Model Decades
Vogue US August 2008
interview: Mark Holgate
Her teenage daughters raid her closet full of Chanel, Converse and cool vintage
I
never really thought about my age - I'm 43 - until I recently did a Chanel
show, when I realized that I owned sneakers older than some of the other
models! My tastes haven't changed since I started working in
the eighties: Azzedine Alaia, Manolo Blahnik, and vintage finds, which
I've collected forever. I've had to ration how much I wear them,
though, as they are starting to show their age. I am weaning myself
off a 1930s floral chiffon tea dress bought years ago from the London vintage
store Steinberg & Tolkien because the fabric has become so fragile.
I'll maybe wear it with a Loewe navy suede trench, dark tights - I
show my legs less than I used to! - and some Prada heels. I
don't want to look too 'vintage', but I also don't want to look too done. I
like comfort, so something has to give. My three daughters, who range
in age from thirteen to eighteen, have started sneaking stuff out of my
wardrobe, like perfectly worn-in Converse sneakers. Actually, it's
wonderful to see the clothes have a second life. Amber, my eldest,
wore an Alaia shirt dress to a Marc Jacobs show; Naomi (Campbell) stopped
in her tracks when she saw her in it. Back in the day, it was our
uniform. I just bought Saffron a Chanel bag - she'd begged
and begged for her birthday - so perhaps the borrowing will become a two-way
street. I do shop less. My most recent purchase was a pair of
emerald chandelier earrings from Boucheron. I have never spent so
much money in my life, but [laughs] they'll be beautiful for the girls once
I'm dead and buried.