like all I ever did. I had a TV in my room, a cable television in my room as a child. So I watched a lot of MTV, you name it. That's how I think I have, why I have such a broad taste in music, because I like have been exposed, not just through that, but I like all kinds of music and certainly.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Ugh. Mm-hmm.

Paloma Contreras: you know, the MTV influence was part of it. But I love Madonna, so that was really fun. And I really like Sabrina Carpenter too, so it was fun to see them together and like, how amazing, Madonna's 67 years old and she's up there, looks great, know, fabulous next to this young little thing.

Caroline Gidiere: Yes, yes, she's looking better than she was like five years ago, you know?

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, no, mean, her face was a little, yeah, ⁓ that, I said this to Fabian and he was like, Madonna looked great. And he's like, have you seen her? And I was like, yes. I just mean her body, her energy, her presence. Her face is looking better. I mean, I think maybe some of the filler has dissolved or I don't know what she had done, but it was looking a little exaggerated.

Caroline Gidiere: Hush. Yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: I like I thought she was so great on stage, but all the video clips when she's not on stage in the audience for some of the other where she's acting like a crazy person. It's like she should have just gone home. She should have done performance. It's all of those videos of her in the audience, like dancing and going crazy was like crazy. yeah, and hasn't knew, I don't know if you guys realize or notice she has a new rear end.

Paloma Contreras: Mm, I didn't see those.

Caroline Gidiere: Leave it to her to take it too far. Yeah. She's a little crazy. She, yeah. Her husband. Yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: her rear end's new. Like, and she has had a great rear end before, so I don't know why she did that.

Caroline Gidiere: Right. It's interesting because from what I know of aging skin, I'm not sure I would give it anything more to hold up. You know what I'm saying? Like, I just don't know. I don't know that this is a...

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: No.

Mark D. Sikes: All the people listening, should just Google it and look at what it looks like now because it's definitely an odd thing. A little bit of a transformation just does not seem at all often.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, yeah. too much.

Paloma Contreras: Hmm.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Well, Madonna's always out here pushing the envelope. ⁓ Speaking of, did anybody see the clips of Addison Rae?

Mark D. Sikes: Yes.

Paloma Contreras: hell.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay. I watched the whole

Mark D. Sikes: I saw all the clips. I thought Justin Bieber's was amazing. was such an amazing to see him.

Caroline Gidiere: Absolutely. I'm hoping he's going to be on tour.

Paloma Contreras: But did y'all hear why he did that? Like why he did the laptop? I was reading about it and apparently, I guess he sold the rights to his catalog and was basically destitute a few years ago. And there was something happening where like, because he wasn't performing his old music and giving the royalties to the people who now own it, he was watching clips of himself perform it and then doing something else.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: There was like some kind of clever loophole to generate new income for himself. Exactly like the Taylor's version.

Caroline Gidiere: Kind of like Taylor. Yeah. Brilliant. And now they say he's about to drop a new album and go on tour and generate another, because I guess he only sold it for like 200 million guys. That's not, I mean, somebody should have been negotiating for him better than that.

Mark D. Sikes: I thought he, know, obviously we've all been following him over the years and, know, a tormented child star and has gone through ups and downs and been very, um, transparent about it. Just was so wonderful to see him on a big stage for the biggest audience. His voice sounded amazing. thought it seemed super authentic and his own style and kind of his own way of approaching it. just thought it was a huge, um, very successful, you know,

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. 100%. Yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: you know, like a return, you know, which really felt great, which is nice.

Paloma Contreras: you

Caroline Gidiere: Lou was saying the difference between the first weekend and the second. You know, the first weekend, his countenance was much lower and smaller. And it's almost like he realized that everybody loved him and was obsessed with him. And he came out really strong, you know, second weekend, really bold. It was really, really great to see. Yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: Nice.

Paloma Contreras: That's awesome. Did y'all see ⁓ Billie Eilish with him? I thought that was really cute too, because she's an incredible artist and she was so starstruck with him. I mean, surely they've met before, I'm sure they're friends, but it was sweet. I really enjoyed that.

