Richard Tyler Is Selling L.A. Villa and Mulls Fashion Comeback

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2 days ago

After 27 years of living in South Pasadena, Calif., Richard Tyler and his wife Lisa Trafficante are selling their Italian Renaissance home to spend more time on the road and to possibly return to fashion.
During an interview Thursday, the couple was hanging out in Los Angeles, while their realtor was showing the five-bedroom, five-bathroom property which includes a guest house.
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Increasingly spending time in Milan and Genoa, they are keen to start making more trips to New York, where they were once enmeshed in the fashion industry. 'We really enjoy New York and we haven't been spending any time there. We used to be bicoastal so we miss that,' Trafficante said. 'Richard has always said, since I met him, that he only lives in a house for five years. That had been true with the Gramercy Park house we had, and the Dolores del Río one [in Hollywood] and our place on Washington Street [in New York.] But this one we have had for 27 years. That tells you a lot about this house.'
Built in 1910 by Reginald Davis Johnson and listed as a Cultural Heritage Landmark, 'Villa Arno' includes a swimming pool and expansive gardens that Tyler has tended to. The one-acre property is listed for $12 million.
Eager to spend more time in Italy especially and 'to be more out in the world,' the couple hopes to buy a place in New York to reduce the travel time for European excursions. Tyler and his wife have spoken with potential partners in Milan about developing a women's line. 'That could be fun. Then maybe I can be on the cover of Women's Wear Daily again,' he said with a laugh. 'The most exciting and nerve-wracking time in my life was when we did our first fashion show at the New York Public Library. We thought it was a success, but you never know. For my whole life, all I was interested in was to be on the cover of Women's Wear Daily. I think our show was on a Thursday, and Friday I rushed to the newsstand, but nothing. I went again Monday and nothing. And then finally on Tuesday, there it was.'
While prime on the fashion scene in the 1980s and 1990s, Tyler suited up such celebrities as Cher, Elton John, Diana Ross and Rod Stewart. Born in Australia, Tyler learned how to sew from his mother. Unlike most designers, he started out in menswear in the mid-1980s before introducing womenswear in 1989. Anne Klein & Co. tapped him in the early 1990s, but his L.A.-inspired edgy style turned out to be not in line with the middle-of-the-road label. Tyler won three awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and he designed uniforms for Delta Airlines at one point in his career.
Villa Arno has attracted a few film crews over the years including the production team behind 'Palm Royale' with actresses Kristen Wiig, Naomi Watts and Laura Dern. That led to an unexpected reunion with Dern, whom Tyler had dressed for key appearances in the past. Trafficante said, 'People come in to do a movie shoot, and say, 'Oh my god, it's Richard Tyler. You're my favorite designer. I wish I could get your clothes again.' We hear that especially now, when a style has returned that is befitting for Richard.'
Although there was a time when jackets, coats, suits and faux furs were out, that's no longer the case. Their son Edward also designs fashion, and he has incorporated that into his work in music and film. During one of Richard Tyler's fashion shows years ago, the model Naomi Campbell took the then three-month-old Edward out of Trafficante's arms and carried him down the runway. The couple hopes to include their son, 'who grew up in the industry,' in their fashion return. And their 29-year-old offspring is all-in with letting go of the South Pasadena manse. 'It's funny I said to him, 'I'm sorry that we're going to sell it.' He said, 'I don't have that feeling at all. I'm just lucky to have lived in all of these beautiful places. I don't have any feelings that we have to hang onto them.'' Trafficante said. 'He's good support for us.'
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