Delevingne dossier

In London, the Delevingnes are known as a family full of ‘smart socialites’, with even the father participating in exciting jackets. You already know Cara, it's time to meet the other D's.

Pandora, Chloe, Poppy, and Cara Delevingne relate to each other like Halston, Mulberry, Zara, and Chanel. Upper-class fashionistas who grew up with Gstaad, Ascot, champagne, and strawberries at Wimbledon, and the dressmaker of Princess Margaret, who occasionally made something for them. One by one, they found their own taste, which is completely different from the debutante style in which they started. Pandora (57) is a legend in the sense that she is still alive (more on that later) and a personal shopper for Selfridges, where she sometimes hangs a dress for Duchess Kate separately. Chloe represents the country chic of Oxfordshire, and Poppy and Cara have both evolved from models to very well-dressed actresses, thanks to a certain Karl L., who has embraced both as brand ambassadors. You would think that the Delevingne patriarch goes crazy over the subject of ‘fashion’, but nothing could be further from the truth: father Charles Delevingne (68) is a colorful real estate developer in bright purple blazers, long silk Indian jackets, gold slippers, or a red velvet suit. “We are a flamboyant family,” he says. “I refuse to be outdone by the ladies.”

High society

The Delevingnes have a society background full of influential publishers, politicians, mayors, millionaires, English barons, and lords. Pandora's mother Janie was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister. Pandora herself was good friends with ‘Margot’, as intimates called the princess, and with Sarah Ferguson, with whom she attended school and who later married Prince Andrew. In the late seventies and early eighties, Pandora was also one of the it-girls of London, where she was known according to the society bible Tatler for her talent ‘to dance on tables and always bring the perfect gift for everyone’. She made headlines by appearing at the Embassy Club at the age of 20 in a jumpsuit styled with a bayonet. At the Embassy, they were used to mountains of coke on the table and drag queens simulating sex on stage, but Pandora and her ‘punk rock posse’ went too far for the management. The police had to come, she was thrown out with the bayonet and was on the front pages the next day.

“The Delevingnes have a society background full of politicians, mayors, millionaires, barons, and lords”

Heroin chic

“Lacroix, Halston, Thierry Mugler,” says Pandora's good friend (and also godmother of daughter Cara) Joan Collins about what Pandora and she wore at that time. “But Pandora was edgy, she also went to Vivienne Westwood, who at the time was still really part of the punk scene. We went out endlessly, Pandora was the ultimate party girl.” And moreover, a real trendsetter in jumpsuits, kaftans, and Ibiza wear, long before the island became trendy. However, her sizzling nightlife had a downside: Pandora was heavily addicted to heroin for years and had to regularly leave the care of her three daughters to Charles. “I couldn't always go live somewhere else so they wouldn't see me when I was messed up,” Pandora says, who states that it is still a struggle every day. “Sometimes they had to live with me while I was too sick to take care of them, which still gnaws at me. I can only hope that I can be there for them now, as a mother.”

Country princess

As the eldest, Chloe (32) was the one who felt responsible for her younger sisters in the daily storm. “My mother is the bravest woman I have ever seen,” Chloe says about the fact that Pandora managed to actually kick her addiction after many falls and rises. “But the day you realize that your parents are not perfect is the worst day of your life.” Once the situation at home stabilized, Chloe moved out and chose a significantly quieter existence. As the only sister, she went to study (she has her degree in biomedical sciences) and as the only one, she does not live in London, but in Oxfordshire, with her husband Ed Grant, son Atticus, and daughter Juno. There she is ‘pleasantly settled’, at a healthy distance from the theatrical family members in London. Poppy calls her ‘our country princess’, thanks to Chloe's weakness for Barbour, Dubarry, and Brocklehursts. Chloe herself calls a vintage suede jacket of her mother's her most cherished piece of clothing, “because it reminds me of good moments, which were also there.”

Cool Britannia

Poppy (31, her name is a reference to Pandora's heroin addiction) works as an actress and was recently seen in ‘King Arthur’. Additionally, she models for mainly British labels such as Anya Hindmarch, Julien Macdonald, and Burberry, although she is also a brand ambassador for Chanel and one of Marc Jacobs‘ favorite models. She is a true ’Belgravia babe“: designer wear from Desigual to Saint Laurent, with short skirts, skinnies, and blazers. ”I would like to say that I think deeply about what I wear,“ she says. ”But the truth is that I always choose one thing I want to wear and then I hysterically look for things to go with it. And there isn't much very expensive in that. When I started to warm up to fashion as a teenager, I thought I would only wear designer clothes later. That is not the case; most of what I own is high street. Topshop, Mango, Zara. River Island, All Saints, Reiss; I like to mix it. It's nothing to turn your nose up at, the better clothing store delivers excellent quality and let's be honest – it's affordable.”

