Stephanie Seymour

brazilianaffair · August 27, 2013

for "Crisca" 1992, with Helena Christensen

brazilianaffair · August 27, 2013

"Self" cover, 2000

2324lebron · August 27, 2013

more from Interview September 2013

INTERVIEW: You've now got this tremendous collection of couture, clothes, and jewelry. When did you start collecting? What have you learned from it?

SEYMOUR: That started for me when I met Peter, my husband. It was his idea. We were in Paris for the weekend and I hated wearing anything that was in style. I always had to do the opposite of what was in style, so I would make up all these things and go out and put things together. I was really anti-fashion, I guess. So he goes, "We're in Paris. Let's go to all the vintage clothing dealers here." The most fashionable women lived in Paris, for the most part, and at that time, I really loved '50s dresses, so we started going around Paris and hunting this stuff down. It became like this treasure hunt. From then on, I felt like a pirate every time I left Paris. I could barely close the luggage with all these dresses I'd stuffed in there with the crinoline and the bodices. But I really learned a lot from collecting because I got to go back into the history of fashion and fashion photography and jewelry. It changed how I felt about fashion and about what I did forever because I used to look a little bit down on myself for it. I never would admit it because you don't bash what you do, but I don't think I understood fashion in the way that Linda Evangelista always understood it. Linda knew the history of fashion. We lived in the same hotel when we first started modeling, and she had pictures of all the great models and the great fashion photographs pinned all over her wall. I always remembered that, but it went over my head at the time. Later, though, when I'd discovered it on my own, I was like, "Wow, now I get Linda."

INTERVIEW: What was the hotel that you and Linda both lived at?

SEYMOUR: The Hotel La Louisiane in Paris.

INTERVIEW: Was that the first place that you lived on your own?

SEYMOUR: Yeah, it was. Christy, Linda, and I all lived there at the same time. Christy's mother came with her, so she used to have to hide in our room if she got drunk. [laughs]

INTERVIEW: Obviously, the modeling business has changed a lot over the course of your career. How do you feel about the atmosphere in fashion for the girls who are coming up right now?

SEYMOUR: Well, I would like to see fewer actors modeling—or if they're going to model to the extent that they are modeling, then I think that models should be actors. [laughs] Nowadays, if you want to be a model, then you should probably become an actor. That's the only way to get hired to do the great advertising campaigns that are really interesting or the magazine covers, and it's hard to build a name for yourself as a model without those things. Even though it is done, it's not done to the extent that it was done during the time when I was coming up, and that bothers me. Believe me, I love film and I love acting and I respect it enormously—I just feel sad for that part of our business. What are the girls left with? They do all the grunt work. They do all the shows and the fittings and all of the really tough, grueling work, but most of them don't get to reap the same benefits. There is also not as much money in it for a decent amount of girls, and the consequence of that is that it's going to shorten the careers of models, and there are going to be a lot more one-hit wonders. So that is something that has changed. I hope it changes again.

INTERVIEW: What about fashion right now do you find exciting?

SEYMOUR: Well, I love all of these new products that are coming out—you know, things like headphones with cute, catchy names. There is also so much going on now with the marketing of fashion. And then, I still love the classic stuff, like great dresses and wonderful photography. That still exists. You know what else is coming back? Couture. I just bought a dress from Balenciaga. They're doing a couple of classic Cristóbal Balenciaga pieces in each season. I walked right up to one of these pieces and I was like, "I know this piece. I know this sleeve." I didn't even have to try it on, but I did, and it would look like nothing on the hanger, because for great couture that's a typical facet of it. But you put it on and it's just unbelievable. They got it right, with all buttons on the inside, the grosgrain ribbon around the waist. It's just beautiful. So I love that they're doing that. I think it's a really great sign that these young designers are putting some effort into things that won't necessarily make them money or won't make the brands money, but will keep them elevated. I think they must really enjoy it, too. You get to see their talents much more.

INTERVIEW: What's the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

SEYMOUR: There are two things that have really stayed with me. This photographer named Les Goldberg once told me to always hang up my dresses, so I always hang up my own dresses. It was a good lesson in appreciation and in always remembering that you're part of a team—not outside of the team, but with the team and on the team. And then probably the most important piece of advice that I've ever gotten is to develop your mind. I left school very young and I always regretted it. I could never stop talking about it—"I'm going to go back to school, I'm going to go back to school ..." I did everything young—I was always in a hurry to do everything. I had kids young and I worked young and I didn't have time to go back to school because I wasn't willing to give up anything that I had. But I educated myself, and it made me feel good. I went to museums. I read books. I did all the things, pretty much, that you would do in school. I would never want my kids to leave school, though—I'm really for education. But education always continues. We all know that beauty fades, but what stays is a person's personality, their sense of humor, their wit, what they're interested in. That's what really shines.

INTERVIEW: Finally, is it true that Naomi Campbell has an amazing memory and that she never forgets anything?

SEYMOUR: Never. It's unbelievable.