Catwalk Contessa: Marpessa

Image:  Ferdinando Scianna/Magnum Photos. 

There are moments in life that one remembers forever. Those iconic times that live on and inspire you. The model Marpessa provided many model moments for me in the early 1990's. 

Marpessa as designer Gianfranco Ferre and team put on the final touches 90's

Many of these moments were associated with Gianni Versace and responsible for my falling in love with fashion. 

 Marpessa, pictured far right with Gianni and Models

 Marpessa pictured bottom left. I feel like I need to krimp my hair now.

Dubbed the Catwalk Contessa, she was a regular face on the  90's runways of other FAV designers of mine like Karl Lagerfeld for CHANEL

Chanel 1991

 Claude Montana for LANVIN

Dolce and Gabanna

 and MANY more. 

She is a mother, model and muse as well as an interior designer. She is VERY Stylish and Chic with great taste in clothing, including Vintage pieces. I often wonder if she still has any of that Vintage Versace in her closet.

Today I wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and thank her for some of my fondest model moments in memory!!

Lisa

XO

Edland Man Marpessa per Chiara Boni and Flying dutch mag. (1988)

NAOMI: Model, Maven, Mentor

The name Naomi Campbell is synonymous with beauty. She is known around the globe for her iconic modelling career, signature walk and strong personality. I have watched Naomi since I was a young girl,a time when I was still a dreamer falling in love with FASHION. 

 

If the catwalks of the early 90's were the set of my dream, she certainly played a leading role.  You can imagine my great joy at the opportunity to interview her about her new show THE FACE.

I participated recently in a conference call with Naomi (mentor and executive producer) and her co-executive producer Eden Gaha. They both talked a lot about the authenticity of the show. They discussed the fact that the challenges on the FACE are actual 'jobs' and at  the finale of the show there is an actual prize: Becoming 'The FACE' of ULTA Beauty. 

Naomi spoke about her mother being her greatest mentor in life and pointed out that she is not a judge on the show but a mentor to her team during the shows taping and beyond.

The conference call still left me with a few questions for Naomi which she was gracious enough to answer.

Lisa: You mentioned your mother being your greatest mentor in life and fashion designer Gianni Versace taking you "under his wing." How did Gianni's "lessons" or help impact you as a mentor?

Naomi: I’ve been blessed to work with some of the greatest designers in the world, including Gianni Versace.  Many of these designers took me under their wing and taught me about what it takes to become a successful model and about life in general.  In my role as a mentor on “The Face,” I’ve passed along many of these lessons, including the fact that modeling requires thick skin, perseverance, drive and charisma in order to be successful.

 

Lisa: What do you feel is the most important "lesson" about the fashion industry or modeling specifically that you were able to teach your girls?

Naomi: I tried to teach my girls as many lessons as possible in my role as a mentor on “The Face.”  One of the most important things I tried to teach them is that modeling requires thick skin because rejection is inevitable.  I explained to them that if they don’t get a certain job, that doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with them, they’re just not the perfect person for that particular shoot or booking.

 

Lisa: Personal style and styling is an important part of fashion and important to models as first impressions, on go-see's etc.  Did you give the contestants style advice or guidance?

Naomi: Yes, I helped my girls with style tips here are there.  I told them to keep their style simple so that it doesn’t distract from their face! 

Lisa: If you have one piece of style advice for women what would it be?

Naomi: I think great style comes from individuality, confidence and a strong personality that comes through in one’s personal style.  You wear the clothes, the clothes don’t wear you!

 

Lisa: Your OMI quotes on twitter are very inspirational (I follow and love reading) - Who inspires you? and did you share some of this OMI wisdom with your girls during the competition?

Naomi: I’m glad you like my OMI quotes!  I’m inspired all different things – friends, family, great artists, pieces of art and designers, writers and more.  I love sharing quotes that inspire me with my fans and followers.

 Lisa: What have you personally taken away from being a mentor on the FACE? How has it impacted you personally/professionally?

Naomi: I’ve learned that I really enjoy mentoring.  I loved spending time with the girls on my team as I helped them become stronger models.  The experience has been more fulfilling and beneficial than I could have ever expected.  I’ve really missed all of my girls since the end of the show, because the bond we share is quite strong as a result of this experience. 

Lisa: You and Eden both talked about authenticity of the FACE as an honest reflection of the industry.  What do you hope will be the "take away" message for viewers of the show?

Naomi: Being a model is about more than just having a pretty face – you need to have the right look, charisma, talent, personality and smarts to represent a brand.  I hope that “The Face” will show viewers all that it takes to become a successful model and spokesperson. 

Naomi has been at the top of her game in the fashion industry for over 2 decades and I'm thrilled to see her back on my TV in the capacity of a mentor. What a wonderful opportunity she is providing the contestants. 

I am looking forward to the next episode.