Mark D. Sikes: It was.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ okay. Back, circling back quickly to Addison Rae. If anybody, first up, I mean, why is she headlining Coachella? Because I can think of like, why not Olivia Dean or somebody who's like more of a whatever, but has anybody watched Schitt's Creek? Do y'all watch Schitt's Creek ever? The whole thing, the whole time, the only thing I could think of was a little bit of Lexis. The song that Alexa sings, like, la, la, la, la, la, la. It was just so messy. Like, such a, she was just such a hot mess. And it was so sex forward. And Madonna's always done that, but with precision. You know what I'm saying? Like,

Paloma Contreras: Yeah Well, and that's Sabrina Carpenter's whole persona, but she curates it well, I think. Yeah, it's campy. Like, she's in on the jokes.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, right. It's buttoned up, you know, it's like, yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: Mm-hmm

Caroline Gidiere: This other, you should watch it. It was like, she was just such a mess. I don't know. I just, was a little, anyway, seemed a little thirsty ⁓ in a fame way and not in a sexual way, but even though it was sex forward, but.

Mark D. Sikes: Did all the clips and all the energy around Coach Hell and Mickey all want to go? I've never been.

Caroline Gidiere: Lou is, yeah, I've never been, Lou is, yeah. Lou is like, we're going, we're going, we're gonna go, we're gonna go two weekends in a row. And I was like, don't you think I'm a little old for that? And she was like, no, I think she just wants me to go P for it. Have you seen all these pop-ups? People spend millions of dollars.

Mark D. Sikes: I'm kind of in self-aware of the idea of like going and seeing it.

Paloma Contreras: She wants you to take her and P for it.

Mark D. Sikes: That's how.

Caroline Gidiere: I'm just hopeful for the environment that they leave them out there and they're there year round that they don't break these things down because they look like the nicest like showroom you've ever seen. ⁓ those looks. think I think like page six or deux moi Somebody has all of them, you know, in a in a what do we call that a carousel? ⁓ You'll be blown away. And then also.

Paloma Contreras: Mm-hmm.

Caroline Gidiere: the people that are there with pop-ups like Method Dishwashing Liquid. Really?

Mark D. Sikes: I mean, without a doubt, the people watching would be insane. And if you got to hear some cool music, I think just the observing that culture and the young people and would be really amazing to see.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, absolutely. I'm dying to go. We'll fly out there and you can go with us.

Paloma Contreras: Y'all have fun. We'll watch it from afar. I don't like big crowds.

Mark D. Sikes: Mm-hmm.

Caroline Gidiere: Okay, okay. So that reminds me, there was a lot ⁓ around 818 Kendall Jenner's ⁓ pop-up and she had all of her sisters besides Kim there ⁓ with little moments inside her area. It's not tinted, it's like a little fenced in area. And that made me wonder, because I've never asked you. either one of you. are your, who's your favorite Kardashian right now?

Mark D. Sikes: Well, mean, the Kardashians are either, you it's a love hate situation, right? So I think in general, it's kind of amazing what they've accomplished, the success that they've created, not just one of them, but like a whole family. So it's kind of genius. But then it's also like, in many ways, also an example of kind of the downfall of our society in some ways.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. 100%.

Mark D. Sikes: I do think that the business mindset, the way they're able to manipulate the media is fascinating. It's a fascinating thing to observe. ⁓ And you have to, in some ways, ⁓ acknowledge the genius of that because it's a...

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. for sure.

Paloma Contreras: Well, what did they say? The devil works hard, but Kris Jenner works harder.

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah. It was just kind of unbelievable. I think that they're all, like I don't watch the Kardashians, but I obviously, think Kendall is the one that I think is more interesting. feel like she, not interesting, but I feel like she's had less work done. She seems a little more authentic. She seems a little bit more like less, not always in a costume. It doesn't feel like a big production. So I think that she's a little bit.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm.

Mark D. Sikes: more of the, guess, the subtle one, even though she's a super subtle. But, you know, I'm not a fan, but I'm also not like, you I don't think it's bad. I don't think they're bad either. I just think that they're a fascinating thing to watch, but not the best example to young girls, but it is fascinating that they're independent, you know, very, very successful women.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, how much you P?

