A conversation with David Meister always feels like a catch-up with a BFF. The designer exudes an abundance of charisma and charm, and he is always primed for a good fashion dish. Who can resist?

Recently, the CFDA member, who made his name designing dresses for both day and evening (hello, red carpet!), sat in his chic LA home office to talk to us via Zoom, and during a fun-filled hour, we touched on everything from Elsa Peretti vase necklaces to working from home and the prospect of a post-apocalyptic fashion universe.

When Los Angeles and much of country began to lock down, Meister and his husband, film producer Alan Siegel, decided to hunker down at their Palm Springs abode for a while. Back in their hometown since last October, they slowly readjusted to city life with all its new limitations.

“I keep saying, ‘When am I going to be able to go out and dance?’ I love to go out,” Meister said. “I am very social. I miss seeing people, being around people, interacting with people. I am almost tired of learning about culture and what’s happening in the world through my iPad. I would much prefer to be out and aware, talk to people, and see and find out things. Besides my job, I am attached to my iPad.”

Said job has shifted Meister’s trajectory in exciting new ways. Last month, he launched DAVID David Meister, a new lifestyle collection on HSN. This marks his second time working with the home shopping network and brings his creative touch to sportswear, with looks under $100 with the lion’s share between $49 and $69. At the moment, the offering includes a washed luxe maxi dress, currently marked at $59.99, a fluid jersey knot-neck top for $44.46, and a fluid jersey tunic cress at $38.99.

“It’s perfect for me right now, and that’s not to say that I won’t one day go back to doing a collection like the ones we did for Bergdorf’s,” Meister said. “I do it from home. I design it. I have creative control. I am in the fittings through Zoom, which is a whole different experience. I like working from home, though in creative fields, it’s all about bouncing ideas off one another. Fashion is an interactive process.”

He does all this from home and has the setup down pat, from tripod to five ring lights.

“I love doing television, so this is the best of both worlds for me,” he continued. “I am in fittings and then go on air to sell. I am doing two things that I love: being creative by designing and then being a lunatic on air, getting people hyped to shop, and just having fun.”

For Meister, taking a break from the red carpet was a welcome change.

“I had been doing dresses for 30 years,” Meister said. “At one point, I thought, ‘I don’t think there is anything else I could learn about a dress.’

“We all know it got very casual, because people are at home and when they have a meeting, they just throw something on,” he said, the casualization coming with a caveat. “Maybe not this year but next, people are going to die to get dressed up and I just think it’s a natural thing. I read this article how, after all this time of wearing flats, there are women who say they can’t wait to put their feet in uncomfortable shoes again. I thought, ‘isn’t this interesting?’ It’s always what you can’t have that you want. Right now, people want a sense of lightness, of freedom, or some kind of change.”

That said, he has some thoughts on the current state of the red carpet – especially with the Oscars set for next Sunday.

“I get it,” he said. “During all of this, there are more important things than ‘what gown are you wearing?’ but it’s also important to see beautiful. I love the virtual red carpet and how they did it for Golden Globes. It’s still not like being on the actual red carpet and seeing the dress move— but at least people are getting dressed up and looking fabulous. I don’t know if it’s ever going to be the same again. It’s evolved – but there will always be people getting dressed up and looking beautiful and glamorous.

“I love glamour more than anybody,” Meister added. “Everybody loves glamour. The red carpet is not the reality for most people, that’s why it’s fun. And if you want to get catty, you can.”

Here’s to that!