 WATCH: TUESDAYS 9/8c OXYGEN

Host Nigel Barker, Naomi, Karoline Kurkova, CoCo Rocha

Style Maven Series: Carol Alt

1979 was a fabulous year; It's the year I was born, US & China began diplomatic relations, Margaret Thatcher becomes the First Woman Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mother Theresa was Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
AND it was the year Carol Alt burst onto the modelling scene on the cover of Harpers Bazaar (Italia). She is a Multi faceted and talented Maven who has an amazing career as a model with over 700 magazine covers to her credit and countless editorials, ads and features.
This is one of the most iconic Sports Illustrated images I remember.

She is also an actress, and author 4 times over writing about her passions: Fashion and Raw Food.
She is an entrepreneur with a RAW & NATURAL line of skincare products called RAW ESSENTIALS.

She told me "We are the ONLY chemical free skin care line on the market. That’s good for healthy bodies because everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your body; which is why women are having problems with breast cancer tumours from paraffin, because paraffin’s mimics hormones. We are also results driven. We get unbelievable results. Our results are so fantastic that the photographers taking the before and after pictures said “these are the best before and afters we have ever seen!”
I asked Carol; If someone was going to try RAW ESSENTIALS what should they start with? Carol suggests "Start with a scrub, it is good to get rid of the old dead skin cells and bring up beautiful young skin. Then a moisturizer. We have a sensitive skin moisturizer and an anti-aging moisturizer. Your skin will never get oily because the oil in our product is “raw oil”. It is in a form that the body can understand and utilize immediately."

RAW ESSENTIALS WILL BE FEATURED IN GREATER DETAIL IN AN UPCOMING BLOG - PURCHASE IT HERE

Carol LOVES FASHION and since being in the business since 1979 she has acquired a collection of pieces, gained invaluable knowledge of design, textiles and the business of fashion and seen trends come and go (and perhaps come back again). I had the chance to chat with Carol via telephone recently and ask her my Style Maven questions.

LISA: Can you describe your personal Style aesthetic AND attitude about fashion?

CAROL: I’m a classic Sexy, I like tailored. I love the female form and I think it should be shown off. I like simple, sleek, chic, classic sexy things that show the form off. There is a problem with that because some people cross the line and it becomes trashy. There is a very fine line of just being a classic, simple, sleek, sexy dresser and I don’t over do it with accessories.

LISA: What are the key components / pieces in your closet?

CAROL: It depends what we are talking about. If it is dressing for an evening I like my simple black dress. I also have the simple black dress in lots of different colours. For day, I think anything paired with a nice pair of jeans is fine. I think dressing up jeans is great. I LOVE, LOVE White Shirts (fitted). I have different versions of the fitted white shirt. I think it's great for people who don’t have a lot of money to spend or don’t have the excess money to have a lot of different things. You can wear a pair of jeans and if you change your shoes and bag people think you are dressed completely different. Things that aren’t as expensive as say your blazer or your silk shirt.

LISA: How do you feel about Vintage Clothing and Accessories?

CAROL: LOVE IT!!! last night I wore a vintage piece to dinner.

LISA: What are your favorite Vintage pieces (Clothing and/or Accessories)? Do you only wear designer vintage?

CAROL: I like what suits my body, I don’t really care what is in fashion. I really like to wear things that look good on me. Ultimately if they look good on you people are going to ask you where you got it anyway. I have a girlfriend who is a Vintage shopper and she dresses me. Her name is Melanie and she picks all my pieces for me. In a sense I am somewhat spoiled because she knows me better than I do.
She is into designer pieces and likes picking designer pieces. For the AMFAR gala I wore a gold Gucci vintage gown that she had picked out for me.

She also has picked me up little Vintage sweater vests, not your typical vests but really unique styled sweater vests that you would wear open over a white shirt and jeans in a very soft brown knit. She also picked me up four Vintage shirts that are long, stretch jersey knit that I wear over stretch pants. I have no clue who they are, there were no labels in them at all. I really don’t care about labels, as long as it is a beautiful piece and looks good on me.


LISA: What are you wearing this Fall/Winter? Tell our readers the key elements for your F/W 2012 wardrobe?

CAROL: Unfortunately the platform is back so it makes all your other shoes look old if you don’t get a pair or two of platforms. It is unfortunate because I am 5’11”. I’m getting a couple of pair of platforms. I still like a sleek look and my skirts a little bit longer, it’s much more sexy and of course always a tailored jacket. I’ve gotten a couple of really short that I will wear over stretch pants but into boots. I am doing a real mix, I am finding at this age I don’t really care what people think. It allows me to experiment a little bit more because I don’t care.

LISA: If you could give women 1 piece of STYLE advice, what would it be?

CAROL: Simple. Just Simplicity.


CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE ~ Carol's Closet:














EVOLUTION VINTAGE Pick's for Carol:

VINTAGE FAUX FUR JACKET - SAKS FIFTH AVENUE 70's

VINTAGE CHRISTIAN DIOR CROP COAT 80's

VINTAGE RIDING JACKET - NAVY

VINTAGE Late 70's/early 80's EVENING GOWN - ROBERT DAVID MORTON for NEIMAN MARCUS

1990'S RICHARD TYLER SILK BLAZER

VINTAGE 80'S BACKLESS COCKTAIL DRESS

SHOP: EVOLUTION VINTAGE