I was a total fashion insider who became an outsider when I did bridal.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I have been a bridesmaid. Fortunately, the outfits were pretty tame. They were cream and black, but I still wouldn't wear them out in public, though.
I didn't have any bridesmaids. Instead, one friend did my hair, another did my makeup, and a third loaned me her shimmering Jimmy Choo wedges!
Even when I became the editor of 'Vogue' - America, I kept moonlighting for a garment store.
I love designing bridal. I do not follow trends - I design dresses that are relevant to the times.
I worked in fashion, but I worked more in the sales side of fashion than in design. I was an assistant buyer for a department store back in the '70s and the early years of Saint Laurent. And I used to have a lot of private clients that I bought for.
I had no connections, and the fashion world was a closed elite. So my mother made appointments for herself with three top Parisian makeup artists and spoke highly about me... she was my first publicist!
I was the official wedding photographer at one of my best friends' weddings. Fortunately she was one of the most easygoing brides ever, so she made it easy for me.
I always had an interest in fashion because my mom is a celebrity fashion stylist. I grew up being on set or in showrooms.
There was no relationship between a wedding dress and fashion. There was no good taste, either. I realized that I could make an impression in terms of changing and readdressing the whole industry of bridal.
In the fashion world, I was always an outsider, but I made people look good, so I had a career.