September 15, 2011 |
FROM THE VAULT (SUMMER 2011)
NAME: L’Wren Scott.
OCCUPATION: designer.
CURRENT EMPLOYER: self.
FIRST JOB IN FASHION?
“Helping my mother choose her bags and shoes and matching brooch to wear to the office at age eight.”
WHAT’S NEW?
“My home in London.”
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
“I just bought a one-way ticket to Paris – or Parisdise – and started working as a model. I wanted a fashion education and thought modeling would open some doors so I could peek behind the curtains.”
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE TOP OF THE TREE?
“Not much, just a good pair of sneakers and one of my stepsons asking me if I can climb as high as them.”
DO YOU EVER WEAR YOUR OWN DESIGNS?
“Always.”
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
“My surroundings and music and art and travel.”
FASHION IS…
“A state of mind.”
HOW IMPORTANT ARE HEMLINES?
“Well, for myself very important. I have one that suits me and I stick to it.”
CAN YOU MULTITASK?
“I love to multitask – that’s when I excel…”
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ON YOUR EPITAPH?
“‘Live and let live.’”
ARE YOU ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST COLLECTION?
“One must always strive to be better than one’s last collection.”
ARE YOU/WERE YOU A JUVENILE DELINQUENT?
“No, I was a very good girl… ”
ARE YOU A SMOKY SOMETHIN’?
“I smoked cigarettes for a bit, until I realised that they stunt your growth. Then I stopped immediately.”
DO YOU GET JEALOUS OF OTHER DESIGNERS?
“Never. I love to see what they create.”
DO YOU GET RECOGNISED ON THE STREET? DO YOU HAVE/HAVE YOU EVER HAD A STALKER?
“Well, I am very tall, which makes me fairly easy to spot… ”
HAVE YOU EVER THROWN A DIVA TANTRUM?
“Ugh, I have witnessed way too many over the years. I prefer to be the quiet storm… Calm at times of crisis.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE WAY MOST PEOPLE DRESS?
“I don’t think about it, really. I mostly think about how I dress.”
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR POINT WHEN YOU STARTED TO GET AMBITIOUS?
“I was always ambitious. I had my own business at the age of 12.”
HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN ALL ABOUT FASHION?
“Fashion and art have always been my obsession. To me, they are practically synonymous.”
ARE YOU A LEGEND? LEGENDARY?
“Not in my own mind.”
DALLAS OR DYNASTY? SUE ELLEN OR ALEXIS?
“Alexis. I could never be bitchy like that, but I’ve certainly done the shoulder pads. Thierry Mugler circa 1987.”
HAVE YOU EVER LIED IN AN INTERVIEW?
“Once. When I was trying to get a job as a model, I said I was only 6ft tall. Then I realised, if was going to be tall, why not be the tallest?”
DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR? A MUSE? WHO/WHAT ARE THEY?
“My muses have always been in film’s non-realistic, caricature phase, like Auntie Mame.”
ARE YOU A BELIEVER IN HEALTHY COMPETITION?
“Like who can eat the most pancakes? Or who can win in the sack race… Or who has the longest legs?”
WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT?
“Some Japanese takeaway.”
HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTRE OF IT?
“I may be from Utah, but I am not falling for that one, my dear… ”
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
“Well, that’s easy: Wonder Woman. I love a good pair of gold cuffs and a corset.”
WHAT IS GOOD DESIGN?
“Whatever makes you feel good and gives you a great silhouette.”
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST DRESS? SHOW?
“I bought this black vintage dress when I was nine and re-cut it, and looked, well, maybe a bit too sophisticated for my parents, so I wasn’t really allowed to wear it… The first dress I designed was my black headmistress dress and I loved it. My first show was when I would put together plays for my family and friends and sell them tickets and seat them in the garden. It was a bit like Shakespeare in the park. But more like a one-woman show in my back yard… ”
WHAT’S VULGAR?
“Talking about money or status.”
HAVE YOU EVER BANNED ANYONE FROM YOUR SHOW BECAUSE OF A BAD REVIEW? WOULD YOU?
“Ugh, no, I have never done that. If you have a show and invite the journalists and editors you admire, then you must accept they are there to review and advise. I like to hear what they think and sometimes find it amusing if they note a mistep. In the end, it’s always exciting to have your work acknowledged.”
HOW PRETENTIOUS ARE YOU ON A SCALE OF 1-10?
“Pretentious? Gosh, I hope I’m a zero. That is not an attractive characteristic. However, I can be a bit discerning about certain things. Having high standards is a good attribute.”
by Natalie Dembinska
Photograph by David Hughes
