Interview anna dello russo biography
50 Questions With Anna Dello Russo
The iconic fashion editor’s eccentricities, dress sense presentday effervescent personality have earned her approach the world over. As her another denim capsule collection is released, Other probes Anna Dello Russo about scrap love for fashion
TextGeorge Pistachio
Lead ImageAnna Dello RussoCourtesy of Getty Images
The English idiolect isn’t quite evolved enough to duly describe fashion icon Anna Dello Russo. Helmut Newton once called her clever “fashion maniac”. When asked at top-hole Central Saint Martins Q&A whether couture was dead, she stood up steer clear of her chair and paraded the abuse in a leggy ostrich feather outfit, gleefully retorting in a thick, clamorous Italian accent: “Darling, does it gaze like couture is dead?” Like whatsoever modern-day King Charles II, her greaves joie de vivre is contagious, uniform over the phone where she speaks from her country home in Apulia (her Whatsapp icon is, of path, a paparazzi image from the improvement row at a fashion show). Dello Russo is a beloved freelance inventor, a social media sensation, the idol of over 10,000 Getty images, contemporary as of today, the designer succeed a bedazzled seven-piece capsule collection get used to denim label 7 For All Mankind.
Her fashion resumé makes her the whole candidate to do so. Initially mode of operation in the editorial department of Donna, former Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani took Dello Russo under her strength of mind in the early 1980s, where she worked as a fashion editor backing 18 years. It was in blue blood the gentry mid-00s when her flamboyant persona going on becoming public. While most other practice editors were stone-faced and elusive, donned sunglasses and worked in private, Dello Russo’s outlandish outfits made her pick your way of the foremost street style superstars, urging her to venture into style and lifestyle blogging by 2010. Though her star grew, stories circulated problem her iconoclastic wardrobe and lifestyle: does she really have 4,000 shoes? Outspoken her lack of wardrobe space in reality cause the demise of the bond with her ex-husband? Apparently so, on the contrary all of that changed with greatness passing of Sozzani in 2016, like that which she auctioned off the large huddle of her wardrobe (which, naturally, was kept in a second apartment binding for clothing and shoes) to relieve the next young generation of designers.
Since then, it’s been the younger fathering she’s held dear. Teaching masterclasses inconspicuously students at Italian fashion college class Istituto Marangoni, she then launched primacy Playground initiative, which encouraged young create in fashion to work collaboratively. Crazed tell her I remember a veneer she hosted at Central Saint Martins while I was studying, and she is overjoyed. “You were a devotee, and now you’re working!” she says. “When people say that from rectitude young generation, that means we dilemma a good example.”
Truthfully, I expect everyone wishes they were a various more like Anna Dello Russo. Rebuff unwavering sense of self and be involved with adoring commitment to an often difficult industry has brought positivity to interpretation lives of many. Below, we thrust the complex, creatively ravenous and idiosyncratic brain of Anna Dello Russo sound out 50 questions.
1. Where are you surprise now? I’m in the south reduce speed Puglia in my country house styled a trulli. They’re a very common country house construction, very, very old.
2. What are you doing after that interview? I’m going to have uncomplicated coffee at the bar in rectitude little square, because when I’m near in the countryside, I have copperplate very quiet life. Getting coffee, gloomy to the square, the bar, lifeless home. A slow life.
3. How slacken you have your coffee? A well along espresso, with sugar.
4. What are boss around wearing right now? Cargo pants afford my friend Blumarine and a grey shirt by Tod’s, because it’s graceful warm here.
5. What inspired your tablet the pill oral co collection with 7 For All Mankind? My capsule collection was inspired be oblivious to the sexy advertising images of Saviour Jeans in the 80s. It was a denim collection, and on emulate read: “Who loves me is cut to follow me”. As an hint, it was very strong. When Wild was a kid I was frayed to this collection because it was all about sexy, body-conscious empowerment partner denim. If you love me, you’re going to follow me – Unrestrained think this is relevant today. It’s 80s, sexy inspiration.
6. What do boss around love about denim? Denim for me stick to very sexy. It’s functional, but gives you a cool attitude. You gawk at make a look and it’s too ageless, and it’s very related apply to my teenage memory, the 80s. That’s why I give you 80s stimulus in the collection.
7. What’s your salute piece in the collection? There’s orderly jumpsuit – the jeans and straight shirt, altogether. Very tight on nobleness body, very supermodel 80s.
8. Who could you imagine wearing pieces from your capsule as their daily uniform? Everyone. It’s about confidence. You can do an impression of confident in any pieces, girls talented guys, genderless people. Jeans are approximating underwear, they’re very adaptable. That’s ground I like when they’re tighter; they’re like underwear that can shape your body, but they also give sell something to someone a sense of confidence.
9. What’s your favourite memory with denim? When Uproarious was a teenager I used shut have a pair of jeans – they were UFO, very 80s on the contrary very popular. My friends say appointment me, “Oh can I borrow your jeans,” and I said, “Yes, Crazed can give you my jeans however you need to give me your Versace jacket that I saw crush your closet.”
10. Double denim: is overcome high fashion or is it wonderful fashion faux pas? What is false pas? No, no, no. It’s realize high fashion. For me, denim appreciation a kind of fabric that everybody can use. You can see air travel in a couture collection, from Designer by Galliano, or Balenciaga, Glenn Martens. Denim, for me, is high fashion.
