Chloë Sevigny Has Seen Your Memes About Her Style

Vogue

Watch as Chloë Sevigny explores her life in looks, from her tiger print tights to her very first Vogue shoot with Annie Leibovitz.   Director: Catherine Orchard Director Of Photography: Frances Chen Editor: Michael Suyeda Producer: Qieara Lesesne Associate Director, Creative Development: Alexandra Gurvitch Associate Producer: Marisah Yazbek Associate Producer, On Set: Kaia Clarke Production Assistant: Erica Palmieri Stylist: Max Ortega AC: Kirsten Potts Gaffer: Devan Davies Set Designer: Elaine Winter Set Design Assistant: Aidan Lapp Audio: Nicole Maupin Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar Production Manager: Kit Fogarty Line Producer: Romeeka Powell Senior Director, Production Management: Jessica Schier Assistant Editor: Billy Ward Supervising Editor: Kameron Key Post Production Coordinator: Jovan James Post Production Supervisor: Edward Taylor Entertainment Director: Sergio Kletnoy Director of Content, Production: Rahel Gebreyes Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson Executive Producer: Ruhiya Nuruddin VP, Digital Video English: Thespena Guatieri Filmed at Pendry Manhattan West Images by Annie Leibovitz, Avalon.Red, firstVIEW, Guy Marineau, HBO/Lacey Terrell, Lengua

Transcript

00:00 Hi, I'm Chloe Sebeny, and this is my life in looks.

00:03 ♪♪

00:06 Let the shame and regret begin.

00:09 This was my first real runway show.

00:12 I have a lot of memory of this day.

00:14 My father and my mother came,

00:15 and the show was, I think, at Bryant Park,

00:17 and I remember taking, like, the subway

00:19 back to downtown with them after.

00:21 I can't remember if I opened or Kate opened.

00:25 All I knew is that I was way out of my league.

00:28 I was terrified.

00:29 And Mewcha, the kind, loving woman that she is,

00:33 which a lot of people don't know,

00:34 gave me a few practice runs and was very encouraging.

00:38 I think growing up in the '90s,

00:39 I never thought about, like, sex sells.

00:42 Like, it wasn't something that I was even trying to do

00:44 in pictures, and I think that's so pervasive now.

00:47 And so when I look back at photos of me,

00:49 then I think it's very, you know, innocent in a way.

00:52 Next one. Okay. Here we go.

00:54 This was at the premiere of "Tree's Lounge."

00:59 I'm wearing a vintage dress,

01:01 some tights that I probably got at, like, Love Saved the Day,

01:05 which was a vintage store on 2nd Avenue in East Village.

01:09 The coat I'm sitting on was a Miu Miu coat

01:12 that I think they gifted me.

01:13 They were always very generous.

01:15 And I'm wearing a corsage that I probably had made

01:18 at, like, the Gramercy Florist

01:20 because I was obsessed with this film "Streetwise,"

01:22 and there's a girl in the film "Streetwise"

01:25 by Mariela Mark who wears a corsage

01:27 on, like, her winter jacket.

01:29 And I just thought it was, like, the coolest accessory.

01:32 And that was a big part of my life.

01:34 "Tree's Lounge" was my second film.

01:35 I had made "Kids."

01:37 People were becoming interested in me as an actress.

01:39 Somehow I ended up having an audition for Steve Buscemi

01:42 for his directorial debut,

01:44 and he wanted me to do all this improving,

01:47 and I was very shy.

01:48 And I think he almost fired me.

01:50 And I was like, "Don't worry.

01:51 I know I'm failing you in this moment right now

01:53 because I don't have the wherewithal

01:56 to do this kind of improvisation,

01:57 but when we get on set, I promise I'll deliver the goods."

02:01 This is me at the Oscars.

02:03 I was nominated for playing Lana Tisdell in "Boys Don't Cry."

02:08 I am wearing an Albert Elbaz for Yves Saint Laurent

02:12 and Bulgari bracelets.

02:15 I remember, though, being very confused

02:18 or feeling guilty that here I was,

02:21 draped in all this finery

02:23 while the girl I portrayed was still back in Nebraska,

02:26 having lost her loved ones.

