Paris Fashion Week kicked off earlier this week with Maria Grazia Chiuri‘s Dior FW23 runway presentation, which paid homage to emblematic French style figures like Catherine Dior, Édith Piaf, and Juliette Gréco and featured giant artworks by Joana Vasconcelos After the show, we caught up with another, albeit Australian icon—the eternal Dior girl and wellness maven Elle MacPherson—to discuss the season’s offerings, her stint on “Friends,” and what she carries in her Lady Dior bag.
———
MITCHELL NUGENT: You’ve been a Dior girl for several decades now. Do you have any favorite Dior memories?
ELLE MACPHERSON: Today was extraordinary. When Edith Piaf came on—seeing those beautiful silhouettes in that incredible set. Did you know that the fabrics are all from the Dior archive? Some of the best times I’ve had at Dior have been with people that I love. I’ve brought my sons and their girlfriends to various shows to give them a peek inside this world. They’re both in business school, they haven’t really had any exposure to fashion. So it’s important for them to see how a brand can be so broad and yet so successful and retain its classicism and elegance and stay true to itself.
NUGENT: That’s lovely. Did you have a favorite look from the show?
MACPHERSON: There were so many beautiful looks today. I thought those 1930’s style baseball hats were amazing. The silhouettes were incredible, the little shirts and pleated skirts, it had a bit of a 40’s feel. And then pairing that with motorcycle boots or socks and heels. She [Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s creative director] does such an amazing job combining masculine and feminine. She has an absolute respect for the female body—with an androgynous twist.
NUGENT: It’s a great juxtaposition. What do you carry in your Lady Dior bag?
MACPHERSON: I always have my phone so I can film, and my sunglasses. You’ll always see me at the shows with my sunglasses on, the lighting is so terrible. And I have a bottle of Super Elixir, my secret potion. My company is Welleco and we created an alkalizing greens powder that we mix with water. It’s got 15 ingredients and it’s absolutely all the vitamins and minerals that you need.
NUGENT: Sounds magical.
MACPHERSON: It transformed my life.
NUGENT: Next year, it will be 25 years since you played Janine Lecroix on Friends–
MACPHERSON: What an amazing experience that was!
NUGENT: Do you have a favorite memory from that time?
MACPHERSON: They were so accommodating and patient with me because I didn’t have a lot of experience in comedy, let alone sitcoms or live TV. They rewrite the script constantly, so learning on the fly and just being a part of an ensemble was extremely enriching for me.
NUGENT: You couldn’t do two nights in a row with Chandler and Monica. Could you do two Dior shows in a row?
MACPHERSON: Easy. I would love it!
