Published: 09 Apr 2009
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
There are few sentences guaranteed to thrill a fashion-obsessed 19-year-old more than: ‘There is a trunk of Azzedine Alaïa in storage, just waiting for you.’ This is what Yasmin Le Bon reminds her eldest daughter, Amber. Since Le Bon’s hugeshouldered Alaïa jackets and bulky trousersuits from the 1980s are far from wardrobe-friendly, she stores much of her Alaïa in a lock-up.
Le Bon started archiving special garments at the height of her career as a model. Even then she valued their worth – in the case of Alaïa, quite literally: Alaïa never used to pay his models, giving them clothes instead. On several occasions Le Bon forked out for her own flights and accommodation to appear in his runway shows in return for an outfit or two. But she also found it hard to toss out particular garments embedded with memories. Her collection is 100 pieces plus.
But why go to all the trouble of archiving her most treasured and valuable pieces in a lock-up as well as her closet at home? ‘It’s not just about the space restrictions of a wardrobe,’ Le Bon explains. ‘When clothes get to a certain age, you have to stop hanging them and start wrapping and laying them flat in boxes.’ But some pieces just don’t last. ‘I have several Alaïa bodysuits from the 1980s that just appear sullen. Clothes with elastane in them are difficult to archive because any kind of rubber degrades over time. Every year I re-evaluate and pull out pieces for Amber, who is now old enough to wear these pieces, and wants to, because fashion-wise they feel relevant once more.’
Meanwhile, prized pieces that are worn regularly are hung in plastic dry-cleaning bags in Le Bon’s fit-to-burst walk-in-wardrobe. Overstocking has resulted in several casualties; the latest emerges today – a vintage 1960s chiffon gown which, through poor storage, has a torn hemline – just as well Le Bon has a good tailor to hand. Amber is rifling through it. This inventory – or rather raid – occurs every few months when Le Bon feels generous enough to pass pieces on. Amber tries her luck at scoring a full-length, balloon-sleeved, ivory Ossie Clark gown, which hangs beautifully on her lithe 5ft 10in frame. Her mother, however, isn’t quite ready to let go of it. Le Bon tells me with a smile that this is a well practised routine of sartorial tug-of-war.
In truth, plenty has already come Amber’s way. ‘I’m thrilled that Mum kept hold of so many pieces, and lucky that we’re a similar size so I can wear them,’ says Amber, who possesses a slightly narrower ribcage but otherwise is identical in size to her mother. ‘Plus, I hate shopping, and these clothes come with the added bonus of already being worn in, lived-in even – there is nothing better.’ There is the blue-and-white Pucci print cotton sundress that her mother bought from a second-hand store in Florida on a modelling assignment 20 years ago; a pink Comme des Garçons dress that Rei Kawakubo gave her when she was pregnant with Amber; a black leather biker jacket from the 1980s, and an Antony Price sage-green lace prom dress.
Le Bon admits that it can be strange seeing her daughter in clothes she once wore. But not as strange as it is for many of her contemporaries. Take, for example, the time Amber wore a black, button-through, short-sleeved Alaïa dress with flirty hemline to a fashion show at Claridge’s hotel. ‘Naomi [Campbell] was there and she hadn’t seen Amber for a long time. She took one look at her in this dress and was speechless. She was shocked because she has so many memories of me in this dress. I used to wear it every day with riding boots, it was my uniform,’ Le Bon explains. ‘This dress means more to me than any other piece because it has been everywhere and seen everything – it’s as old as Amber.’
Le Bon has two younger daughters, Saffron, 17, and Tallulah, 14, both eagerly awaiting their share of her wardrobe. Currently there is a squabble over a sporty tote-shaped Tod’s handbag. But when things get fraught, there is always Le Bon’s threat: ‘Maybe I’ll donate to the V&A…’ which, not surprisingly, puts an end to most quarrels.
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