Supermodel Karen Elson flew in from Nashville one hour before Zac Posen’s show at Spring Studios. We caught up with the ginger beauty for a quick moment post-show to find out what’s new in Nashville and what’s in her wardrobe these days. Plenty of Gucci, Marc Jacobs, and Anna Sui, as you might imagine!
Sorry you had to come in the middle of this weather.
Oh, it’s the same in Nashville. It’s miserable everywhere.
Do you still have your vintage boutique in Nashville?
I gave it up. I just had too many other things going on and then I realized that as much as I love vintage, I don’t like selling it. I like keeping ’em! To be honest, after I had kids my style kind of grew up. Also, the vintage that I liked became a lot more expensive and a lot less practical for Nashville. I love vintage, I love scouring for vintage, but I like shopping for it more than I like selling it.
How has your style changed exactly since living in down South?
To be honest, I toned it down a little bit, which is kind of sad because whenever I come to New York or to London I’m reminded that style is ever present, so I’m always excited to jump on a plane and travel because I actually get to dress up. In Nashville, if I rolled into school to pick up my kids in a wacky Comme de Garçons outfit it would not fly.
Where do you shop in Nashville?
[Laughs and long pause] No, I do shop down there sometimes. My friend has a cool antique jewelry shop called Arrow & Anchor and she has the most incredible jewelry collection. She’s like a secret weapon. She travels and scours stuff from all over the place and does trunk shows in L.A. and Nashville and New York. She has these incredible horoscope rings from Cartier.
What’s your favorite piece in your wardrobe?
It has to be two things. When I first met Alessandro Michele from Gucci, he gave me two beautiful dresses that I cherish, and then Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui—anything they’ve given me I always cherish.
You’ve been a bit of a muse for Alessandro at Gucci. When did you first meet?
I met him ages ago. We always just had a real affinity for each other. I just really love him. He’s a really sweet person and he’s so talented and so poetic.
We hear he’s lovely!
He is. He is so lovely, he kind of shames a lot of people to honest.
