Exuding electric energy and exhibiting a sense of style that strikes an effortless chord between sophistication and simplicity, we caught up with Vanessa Paradis after Chanel’s autumn/winter17 show to discover her take on fashion’s fundamentals.
Vanessa Paradis on style
Style is very much in the body language. It’s in the way you walk… it’s not especially about what you wear, because you can have a lot of grace or style with everyday clothes. It’s also, of course, the way you mix things up – style accounts for everything, it’s the clothes and your demeanour.
Vanessa Paradis on timeless beauty
You can’t stop time. We change, the face evolves, but what makes someone attractive is if you’re full of life and interest – interest in the outside world, interest in somebody else. Being present in the moment makes your eyes shine. You might have wrinkles, your face might change, but if life inspires you, then it makes you feel alive. You can’t be beautiful just for yourself, that’s useless – beauty is to share.
Vanessa Paradis on Chanel’s borderless appeal
You can have a total Chanel look, which I think fits into many different generations, but what’s great is the mixing! You can mix a piece that’s very dressy and wear it with sweatpants or jeans.
Vanessa Paradis on ultimate moments with Chanel
Lucky me, I’ve got a few! The first time I worked with Chanel was in the Nineties, working with Jean-Paul Goude doing the bird in the cage shoot, learning how to do the trapeze. It took me one intense week to learn the skill before we shot in a huge warehouse with a birdcage that was 10 metres high. It was quite amazing.
She’s got amazing features, a beautiful face... but it’s what’s inside her heart and her mind that makes her beautiful.
Vanessa Paradis on Lily Rose Depp
Vanessa Paradis on the colour red
Red is life, it’s passion, and red is also confidence. They say the colour red is the colour that gives you confidence, but I think it’s also very joyful and lively.
Vanessa Paradis on Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is somebody who knows everything about everything! He’s so knowledgeable and cultured; he loves music, art and literature. It’s part of his personality and part of his work. He’s not just an artist who pulls something out from his imagination – it always has something to do with what’s going on in the world.
Vanessa Paradis on Lily-Rose for Coco Rouge
A young face is the present and the future. She’s got a flawless face at this age and she works really well for beauty.
Vanessa Paradis on Lily-Rose’s contemporary appeal
Lily Rose got amazing features, a beautiful face… but it’s what’s inside her heart and her mind that makes her beautiful. She’s smart, she’s a nice girl and she’s funny; she’s got a sense of humour and she’s very down to earth – that’s what comes out of her and that makes her so pretty and lively.
Vanessa Paradis on Chanel autumn/winter17
There are a lot of pieces I would love to wear on stage, during a concert! The white coats are beautiful and I loved the use of bluish leather, especially the pants!
Vanessa Paradis on the meaning of fashion
I know it’s very far away from most people’s lives, but fashion is a world of art. It’s a luxury, but I view it in the same way as studying paintings, sculptures or movies. It’s a way of expressing yourself and making people dream. A playful form of art and the one closest to your body.
Vanessa Paradis, Karl Lagerfeld and Lily Rose Depp at Chanel Paris-salzburg 2014/15 Metiers D’art Collection, New York
