- You'd think after all these years
that this would be like a piece of cake.
- Karen?
- Yes.
Erdem.
- My camera's thinking.
[Karen laughs]
My camera's nervous.
[upbeat music]
- Hi Vogue.
I'm Karen Elson and you are coming along with me
to the Erdem show, but before we do that
come inside, we're gonna have a little bit of a chat.
Obviously I've gotta have a lot of coffee.
I'm jet lagged and I need to be on.
London fashion week for me,
obviously I'm British, so I might be biased
but it's the height of creativity.
I think there's something a about British fashion
that is always so unique and cutting edge.
Yet at the same time, there is this sort of finery.
And it's the first time I've walked in a show
in London since this whole COVID nightmare began.
So, you know, just to be at London fashion week
it's very personal.
Come in. [Karen laughs]
I'm gonna be really honest.
I am a high-end beauty addict.
This thing here, Augustinus Bader.
This is sort of like the secret elixir for my skin.
And this tends to be sort of my go-to for all things.
And this is my dress for the day.
So I was scouted, I wanna say I was 14 or
15 years old in Manchester.
And I think there was a little bit
of time where people were figuring out, you know
am I too young to leave home?
But I was insistent
that I was going to try and make it as a model.
And I'm gonna be honest the first two years,
I really didn't have any form of success at all.
It really wasn't until I was
in New York and I met Steven Meisel, that things took
off when I did my first Italian Vogue cover.
But I was quite polarizing back then,
the way I looked should I say it was polarizing.
There was a headline that I was a freak.
I'd go on shoots, and if the dress didn't zip-up properly
there'd be just endless criticism
or people telling me what diet to go on.
As I've got older, I felt a real responsibility towards
the young people who are entering the fashion industry
to be honest about the pressures of the industry
and also to encourage the industry,
the fashion industry in general, to change its ways.
Because it is such a brilliant business
in so many facets of it, yet the experience of
being a model for many models
unfortunately can be harrowing.
And often you don't feel like you can stand up for yourself,
because you might get blacklisted if you do.
So during the pandemic, I started this Zoom sort
of session called the Model Mentor, where we just talk
about various issues, especially about,
body image, the lack of financial transparency
that happens in the modeling industry.
And in a way, just trying to give these young people
the tools, the more models can sort of articulate
and stand up for themselves
and demand that they are treated with just basic dignity,
the more the industry will understand that has
to become the norm.
All right, let's go, I'm running a bit late.
The later I get to the show,
the more chaotic it's going to be.
It's the first time that I'm walking in Erdem show
and Erdem's clothing in general tends
to be incredibly feminine and incredibly sort of delicate.
And while there's still those elements in there
this definitely I can tell
is him going in a new direction, which is exciting.
I've gotta say Grace Coddington
has been, from the beginning, a mentor.
Before my first American Vogue shoot.
I met with Grace and she schooled me before
I met Anna on what to say, how to act.
I came in in a ratty vintage coat,
and she told me to take it off. [laughs]
And I think her and Tony Goodman gave me another outfit
to wear, which is really sweet.
But Grace has always been somebody who's had my back.
Obviously I'm, you know, a pale ginger as well,
so we have that comradery
and we both are obsessed with cats.
So clearly Grace and I were gonna get along.
And also Tabitha Simmons.
She's been my dear friend since I was 16.
I met Tabitha when I was modeling in Tokyo.
Edward as well, Anifall.
I mean another person I met when I was 17 years old.
And he's been a dear friend ever since.
And it's just wonderful to watch your friends
and people you love go from strength to strength.
The look today is quite androgynous,
hair sleek, slick back, far apart,
it's very simple.
This is the lovely Lindsey Wixson, who is an amazing model.
And I haven't seen you in a very long time.
- I remember seeing you at Anna Sui
being so awestruck with you.
- Oh really? Aww!
You're gonna go to Italy and Paris?
- Yes.
- Nice.
These days, all I can do is walk in a few shows.
I'm not gonna say I'm too old.
It's more just my patience.
- Been there, done that.
- Have we ever. Oh, wait so what's this thing?
Oh, that'll be fun for photographs.
Won't it?
All right. Now I've gotta get my nails done.
I'll follow you.
So you can imagine if you're doing this like
five times a day, how skin gets really hurt,
after a time or like irritated
Many years ago I had hair extensions in from one show
and I didn't have time to take them out
before I was running to the next show.
And then the hairdresser didn't have the time
to cut the extensions out, so we decided to just cut
and cut this much of my hair.
- [Woman] Stop it!
- It was a good day.
I've got a few things going on here.
This is why I need a alone time in the morning
because when I show up to fashion shows, I'm claustrophobic.
So then I get a bit panicky.
Oh, french fries.
Oh, I haven't had those is years.
Don't mind me. [laughs]
Hi! - Enjoy.
- We're gonna go downstairs,
do the rehearsal, stick the shoes on
see the runway, and fingers crossed
it all goes well.
- We're somewhere in between 1930 and 1935.
We're in a club. It's at the end of the night.
Meandering around and we're about to leave the club.
And you're gonna be walking in and out
of these kind of beautiful pools of light.
- It's a little bit of a complicated runway
which now I'm super anxious because I'm opening the show.
So if I screw it up, everyone's gonna screw it up.
[laughs]
Diagonal, down, diagonal, down, off.
[soft piano music] I can't see shit!
Look how gorgeous it is.
The beautiful lighting, we've got an incredible pianist.
And that definitely sets the stage for how I am gonna
be as a model on the runway.
Off this way? Which way?
Got it.
This is a very poetic show.
And what we're doing is supposed to reflect that.
And I think not taking too much away from the clothes
we're a character, you know, an androgynous 1930s
very artistic lady, and very confident
but not overly confident where it seems rash and insincere.
So this part here is where I get my I photograph taken
which is very important,
because that is the image that stays on Vogue Runway.
And it's the image that captures the look. Right here.
Hi, gorgeous.
[both kisses]
- Are you ready for a show?
- I'm nervous, but I'm ready for your show.
That's for sure.
Look at this gorgeous look.
- I thought Karen was the perfect actress to
embody the character of the season.
- Well, thank you.
- I'm so thrilled.
- It's an honor to be in the show.
Thank you so much for having me.
I really mean that.
- Should we do it?
- Yes, let's do it. - Let's do it.
[crowd chattering]
[upbeat music]
You look great.
- You look great too.
- Thank you.
[Karen sighs]
- Okay. We're shutting doors.
So that's two minutes.
That's a two minute cue.
- There's always something last minute happening.
Thank you for having me.
- Thank you for doing this.
- Anytime! Wish me luck!
[soft piano music]
[people chattering]
[audience applauding]
[crowd cheering]
That's a wrap guys. The show's over.
Thank you you for following me around all day.
Wait, I have to get in this picture, sorry...
on my diary of a model.
Thanks for joining me today.
And I hope I'll see you all soon.
Take care.
My three non-negotiables
for young aspiring models.
[Karen sighs]
Develop your sense of self.
Having a rich personal life outside of the fashion industry.
That is the thing that saved me over the years.
Number two, know your worth.
And number three is even though the going gets tough
in this business, try as best as you can to make the most
out of it because there's a lot of joy to have.