I grew up with Linda Evangelista -- in a way. As a teenager in the early '90s, I lived for supermodels. I set my alarm clock for Saturday mornings to tune into MTV's "House of Style," plastered Naomi Campbell-studded Versace ads all over my dorm room walls and I cut my hair and dyed it copper in honor of Linda. Evangelista's platinum-hued look in George Michael's "Freedom 90" video had me running for the bleach, and recently, the model-mom to son Augustin has inspired me to up my style ante for school drop-off.
So you can imagine how excited I was to receive an invite to sup with the supe at a Barney's dinner celebrating Rag & Bone's new "Pilot" bag. I arrived at the gorgeous venue and could barely contain myself: You would have thought I was watching a tennis match, my head spinning as I scanned the crowd for Linda. I spotted one of my favorite boys in the biz, Barney's Creative Ambassador-at-Large Simon Doonan, chatting with her.
Clad in a sleek black jacket-and-pant combo, she had the gorgeous leather satchel slung across her lithe frame. Simon was kind enough to introduce me to the supermodel, at which point, I pulled my jaw up off the floor and managed to ask her a few questions. Oh, and yes, she is that stunning in person.
Christina: I just featured you in a piece about school drop-off style. How do you manage to look so fashionable, so early in the morning?
Linda: Well, my look always starts with latex. (She and Simon giggled, in reference to her recent, very racy, W shoot where the 47-year-old was shot wearing rubber catsuits as a sexy superhero of sorts). Really, my outfit is just based upon what I'm doing after drop-off, but I will say that I'm not one to wear jeans. I would always turn to a skirt first.
Christina: When I was younger I cut my hair into a pixie and dyed it copper, just as you had done. What are your thoughts on your 'do these days?
Linda: I'm thinking nothing, honestly. I always wear my hair off my face. Every once in a while I toy with the idea of growing my hair out, and the hairdressers always laugh at me, saying, "Oh you're growing your hair again." We always know where we'll end up, back at short hair.
Christina: I just watched the seminal George Michael video "Freedom 90" this morning and was in awe. How do you remember that shoot?
Linda: It feels like a lifetime ago, that shoot. I shot my scenes in one day.
