Since I discovered my first Seventeen Magazine it became my dream to work in Fashion.
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| Brooke Shields 1978 |
The first time I realized there were influencers of fashion was when
I was 12 and my mother gave me my first Seventeen
Magazine. She delivered it to me on a whim as an impromtu gift. She
had no idea that it would change my life. . .I had, as usual, refused to
go into the grocery store with my mother as she was incredulously,
horrifically, slow at picking out vegetables. Lots of thumbing and
squeezing. I pleaded with her to let me wait in the car. I would lock
all the doors, I promised, and scream bloody- murder if anyone tried to
"kidnap" me. I hated the grocery store. Unusually, my mother
quickly ran in, and came out a moment later, with the Seventeen magazine.
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| Bonnie Lyshoir & Joyce Wilford 1971 |
From that moment on, I was hooked on Fashion. Each month, I
would wait impatiently at
the end of our long, country, drive-way, by the mailbox for my mother's Vogue
to come. We would spend the afternoon obsessing over every page and
detail. My mother was very opinionated about the fashions and the
models. She would often remark impolitely, I thought, that the model's
hair was too crazy, or she would complain that the make-up was over the
top and unrealistic, or that the outfits seemed ridiculous and too
matchy. "I mean, who would wear silver stars on their cheeks. That is just cheap!" she commented.
"Her nose looks like a monument in that lighting!"
Honestly, she had a comment for everything from the expressions of the models, to the size and shape and colors of the dresses. She was impossibly critical. But I found it more then entertaining and her lack of intimidation for the Bible of Fashion aka, Vogue, was impressive. She thought of the magazine as pure entertainment. I felt that my mother exuded an inner confidence. I mean really, who were "they" to tell "us" what to wear. She would even criticize the prices.
"That's nothing but a shift dress, it has no shape, one thousand dollars is outrageous, I could make that frock for $5 dollars and sew it in one afternoon."
The amazing thing was that she could and she did. She even made the most difficult patterns in Vogue and with meticulous detail with fabrics as difficult as brocade (it's tough and nubby, you have to do the right stitching or the seems look sloppy or silk chiffon (it slips alot).
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| Twiggy 1967 |
The point is that she gave me the courage and confidence to find my own style. Her attention to the details, made me realize how important fashion is. The different impressions that can be made when you wear various styles. The playground that is there for discovering different sides of your own personality.
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| Niki and Krissy 1993 |
I spent years creating my own pinterest of sorts on my bedroom wall, posting, editing and re-pinning the trends of the moment or shoes, or looks I admired from every magazine I came across including National Geographic. I had unconsciously learned the name of every top model. I had a small obsession with Niki Taylor, I felt that my coloring resembled hers. Oh, how I wished I could grow six inches and model myself. When I confessed this to my mother she responded with an impatient frown. Girls were not supposed to aspire to modeling, in her opinion.
"Oh no, you don't want to be tall, petite is much better, tall
people are so gawky and they don't look good in clothes, only in pictures."
At five, four and three quarters, I tried hard to believe that was true. I think I even lamented the death of Niki Taylor's sister, Krissy, they seemed to have the perfect attributes and such an exciting life at such young ages. The international attention
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| Milla Jovovich 1988 |
she brought to inhalers and asthma was invaluable for many.
And then there was the model queen, Milla Jovavich. She said in an interview once that she was born to be a model. I thought that was the absolute truth.
I could easily quiz myself about the designer in every fashion spread on sight. Some were very easy to spot. Issey Miyaki for example with all of his Rhythm Pleats and diverse elegant angles. Others not so much, but they all seemed to have signature style, a thread that carried them through from season to season, an uspeakable essence that made them, "them." The introduction of Costume Nationale and their irregular pants, and pieces in black. The universal appeal of Karl Lagerfeld with his constant consideration for the originality of Coco Chanel and adapting and reinventing it for the future. Miuccia Prada with her many contradictory amorphous peices that somehow flattered the female figure.
It was only in high school that I began to realize that some people somewhere, were responsible for inventing and creating these images that I was in love with. Suddenly I wanted to know about the people behind the glamour, behind the heavanly visuals that appeared in my mailbox each month. How did they do it? Where were they going? What did they gather their inspiration from? Since I wasn't going to become a model, how could I become one of them?
Manhattan, Paris, London, Milan - these were the fashion hubs. . . Can anyone become part of the fashion industry? How do you do it? How to interview well. . . What to wear to fashion interviews? When to talk and when to be silent. . .
Please embark with me on my ten day journey about how to break into the fashion world. . . And in the meantime read this fabulous NYTimes article about Amy Astley whom I worked with at Vogue about creating the images that teens adore and how to keep a constant age-revolving clientele coming back for more.
Also check out this great app from the NYTimes. . It will keep you abreast of all things fashion! I rely on it daily.
XX, Libby
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