“British model Jean Shrimpton is the inspiration for Poppy.”

Sleeveage

For inspiration, Poppy likes to look at her mother in her younger years and even further back. “I idolized Princess Margaret, Jane Birkin, ‘the Shrimp’ (model Jean Shrimpton), Brigitte Bardot... The sixties vibe suits me well. Not from head to toe, because then it looks like a costume, but with a good dress, you can really get away with it. With a leather bomber jacket over a summer dress too. And if you ever get something from Pucci, don't hesitate for a second. Pucci is timelessly cool.”

Poppy is the creator of the word ‘sleeveage’, due to her obsession with sleeves. “I know there are people who always want everything tailored,” she says. “Personally, I can't lose sleep over a slightly loose blouse, that can also look nice and casual. Sleeves are my thing. With sleeves, you can make an outfit look completely different. Rolling them up a quarter or just above the elbow – it can totally change a jacket or dress. I am the queen of the sleeve, I am forever rolling up at my sisters. You don't need ‘cleavage’ if you have ‘sleeveage’.”

Stealing from Pandora

Poppy's taste differs quite a bit from that of her youngest sister. “Cara often looks like MC Hammer with a touch of rock,” she says. “She loves her onesies and clothes that only she understands. When she was doing a lot of catwalk work, we always laughed that she walked around privately like a poor student. The only thing we have in common in terms of clothing taste is that we both love to snoop in our mother's wardrobe, but even then we don't steal the same things. One of the things I admire most about her is that she completely goes her own way. Not many girls would have the guts to turn their very successful modeling career on its head to start all over again as an actress. It says something about her that she wants to do what she enjoys. I am proud of her for everything, but especially for her courage.”

Caterpillar eyebrows

Cara (24) is the most famous Delevingne. At seventeen, the school dropout immediately signed with Storm Model Management and with her characteristic heavy eyebrows, she became the hottest model since Kate Moss in no time, “but with caterpillars above my eyes,” she explains herself. She made her catwalk debut at Burberry Prorsum, walked in every conceivable show of note, and was the face of campaigns for Fendi, Saint Laurent, Mulberry, Zara, Balmain, Marc Jacobs, and Tom Ford. Especially Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel fell head over heels for her: Cara and Chanel are inextricably linked. “Cara is different,” he says, “the Charlie Chaplin of the fashion world. She is full of life, full of pep. I love girls who are a bit wild, but who also have humor and excellent manners.”

“Cara recently shaved her head for a role in the new film ‘Life in a Year’.”

Made in England

Cara, privately dressed in Christopher Bailey, beanies, Hudson jeans, and Burberry, is atypical as a socialite, model, and celeb in that she doesn't play nice. “At fifteen, I was so depressed, scared, and full of self-hatred that I banged my head against a tree in an attempt to knock myself out,” she says. Although she loves Pandora dearly, her mother's addiction has also taken a significant toll on her. “You grow up too fast when you have to mother your mother. That doesn't make you better.”

She is also critical of the fashion world. “I have ‘Made In England’ tattooed above my foot because I felt like a puppet for years,” she says. “As a model, you are a thing, you are constantly surrounded by people who say: “Oh, she is too small, too skinny, too this, too that.” Just where you are. It's impossible not to take that personally. I love fashion, but not in that way. It should be something that makes you happy instead of nervous. Something like an it-bag, what is that about? When I am at a concert, I want to be able to put my bag on the ground without being afraid someone will step on it.”

Prefer style over fashion

After being ‘painted with foundation’ for the umpteenth time because stress flared up her psoriasis, Cara decided to focus more on her great love of acting. Successfully, especially her role in ‘Suicide Squad’ was well received. To the astonishment of friends and foes, she actually had herself deregistered as a model, although she still does a few things for Chanel and Burberry very limited. “I have been able to wear fantastic clothes, I have learned a lot and met many lovely, fun, and interesting people,” she says. “It's quite something that Action Man and Spiderman are no longer my favorite look; I have really learned something over the past years. But especially that fashion is often damn uncomfortable, sometimes art, and sometimes just hot air. And that you only really look good when you mix clothes to your own taste. A bit of designer, a bit of vintage, a bit of high street. I always go for comfort because I like to look confident and casual. Staying true to yourself and really standing behind that will always be in style.”

Written by: Isabel Bos

Sources The Telegraph, The Times, InStyle, Daily Mail, and W.