Carla Bruni: Wearing Little Joe Woman

“I first met Carla when we were backstage at a Gianni Versace fashion show in Italy. I remember watching with amusement as she repeatedly did leg lifts in an effort to keep her petite “bum”, meaning bottom, in peak and pert shape. (She meant to say “bum”, but pronounced it “boump” in her sexy Italian accent). Though backstage exercise wasn’t necessary as she had a long and lithe body that was fragile and delicate and piercing blue eyes.

Carla Bruni wears the Spotlight Waistcoat.

I’m now living in Bali running my fashion line, Little Joe Woman, with my husband Joe Coffey and I don’t have the opportunity to see Carla or the other girls as frequently. Recently, I was having lunch with Joe in a French Brasserie when a sweet and alluring voice that I recognized began singing to me in French. It was Carla’s beautiful voice that now captivated diners in the restaurant.

As I listened, that familiar voice took me back to all the joyous times we had working together as models in the 1990s. I wound up smiling through the entire lunch reflecting on the memories during that formative time in my life. Many years later and thousands of miles away, Carla still manages charm her way into my days.”

Gail xx

Gail Elliott
Co Founder + Creative Director
Little Joe Woman by Gail Elliott

If there ever was a modern First Lady of fashion, it would be none other than Italian-born beauty Carla Bruni. She was a favourite of the best couturiers like Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Gianfranco Ferré, for her keen ability to articulate couture and each designer’s unique vision for their collections. What set apart many of the 1990s supermodels from their predecessors is due in large part to designers, magazines, and photographers seeking to spotlight what made them distinct from each other. Linda the chameleon, Cindy the all-American bombshell, Christy the muse, Naomi the runway star, and Carla, who possessed an elegance and regality that was her trademark among her supermodels peers.
 
I first met Carla when we were backstage at a Gianni Versace fashion show in Italy. I remember watching with amusement as she repeatedly did leg lifts in an effort to keep her petite “bum”, meaning bottom, in peak and pert shape. (She meant to say “bum”, but pronounced it “boump” in her sexy Italian accent). Though backstage exercise wasn’t necessary as she had a long and lithe body that was fragile and delicate and piercing blue eyes. Carla could float gracefully whether it was on or off the runway. She was witty, sharp, very charming, and could easily flip from Italian to English to French and back with such ease. This unique skill is something that I’ve always admired about her. Another model who switched back and forth with similar ease was Helena Christensen, who spoke six or seven languages including Spanish and Danish, among others.
When the twice-yearly couture shows would take place in Paris and Milan, Carla, along with myself, Yasmin Le Bon, Karen Mulder, Yasmeen Ghauri, Marpessa, Naomi, Christy, and Linda were among the group of girls booked for these ultra-glamorous shows. Carla was a regular at Gianni Versace who loved having her in his shows. Along with her Italian lineage, he admired how she could flawlessly encapsulate Gianni’s vision of the strong and vibrant Versace woman. Versace’s shows were very much theatrical productions that attracted celebrities. It wasn’t uncommon to see the top rock stars and actors of the day sitting in the front row of Gianni’s shows, many of whom were vying for Carla’s attention as she walked by them on the runway.

As supermodels were usurping actresses as the era’s fashion icons, press attention would also shift and reach an apex in the 90s with television cameras and magazines from around the world capturing our every move. Therefore, it wasn’t uncommon to see stories on the front pages of magazines speculating about famous men who were seeking Carla’s affection. I imagine she had a laugh about the mystery and attention she received about her famous love life. Though, it’s easy to understand why anybody would fall for Carla. While stunningly beautiful, she also has so much to offer: intelligence, charm, wit, grace and talent. Looking back at that era, I think it’s best to sum up Carla as the modern-day Audrey Hepburn.

She had a very successful career in fashion appearing in magazine covers, campaigns, runway shows, which cemented her among the cadre of girls referred to as “supermodels”. After her notable fashion career, Carla eventually retired from runways and set her sights on music. She recorded a critically acclaimed debut album, Quelqu’un m’a dit, that showcased her beautiful trademark voice.

She would soon captivate the world with her music and also into the heart of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whom she would marry and subsequently become the First Lady of France.

Carla, always effortless and chic, easily assimilated into the political arena where she would have an even broader global platform to showcase her personality and style.

Today, she is an acclaimed and renowned musical artist, a wife and mother, former First Lady of France, and a fashion icon. When Donatella Versace commemorated the twentieth anniversary of the death of brother Gianni in 2017, she asked Carla along with Cindy, Naomi, Helena, and Claudia, to close Milan Fashion week wearing classic gold Versace gowns and walking to George Michael’s “Freedom”. It was an appropriate way to pay homage to the original “Freedom” show that I had the privilege of doing with the same group of models in Fall 1991, and a bittersweet moment to see all of Gianni’s favorite girls gathering together again to celebrate his legacy.

I’m now living in Bali running my fashion line, Little Joe Woman, with my husband Joe Coffey and I don’t have the opportunity to see Carla or the other girls as frequently. Recently, I was having lunch with Joe in a French
Brasserie when a sweet and alluring voice that I recognized began singing to me in French. It was Carla’s beautiful voice that now captivated diners in the restaurant. As I listened, that familiar voice took me back to all the
joyous times we had working together as models in the 1990s. I wound up smiling through the entire lunch reflecting on the memories during that formative time in my life. Many years later and thousands of miles away,
Carla still manages charm her way into my days.

Bisou Bisou, Carla.

Gail