Isabelle Carson

PR & Showroom Manager 
Auckland, New Zealand
Isabelle wears pieces from our April + May collection
Photography by Ike Conway

Isabelle is our first Sylvester Session after the closure of KS, and launch of Sylvester. As a longtime collaborator and friend of the brand, it's the perfect chat to get this series rolling again. Read the full conversation below.

Tell us about yourself. Who is Isabelle Carson?

I am based in Tamaki Makaurau, and work at Showroom 22 as a PR & Showroom Manager. I studied Art History at uni, and despite not currently working in the art industry, I find my studies still inform many aspects of my daily life. 

What are you currently reading/watching/listening to?

I am currently reading Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, and Iza’s Ballad by Magda Szabo - I am working my way through all of her English-translated works, and this is my fifth book of hers. I am also slowly reading Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot. I’ve been using the Libby app a lot to read The New Yorker and Paris Review, and am loving my Substack feed at the moment. 

Recently I have been listening to a lot of Tess Parks, Portishead, Massive Attack, and I am seeing Japanese Breakfast in June, so lots of her too! I have also been obsessed with Bella Freud’s ‘Fashion Neurosis’ podcast. 

I am in the middle of watching Pachinko, which I completely adore, and it’s an amazing book-to-screen adaptation. The costume work and soundtrack is beautiful, and I think the opening sequence is one of my favourites ever.

We are four and a bit months into 2025. What has been your favourite book of the year so far? 

I’ve already read so many good books this year! The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns and The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig have stayed with me, but I also loved Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares.

Your collection of books is massive. I want to know where it started and which book means the most to you? 

I grew up surrounded by books, so a house without books just doesn’t exist to me. I have always been a big reader, and I studied English Lit alongside Art History at uni, both of which inevitably came with a lot of reading, therefore a lot of books! As soon as I got my first job at 15, all my money went towards either clothes or books, so I’ve been building my collection for many years now.

Honestly, any book gifted to me by a loved one is extremely meaningful to me - there’s nothing more special than a personalised note hidden in the first few pages of a book. I have quite an expansive collection of Louise Bourgeois books, a few of which are now out of print, and those are extremely special to me. The first big expensive book I remember buying was Prada Catwalk, and it’s still something I continue to return to for inspiration. A book that really changed my perspective on writing is Charlie Porter’s What Artists Wear. It fuses everything I am interested in, and I wish I wrote it! 

Do you have any rituals for finding your next read?

Nothing specific! I have an ever-growing list of books I want to read, and gather recommendations from everywhere. I follow a lot of book-focused accounts online - too many to list - but one that has had a huge impact on what I read is SunbeamsJess on YouTube, I think I’ve been following her since I was 14. I often find new books by looking at suggested books for my favourite books on Goodreads, and exploring an author’s full repertoire. If there’s a book that really affected me, I tend to research what drew the author into writing it, as everything references something. 

I still think browsing bookshops in real life is the best way to find new reads, and when op-shopping for books I always have specific publishing houses I keep an eye out for - Fitzcarraldo Editions, NYRB, and Penguin Modern Classics are always reliable. 

I also read a lot of translated literature, and one of my favourite things to do to find new books is to explore the other works the translator has worked on. I’ve found some really amazing books this way. 

Some of my best recommendations have come from friends as well, of course. 

What do you love most about winter?

I used to hate winter, but living in Wellington for four years forced me to embrace the seasons. I love indulging in traditional winter activities; lots of reading and watching movies, lighting candles and drinking tea, and having cosy warming meals. I just moved into a house with a fireplace and I can’t wait to curl up next to it. I love being able to break out my coats and knitwear, and winter accessories are the best. Winter perfumes are my absolute favourite too. 

Any words of wisdom that have resonated with you recently?

Nothing immediately springs to mind, but something I constantly remind myself is that everything always works out - because it does!