Carolina Herrera Talks Dressing Jackie O., Andy Warhol Modeling & Her First Runway Show (PHOTOS)

Harper's Bazaar caught up with "seamstress" (as she describes herself) Carolina Herrera who reflected on her privileged upbringing in Venezuela, her husbands and daughters, and 30 years in the fashion business.

On dressing Jackie O.:

"When I started, she came to me, and I dressed her a lot for those last years. It was fun to have her there and a great inspiration. She was so natural and knew exactly what she wanted and what looked good on her....Jackie had a great sense of history and responsibility for what and who she was. She said, 'I am nothing. He was the president. I was only the first lady, so I don't have anything to say.'"

On Andy Warhol:

"Andy [Warhol] and I used to see each other all the time with Bianca [Jagger] then. When he did my painting, I went to his Factory, and he took 40 or 60 Polaroids....He was quiet, but he did say key things in a very funny way. Andy seemed to be very timid, shy, but he liked being very successful. I remember when he wanted to be a fashion model. He was cast in a Halston show. Bianca and I were in the audience, and when Andy walked in and saw us there, instead of going backstage, he stopped and said hello to all of us. That was the end of that."

On her first runway show in 1981:

"It was a madhouse. I had live music, a pianist playing Cole Porter songs. I thought it was divine, but there were many problems. Some of the models' looks weren't even finished. Iman's hem wasn't done, so we had to use pins, but she was so happy to work with the pins, and she looked fabulous."

Take a look at Carolina photographed by Victor Demarchelier for Harper's Bazaar. And for the full story and more images of the designer through the years, head over to HarpersBazaar.com.

Comments

[celia vasquez]

10:54 PM on 05/30/2011

ms. eckhoff: you seem to have a personal issue against mrs. obama. you are entitled to feel that way. i applaud your courage in your opinions in such an open forum under your own name. it shows you are a woman who is not afraid to let the world know how she feels. however, i feel compelled to point out that this thread was meant to be commentaries on the article that preceded it, and not a personal forum to attack another person who was not even mentioned in said article. you were not the only one to comment on the current first lady, but your coments were the most vitriolic. as to your assertion that american first ladies should only wear clothes designed by americans, i must point out that mrs. herrera, who also dressed the younger mrs. bush and mrs. reagan, is spanish. mrs. kennedy-onassis was also fond of chanel, dior and givenchy, mrs. bush wore de la renta, and mrs. reagan wore adolfo. none of these designers were american. i can't begin to imagine why you felt such a diatribe was appropriate nor why you felt the need to express them with such venom. mrs. obama cannot always look perfect. no one can. my mother, who was not american and by far one of the most stylish people i've ever known, always told me that if you cant say something nice, don't say anything at all. that advice has stood me well. GOD bless.

[Nina Buckler Eckhoff]

09:26 PM on 06/01/2011

I am not talking about where the designer was born. Herrara, De La Renta, Adolfo are known as American designers - their business is conducted here. It matters not where they were born; you have jumped to incorrect conclusions. Alexander McQueen is decidedly a British fashion designer - and that is a fashion blunder for FLOTUS. Luckily, Celia, this is a free country, where we can express our opinions. I do understand how HuffPo works: I do not need you to talk down to me. Who said Mrs. Obama needs to look perfect? Not me. Guess what? I think she is an attractive woman. But so what? She needs to promote American designers. And, lastly, please follow your own advice!

[Nina Buckler Eckhoff]

09:43 PM on 05/30/2011

@mporkfried: I stand corrected on the colleges. Why did I think she was a Smithie? Who cares? Being a devout Catholic doesn't mean perfection; only God is perfect. Your views of relationship appear to be more narrow than mine. Why not blame Templesman? Why not keep your nose out of someone else's relationship? Obviously, their relationship worked - for them.

[katielady]

12:40 PM on 05/28/2011

My favorite designer; Oscar is second.. She always designs classy outfits with beautiful, flattering lines.. It would be a dream to have one of her pieces..

[littlebrowngirl]

11:23 AM on 05/27/2011

I love that Obama has her own style and does not try to be like someone else. She is a modern woman and dresses the part.

[Karama]

06:13 PM on 05/26/2011

Didn't Mrs Bush (Jr) also wear clothes from this designer?

[nancynancy]

07:58 AM on 05/26/2011

I think Carolina Herrera, who was Jackie O's exclusive designer during Jackie's later years, would be a great choice as Michelle Obama's exclusive designer, too. I'm sure they'd make a great team.

[naschkatze]

09:50 AM on 05/26/2011

Herrera is too classical and restrained for Obama.

