Interview by Victoria Lewis | Photos Courtesy of Prabal Gurung
Prabal Gurung, Fashion Designer. On his choice of sleepwear (hint: less is more) and the magic of early mornings in NYC.
WHAT WAS YOUR BEST NIGHT EVER OF SLEEP?
The best night’s sleep of my entire life was two weeks after I gave up drinking coffee. And the time I got back from my first time trekking in the mountains in Nepal. It had been a fifteen day trek and the night I got home, I showered, ate a home cooked meal (after days of trail diet) and I slept like a log.
AND YOUR WORST NIGHT?
The night before my show, every season.
WHAT TIME DO YOU GO TO SLEEP?
I try for before midnight, but usually 1 am.
WHAT'S ON YOUR BEDSIDE TABLE?
A note pad and pen, lavender diffuser, flower, water, books (whatever I am reading) lip balm, hand cream, my iPod, and Vicks VapoRub (yup, I am kinda obsessed).
WHAT PUTS YOU TO SLEEP?
Listening to David Attenborough narrating animal documentaries is the only way I can go to bed. His voice is the most soothing. I turn it on, fall asleep and have a timer to shut it off.
WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT?
Plans to achieve world peace (I am totally kidding). Work.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MIDNIGHT SNACK?
I don’t snack at midnight!
WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO SLEEP?
Nothing.
WHAT'S ON YOUR BEDTIME READING LIST?
It’s usually The NY Times, The New Yorker or sometimes a book.
ARE YOU A NIGHT OWL OR A MORNING PERSON?
Both. I love waking up very early in the morning because NY is the best when it’s quiet. A quiet NY is very rare. I love walking around my ‘hood when there is no one around. Morning in NY promises this beautiful hope for the day that anything magical can happen. However, NY nights are legendary. They are what dreams and fantasies are made of. Nowhere on the entire planet is there any city quite like NY.
WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP?
Usually around 5:30 or 6 am so I can go to the gym.
WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU DO IN THE MORNING?
Drink a glass and half of water and look at myself in the mirror and go “hello gorgeous”… Kidding! But yes to water.
BED: MADE OR UNMADE?
Always made. It’s my all-boys boarding school training. Nothing worse than an unmade bed. It says a lot about a person.