Fun & Famous
May meets Kylie
12 things Kylie told her
It was Thursday afternoon and everything was just gray. No matter where I cycled, I had the wind against me. Or there was another downpour added to it. A day when everything just doesn't go right. Exactly on that day my phone rang. I hesitated whether to answer, because if this was also bad news, I wasn't in the mood for it. But my curiosity won over the fear (well, that's a big word, but you understand me).
It was someone from Specsavers. If I wanted to go to London. And if I would enjoy interviewing Kylie Minogue there. That's about the same as asking if I mind spending a day shopping unlimited on Net-A-Porter. Or checking if I would have a problem if Alessandro Michele had some fresh Gucci designs delivered to me so I could wear them first.
Of course I wanted that. Yes and yes. Later I would also hear that Anouk Smulders would join me, but it's just as well that news came later, otherwise the shock of a huge bad day to this overdose of nice prospects would have been too much.
So Kylie. There was just one tiny downside. I had to keep my mouth shut. Until today. And now keeping my mouth shut (besides keeping my administration and living according to my agenda) is one of my less developed points. But I managed. And now I can shout it from the rooftops. And put it on Amayzine. And tell you everything Kylie told me.
1. Kylie has a glasses collection
Let's start at the beginning. Kylie, still the prettiest but no longer the youngest, is a glasses addict (‘Glasses have a built-in something. They always disappear.’) and was therefore the perfect person to design a collection for Specsavers.
2. Kylie has almost more glasses than shoes
Almost. The shoes just win.
3. The first date
Kylie is engaged to Josh Sasse who is quickly about twenty years younger. When they first went out to eat together, there was the embarrassing moment when Kylie had to fish her reading glasses out of her bag because she just couldn't read what was on the menu. I suggested she could have taken a photo with her phone and zoomed in, but where was I when she needed me? She grabbed her reading glasses and what turned out? Josh found it intensely sexy.
4. Kylie is funny
She demonstrated how she typically searches for her glasses while they are either on her head or dangling from her sweater. Or she just has them on her nose.
5. Her fashion blunders
Someone calls Kylie a style icon to which Kylie responds that she has also been a complete fashion disaster multiple times. Look, I want to know more about that because I am also very open about my lesser fashion moments. ‘I really can't tell you. Especially because some have happened very recently.’ That is mainly because, she explains, her stage outfits are incredibly nice in that setting, but as soon as you step outside ‘the arena’, it is quite, well, a lot. And glittery. Did I already mention that I find the cases of the Kylie glasses so cute? They are champagne pink and full of glitter. They immediately make you happy.
6. Wise model advice from Josh
Be yourself. ‘I also turned 48 to realize that because I added a lot of bells and whistles. Josh, my fiancé, recently told me: ‘Own your height. You're small, so what. Just wear flat shoes. That hassle with heels all the time.”
“Did I already mention that I find the cases of the Kylie glasses so cute? They are champagne pink and full of glitter. They immediately make you happy.”
7. Kylie is really sweet
I know this from the guys at Flower Fashion who take care of the flowers during her Christmas concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Kylie invites them home for tea, sends sweet emails to thank them, and asks how to take care of the orchids.
8. Her favorite labels
‘The older I get, the more understated I dress. Outside the stage, that is. During my Christmas concert at the Royal Albert Hall, there isn't a square centimeter on my body that isn't covered and the glitter came from places I can't share with you, but in my normal life... I really like to wear The Row. Or Dolce & Gabbana, but then the more subdued variants like this suit.’
9. Her beauty secrets
‘So lame to say, but there is no secret. Except that I really eat healthy. I just don't crave sweets or fatty foods and I don't drink much. What I really, really, really do is clean my face well. With a wet cloth. That really helps. And of course, I use a lot of good creams.’
10. Her collection
If Kylie does it, she wants to do it right. So not just putting her name on something, but really being involved in the design process. By the way, she gave all the credit to the real designer from Specsavers. What is so nice about Kylie's collection is that each frame has something typically Kylie (‘There’s always a sparkle to be found’), that there are bold models but also frames that work very well in a business setting and that there is a petite collection. For people with smaller heads. How great is that?
11. More wishes?
‘In my next collection, I want frames with lightly tinted glass. Then I can hide my bags under my eyes because I'm so busy that I have no idea what day it actually is.’
12. And then that wedding
Suddenly someone calls out to Kylie if she wants to share something about her wedding. And if she will take her beloved's name. Of course, this session is not meant for personal questions, but Kylie is too in love and nods yes. ‘So it will be Kylie Sasse?’ Asks the cheeky journalist. ‘Von Sasse. Because that is his real name.’
Kylie von Sasse. I'm doing it for that.
Kylie's collection will be available from early March at Specsavers.
