Woman Of Style: Charla Carter
American-born Charla Carter traded Sydney for Paris 30 years ago, where she landed her first job in fashion at the US Vogue bureau, working with the likes of photographers Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton. She built a career as a freelance fashion stylist and journalist, including a 20-year stint as Vogue Australia’s Paris editor, before becoming fashion director for influential French magazine, Gala. Recently, she has been a fixture on French television as the “re-looking” guru for TV’s Incroyables Transformations (Incredible Transformations). Tonic’s Carlotta Moye talked to Charla about being stylish at any age.
Carlotta As some women age, they stop expressing themselves through fashion, it’s like they want to hide in the shadows.
Charla Carter The problem is that fashion seems to stop for women over 45. Most runway looks don’t translate well on women over a certain age, they are either too out there or are not suited to an older woman’s life. Pure fashion just doesn’t respond to reality. Many designer pieces are styled to seduce or to make a statement. Women who have put on a few kilos with menopause, for instance, can no longer relate to the clothes they see hanging on the racks of their erstwhile fave boutique, so they sometimes opt out. Eight out of 10 40-plus women I see on my TV show dress in sweat pants, sneakers and their husbands’ extra-large T-shirts.
C You’re a big believer in staying stylish, right?
CC For any woman, looking good is a question of self-respect. You do it first and foremost for yourself, your own vision of yourself, which I believe can be boosted by your appearance. You can pretend that fashion is superficial but looking fabulous certainly contributes to your morale and your individual way of putting fashion pieces together is a form of artistic expression. Let’s be honest: your appearance is the first thing people register when they meet you, so stack all the cards in your favour. Looking fab will communicate a first impression that you are fab!
C You obviously love accessories. What are your favourites?
CC Yes, yes, yes! Love accessories. If you choose them properly, they never date. I have a drawer full of belts – I’ve never counted, but there must be 70 to 80. Some date back to the early ’80s, including a tan crocodile Alaia and my first-ever Prada purchased at the Milan store in 1980. And of course, shoes. Once again, if you choose a fab style – Roger Vivier square-buckled flats or Prada butterfly sandals – they are timeless and can really “pop” an otherwise banal outfit. By the way, I have never been a fan of “It” bags. When I see one hanging on a woman's arm, I tend to think, “Sheep!”
C What’s your aim, to look younger, or simply to look as good you can?
CC Of course, I would love to look younger but there is a moment when all of us have to face facts: we can’t really look a lot younger than our age. That would simply be bizarre. Frozen, wrinkle-less faces? Plumped-up body parts? I don’t think any woman wants to look like a blow-up doll. I guess the idea is to just look your absolute best and, yes, if that means not looking 60-something but rather, 50-something, I’m all for it.
C Any tips on how to do that?
CC I believe in chic, timeless fashion. I have never been a gimmicky dresser – gimmicks go out of fashion far too quickly and look silly even on lithe, lovely 18-year-olds. Nothing ages a woman faster than clothes that are too young for her: mini-skirts, thigh-high boots, vertiginous heels, anything Spandex. As one ages, one strives for elegance and if that can be combined with “quirky”, so much the better.
C Describe your style.
CC Fashion shoots I style – and the looks I propose to my “re-looking” candidates – are marked by a bold aesthetic: strong colours, zany prints, graphic shapes, funky accessories. It’s important for any woman, whatever her age, to know her own strengths and flaws. My silhouette has always been broad-shouldered (years spent hoisting sails on a sailboat), high-waisted, slim-hipped and long-legged. I often chose clothes that were kind of body-hugging – I love a great belt as it slims down a broad-shouldered shape – but body-hugging can become vulgar, especially as you get older. Now I favour great jackets with strong shoulders worn with slim skirts or pants, almost always with a bold print somewhere to break up the solid colours.
C Any rules you have to follow once you reach a certain age?
CC As a woman ages, she can break the rules a little bit more so, yes to mixing biker pieces with more classic ones: a Burberry trench over your favourite pair of distressed jeans. We are more sure of ourselves and can dare a little more. The trick, of course, is not to fall into the ridiculous by daring a little too much.
Interview with Charla Carter by Carlotta Moye
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