My Life In Fashion: Claudia Schiffer
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@ClaudiaSchiffer
As a child, I was obsessed with my mother’s magazines. She also had this amazing collection of outfits from Christian Dior and other Parisian designers. My teenage style was very 80s – stone-washed, high-waisted jeans from Chipie, oversized sweatshirts from Fiorucci, blue eye shadow and lots of hairspray…
Modelling wasn’t something that crossed my mind growing up. But I was discovered at Düsseldorf’s Checker’s disco by Dominic Galas and Michel Levaton from the Metropolitan model agency. I honestly thought it was a joke and suggested my best friend might be better suited. I remember that encounter so clearly; we were dancing to ‘You Spin Me Right Round’ by Dead or Alive. I took his card and discussed it with my parents. A test shoot was organised, then a few weeks later I found myself in Paris, accompanied by my mother with a modelling contract negotiated by my father. The rest is history.
I’ll never forget shooting my first cover for French Elle when I was 18. It was not long after I’d moved to Paris, and I remember walking down the Champs Élysées and seeing my face staring back at me from all the newsstands. Up to this point, I’d always thought that perhaps the Paris agency had made a mistake and were going to send me back to Germany, so when this cover was blown up all over Paris, I realised this must mean I was staying.
The shoot that brought me to Karl Lagerfeld’s attention was my first cover for British Vogue in 1989. I was wearing haute couture, shot in Paris by Herb Ritts. I learnt so much from Herb about how to work with the camera and light to get the best shots. There were also countless Chanel campaigns and magazine shoots with Karl as the photographer, but my favourite memory is when we were in Vienna. I remember him dancing the waltz in front of the crew and laughing.
@ClaudiaSchiffer
A favourite fashion memory is a shoot in Munich for the AW93 Chanel campaign – an amazing denim collection. Karl and I were both so happy to be back in our home country. We indulged in our favourite German delicacies such as Hefeklöse (yeast dumplings), German sausages and sauerkraut and tried to get the rest of the crew to partake – they weren’t convinced. I remember us also teasing each other with old-fashioned sayings like ‘morgenstund hat gold im mund’. Its literal translation is ‘the morning hour has gold in its mouth,’ and it's one of the ways Germans stress the importance of getting up early to get a head start on the day, believing it leads to greater achievements. Karl loved these German idioms.
One of my early lessons came from Karl. He always said to be true to yourself whatever you do, and don’t worry about what anyone says. Also, don’t follow anyone else's style. You might think he’d want me to wear head-to-toe Chanel all the time but he actually preferred me to wear my own clothes, mixed with Chanel or not, so that he could feel inspired. His advice has stayed with me throughout my career. It helped me not to lose who I am or what I believe in.
I always follow my instincts. Once I learnt how the business worked, I only agreed to projects that felt right – like working with people I respect to endorsing companies I like. I’m also not afraid to make mistakes. You have to make them to grow and learn. It’s part of life and it’s having the courage to take risks that matters, even if they don’t pay off.
My personal style these days is casual, elegant and still very ‘fashion’ without following trends. I go for outfits that feel effortless but that can easily transition from day to night with a quick change of accessories. I also feel very ‘me’ and at ease in denim and I believe in investing in pieces that last – so quality and craftsmanship are important.
I don’t wear head-to-toe designer pieces in daily life. I use accessories to elevate my look. Recently I went to the Perfect Magazine party in New York wearing a white t-shirt, Ancient Greek Sandals and my favourite Frame jeans, and I just swapped my large suede Isabel Marant bag for a Chanel evening bag. Style is subjective and good taste is over-rated – individuality and self-expression is what matters.
Lucie McCullin; @ClaudiaSchiffer; Claudia Schiffer x Vista Alegre & Bordallo Pinheiro
I have an archive of clothes to dip into. I’ve kept everything and have so many special pieces. For example, the metallic miniskirt, knee-high boots and baby blue cropped sweater Richard Avedon shot me in for the Versace AW94 campaign and which I chose as the cover for my fashion photography book Captivate! The image embodies the fun, glamour and artistry of the supermodel era. I’ve worn the full look recently and it still looked so cool.
My Chanel hand-painted bag and jewellery are my most-treasured items. I have tortoise earrings designed by Victoire de Castellane as part of her many playful Chanel jewellery collections in the 90s. I was very lucky when I worked with Chanel, as Karl generously gifted me whatever I wanted. I often go back and wear something from that period. My daughters also wear the pieces and say it's like going into the best vintage shop ever. They’re very lucky.
