Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1517954
I t took us a moment to interpret the title when we first learned about Donald Robertson's new book, Sofa King Great. "Say it fast out loud," the ever-witty Robertson told us at a cocktail party. Ahhh … We got it. So f**cking great. Unbridled laughter. Dallas' resident bon vivant moved here from California in 2020 with his wife, interior designer Kim Gieske, and the three youngest of his five children: Teddy, who recently graduated from Greenhill, and the now- 10-year-old twins, Henry and Charlie. Robertson's career includes the 1994 launch of MAC's VivaGlam!, in his role as creative director of Estée Lauder; the debut of Marie Claire magazine in New York City; serving as creative director at Glamour and Cargo; and redesigning Cosmopolitan. However, i t 's h i s I n s t a g r a m moniker @drawbertson that created a cult-like following for his Pop art-esque drawings and now exceeds 220,000 followers. He has since collaborated on designs for Canada Goose, Warby By Billy Fong Cool — Say it Fast Top: Donald Robertson's Flammies, 2023 Left: Donald Robertson in his studio ELIZABETH LAVIN King Sofa Parker, London designer Giles Deacon, J. Crew, Smashbox, and more. Sofa King Great is the follow-up to his 2021 book, Alcohol A Love Story, which flew off the shelves when it was released. Alcohol was an alphabetical look at Robertson's cherished experiences with liquor (U presents 10 films "you have to watch," if only for their iconic alcohol-induced scenes). When we asked for details about his new coffee-table tome, his assistant sent us the "stress release" — yes, in Donald's world, it's not a press release. In the colorful and hefty tome, you'll find 400 hundred pages of his signature Pop- ular artworks. Why the title? He shared that he was playing carpool dad (he wears many hats), and one of his kid's friends in the back seat yelled out, "Sofa king great!" He didn't understand at first, and all the boys snickered until he finally got it. Then it dawned on him: "Book deux title! Done." He had also spent the winter in Palm Beach in a gallery space at the Royal Poinciana Plaza and hit a challenge with his name. When applying for a space permit under the name Donald, he was rejected. Need we remind you of another famous resident of that island of the well-to-do, who resides at Mar- a-Lago. Robertson reapplied using his Instagram handle and was approved. Thus, he donned a new hat. Sofa King Great, $300, at donalddrawbertson.com. 66