I am far from the first fashionista to recount this tale of youthful eccentricity, but as a teenager, when all my friends had Ryan Phillippe on their bedroom walls, I had cut-outs of Sienna Miller, The Olsens, Kate, Naomi (and YES, Carolyn Bessette, aren’t I trailblazing not,) looking cooly into the distance in give-a-shit outfits, or puffing nonchalantly on fags, to my mother’s horror.
“They won’t be pretty for long with those stupid cigarettes!”
As you might imagine her words did not dissuade me, either from continuing my moodboard or, alas, smoking.
A girl crush, you see, is a form of fascination unto itself. It is a distinctly non-sexual affair. In my case anyway, for I am indelibly straight as a boring-ass arrow I’m afraid. No… it was a different sort of crush. Something not dissimilar to what I wrote about Margaret Qualley’s opening at the Chanel Haute Couture Show the other day actually: you wanted to be like this woman. Dress like her obviously. But somehow, also, soak up her very essence and assimilate it into your own. In the least creepy way possible.
Today young ladies can feast their eyes upon their girl crushes as they live and breathe, day and night, thanks to social media. But back then, you had to actively seek out your inspiration via a print mag and a pair of scissors. Sorry to be all bleeding heart Carrie B about things, but you cannot imagine how much Paris Vogue cost at our local newsagent in Toronto. Yet I made it happen monthly, traversing snow and ice to get to the international press shop at Young & St Clair, and spending all my hard-earned Abercrombie income to my mother’s further dismay.
Anyway when I moved across the Atlantic at 18, something miraculous happened —first at Edinburgh uni, then during my Erasmus year at the Sorbonne, then in London where I lived aged 22 to 28 before moving back to Paris: I started to meet women worthy of epic girl-crushery in real life. Women so aesthetically worldly, fun and assured in their own style —though often only in their twenties themselves— that my own fashion sense became surer, smarter, more pointed just as a result of rubbing shoulders with them.
There are many examples of these IRL icons of mine, and I’ll try and get as many of them as possible to answer the Fashion Proust Questionnaire in due time.
Some may not know the extent of my GCs on them. But my Spanish friend Berta Bernad and I met in London aged 22 and began referring to one another as each other’s girl crushes immediately. It was just the best way to describe the way we felt about one another. We continue to today, to our husbands’ bemusement.
That’s the great thing about girl-crushes: the stakes are lower than an actual romantic crush. Worst case: you own up to it and it’s not reciprocated. Who cares. You can still shamelessly drink in the inspo at every GC sighting.
There is a woman called Isabelle Koutourne who I’ve had a girl crush on from afar for years. I know strangely little about her except that she wears navy blue almost exclusively and has the coolest haircut I’ve ever seen. Don’t think she has any idea who I am but if you see her, feel free to tell her.
Alex Eagle is no doubt the subject of a great many girl crushes. She and I go way back, having met when worked together briefly circa 2012 in London. At the time Alex would rock up to the office, buzzing with energy as she does, in this brilliantly short Ghesquiere-era Balenciaga envelope skirt which I will never forget —it was the height of cool— paired with navy cashmere sweaters and Laurence Decade booties. These days she’s traded the miniskirts for refined tailoring of her own design but her poise-factor remains unchanged.
It is a testament to Alex’s steadfast aesthetic confidence (her eye for art and design is every bit as sharp) that she has kindly agreed to be my first Fashion Proust Questionnaire victim…
What is your idea of a perfect outfit?
Something tailored that feels good against the skin.
What is your greatest fashion fear?
Logos on the outside.
What, in hindsight, is the worst outfit you’ve ever worn?
God I detested my school uniform. It was brought in after I started and looking back it was actually quite cute and had been designed by a famous Beachamp place designer but I hated it and missed by layered vest tops and skater jeans.
What is the worst outfit you’ve ever seen on someone else?
Zero judgement man. You do you!
Which living person’s style do you most admire?
Monica. You of course!
What is your greatest extravagance?
Hermes.
What is your current state of mind with regards to the fashion industry?
I feel focused on what I am working on and obsessing over quality fabric and craftsmanship. I am also so happy to see a real, and I feel, lasting love of pre-loved and vintage and this is wonderful.
What do you consider the most overrated style virtue?
Maybe being ‘on trend’.
On what occasion do you lie about someone’s outfit?
When it’s too late to turn back.
What is the quality you like most in a man’s outfit?
Simplicity and a tiny bit of edge.
What is the quality you like most in a woman’s outfit?
The same.
Which fashion trend do you most despise?
Style over quality and craftsmanship. To me the fabric is so so important. If it’s a great shape of style in a bad fabric it’s a no from me.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse when describing fashion?
Chic. Understated, classic, timeless.
Which runway collection in history was your greatest love?
Ohhh hard one but Tom ford Gucci 97. I walked past the store on my way to school everyday so it’s so nostalgic to me and also an amazing example of beautiful iconic and refined design.
When were you happiest with your own look?
When I designed and made each piece myself, down to the socks.
Which designer’s talent would you most like to have?
Dieter Rams. What a guy! Perfection.
If you could change one thing about your wardrobe, what would it be?
A kind clean moth repellent. Those fuckers.
What do you consider your greatest achievement, career-wise (so far!)
That I am still here and still so very happy doing what I love.
If you were to die and come back as a fashion item, what would it be?
An Hermes Kelly, beloved, batterer and made to last the long haul.
Passion eternel! (From Alex’s collection.) Where on earth do you get the most style inspiration?
London.
What is your most treasured possession?
My engagement ring.
What do you consider the lowest depth of fashion rock-bottom (ie. Karl’s sweatpants)
Flammable fabrics.
What is your favourite fashion-related occupation?
I really love the design process and selecting fabrics and finessing the details.
What is your most marked style characteristic?
Tailoring for every occasion.
Who are your favourite fashion writers?
Sarah Harris, Osman Ahmed, Vanessa Friedman and Jo Ellison.
Who is your style hero in fiction?
All the characters from The Beautiful and the Damned.
Which historical figure’s style do you most identify with?
Carolyn Bassette and John F. Kennedy Junior equally.
Which individual that you know (or have known) personally most influenced your style?
My husband.
What would you like to wear to your own funeral?
An alexeagle suit and it’s a bit mean on my kids but lots of diamonds. They can rob my grave for them after the service.
What is your style motto?
Less is more, more or less.
Read more from Alex on The Edit.
I can’t tell you how much I relate to this. 90% of my iphone camera roll are pictures of other women. Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Alexa Chung, Zoe Kravitz, Dree Hemingway, Lou Doillon, Ilona Hamer, Jennifer Lawrence, Eleonore Toulin, … (I can keep on for ever)
So many gorgeous women that inspire me. And it’s not just because they are beautiful and stylish, but also because they are talented and smart and I like how they live their lives.
I love girl crushes! Hilarious that you noted it’s a non-sexual affair. When I was in high school, I also had cutouts of various style crushes and models pasted onto my agenda. A girl in my class asked “why do you have so many pictured of girls? Are you a lesbian?” I am not, but having these photos on something that I looked at and used multiple times a day, every day, ensured that I was soaking up inspiration at all times.