Paloma Contreras: I mean, I would echo what Mark says. I think it's a fascinating commentary on society. And when you think about the impact that they've had culturally over the last, what, 20 years now, probably, like they've been around for a long time, it's crazy. I mean, that's for good or bad, that's something to acknowledge. ⁓ I don't really have a dog in this fight. mean, I agree, like...

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You

Paloma Contreras: Kendall is beautiful and I, like, you know, she's actually like, she's not just a famous person who became a model, like a child of a famous person. She's actually like a great model and has had a wonderful modeling career. I love that she and Jacob Elordi might be linked now, cause I love him. So that's fun, but you know, I don't really, they're not people that I look up to or want to emulate or anything like that. ⁓

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Paloma Contreras: That being said, I did use to watch it way back in the day, like when it first started, and ⁓ you can't escape them. It's not like you don't have to make conscious choice to follow them or keep up with the Kardashians. Like they're just everywhere always. And I think Khloe seems like she's a genuinely nice person, you know? Like she makes poor choices and doesn't always pick the best men, but she seems like she has a big heart.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Mark D. Sikes: The funny thing is Michael watches it and I'm always kind of like, I'm in the room like, Oh my God, why do you have that on? That is so trashy. And then I'm like, you know, 10, 15, 20 seconds. I'm the one standing right by the TV. like it just kind of, it's kind of so outrageous. It kind of, it pulls you in and you're kind of like all of sudden watching, know, it's got, it's gone by. So anyway, I think it's.

Paloma Contreras: Ha

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah! Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah.

Caroline Gidiere: It's a show that I love to turn on when I'm doing something else. You know, like if I'm cleaning out my closet or, you know, something like that, something that I can't sit there and watch. But yeah, I think Kendall is my favorite for style, for sure. I think her style is one worth emulating. I don't feel that way about any of their other, their personal style.

Mark D. Sikes: You

Caroline Gidiere: It's not anything I would emulate, but ⁓ they're all so beautiful, which is extraordinary to have not a stinker in the group. I think they're all pretty.

Paloma Contreras: you

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah, but they paid a lot.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah.

Caroline Gidiere: They've had a lot of work maybe, yeah, well.

Paloma Contreras: Anyone can be beautiful with millions and millions of dollars and access to the right doctor.

Caroline Gidiere: Now this is not true. This is not true because what's her name? Amazon spouse.

Paloma Contreras: Well, yeah. Lauren Sanchez, Bezos.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, I mean, she's got all the money in the world. It ⁓ doesn't necessarily mean that you can be beautiful. It can mean that you can spend a lot of money on your appearance, not beautiful. But I think they're features and everything. know everybody says they've done all sorts of work or whatever, but ⁓ in any event, they had good people to do it, I guess. But I like Khloe a lot. And very impressed with Kris ⁓ Kim. I mean, you have to be impressed with Kim. ⁓ they've been able to do, ⁓ they've been able to do is just have to have mad respect. And you can judge whether or not you think that's good for society, but it impressive what they've taken.

Paloma Contreras: Well, and what's so interesting, I think the reason people find it so fascinating is because there's not just like one successful person or two successful people in the family that were able to tap into this platform. It's like each and every one of them, with the exception of poor Rob, has really like, you know, made it. Like they've made these incredible brands and have these huge platforms and bajillions of dollars to show for it.

Caroline Gidiere: Hey. Bless, bless. Yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: Also, like, they're also household names for multiple generations.

Paloma Contreras: And around the world, know, worldwide, like there's probably not a country in the world that you could go where people wouldn't know that name.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, worldwide. Yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: It's really cool.

Caroline Gidiere: And that's just amazing. They did catch a wave. It wouldn't be as easy to recreate that today as they did with TV. You know, ⁓ what do they call it? Whatever media or whatever like traditional media where we all had channels and we were watching TV instead of streaming stuff. I'd be interested to see what the numbers are, if they compare and how many more seasons they'll be doing. ⁓ Cause I think they're getting a little long in the tooth. Like nobody seems to be interested in doing this show anymore, but I think they're afraid to let it go. ⁓ know, I mean, it's, basically Khloe and Kim ginning up trips to go on these days. The last time I watched, and I only got an episode or two in, I couldn't make it very far, but anyway. Okay, moving on. Did

Mark D. Sikes: But we'll just have to wait to see what they all were to the make

Caroline Gidiere: I know, I know. Well, if you don't like them, you only have Anna Wintour to blame because she definitely validated the Kardashians in a way.

