We Asked. They Created. 30 Fashion Designers Interpret 'The ELLE Look'
Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and 26 more.
By ELLE
The ELLE Look is definitely "a thing"—when you see it on the street, in the airport, in the mirror, you're channeling our rich history of strong, sexy women with great personal style, who refuse to be defined by someone else's notion of what's "in" or "out." So as a kind of 30th birthday present to ourselves, we've produced one of the more ambitious portfolios ever for our September 2015 issue: "The ELLE Look," shot by Max Vadukul, for which we asked fashion's most powerful and visionary designers and their muses to interpret that idea.
Pick up our 30th anniversary issue at a newsstand near you and share your favorite photo or quote with the hashtag #ELLEat30 to show us your favorite interpretation of "The ELLE Look."
Giorgio Armani With Karolina Kurkova
"I got into fashion by accident," Armani says. "I had the opportunity to state my vision and my style, creating clothes that would change attitudes and make people feel good."
"Karolina doesn't just wear clothes—she interprets them, bringing out the contrasts and naturalness of my style."
Kurkova wears: Embroidered-silk dress, earrings, bangles, sandals, all, Giorgio Armani Privé, prices on request, at Giorgio Armani, NYC. For story details, see Shopping Guide or visit armani.com. Styled by Monica Dolfini.
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler With Actress Chloë Sevigny
"Her undeniable confidence, her sense of self, her epic style, her intoxicating laugh, and her ballsy creative choices.... There are many Chloë imitators, but no one comes close. She's the muse of an entire generation."
What drives them? "Fashion is the one constant you can count on to define the moment we are living in."
Sevigny wears: Viscose top, $2,450, crepe skirt, $1,650, tights, $350, ring, $250, bangle, $730, pumps, $950, all, Proenza Schouler, at Proenza Schouler, NYC. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Francisco Costa, Women's Creative Director, Calvin Klein Collection, With Artist Olympia Scarry
"The ELLE look is strong, confident, and a bit irreverent," Costa says. "For 30 years, ELLE has been helping women find and build upon their own personal style."
"Olympia has a serenity about her that shows in the way she carries herself."
Scarry wears: Suede jumpsuit, pumps, $895, all, Calvin Klein Collection, at Calvin Klein Collection, NYC. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Nicolas Ghesquiére, Creative Director, Louis Vuitton, With Actress and Singer Charlotte Gainsbourg
"Charlotte embodies the ultimate romantic heroine. She is moving, delicate, and forever sensitive."
Gainsbourg wears: Leather jacket, knit top, jacquard skirt, all, Louis Vuitton, at select Louis Vuitton stores nationwide. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Sarah Burton, Creative Director, Alexander McQueen, With Model Stella Tennant
ELLE style is..."uninhibited and strong."
"Stella represents timeless style and beauty. Our studio walls are always covered with images of her."
Tennant wears: Embroidered-tulle gown, boots, $1,195, Alexander McQueen, to special order, call +44-207-318-2220. Styled by Carmen Borgonovo.
Dries Van Noten With Model Hanne Gaby Odiele
"It's nice to feel this return to roots, to ideas, and to individuality, idiosyncrasy, after a period of somewhat standardization."
"Hanne is bursting with an irreverent energy that is intoxicating."
Odiele wears: Bomber jacket, $1,030, cashmere turtleneck, viscose pants, $1,760, necklaces, $460-$735 each, belt, $875, pumps, all, Dries Van Noten. Similar styles at Barneys New York. Styled by Barbara Baumel.
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, Creative Directors, Valentino, With Actress Alba Rohrwacher
"ELLE is very focused on the evolution of women, not only in the fashion sense—in their way of being."
Rohrwacher represents "grace, poetry, power, fragility."
She wears: Cashmere dress, Valentino Haute Couture Sala Bianca 945, at Valentino, NYC. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director, Loewe, With Model and Musician Jamie Bochert
"No matter what you do, your work always contains elements from what came before. I wish I could say, 'I invented trousers.' In the end, I have to give it a new character."
Bochert "has a very strong personality all her own."
She wears: Lamé dress, boots, $1,550, all, Loewe, at Loewe, Miami. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Erdem Moralioglu With Model Alexa Chung
"An intelligent beauty...always marches to the beat of her own drum."
"Everything makes me tick," says Moralioglu. "I always have my eyes open; I'm always looking."
Chung wears: Embroidered-lace dress, Erdem, visit erdem.com. Boots, Nicholas Kirkwood for Erdem, $1,595. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Fausto Puglisi, Creative Director, Emanuel Ungaro, With Model Coco Rocha
"Fashion is freedom, pushing the boundaries of sex, culture, or race." What excites you? "Sea salt on skin, silk on skin."
On Coco: "Strong, beautiful, fresh, pure."
