TESS MCMILLAN
TESS MCMILLAN is wearing the Dakarta No. 001. She is a model and artist living in London.
What is a rule that should never be broken?
I believe very deeply in exceptions.
What is your favorite word in any language?
I love words that have meanings that are not particularly beautiful but feel beautiful in the mouth. My favorite is échafaudage which means scaffolding in french. Or the word excruciate.
What makes you feel nostalgic?
Nearly everything.
What do you look forward to?
All of the people who I will love very much who I haven’t even met yet.
What takes you to cloud 9?
I love to take myself to the park and sit in the grass and bake myself in direct sunlight.
What is most difficult to find in contemporary culture?
Nuance.
What was the first piece of cultural work that really mattered to you?
I loved (and still love) Xanadu. Olivia Newton John (perfect), the costumes (perfect), roller skating as a means of creative self expression, and a love story that transcends heaven and earth.
What do you find most exciting in contemporary culture?
Strawberry iced matcha with oat milk.
What should we be reading?
I recently read Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte and I thought it was the most razor sharp observation of modern culture and also very very funny. My favorite books of all time are My Mother Laughs by Chantal Akerman (I am also obsessed with my mother) and Slow Days, Fast Company by Eve Babitz (master of perfectly translating profound darkness with biting wit) .
What is good design?
I love food packing that is classic and timeless and not performative. Milk in a glass bottle. The tiny little cardboard box of Smarties. Ortiz tinned fish. Big generous quarts of extra virgin olive oil.
What is the last thing you do at night?
I play my day on a tv screen in my mind and dissect everything I did incredibly wrong, but also everything I did completely right.
What do you still wish to learn?
I want to learn every language spoken on earth but I’m starting to feel a little worried I might not have quite enough time.