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah, but she was very resistant for many, many, years and then, the Kardashians, even more speaks to their power.

Caroline Gidiere: I know. Yeah, yeah. But with Kanye, you know, it was Kanye that opened that door for Kim.

Paloma Contreras: Isn't it with the baby? Yeah, when she had the baby, right? The first daughter, North West, they were on the cover with the baby.

Caroline Gidiere: North,

Mark D. Sikes: was a co-op together, but they basically...

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. She legitimized them for sure. For sure. I'm not judging. because I'm with Michael. I'm there watching them all the time, but I'm just saying, like, they didn't have that ⁓ validity until Anna. ⁓ But she's always been, you know, she's the one who started celebrities as cover stars on...

Mark D. Sikes: Totally. Finally, for there to be a model on the cover of a fashion magazine again.

Caroline Gidiere: Fashion Magazine, so she knows what she's doing. Yeah, right. Okay, did y'all have y'all seen the cabana versus X Ralph Lauren collection? I feel like I haven't seen anything that's come along in a long time. That's as pretty. I don't know if y'all seen it.

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah, I thought it was beautiful.

Paloma Contreras: so pretty and classic and reflective. think of both, both brands.

Caroline Gidiere: Absolutely gorgeous. I wish they would make it more than just, you know, some napkins and tablecloths ⁓ and a poof, you know? I could deal with some more of that, like a broader, broader collection. ⁓ I think they both bring so much to each other that it's a really nice fit.

Paloma Contreras: Yeah, there's nice synergy there.

Mark D. Sikes: Now they do have a beautiful job with the imagery.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Absolutely, just Cabana's photography is beyond, you know, I mean, it's just next level. It's amazing what they're able to, the vibe they're able to create through their photography and styling. Okay, Mark, why don't you tell us, I know, I watch, I know you have so many irons in the fire and you have so much coming up. Tell us what all is going on at MDS.

Mark D. Sikes: Well, ⁓ lots of exciting things. Today, actually, we launched our new fabric collection, Wishy Mocker, which was extremely exciting. So a collection that we've been working on for the last couple of years that ⁓ was inspired by just American, all-American classic ⁓ patterns like damasks and stripes and mores. And it was really fun to create

Caroline Gidiere: Fabulous.

Mark D. Sikes: It's always great to collaborate with Schumacher. They're really amazing partners and they're really amazing marketers and a brilliant team. But it was really fun to like take classic timeless like patterns and silhouettes and make them feel fresh for today. Cause there's not really, it's really hard to find some of those things in the marketplace right now. And it also is an amazing ⁓ time to do it coinciding with the collection called All American Collection. So it's kind of wonderful to have it coincide with our anniversary of our country.

Caroline Gidiere: Yum. America.

Mark D. Sikes: and to build on the work that we're so proud of that we've done over the years at the House and at the Blair House and all those good things.

Caroline Gidiere: In your last collection with Schumacher with your basics that you did, I really love those. There's so many good, ⁓ quiet fabrics that are in perfect colors. I mean, they're just really, really great. I love them so much. And so I'm excited to see this one. I haven't been on Instagram all day, so I haven't seen your new collection. can't wait.

Mark D. Sikes: Ehem.

Paloma Contreras: Super pretty.

Mark D. Sikes: No, I'm about it. Thank you. So with that going on, we're also about to launch a new fashion collaboration with Jay McLaughlin, which is like really exciting. ⁓ I came from a fashion background, so it's always fun to dabble in fashion, how to fashion label for a moment. So it's kind of fun to design clothes again, not just women's clothes, but men's clothes. ⁓

Caroline Gidiere: Okay. Fun.

Mark D. Sikes: and it's the summer delivery. It's really amazing actually. We're very proud of it. We did a photo shoot a couple of weeks ago in New York and it was just so fun too.

Caroline Gidiere: I saw them. Such cute pictures.

Paloma Contreras: So fun, I saw that.