Rocha wears: Embellished-tulle dress, $2,995, gloves, $290, boots, $1,350, all, Emanuel Ungaro, collection at Barneys New York. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Michael Kors With Model Alessandra Ambrosio
"Over the last 30 years, we've seen the fashion codes break down. Today, there are no rules—sequins for day, pants for night, sneakers for work. Which I love, by the way."
"Alessandra always looks amazing—walking through the airport, picking up her kids, lounging by a pool—and she's always somewhere new."
Ambrosio wears: Embroidered-wool coat, $4,995, linen tank, $295, scarf, oxfords, $650, all Michael Kors Collection, at select Michael Kors stores nationwide. Jeans, Michael Michael Kors, $125. Gold-tone watch, Michael Kors. Styled by Erin Walsh.
Raf Simons, Artistic Director, Dior, With Models Natalie Westling, Mica Arganaraz, and Julia Nobis
What inspires you? "A woman with power and energy in a very definite way."
Westling wears: Silk dress, boots. Arganaraz wears: Cotton jacket, $4,700, silk shorts, $1,500, earrings, $610 per pair, boots, $1,320. Nobis wears: Silk dress, earrings, $410, boots. All, Dior, to special order, call 800-929-DIOR. Styled by Samira Nasr.
Alessandra Facchinetti, Creative Director, Tod's, With Artist Polly Morgan
"Polly's glacial look and the dark aesthetic of her work fascinate me, [but]...despite her ethereal aspect, she's a very concrete person and a real woman."
"When you open ELLE, you always find exactly what you were looking for, even if you didn't know you were looking for it," Facchinetti says.
Morgan wears: Leather jacket, cotton pants, loafers, $675. All, Tod's, at Tod's boutiques nationwide. Styled by Barbara Baumel.
Alessandro Michele, Creative Director, Gucci, With Model and Musician Karen Elson
"Above and beyond being a model, Karen is a woman with an outstanding character and a strong personality...the personification of what beauty means to me."
Elson wears: Embroidered-wool top, lace skirt, $1,380, shorts, $690, beret, $295, rings, $515-$555 each, pumps, $1,200, all, Gucci, at select Gucci stores nationwide. Styled by Erin Walsh.
Jason Wu With Model Stephanie Seymour
"There is something so intrinsically smart and forward-thinking about ELLE's approach to fashion."
"She's one of the original supermodels I obsessed over as a teenager—she really brings excitement and glamour to the clothes."
Seymour wears: Embellished top, $3,295, wool pants, $795, pumps, $795, all, Jason Wu, visit jasonwustudio.com. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Claire Waight Keller, Creative Director, Chloé, With Daughters Charlotte and Amelia
"I'm inspired by their spirit, their sense of curiosity, the fresh confidence and freedom."
"If you can feel good in what you're wearing, it changes your whole attitude, and that in turn changes the way you approach everything."
Waight Keller and daughters wear: Silk blouse, boots, sandals, all, Chloé, at Chloé boutiques nationwide. Styled by Carmen Borgonovo.
Anna Sui With Icon Jane Holzer
"No matter where I go with the collection—Vikings or Pre-Raphaelites or whatever— there's still that bohemian girl there. As much as I try to veer away from it, there will invariably be a couple of Michelle Phillipses and Joni Mitchells in every collection."
"Jane is the real deal. She seemed to embody the free spirit of the '60s, mixed with undeniable glamour."
Holzer wears: Rabbit coat, $1,495, jersey pants, $235. Sui wears: Rabbit coat, $1,495, crepe de chine tunic, $436, trousers, $385. All, Anna Sui, at Anna Sui, NYC. Necklace, Erickson Beamon for Anna Sui, $978. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Carolina Herrera With Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw
"I love that fashion cannot be defined—its madness is a mystery."
"Gugu's beauty, combined with her talent and wonderful personality, make her the perfect Herrera woman."
Mbatha-Raw wears: Embroidered-silk gown, Carolina Herrera, $4,690, at Carolina Herrera, NYC. Styled by Emily Barnes.
Massimiliano Giornetti, Creative Director, Salvatore Ferragamo, With Actress Valeria Solarino
"Think of the millions of users who can watch fashion shows on their mobile devices in real time: Fashion has never been so much in fashion."
The ELLE woman "is determined to be heard, with a wardrobe reflective of this confidence," Giornetti says.
Solarino wears: Silk dress, cuff, $990, sandals, $1,290, all, Salvatore Ferragamo, at Salvatore Ferragamo boutiques nationwide. Styled by Monica Dolfini.
Diane von Furstenberg With Actress Allison Williams
"ELLE is chic and smart.... They understand the mix of high and low, and they make things feel luxurious but also accessible.... I am inspired by women, and I design to inspire women."
"A perfect model for her generation.... Allison knows who she is and stays true to that."
Williams wears: Silk dress, $598. Von Furstenberg wears: Silk dress, $468. All, Diane von Furstenberg, similar styles at dvf.com. Earrings, Diane von Furstenberg for H. Stern, $3,000. Styled by Emily Barnes.
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