02:28 I knew that the photo would probably come up

02:31 for the rest of my life,

02:32 so I wanted to do something more timeless.

02:35 The plunge is a little deep for me now, I might --

02:38 I have to admit.

02:39 And I still own this gown.

02:41 It's in storage, and I think I still own

02:43 those satin Manolos.

02:45 I see my little toe peeping out there.

02:47 Those were my first pair of Manolos.

02:48 Don't own any of the jewelry.

02:50 Had to borrow it and give it back.

02:51 Acting in "Boys Don't Cry" was --

02:53 to me, it was, like, one of my greatest opportunities

02:56 as an actress, 'cause the movie was talking

02:58 about so many issues, still is,

03:00 that I think need to be brought to the forefront

03:03 and could hopefully expand people's minds.

03:05 Okay.

03:06 This was for "Vogue" by Annie Leibovitz in "Helmet Lang,"

03:10 who I had become friends with through Ingrid Sishy.

03:13 She was the editor of "Interview" magazine,

03:15 and I miss her dearly.

03:16 I just remember just being in awe of her studio

03:19 and her as a personality and just thinking,

03:22 "Wow, I can't believe I'm even here

03:25 getting my photo taken by this person, this icon."

03:28 And, of course, I was in love with "Helmet"

03:29 and everything he did.

03:32 People really love this dress on Instagram.

03:34 I've seen many memes around this dress.

03:36 This is Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton.

03:38 Super fun. This top is small.

03:41 I think a lot of the times earlier on my career

03:44 and I didn't have a stylist,

03:45 I would see it on the runway,

03:46 and my publicist would call it in,

03:48 and I would just hope and pray that I fit into things.

03:50 And oftentimes, it would be, like, last minute,

03:53 and I'd have to just kind of wear something

03:55 'cause I didn't have, like, somebody there

03:57 with a rack of alternatives.

03:58 So, I think this works. This is cute.

04:01 This is cute. It's a lot of boob, but, you know.

04:03 I feel like I'm getting more comfortable here.

04:05 Probably, again, did my own hair and makeup.

04:07 Wish I had that body right now.

04:09 [Laughs]

04:12 Oh, well. Keep going.

04:14 Okay, this outfit I got a lot of ridicule for.

04:17 My friend, Tara Subcoff,

04:19 designed a line called "Imitation of Christ,"

04:21 which I had a lot to do with the genesis of.

04:25 Our first show was in Los Angeles.

04:26 I helped style and walk it,

04:28 and then we had a show in New York at a funeral parlor,

04:31 and we were using all old clothes that were reconstructed.

04:35 And I'm wearing some Nicola Farber Balenciaga shoes,

04:39 which I still have.

04:40 It was raining. I'm wearing a raincoat,

04:42 which is vintage YSL.

04:44 The t-dress was some, like, '40s whatever vintage,

04:47 and the Ray-Bans were what I got a lot of slack for.

04:50 I got so much slack in, like, the Us Weeklys

04:52 and the other tabloids that my manager,

04:55 or maybe she was my agent at the time,

04:57 and my publicist made a conference call to me

05:00 to tell me that I had to stop wearing them

05:02 because there was so much negative press around them,

05:04 and they were embarrassed for me.

05:08 Here I am at one of my presentations

05:14 for one of my collections that I collaborated with,

05:18 designing for Opening Ceremony,

05:20 which was a store and brand in downtown New York.

05:23 This was a collection called The Five Dresses,

05:26 so I made five different dress patterns

05:29 in five different patterns.

05:33 So if you like the shape of one dress,

05:35 you could have it in five different patterns

05:37 or colorways.

05:38 I thought it was clever. It's my idea.

05:40 I think I did five or six collaborations with them.

05:42 I just said, "I'm not sure I wanted to put

05:44 any more product out into the world."

05:47 I was really grappling with that,

05:49 and I would have girls come up to me,

05:50 like, "I saved all my money to get the shoes."

05:53 I know that feeling and that desire,

05:54 and I didn't know if I wanted to, like,

05:56 feed into that so much.

05:58 That being said, I still have done little capsule things

06:02 with friends here and there, more as a way

06:04 to help bring awareness to friends, brands.

