Jeff Stone
interviewed by Mike Agger on August 12, 1996
Related Links
Excerpts from recent Chic Simple books.
Interview with Jeff Stone, co-creator of Chic Simple.
Review of "Chic Simple Eyeglasses."
Coming Soon
Part Two of the Jeff Stone interview will appear in the Work & Money section this Friday. We discuss Chic Simple's most recent book "Work Clothes" which covers the new essentials of casual business wear.
"It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."
- Oscar Wilde
Jeff Stone helped launch a literary revolution in America when he co-founded the Vintage Contemporary Series of paperback books; they positioned very good writers in an unprecedented manner. After filling an executive position with Bantam Doubleday Dell, he established an independent book production company called Chic Simple.
Chic Simple provides guides for living "well but sensibly" that cover the essential details of modern living. The topics discussed by Chic Simple range from the mundane (Cooking Tools, Eyeglasses, Bed Linens), to the abstract (Body, Home). Informing all of the books is a singular vision of paring down information to its essentials. The Aboriginal saying,"The more you know, the less you need," serves as the company motto.
Here in the 90's, we might have less money to spend, but we still love our stuff: clothes, bags, cars, sunglasses, etc. At the same time, we are bombarded with tremendous amounts of information about what to buy, what to wear, what to eat. A tighter budget is all the more reason to choose wisely. Jeff Stone's sees Chic Simple as providing cultural guides for the material world we all live in. As he says,"Except for the Unabomber, what are 99.9% people walking around concerned about? Buying stuff." The Chic Simple books are about taking a closer look at the ways we accessorize our lives, and learning what is essential for living with economy and style.
Recently, Tripod spoke to Jeff Stone about the philosophy behind Chic Simple. He had a lot of interesting things to say about after-dinner rituals, The Jetsons, and the emergence of polyester.