Mark D. Sikes: Yeah. And the model, Ray, was the model that we used for MDS Stripes, Ray Roberts. So was really fun to bring her back. And then Amy Nunesinger, is my constant creative collaborator, photographed it, ⁓ did all the photography. So it was really, really fun. So we're super proud of that. We're super proud of, you know, I think that, you know, fashion and interior is kind of in my world or in my mind, very much coincide. So it's just, I think in many ways they're very similar processes.

Caroline Gidiere: Sure.

Mark D. Sikes: very similar things, know, a room reflects who you are, but an outfit also reflects who you are. And ⁓ I've always had a very blurred line between the two. So it's always really fun to participate in that. So we have that going on. We have our shoe marker collection going on, working on our fourth book, which is super exciting. And more importantly, we're just working on really amazing interior design projects, you know, all over. just, love what we do.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Tell us the status of Orange Hill Farm.

Mark D. Sikes: Well, ⁓ Orangeville Farm is a personal ⁓ project or residence that we've been working on for very long time. It's in Ohio, California. It was a piece of property that we purchased ⁓ during COVID. ⁓ Like everyone in COVID, we were all wanting to escape to a dream project and creating something. it's 14 acres, half of it's citrus. We've been working many years on designing. ⁓ house and building house and now we're building it and we're probably about year 15 months out, is seems unimaginable just because it's been so long, but you I guess, you know, the weight, the weight is worth it. So we're very excited. We've, you know, we've, did things in reverse. We kind of planted all the trees beforehand. So we have all these incredible oak trees and sycamore trees and Jay Jara's and just

Caroline Gidiere: ⁓ wow.

Mark D. Sikes: beautiful trees that have been planted and all the citrus trees and now the house is being built. yeah, it's really exciting.

Caroline Gidiere: Fabulous. Now, have you already purchased all of the furniture for like your antiques or are you still shopping? Are we going to be shopping for Orange Hill Farm when we are in the UK or for your client's project?

Paloma Contreras: How wonderful.

Mark D. Sikes: Ahem. Yeah, I've definitely not been able to solve our furniture. But over the years, I've been collecting things that we'll find a home in Orange Hill, which have been lots of wonderful antiques and different auctions that will be sprinkled throughout the house. But the core of the house, like the upholstery, the window treatments, none of that's really been done. When we bought the property, of course, there was a lot of energy and excitement. for myself personally designing and concepting and putting up on a wall. Well, you know, over the course of the years, ⁓ you know, because, but we've come back to it and pretty much 80 % of it stuck. So ⁓ this year will be the year we really start all the final curation and we're also working with some amazing, the best collaborators. So I'm really excited. So all of the outdoor lights we're designing with Jam, they're doing these custom lights.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, I think. Boom, nice.

Mark D. Sikes: working with DeGornay on a really beautiful custom wallpaper. We're working with McKinnon and Harris on some custom furniture. We're working with ⁓ Frederick Victoria on these wonderful ⁓ pieces throughout the whole house. So that's really been fun to really partner with people that we respect ⁓ the best of the best and like really come up with one of a kind things. ⁓ So all of that's in the works. just all the other, you know, all the things that will be the, I guess the things that, you know, the textiles and things that fill it in. So that's been really, really fun to like really create ⁓ some amazing things over the last few years.

Paloma Contreras: It's incredible. can't wait to see it. It looks beautiful from all the sneak peeks you've posted.

Caroline Gidiere: Amazing. That's... I can't either.

Mark D. Sikes: Well.

Caroline Gidiere: Well, that is a perfect segue into what we kind of wanted to talk to you about just a little bit today is just how you guys started building your brand. And we have, I think, a lot of young designers that listen to this podcast. so I just wonder what advice you would give for someone just starting out who sees you and is inspired. aspires to be the next Mark D. Sikes. What should they be doing? What should they be thinking about?