06:09 This is when I won my Golden Globe

06:12 for my portrayal of Nicki in "Big Love."

06:15 This is a Valentino gown.

06:18 It's a beautiful lavender hue.

06:19 This photo doesn't do it any credit.

06:21 And when I was walking up onto the stage

06:23 to receive my award,

06:26 the gentleman who escorts you up the steps

06:28 stepped on my train, and the whole train tore.

06:32 And if you watch the video, you can hear me go,

06:34 "Oh, my dress!"

06:37 'Cause I heard it tear behind me.

06:39 I mean, Nicki was a character that I love and miss,

06:42 and I think she was the most complicated of the sister wives.

06:45 She was bridging the gap between the modern world

06:48 and the world she had grown up on the compound with.

06:52 I kind of think of it as a litmus test.

06:53 When people come up to me, like,

06:54 "Oh, that Nicki was such a bitch."

06:56 I was like, "You know, she was just very misunderstood."

06:58 I think when I was offered this role,

07:00 I had been living check to check

07:03 and doing mostly indie work,

07:05 and I was supporting my mother and myself.

07:08 I think I just was kind of tired,

07:10 and, like, you know, I was in my late 20s,

07:13 and I wanted to, like, buy an apartment,

07:15 I just wanted to have some more security.

07:17 But it was a real choice then to do TV,

07:20 'cause it was very much like you were either on TV

07:22 or you were in the movies.

07:25 Here I am walking in front of St. Mark's Church.

07:28 I actually lived on this block.

07:30 This cute number over here was Jennifer Goodwin.

07:33 She was on "Big Love." She played Marge.

07:35 And she was shooting a film on this block.

07:38 I went to visit her, 'cause she was in my front yard.

07:40 I'm wearing one of my favorite pairs of Levi's,

07:42 some Chanel clogs, very fancy clogs,

07:47 that I think were a sample

07:48 that somehow I hoodwinked them into giving me.

07:51 Most of my luxury items were gifts.

07:54 A vintage cramp shirt that I think I got at Metropolis,

07:58 which was around the corner.

08:00 Suspenders, did I need to be wearing them?

08:02 Probably not.

08:04 I think I had a tendency to, like, over-accessorize,

08:06 because I found myself not very interesting just on my own,

08:11 so I would pile stuff on.

08:13 It was just, like, an ode to things that I loved.

08:16 You know, I loved the, like, Gavin Watson Skins book.

08:20 Since I was, like, a teenager, I was very inspired

08:22 by all those photos and punk and ska scenes,

08:26 so I think it was, like, just a way of celebrating

08:30 that history, kind of what they mean,

08:32 and the history of street style.

08:35 This is when I started working with Hayley Wollens,

08:37 who I love and admire,

08:40 and this was, I think, one of the last times

08:43 I was invited to attend the Met Gala,

08:46 through the looking-glass theme,

08:48 and J.W. Anderson designed this beautiful garment

08:53 from vintage fabrics for me.

08:56 We were looking at, like, silhouettes

08:57 from his current collection,

08:59 and I remember then wanting to go out to the parties after

09:03 and not being allowed to wear the jewelry,

09:06 and thinking, "Oh, now my luck is ruined."

09:09 I feel like this really came together

09:11 because of Hayley's genius,

09:13 and she's really made me feel so much more confident

09:17 in my looks and my body and my style,

09:21 and I think that's really what a great stylist can do,

09:25 is help you kind of own yourself more.

09:28 Still, if I'm going somewhere, she's not around,

09:30 I'll send her a photo, and she'll be like,

09:32 "Oh, this shoe is cuter than that shoe,"

09:33 or something like that.

09:34 She loves a pointy shoe.

09:35 I'm more of a claw-hopper,

09:37 'cause I'm a true alternative girl,

09:39 but I'm trying to heed her advice.

09:43 The next, oh!

09:44 This dress came up recently.

09:46 Olivia Rodrigo was wearing it in one of her Vogue videos.

09:51 It was a gift from my dear friend, Miriam Lange,

09:55 when I turned 40.

09:56 She had hauled it down to Mexico.

09:58 I had my 40th birthday in Tulum

10:00 with a handful of friends, like you do.

10:02 It's pretty basic now, but then I guess it wasn't.

