RIISE: Obviously this is the worst question to ask a reader... but what’s the best thing you’ve read, ever? 

JT: Ha! I can actually answer this really easily. My favorite type of book is an emotionally devastating novel that has huge character development and has writing that will physically take your breath away. It's like that feeling or thought spiral you get when you read a sentence and wonder for hours how someone has put these specific words together to alter your life forever. When I used to work at Gertrude & Alice, I had customers who specifically always wanted to know what I was reading or recommending, because they also enjoyed a traumatic read. Okay, maybe I can't give you just one… but I can give you my top three. 

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel is a deliciously lyrical novel set in the Appalachians that is based on the author's grandmother. We see the world through Betty's innocent eyes and no matter how hard things get, the stories her father tells her from Cherokee history sets my heart on fire. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai is a mix of the art world, the peak of the AIDs crisis, and a true tale of love in all its shapes and forms. Finally, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is a gigantic, epic novel that rips your heart out and leaves it in the middle of NYC's 42nd Street to be run over again and again and again (and again). 

RIISE: Where do you find new things to read? Do you bookmark your well-read friends’ Instagram recommendations? Do you have a book subscription? 

JT: I always have my eyes on the New York Times' list of books to read, as well as Vogue's list. I like to keep up to date on my favourite authors too so will read other books from them and anything new they put out. Going to author events and author talks and writer's festivals is also great because authors will often talk about books that have irrevocably changed their life or influenced their writing style or storytelling abilities. If you love that author, it's always interesting to read the books they talk about there. I've also signed up to Goodreads which helps me keep track of everything I've read, but also uses AI to recommend new books based on my ratings of books I’ve read in the past.

RIISE: Do the worlds of fashion and literature intersect for you? Do you think books inform your style at all? 

JT: I definitely think they connect for me. Everything I do is a culmination of feelings I want to express from all the types of art forms and media I consume and experience. I remember after reading Oscar Wilde's A Picture of Dorian Gray for the first time, I was so infatuated with the idea of his character that I had to express it in my own way somehow and I styled this outfit and shot it with my own representation. I'll think the same way when styling outfits for particular shoots or jobs; who will I be today, what character is inspiring me, what sounds do they listen to, how do they stand. The whole point of fashion, for me, is to express or elicit a type of feeling which directly intersects with storytelling.