Inspiration is all around. I watch some of the shows and I sometimes check out the street style looks on Instagram – both are endless sources of ideas. This season, I loved the Chloé A/W collection, particularly all the shades of brown, the cream chiffon and the lace dresses paired with leather over-the-knee boots. Creative director Chemena Kamali is incredibly talented. This autumn, I’ll also be wearing a pair of Stella McCartney flares I used to wear on the school run back in the noughties with a vintage Ralph Lauren knit that I kept from the early 90s.
My fashion uniform is a pair of jeans coupled with a great sweater. It feels so cosy but is also very versatile. Frame always does a fun holiday knit, and this season I bought one in cream and brown. I also like finding vintage Aran handmade knits to wear with jeans and boots and this season I’ve added a few oversized chunky cardigans and blanket scarves to wear with dresses instead of a jacket. I also have quite a few knitted dresses from Khaite, Sézane, Galvan and Missoni.
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One of my favourite pieces is a Missoni knitted maxi dress the team sweetly embroidered my name into. It has long sleeves, a low scooped neckline and flared skirt. I ordered it in several colours and wear it for day or evening with long boots and a statement necklace. The Elder Statesman is another favourite for casual cashmere dresses and chunky, colourful sweaters; my favourite is the multi-stripe one and thee long yellow knit dress. Escvdo also do beautiful, knitted crochet dresses for the summer and you can’t go wrong with an Alaïa knitted dress.
For events and the red carpet, I reach out to designer brands or I’ll pull from my archive. I have vintage Alaïa and many more, but also like Balmain, Balenciaga, Chanel, Chloé, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Isabel Marant and Versace.
I like small independent stores or brands. Favourites include London’s Aimé, Dôen, Soler London, Sézane and Couverture and The Garbstore. For denim, as well as Frame, I love Mother Denim and Jeanerica. Isabel Marant is always one of my go-to brands – not only for fashion but also great accessories. I love the 80s-inspired slouchy ankle boots.
When it comes to jewellery, I wear a lot of Missoma and often turn to Solange for bespoke items. I especially love my Solange ring, which shows a sunny country scene, along with my animal rings and a cloud and rain necklace my husband bought for my birthday – it’s a reminder of my nickname, Cloudy (Claudi).
The lesser-known names I love at the moment include Annina Dirndl for the most beautiful dirndls. I wore one recently to a fashion event in NYC without the traditional blouse, styled instead with long leather boots from Chloé and an Isabel Marant studded bag. I also like Beulah, Wiggy Kit, Dôen and Sézane for everyday printed dresses and the best suede boots. And whenever I’m after handmade designs, I visit Soler London on Golborne Road.
Claudia Schiffer x Vista Alegre & Bordallo Pinheiro
The most-worn pieces in my wardrobe are probably jeans – I wear a lot of flares, but I still like a straight boot-cut style too. I’ll wear them with one of my cosy sweaters, my Dôen chocolate-brown suede boots, an Anya Hindmarch tote bag (I have so many of Anya’s bags, I’m obsessed) and a pair of Celine sunglasses.
If I could swap wardrobes with anyone it would be one of the 60s and 70s style icons such as Jane Birkin, Lauren Hutton or the singer Sylvie Vartan. They embraced their individual style and were elegant and cool. I’ve always been inspired by this era, as well as anything vintage.
Exceptional craftsmanship is something I’m drawn to and Vista Alegre and Bordallo Pinheiro are experts at what they do. I had collected so many of their pieces and eventually, I connected with the team about a collaboration. We started with two collections of decorative items and dinnerware called 'Cloudy Butterflies’ which did so well, so we wanted to expand the range further. Most recently, we launched ‘Gudrun’, which includes ceramics and porcelain. I wanted to complement the softer more organic feel of the ceramics collection with the porcelain, being very refined and elegant. The contrast makes it more modern for me and its fine texture is perfect for the hand-painted detailed drawings. I grew up with very formal matching crockery and I realised that I prefer to mix it up.
Gudrun is my late mother’s name and is dedicated to all my childhood memories connected to the countryside. Watching the squirrels from my bedroom window, collecting acorns, and drawing on them whilst my mother gathered the fall leaves. Listening to the woodpeckers and falling asleep to the bird songs. These memories inspired me to create the new collections. I’ve been drawn to earthy tones ever since my childhood, so I wanted the colour palette to include those lush greens, browns and russets, as well as the richer shades such as mustard, ochre and crimson. My favourite pieces are the teapot and the cups for tea or expresso.
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Gudrun by Claudia Schiffer for VistaAlegre and Bordallo Pinheiro is available
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