We get to know one of 2017's most talked about models...
French-American model Camille Rowe has settled in LA following huge career success in both Paris and New York, including appearing in a Dior campaign alongside Robert Pattinson, as well as modelling for Louis Vuitton and Chloé.
The 27-year-old had a starring role in Mango’s digital campaign Journeys, was chosen as Playboy's cover star last year and of course walked at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2016.
Currently rumoured to be dating Harry Styles, we got to know Camille...
What do you make of the trends right now? 'I like vintage because it’s timeless. Or brands like Dries Van Noten and Chloé because they’re consistent every season. I’m a Dior girl and Dior is beautiful, but things that could be this season or from ten years ago, I really respect that.'
What do you love most about vintage clothes? 'Vintage is rad because the clothes have a history. It’s not straight off the runway and you’re not going to see a lot of people wearing the exact same items. There’s a ritual to it, you really need to search and know your materials.'
How do you find your best vintage pieces? 'It’s word of mouth really. In London I love Fat Faced Cat in Angel. It’s expensive, but you walk in and automatically want everything. It’s all perfectly curated for you.'
You’re originally from Paris. Do you have any tips for emulating French style? 'I actually think there are a lot of similarities between California girl-style and French girl-style. Long messy hair, and that ‘I don’t think about what I’m wearing too much’ kind of thing. The biggest style icons to me are French girls. I think Bridgette Bardot is so sexy and Jane Birkin pulls off a blouse and t-shirt to perfection. It’s all about making something look super easy. If you’re wearing pyjamas and you’re confident and don’t give a fuck, then it’s going to be the coolest looking pyjama set ever. It’s all about the way you wear it.'
What kind of influence did growing up in France have on your style? 'My dad is French and he’s my number one style icon. He’s obsessed with vintage clothes and he’s like the OG hipster. As a kid, he would take my little sister and I out shopping at the beginning of the school year so we’d wear really weird clothes. People would make fun of me at school, but I thought I looked sick and in the long run I did.'
What kind of thing did you wear? 'My dad was putting me in army jackets when I was eight. Always Levi’s 501s, cowboy boots and a lot of vintage band T-shirts. When I was 11 he got me these really large, vintage old man tortoiseshell reading glasses. The mean girls at my school would be like, ‘Ew, what are you wearing?’ Then in middle school everyone was wearing them.'
How was walking at the 2016 Victoria's Secret fashion show? 'Dude, it was so crazy. You know how they walk the runway then when they get to the end they draw an air heart or blow a kiss? I was just thinking, "Oh my god, what am I going to do at the end of the runway?" I was so nervous, but very honoured.'
Last year you were on the cover of Playboy, how did that come about? 'That was really cool. I’ve collected Playboy forever....When they asked me to do it I was so excited. The stylist was one of my best friends, so we got to collaborate together and pick out something that was my kind of aesthetic. I’ve got to a point in my career where I can have creative control, so I want to take full advantage of that. It’s fun to be able to use your brain as well as your image.'
What do you admire most about Bonnie Parker? 'I admire her sense of freedom and I feel very strongly about that. Her passion too, [Bonnie and Clyde] is such a beautiful love story against all odds. I try to live that way as well.'
Are the 30s an influential decade to you? 'I like what the 30s meant for women, it was an empowering time, but I think I’m more influenced by the late 60s and early 70s. I like the idea of free love and obviously the music was so good. I love the film The Longest Goodbye and Bonnie & Clyde came out at that time too. Whatever film I’m watching or book I’m reading, it often influences what I feel like wearing and how I act. My ex-boyfriend wouldn’t allow me to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s because afterwards I used to act aloof and coy and it drove him crazy.'
