Despite the lows in her modelling career, such as publication of a photograph showing her allegedly snorting cocaine, which led to her losing several contracts when she was dating musician Pete Doherty, British supermodel Kate Moss was always able to regain control of her life.
By Romina Lopez La Rosa
She seems ageless, transfixed, an eternal teenager, with an airy, ethereal look of innocence. This is Kate Moss’s image: the angel-like face with a hint of suffering. Her measurements are fairly small and she barely has curves.
It was her slender, slight look that contrasted with the voluptuous super-models of the times that launched Moss into fame after she was featured in a series of Calvin Klein jeans ads in 1990.
Like no other, Moss embodied the sex, drugs and rock 1990s scene with a dark side and a bright side.
She was very different from her fellow runway colleagues such as Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer who were billed as “normal”, beautiful but — allegedly — just ordinary girls.
Katherine Ann Moss, born January 16, 1974 in Surrey, England, has always flirted with the dark side of life, paying the price for it, especially in the 2000s, when her name and reputation were linked to those of British musician Pete Doherty, who was arrested on several occasions for drug and alcohol abuse.
Moss was also famously engaged briefly to US actor Johnny Depp and their romance featured in many a gossip magazine.
Moss was discovered at 14 by a Storm agency scout at John F Kennedy Airport in New York City when she was returning to Britain with her family after a holiday trip.
At age 19 Moss appeared on the cover of British Vogue. The photo was taken by former model Corinne Day, with whom she shares a passion for vintage clothing and a “British” fashion style.
Her face on that close-up shot, with her hair pulled back and her angular cheekbones, the harshness softened by almond-shaped eyes, summed up the Moss charm that made her so popular even though at 1.70m, she was in theory too short for a modelling.
Her measurements, 83-57-88, set her apart from the other models, and indeed she inaugurated an era of very thin models.
Despite the lows in her career, such as publication of a notorious photograph showing her allegedly snorting cocaine, which led to her losing several contracts when she was dating Doherty, Moss was always able to regain control of her life.
At that time Moss issued a statement saying: “I take full responsibility for my actions. I also accept that there are personal issues that I need to address and have started taking the difficult, yet necessary, steps to resolve them.”
Moss would later declare that she had checked into a rehab clinic on her own after realising that matters could not continue the way they were. “Only one thing existed for me: parties, parties, parties with lots of alcohol and craziness. Now I am out and in top form,” she said. Her daughter Lila Grace was born in 2002, and her modelling career has continued.
Moss seems to have found stability with rocker Jamie Hince, with The Kills, whom she wed in July 2011.
One of Moss’ most successful professional relationships has been with designer John Galliano.
She debuted in the Paris Fashion Week in 1990 wearing his garments. She has backed him even when Galliano was shunned by the fashion world for racist remarks and he designed her wedding gown, himself describing it as his “creative rehab”.
Moss was featured in The Face in 1990, helping to contribute to her meteoric rise. She has made a name for herself because of her magazine cover photos, appearing on 300 for Vogue alone and served to launch the magazine in Russia.
The major designers — Karl Lagerfeld, Helmut Lang, Ralph Lauren, Dolce&Gabbana, Gianfranco Ferre, Callaghan, Complice, Chanel, Chloe, Javier Larrainzar, Prada, Blumarine and Vivienne Westwood — have all worked with Moss.
Galliano called her “the Marilyn Monroe of today” because of the media attention she garners despite lacking a curvaceous figure.
Moss has weathered the negative media coverage turning it to her advantage. Forbes reported that she earned $9.2mn in 2011 and the two firms she owns that year had a turnover of £12.3mn.
She has launched collections she designed and has been chosen on several occasions as the world’s best-dressed woman by different magazines.
During 2007-2010 Moss designed highly successful collections for the low-cost Top Shop 14 chain. Her love for vintage clothes, folk, fringes and transparent fabrics was a hit.
In 2011 Moss signed a contract with Mango, in the same category as other lines for women who want to look fashionable but pay accessible prices for clothes.
Moss is famous for setting trends with her own choice of clothes, as occurred for example when she rescued an old pair of Westwood pirate boots. After being photographed wearing the boots there was such demand for them that Westwood had to make them again after having halted production 10 years earlier.
Having just turned 39, Moss last year published her autobiography Kate in which she denied having ever suffered from anorexia or being a drug addict. A book also came out with Vogue cover shots she herself selected. There is plenty of material in it for her fans to enjoy. — DPA
Syrian designer recreates
Great Gatsby look
Making his third venture into Paris, the world’s couture capital, Syrian fashion couturier, Rami al-Ali, unveiled his Spring/Summer 2013 collection to the city’s fashion-elite at a presentation in Le Meurice, Salon Pompadour last week. Al-Ali celebrated his seasonal return with a bold collection of designs inspired by The Great Gatsby.
A period of intrigue and drama, The Great Gatsby invokes images of wealth, glamour and rebellion. No longer clad in repressive attire, the female silhouette became celebrated and exposed, with daring fashions created to break down barriers, and rules.
Remastering this iconic age, al-Ali’s collection is expressed through a blend of distinguished hues. A neutral spectrum of shades ranging from cool grey, mocha beige and champagne bestow a vintage allure, whilst singular gowns in fluorescent hues set a vibrant tone with a modern edge. The colour palette is further enhanced through an exquisite array of fabrics, purposely selected for the distinct way they cascade down the body forming straight, graphical lines. Sheer muslin, flowing lamé and crepe marocain are all artfully manipulated to create fresh new seasonal contours.
Key elements of the period provide instant association, with a creative display of tassels and fringing playing homage to the Flapper-style of the generation. Art Deco motifs further enhance the theme, with eclectic visuals portrayed through embroidery, or structured into the silhouette itself. Sleek profiles offer a simple yet impactful angle as the less-is-more rule applies, with touches of sparkle and shimmer keeping the line playful.
The 24-piece collection perfectly captures the essence of the period whilst bringing the story to life in the 21st century.