10:04 It has a belt and jacket.

10:06 I noticed that she wasn't wearing the belt,

10:08 which I found odd, because it's cute.

10:09 Wearing some Miu Miu claw-hoppers.

10:12 Glasses, no idea.

10:14 Smirk, terrible.

10:16 It's just like an awful paparazzi shot.

10:18 Here I am walking for Simone Rocha in London.

10:24 I went over to be in the show.

10:25 She said she was having real girls.

10:28 I had first seen Simone.

10:30 I saw a sock with pearls, a pantyhose with pearls.

10:34 I was like, "Who is making these pantyhose with pearls?

10:37 "Who is this person?"

10:37 Then I discovered her garments

10:39 and fell in love with the world that she creates

10:42 and the fantasy.

10:43 I remember walking with a slight smile,

10:46 which is something I try and do,

10:49 so I didn't look dour.

10:51 I just wanted to look friendly.

10:52 I feel like the young girls on "The Cowboy,"

10:54 they don't look that friendly.

10:55 I was like, "I'm happy walking.

10:57 "Why should I look dour?"

11:00 Aw.

11:01 This is my wedding day.

11:02 I married my husband, Anisha.

11:05 We got married in Darien, Connecticut,

11:06 where I grew up in a small church.

11:08 This is the reception, which was held at a park

11:12 where I had done a lot of acid as a teenager.

11:16 I'm wearing a Glenn Martens for Gaultier Couture

11:20 custom gown,

11:23 and Sanisha's wearing custom bottega.

11:25 I feel like wedding dresses are very hard.

11:27 It's very hard to do something original.

11:29 I did have three looks at my wedding.

11:31 Why? I don't know.

11:32 I feel like I spent half the wedding changing.

11:35 Hayley and I got together,

11:36 and we just thought about

11:37 who were our favorite designers right now,

11:39 who could we approach, Glenn Martens,

11:42 and then JW made a dress that I wore in the middle

11:44 at the reception,

11:45 and Casey Cudwaller made a kind of catsuit

11:49 for the after party,

11:50 so I got three different flavors.

11:53 I don't regret a thing, actually,

11:54 and wish I could go back into it over and over again.

11:57 This is me in Hollywood.

12:01 I think we were on the Paramount lot

12:03 shooting a Mugler video.

12:05 I was squeezed into this one.

12:07 It was real cinched, as they say.

12:09 I remember being like, "Can I do this?"

12:11 They were having Amber and Shalom

12:14 and all these older supermodels,

12:17 and I was like, "I don't know how I'm gonna do this.

12:18 Bella, Hadid, all these girls."

12:19 I was like, "Well, wait a minute.

12:20 That would look like a fool."

12:22 But I knew the filmmakers would take care of me.

12:24 I think I often also like that,

12:26 like doing shoots with stylists or photographers

12:29 who I'd really admire

12:30 and letting them kind of project

12:33 whatever they want to onto me,

12:35 and my own personal style, I feel like,

12:37 is kind of maintained.

12:38 I feel like my hem lengths

12:40 might be getting a little longer,

12:41 but I think maybe it's time to transition

12:44 to a little more subdued elegance.

12:47 I feel like I don't need to maybe pilot it on

12:49 as much as I used to,

12:50 but I'm still like now in a gray cardigan, Mickey Mouse.

12:54 So holding onto something.

12:56 This is me as CZ Guest in the new season of "Feud."

13:02 CZ Guest was a famous socialite and style icon,

13:07 and there's a lot of pressure to play someone

13:09 who people hold in such high regard.

13:12 And I always try to be as specific to her as possible,

13:16 poring over research photos of her

13:18 and the costume designer was obsessed with accuracy

13:21 and resourcing vintage looks from very specific shows

13:26 that she knew aligned with the year and time period

13:29 that we were filming specific scenes for.

13:31 And it was just so great to give myself over to her

13:34 and put all my trust in her

13:36 and let her dress me like a little doll.

13:38 And that was my life in looks.

13:45 Thank you, Vogue.

13:49 (upbeat music)

13:51 (upbeat music)

13:54 (upbeat music)

13:57 (upbeat music)

13:59 (upbeat music)

14:02 [Music]

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