Mark D. Sikes: Well, I think when I started my design career, which hasn't been that long ago, it was such a different time. So it's definitely a different time than it is today. When I ⁓ started doing interior design work, I had come from a fashion background. ⁓ This was like 15 years ago. I had started a blog. That's kind of when blogs were happening. I kind of decorated our house personally, and it got published, and the blog was happening at the same time. it was this kind of... interesting wave of different circumstances that created this platform to start an interior design firm. ⁓ it was never ever in my mind that I would ever do interior design or, ⁓ was it, was never a goal. I mean, I was always in fashion and just was something that kind of presented itself. And at the time, it seemed like an exciting, ⁓ adventure just to try. So when I first, when I first did this,

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Mark D. Sikes: There was no intention to be doing this 10 years or 15 years or forever. I just was like, ⁓ wow, there's these people that make might want me to help them decorate their house. And wouldn't that be fun? And that's truly how it like kind of started. So I think that, you know, I think the naivety and probably, ⁓ the past experiences were able to, ⁓ create something that was kind of magical in a way. so that's how it happened. I would tell anyone who was starting, ⁓

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Mark D. Sikes: who's passionate about anything, to work really hard, to identify and define exactly what they want to be or who they are in the world and stick to it. I think that design is, ⁓ it's very easy to get off track. It's very easy to ⁓ kind of, this isn't working, let's move on to something else. But I do think that kind of the magic that has happened here at Mark D. Sikes interiors, it's that we've always been very consistent. And the consistency is really about authenticity. It's just like the things I love are the things I love. Um, and have always been the things I love and have never kind of veered course from the things I love. Um, just going back to the Schumacher collection, what is it? It's a lot of blue. It's a lot of stripes. There's a lot of classic things going back to the Jay McLaughlin guess. What is it? It's a lot of like Navy Navy. It's a lot of Navy and white stripes. It's there's nothing that feels.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm.

Mark D. Sikes: unfamiliar or not authentic, that is to me. And I've always loved classic things. So I think that there's just something in that, right? It's kind of all, you know, it's kind of, it's all kind of the same, but it's just the way you approach it how you do it a little differently. think there's power in marketing. There's power in storytelling. There's so many different vehicles to market yourself today that weren't.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm.

Mark D. Sikes: around many, many years ago. You can kind of create a brand through, I don't know anything about Snapchat or all those, or those kinds of things. But Instagram was really one of our opportunity to be able to build a brand and build a marketing vehicle, which has been really beneficial to us. back to what I would tell people, I would just say be yourself, work really hard. I don't think there's probably anyone in the world that works harder than I do, but I love what I do. So it doesn't feel like work. I think that's kind of a. an interesting thing. It's like people need to find that thing that they love, you know, and if love it, you're unconsciously put 100, you know, 100 % into it always. And I think that's kind of what I was able to find. And it's been just really wonderful. We've definitely surpassed any, I've never ever in my, would ever thought some of the things we've done, we would have been able to do. And I think it's, I think again, it's just kind of naivety.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Yeah.

Paloma Contreras: Well, if I may, have known you since the very beginning, like right around the time that your house got published and House Beautiful ⁓ the very beginning. And it's been so fun as your friend to see this amazing ascension. I will say the thing I always say about Mark is he's a brilliant designer, but he's an even more brilliant marketer ⁓ no one works harder than Mark Sikes. So the devil may work hard and Kris Jenner may work harder, but

Mark D. Sikes: Let's do it.

Caroline Gidiere: Mark works harder.

Paloma Contreras: Mark Sikes works the hardest. No, he really is tireless and works so, so much. ⁓ another thing that sticks out to me, I think just in conversations over the years is I feel like the word manifesting is sort of like a buzzword now, but you've always said like, I just believe that I could, you know, like it's a conscious goal or it's something that happens organically, ⁓ almost like you have this belief that anything is possible and then you go out and you just make it happen. you know, through hard work and perseverance and obviously your style and point of view and all of the other talents and factors that play into it. But I don't think that you're someone who limits themselves by believing that something is impossible.

Mark D. Sikes: I definitely, mean, I think when I'm posed with a new opportunity, when someone says, what about this? My natural instinct is, oh, wow, that sounds like fun. I figure out the way to do it. don't know. I've never really processed things like, oh, these are the reasons I can't do it. I've always processed things. Wow, this would be a really fun thing to do. And then you just kind of put wheels in motion of how to do it. So that's just the way I've always thought.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm.