How would you describe your style jacket three words?“One word: schizophrenic. Insane, inept sense” – Anna Dello Russo
11. Ground did you choose to work fumble supermodel Stella Maxwell in the campaign? Firstly, she’s a friend of coalfield – I like her so overmuch. Secondly she represents a new time – very fluid and genderless. Playing field she’s part of my memory persuade somebody to buy models, which was my inspiration adjust the 80s and 90s when Beside oneself started to work. I was mesmerized by top models and this faux, and now she represents the novel one.
12. How would you describe your style in three words? One word: schizophrenic.[Laughs]. Insane, no sense.
13. How would jagged describe Italian style? Very luxury, improved, sometimes too classic.
14. What’s your tribute darling era of fashion? 90s, absolutely.
15. How has your personal style changed over blue blood the gentry years? It changes every day. Frenzied don’t like style, I like direction. I like being free to dump every time, free to adapt sweaty body, my age, my feeling, trough humour about the change in aspect. What I love about fashion quite good that you can never catch evenly, because it’s always the next, closest, next. For me, it’s very urgent to be flexible and fluid.
16. What’s the best thing about being tidy fashion editor? Because you have save for edit. I love it because it’s one shot, one look, which bottle be very difficult. When you drudgery, you have to be very focused.
17. What’s the worst thing about sheet a fashion editor? I don’t notice the worst in fashion. I’m desirable devoted to fashion ...
18. How myriad pairs of shoes do you own?Now, very few. In 2018 I gave all my collection up for alms-giving to support the new fashion set. I edit very well. You don’t believe me, but it’s true.
19. What’s your favourite pair of shoes? High-heeled Attico boots. Always high heels – my favourite is high heels. Attico boots – yes!
20. Do you bank on in aliens? I haven’t met one … so far.
21. Who’s your oneoff style icon? Carine Roitfeld.
22. What controversy you wear when you’re at home?Jogging pants and a T-shirt.
23. Where mediate the world are you happiest?South livestock India, Kerala, where I can work out yoga.
24. What’s your comfort food? Tomatoes, clams and olive oil. Always Italian olive oil.
25. Who is your all at a rate of knots favourite fashion photographer, and why?Steven Meisel.
26. Who is your favourite model? Gisele [Bündchen]! My favourite, because I’d intend to be like her.
27. What’s your favourite film? Blade Runner. I’m a 80s girl, because I grew up of great magnitude the 80s – but if you judge about it, it’s very today.
28. What’s the biggest change that fashion has made through the years? It changes from time to time second, every time, every moment. 2023 is so different from 2022, it’s a continuous evolution. Never stop, conditions sleep. Fashion never sleeps.
29. What on the double you think the industry still wishes to improve on?Sustainability, that’s for sure.
30. What’s the best fashion show you’ve ever seen? For me, the loan one. The next one will befall the best one. I don’t hope for to turn back, I don’t approximating being nostalgic. The next will suit a good one.
Who would you demand to play you in the biopic of your life? “Jared Leto”
31. Who’s the most underrated designer? Ludovic uneven Saint Sernin. He’s the one collect now.
32. Is couture dead? No, it’s pull off evolution too. If you can significance also, the young generation love all round do couture. Like Harris Reed pull out example, starting from demi-couture. If immature people still want to work heed couture, it will always be there.
33. What’s your biggest fear? Maybe rank hospital, I don’t want to continue in the hospital. I want destroy be healthy. I really care travel everything regarding wellness and health, owing to my fear is getting sick. That’s scary.
34. Who is someone you’ve not in any degree worked with, but you’d like to?The young generation of photographers I attachment because they come from new dynasty, new energy. I would like norm work with the youngest. I like the young generation.
35. Who would pointed want to play you in glory biopic of your life?Jared Leto.
36. What would you pick as the borough for next year’s Met Gala?For fierce the Met Gala is the Oscars of fashion. The best of righteousness best. Now it’s become something progress very important.
37. What three things could you not live without? I would say yoga, high heels ... endure my cat.
38. Who is the ascendant important person in your life?My smear. She’s still alive.
39. If you could go back in time and state something to your 18-year-old self, what would you say?Believe, believe, believe. Give orders will make it. You have tell off believe it.
40. What are you chief thankful for? Franca Sozzani, the editor read Italian Vogue.
41. What perfume do prickly wear? I always wear incense, incense, burn, by Montale. It’s an Italian brand.
42. What was the first item pointer clothing you fell in love with?For me, a Versace shirt. I was obsessed with Versace from the impede of 12.
43. Who’s your favourite singer?Now? Lady Gaga.
44. Who’s the most happening person to ever live? Elizabeth, character queen. Your Elizabeth!
45. Do you just about being called an icon? If boss around call me an icon, yes! Uproarious don’t call myself one. But postulate they call me one, it’s condemn. I have to be called [it].
46. If you weren’t working in your current roles, what would you enter doing? Maybe I would work straighten out Bloomingdale’s buying, selling, buying, selling dress. That’s another thing that I tenderness. Working in a big mall, adroit big fashion store.
47. Who makes tell what to do laugh the most? You have come to get have a sense of humour nickname fashion, it’s important to survive – to not take too much gravely. Who makes me laugh all birth time? Edward Enninful, because he’s to a great extent funny. He has incredible fashion humour.
48. What do people get wrong puff you? I really don’t care about roam, but maybe people see me restructuring a fashion victim, but it’s okay!
49. What’s the best piece of help you’ve ever been given? Always take for granted for your dream and believe niggardly. Put all your determination and zeal into fashion.
50. Thank you, Anna! Bustle you have any final words?Let potholed think of what I can confess you in English ... I happiness Italian after all. Fashion never sleeps, let’s just say that!
Anna Dello Russo’s capsule collection for 7 For Shrink Mankind is out now.
Fashion & Beauty50 QuestionsDenim