OUR 4 FAVORITE MODELS
FROM THE FASHION WORLD
Last week, Grace Coddington announced that she is stepping down as creative director of Vogue. Of course, she will continue to create series and ‘do things’, but my heart started to bleed a little. The most wonderful people in the fashion world are all long past the age of being justified behind the geraniums. And despite the fact that they will keep working in the name of fashion until their last breath, we will eventually (and that time is closer than you think) have to say goodbye to these beautiful people.
Karl Lagerfeld
At number 1, of course, because Karl has been the mover and shaker in the fashion world for years. At 83, he is the best man, but he is still the man behind Chanel, Fendi, and his own label Karl Lagerfeld. Not to mention all the other side projects like designing a bottle for Evian and cuddling with his beloved Choupette. What keeps Karl going? Not drinking (at least no alcohol, but a lot of coffee and Pepsi Max), looking ahead (“I really don’t want to talk about my last show. That was this morning.”) and not bending or folding too much. My beloved Harriet Calo once got to interview him and asked if he ever consulted with Coco Chanel in his thoughts. “Oh my god, no,” was his answer. “She would have hated me.”
Diane von Furstenberg
Compared to Karl, Diane von Furstenberg is still a young flower, but she is already 69 winters old. Born on December 31, 1946, to a mother who was in a concentration camp during the war and I believe weighed only 35 kilos. DvF always says that she dared to do everything because of her mother. If you survived the war, that crazy fashion world is a piece of cake. DvF married long, long ago to Prince Egon von Furstenberg. The man left her, but she kept the name. She has been with Barry Diller (a New York media mogul) for many years now, and indeed: they are doing quite well together. Diane is one of the most approachable fashion phenomena. After her show, she always skips around the catwalk treating one person after another to a hug or a kiss, and two days after her show, she holds a reception in her super cool New York headquarters in the Meatpacking District, and it could very well be that you drink a cup of drip coffee from a plastic cup with her. I once had the pleasure of interviewing her. Read here just how that was.
Roberto Cavalli
One of the few fashion designers who also likes women without them wearing clothes. Cavalli will blow out 76 candles this year and will certainly do so while enjoying a glass of bubbles. He loves that layer of shine in life and is not averse to a print, a leather treatment, or a little Botox here and there. Many find his hunt, which changes color with the position of the sun, ‘hideous’, but oh when I see it lying somewhere for the beach of Pampelonne or Cannes, scattered with top models in revealing clothing on his famous leopard print cushions, I spin and hope that I will one day be invited.
Anna Piaggi
Anna is my absolute favorite model ever. She wrote and illustrated for Vogue Italia. Unfortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately, she is no longer with us, but when I saw her at a show, I wanted to pick her up and take her home. She was about 1.50 meters tall, weighed about 49 kilos, and wrapped herself in the most extreme creations. She owned 2865 dresses and 265 pairs of shoes (which is not too bad). She was married her whole life to a photographer who passed away in 1995. Anna herself died in 2012, and I regret that this inappropriate thought comes to me, but those dresses... who inherited them?