Mark D. Sikes: And it could be, it's a blessing and a curse, you know? I mean, I think that, you know, but it's proven in many ways that, you know, all things are possible. If you love something, you'll be able to figure out how to do it. ⁓ I think the most incredible thing about our brand and what we've accomplished is, you know, I knew nothing about other than what I thought furniture looked pretty. I never knew nothing about furniture other than what I liked. But then I've now I've learned how to make sure I always looked at fabrics that, ⁓ I that fabric appeals to me. Did not know anything about how to create it, but I've learned how to do it. Same thing with lighting. mean, there's just all these fascinating things that we're able to be ⁓ exposed to that has helped us learn more. ⁓ You know, again, I've always kind of like, oh, fabrics, great. I know what pretty fabrics look like, you know, but it takes a lot of work to design them and to figure out how to do it. Which has been an amazing thing. So not only it's been exciting, but I feel like I've learned so much. I've learned so much that I didn't know before. But the core of it's all still the same. And I think that's kind of interesting. When I look back on...

Caroline Gidiere: ⁓ sure.

Mark D. Sikes: when I look today versus 15 years ago, it's all the same. It's just a little bit, you know, different interpretations of classic type of things.

Caroline Gidiere: Thank

Paloma Contreras: Well, what do you think makes you so, you've talked a lot about that. You you love classic things, enduring themes, timeless motifs. A stripe is a stripe, a stripe has been around a long time, but what makes it, like how do you approach making it feel fresh and different?

Mark D. Sikes: Well, I mean, I think that's the challenge with everything. It's like, how do you, you know, you don't want to get bored with it either. So how do you take something and interpret it in a different way? ⁓ that feels unique and special. And there are a million ways of doing it. I mean, I think that what I'm most proud about our design work today versus when I first started is we really try to, with each project to make that project have its own story and do some, do things very specific to that project that are completely original. ⁓ which means. maybe in regards to a stripe, it might mean not going and buying a stripe at Schumacher or a stripe at Brunswick or a stripe at Benison, but having a decorative artist come in and paint a beautiful stripe and miter it in a certain way, or work with a fabricator on taking a stripe and doing an amazing creative application with it. you know, it's about the, you know, how to kind of like take something and reinvent it in a way that feels different. Nor do we ever want to be the designer that we're creating rooms that look just like a room that we've had in our previous book or whatever. So it's also a personal challenge. think things that you love that you know work, you know, we know the things I think I know the things that work when I'm designing a house, you know, that balance of there might be one room that has a mix of things, a mix of solid colors and one, one hero print mixed with smalls. But I always liked the room next to it to either be like one full expression of, you know, one color or. or one thing on everything just to get that balance and that rhythm. So I think it's about taking something that you love and just trying to make it original and unique. As soon as you think you can't do it, you can do it. That's the other thing that we've figured out of, you know, I'm really into insets right now, like insets. decorative painting insets, you kind of create an inset like wall thing that's not paneling. And now we're doing like insets with unupholstered walls and now we're doing insets on all the furniture. It's kind of like, I'm in love with an inset. just find new ways of doing it. ⁓ And I also feel like too, we want our work, I want everything that I do to not only be beautiful, but I want it to feel optimistic. I really want it to feel unique.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Sure.

Mark D. Sikes: but I also want it to feel fresh. And when people look at it, just want it to make them happy. There's nothing in me that feels like I have to be the most innovative, the most unique, most, ⁓ you know, just completely like nothing you've ever seen before. But what I want people to just do is look at it think it's pretty and think it's happy and it's to reflect the people that live there. That's really what my goal is. ⁓ Never to be more than I am, but to just make it. ⁓ Like I said, know, unique and happy.

Caroline Gidiere: Well, you do. You succeed. You succeed.

Paloma Contreras: Love that.

Mark D. Sikes: So do y'all. We're so blessed. You know, I'm just so blessed to do what I love, you know, like really, really like what a joy to be able to, you know, wake up every day and, you know, work on with wonderful people and work with beautiful things and just to create beauty and then be able to like then learn while I'm doing it. I mean, it's just such a gift, you know, and I think that that's, it's not work. So I think that's what makes it for me so special.