[mrst2328]

07:54 AM on 05/26/2011

michelle certainly is no jackie.. jackie was style, grace

[Pennsylvanianne]

09:18 AM on 05/26/2011

Of course Michelle Obama is no Jackie; each is a unique woman. I think the two women do have a few things in common, however: both have/had style, grace and an articulate way of speaking. Whenever Mrs. Obama gives a speech, she always strikes the right note. A well-educated woman, she never seems to put a foot wrong.

[Nina Buckler Eckhoff]

06:30 PM on 05/30/2011

On the contrary. Being well-educated has nothing to do with making mistakes. In fact, due to her Princeton education, I expect more from her and she constantly disappoints. Trips abroad with a flotilla of friends at the taxpayer's expense. Too many social secretaries. MO often dresses inappropriately. It is her "job," as FLOTUS, to support the USA in all that she does... and that means by wearing only American fashion designers. Wearing Alexander McQueen was a big mistake, because he was British. Also, no sweater sets whilst meeting Queen Elizabeth. No CDs as gifts for foreign dignitaries. Is it that she has no common sense, no sense of common decency and/or no sense of decorum? MO does not know what she is doing and she appears not to care.

[naschkatze]

09:57 AM on 05/26/2011

Jackie would never have worn turquoise shoes with an orange dress. She probably even didn't wear navy blue shoes.

[aearthling59]

04:09 PM on 05/30/2011

or those 60s sweaters. Although Mrs. Obama has improved since the first few months.

[frenchchampagne]

06:20 AM on 05/31/2011

You are apparently unaware of the current fashion trend. Today's fashion is very different from the way the Queen dresses which is one color from her hat to her shoes and purse. The current runway looks are infused with color. The saturated separates at Gucci and Jil Sander, or the color-blocked dresses at Prabal Gurund--bright hues are definitely on trend. Michelle Obama's turquoise shoes with an orange dress is considered to be fashion savvy. Perhaps you are simply not familiar with the current fashion statements.

[gala1]

03:41 AM on 05/26/2011

It's always so reassuring to see Carolina Herrera. And her superb clothes.
It's a reminder that there still is style despite so little of it actually being around.
You can't go wrong wearing the perfect clothes she makes. It's like fashion Zen.

And for those in the posts sniping at Jacqueline Kennedy, if you had ever seen her, you would know exactly why impeccable grooming is so rare, prized, and compelling.

You forget that most of what you see in the press is two dimensional . To see these clothes as they are intended in motion and on real bodies is a world away from seeing them a few inches tall on a monitor.

It's sad to think that very few people, and fewer every day, have ever seen real couture and the reason why discerning people wear it.
Not to mention, and know how to wear it correctly.

[abudotcom]

03:31 PM on 05/25/2011

Now that is what I call Class.. Carolina & Jackie O

[lotus321]

04:20 PM on 05/25/2011

I dont get people's fascination with Jackie O. She was not drop dead gorgeous. Like Maria Shriver, she was just average. Was it the fact that she was rich and a president;s wife?

[Daisytoo]

05:51 PM on 05/25/2011

This is part of what made her attractive: "She said, 'I am nothing. He was the president. I was only the first lady, so I don't have anything to say.'"

For that sort of humility to arise from such a deeply sophisticated, beautiful woman is rare; she was confident in her femininity and had impeccable style -- which extended past beautiful clothing and decorating into all parts of her life - she had flawless manners and real social grace. Oh heck, she was a New Yorker, glamourous and educated in very good schools. And yes, she was rich (at least for part of her childhood).

Maria Shriver, on the other hand, unfortunately is an actual Kennedy. Which is another story entirely ...

[Pennsylvanianne]

10:35 PM on 05/25/2011

Jackie O. had supreme class and style. She was quite intelligent, having a career before and after her marriages, and supervising restoration of the White House while First Lady. She had great classic bone structure -- apparently without plastic surgery. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though. Some people may not find her attractive because she did not have conventionally pretty features.

[dtroppy]

02:49 PM on 05/25/2011

Now that's a STYLISH woman...

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

01:07 PM on 05/25/2011

I love the Herrera look. So distinctive, so bold and so lovely.

[Kellybelle22]

04:00 PM on 05/25/2011

I do, too. Herrera is marvelous. She designs lovely, feminine, flattering creations.

Not sure I'm in love with the pannier-style silk gingham dress in the Demarchelier photograph above, but I'm hoping that the skirt inflation was mostly created by a strong fan.

[Pennsylvanianne]

10:30 PM on 05/25/2011

Herrera's look is also so elegant, even if it is gingham!

[naschkatze]

09:52 AM on 05/26/2011

Mainbocher did at least one ball gown in gingham, cotton gingham and not silk.