Fashion is fantasy. At 18, model Karlie Kloss has touched more of that fantasy than most of us ever will.
Since she was discovered at a charity runway show in St. Louis four years ago, Kloss has worked with the biggest names in fashion. For an hour yesterday afternoon, Kloss shared her experiences during an informal Q-and-A at the Firestone Baars Chapel at Stephens College.
Thirty minutes before the talk was set to start, fashion fans started trickling in. Alfred Cox, a sophomore journalism major from the University of Missouri, was one of the first. “I love fashion. It’s one of my main interests. When I heard Karlie Kloss was coming I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s amazing,’ ” Cox said.
Sarah McKay, a sophomore textile and apparel management major from MU, wanted to learn more about how Kloss got to where she is today. “I want to hear about her life and how she got started. I see her in every magazine,” McKay said.
A few minutes passed and Kloss walked in, following Stephens fashion communication students Kaitlin Heberer and Kristine Kloss, her older sister.
Fresh off the Paris Fashion Week runways, where she wore couture for John Galliano’s last show with Dior, Kloss is in town this weekend as part of the School of Design & Fashion’s jury of selections, during which a panel of fashion industry experts, including fashion designers, merchandisers and editors review each garment constructed by fashion design students and select the best to appear in the annual Stephens College Designer Fashion Show.
Kloss also gave a talk, called “A Model Life, From Runway to Cover,” which she described as a give-and-take situation.
“More than anything, I’m excited to share my experience and opportunities I’ve had working with these incredible icons and influences in the industry,” she said.
But she also said she wanted to learn from the students: “The future of the industry is sitting in this room,” Kloss said.
When the program started, Kloss perched on a wooden table, her long legs crossed in front of her, and started taking questions from the approximately 130 people gathered in the chapel. The wanted to know about the big names, but if they were hoping to hear dirt they were probably disappointed. Kloss had only nice things to say.
On her favorite new designers: “Do you guys know Jason Wu? He’s really sweet. We go bowling. Thakoon is really sweet. Prabal is really nice.”
On the infamously icy editor-in-chief at Vogue magazine: “Anna Wintour? She’s just a normal person. … She’s such an incredible woman who I respect so much, but at the end of the day she’s just a normal person.”
And she had kind words for the young designers in the room: “I’m sure I’ll be seeing some of you in New York in the future.”
She also shared little nuggets of her own personal life. “I just like to bake. I have an apartment in New York. One of the first things I bought was a Kitchen-Aid mixer,” she said. Her creations — mostly cookies — are taken to shoots and fittings.
When one student asked whether she faces any pressure to stay thin, Kloss attributed her slim figure to a fast metabolism. “I definitely find time to eat. Eat healthy? I’m not so good at that,” Kloss said.
The former ballerina also makes a point to take her running shoes with her wherever she goes but said she doesn’t have much of a workout routine beyond that.
Though the model is what our eyes are trained on, she is quick to point out the talents of the others working behind the scenes: the designers, seamstresses, makeup artists, makeup artists, hair stylists, stylists and photographers.
“The fashion industry gives off such an illusion. It creates these fantasies through clothes, this beautiful fantasy world that everybody thinks of. But there’s a lot of hard work there. … It’s not as glamorous or easy, breezy, beautiful as they might think,” Kloss said.
As for her role in the fantasy, Kloss likens it to acting.
“I get to take on the role of the woman who’s actually going to be wearing those clothes. Sometimes I look at those pictures and say ‘That’s not me,’ ” Kloss said.
Who she is, or at least how she defines herself, tends to be pretty simple.
“I’m just a normal Midwestern girl,” Kloss said.
“OK,” scoffed a voice from the audience.
“I’m a little taller than most,” Kloss conceded.
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