Paloma Contreras: me out.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. Well, you're amazing. You're really amazing at all things. No, no, no, no, no, this is about you. Don't deflect, don't deflect, no. I mean, just all the stuff that you're able to do. ⁓ it's not, like Paloma said, it's not ⁓ things. Well, I think there's a thing about working really hard. There's some sayings about it, like,

Paloma Contreras: you

Mark D. Sikes: Thank

Caroline Gidiere: When you work really hard, you end up getting lucky. Does that make any sense? mean, like, because you're doing the work and it's not necessarily work without all the, I mean, not necessarily luck without the work, but if you lay the foundation, the luck will happen. And I feel like that's kind of the story of your success, like working harder than everybody else so that those opportunities have come your way. ⁓

Paloma Contreras: Mm-hmm.

Mark D. Sikes: Well, think there's luck. I think there's kind of star alignment. I think there's many things that go into success for sure. think one very unique thing about me and something that I'd want to share with people is, you know, I came from a wonderful, loving family, you know, but I was not exposed to a ton of things in regards to like world travel or, you know,

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah, yeah. Sure.

Mark D. Sikes: My mom and dad always had wonderful tastes, but they didn't always have a lot of means. So I was not exposed to a lot. So I was a voyeur of beautiful things. I was a voyeur of beautiful images. I was a voyeur of ⁓ of nature. Just like really looking for beauty everywhere, but it wasn't something I was exposed to. found it. And I think that is an amazing thing for anyone out there that's listening.

Caroline Gidiere: Mm-hmm. you Mm-hmm.

Mark D. Sikes: is you don't have to have anything served on a silver platter. It's just like, you know, you just have to like, go find it, go find what it is you love and, and, and, and create it. ⁓ because it wasn't given to me. So I've kind of like searched. ⁓ and I think that also makes it so much more rewarding and fulfilling, you know? And I think that, you know, when you ever, you stop learning is kind of when you stop. So not only do I study a room.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah.

Mark D. Sikes: what it looks like, I will study a room. will study rooms and go back and like, look about who designed it. And, you know, what was the architectural detail and, know, who was the person that was living there and just kind of really understand all aspects of it. And I think that is just like an amazing thing. So I take, I take none of it for granted. Like even the background, don't take for granted. I try to like figure it all out because I had to figure a lot out kind of on my own, but that's also a gift. ⁓ a gift my parents gave me was not. exposing me to too much, but exposing me to just enough, I was able to kind of, you know, find it on my own. think that's also really amazing. everything. You know, there's out there like listening, that's young, that's trying to figure out their way, just go find it. know, create it yourself, because it's possible. It's really possible.

Paloma Contreras: So wonderful Mark. Mm-hmm. That's right.

Caroline Gidiere: Absolutely. You're a testament.

Mark D. Sikes: You

Caroline Gidiere: For sure. Absolutely. Okay. Well, this has been so much fun and I cannot as Mark, as you said, it's a little appetizer to our trip next week, starting next weekend. Cannot wait. We're going to have to figure out where we are watching the Met Gala. It will start at 9.30 PM on next Monday and we'll all be together. So that'll be a lot of fun. You can watch the looks as they come up the steps.

Mark D. Sikes: ⁓

Caroline Gidiere: But anyway, yeah, so when ⁓ I see you both next, we'll be across the pond.

Paloma Contreras: That's right, so exciting.

Mark D. Sikes: It's really enjoyable to get to spend time with you guys talking about things. Because we all know each other really, really well. the thing is, we all know that this is all like the truth. But we all really appreciate beauty and really appreciate all aspects of beauty. So it's really fun to be able to talk to you guys, but also share in our friendship. Because we all really appreciate the same things. And let's try to appreciate friendship, because it's really important.

Caroline Gidiere: Yeah. I know.

Mark D. Sikes: really is important.

Caroline Gidiere: It's gonna be a great trip, yeah.

Paloma Contreras: Well, thank you so much, yes. This was so fun, I love you both and I can't wait to be with you in England. We're gonna have so much to talk about when we get back.

Caroline Gidiere: Yay. Yes, that's right. Thanks so much, Mark. Okay, see you guys.

Paloma Contreras: Thank you, Mark. Bye.