The Tamesis
“Chanel couture seems to be resonating with people more than most of what we’ve seen on the runways this week.” Fashion “Runway” director Nicole Phelps said in her comments. But it wasn’t just the wearable, breezy designs that appealed to the average woman, but also the unmistakable gray in the models’ hair.
‘I’m walking on clouds,’ says model Stephanie Cavalli Fashion. This is her second time walking for Chanel, the first being the New York-themed Métiers d’Art show with the subway as the backdrop in December. “I never thought I would do something like open a Chanel show. It was completely unexpected, especially at my age.”
Cavalli, who also owns an antique store in upstate New York, began modeling for commercial projects in her 20s and has modeled on and off since then. She started her catwalk career three years ago at the Tibi Spring/Summer 2024 ready-to-wear show and has since walked for brands such as Miu Miu, Maria McManus and Proenza Schouler.
“When Mathieu [Blazy] “The first time he saw me in a couture show, he told me he was inspired by me and wanted me to open the show,” she said. “Obviously, I was happy but also a little nervous because I felt like it was a responsibility to open for such a big show. “But I did it. “
While Stephanie Cavalli’s stark grays aren’t any statement about aging (just a choice she made to make life easier), it’s exactly what they’ve become. “I was tired of having to color it all the time and feeling like sometimes the color would be good and sometimes not,” she said. During the pandemic, she chose to stop dying her hair to keep it as healthy as possible. Cavalli said she didn’t want her self-esteem to depend on dying her hair; nonetheless, it was difficult to adjust. “But when I realized the impact it was having on my hair health and my career, I stuck with it,” she added.
Looking ahead, she has an exciting fashion month ahead and her vintage store in Paris will be stocked with items she purchased in her spare time. (Trailer: A ton of 1920s cotton button-down shirts are coming soon.)
“I didn’t grow my hair like this to show that gray was awesome,” Cavalli recalled. “But it turns out it’s true anyway.”
