The comeback Kidd

THE TIME OUTINTERVIEW

JodieKidd

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Professional motor racing,international polo playing… Jodie Kidd has a lot of talents. So why return tomodelling, the career shehappily turned her back onages ago? Katie Dailey bringsher out of retirement for herfirst fashion shoot in sevenyears. Photography Mark Cant

Jodie Kidd has just tossed me the keys to hercar, which needs to be moved. I am to drive the car of a woman who gave up modelling tocompete at Silverstone. Who boasted that she drove her baby around in a Maserati.

Whose home once featured a garage full of Ferraris.It’s not likely to be a vehicle I’d want to scratch.

So when I press the button on her key remote, it’sas surprising as it is consoling to hear an answeringchirrup from a sensible and rather mucky VolkswagenTouareg. Which makes me possibly the only person in history to be more grateful for the chance to drive a dirty old 4x4 than some badass sports car. ‘I’m a mummy now,’ Kidd explains, without a trace ofregret, when I return. ‘I got rid of all the Ferraris: gone.I just stopped driving them. I need something boring,with room for prams and babies.’

As we chat, she’s expertly spidering her famouslylong limbs in and out of garments from some ofLondon’s best designers, on what is her first fashionshoot in seven years – one she hopes will relaunchher modelling career. In the ’90s, she reached thepinnacle of her profession – opening catwalk showsfor John Galliano and heading up Chanel campaigns.As a six-foot-two, self-described ‘bag of bones’, shealso became the public face of eating disorders,despite the fact that she didn’t actually have one.Now aged 34, having swapped stilettos for steeringwheels and poses for polo mallets, she’s come fullcircle and is returning to the fashion industry. Whichbegs the question, why not stick to the sports?

You’ve often joked about being too old for thecatwalk, too unsteady for heels. But you’re nowrelaunching as a fashion model. What lured youback to the frocks after so long? ‘Well, even though I walked away from it, I was stillsurrounded by it. I’ve always loved seeing it all inmagazines, and my sister Jemma is a big make-upartist, so it was still part of my world. But I saw a bigresurgence of my friends – Erin [O’Connor], KarenElson, Guinevere [Van Seenus] – in magazines. Thereseemed to be this huge revival, with the public fallingin love with them again, and they all look so bloodyamazing! It was so refreshing, as a consumer, to belooking at a beautiful woman for once, rather than a teenager. When I was modelling, I was a skinny little 16-year-old girl, supposedly selling clothes to40-year-old women. I love seeing these women – not girls – modelling fashion.’

And it made you wistful for that life again?‘I just thought I’d love to do it again – do someamazing pictures with a different head on myshoulders. With an older head, actually.’

Do you think, second time around, the industry has changed?‘Yes, in a positive way. If proper, grown women are being shot, something good is happening.’

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What about motor racing, your great love?‘I had a really big crash at Silverstone. It slowed meup. When you’re racing cars you’re constantly at theedge, pushing the limits. And you have to push theenvelope the whole time. After I went beyond theenvelope and had a big crash, subconsciously mybrain was lifting off the accelerator, and I was brakingtoo quickly. It would have taken a long time and a lotof dedication to get back to how I was.’

Was it hard to give it up?‘I didn’t give it up; I moved on. By that point I wanted to do something else. I wanted to dopolo. I’d raced for Maserati for four years and I thought: I’ve ticked that box.’

So you ticked the polo box too?‘Yep: I wanted to play for England, so I played for England. And then of course I had a beautiful baby.’

A more typical retired modeltrajectory is to designlingerie and marry someonefrom a crap rock band. You’reobviously very different fromother fashion models: what did you find to talk to them about?‘I didn’t have a huge amount to say tothem, to be honest. I made a few friends –Carolyn Murphy, Erin. When I went off to do mycrazy things they were like, “Okaaay…” I just livedwith them during the shows, and it’s lovely havingthose bonds – but there wasn’t really anyone like me.’

You must have had some real fashion moments? Any champagne baths with Johnny Depp?‘There have been a few times when I’ve been sat with all the Stones having a drink ready to go out and thought: I’m sorry, where am I? I need to take a memory snap of this one! It happens, but whenyou’re in it you do get used to it.’

Socialising is almost part of the job in fashion. Are you up for all that again?‘Hell, yes! The baby can feed himself!’

What excites you about the industry now?‘I love the new generation of designers, because I was part of an amazing new generation myself.When I was becoming big it was at the same time as Alexander McQueen, the incredible JulienMacdonalds and Matthew Williamsons. I walked at Lee’s [McQueen’s] first show at Fashion Week, “The Birds”. My agency called and said I had to do the first show of this genius new guy.It was before his “Highland Rape”collection [the controversial 1995catwalk show that made McQueen’sname]. At the fittings I was just like,“Jesus!”. It was great to meet this mad,crazy person, and my God, those outfits!I opened his first show for Givenchy, I did the same for John [Galliano]. It was an amazing time for Britain and I was part of it. So now I always look outfor new designers.’

You’re obviously tremendouslycompetitive. Is there a way of ‘winning’ at modelling? ‘Fashion was always something I had to learn. I would turn up and put 110 percent in,and be on time with clean hair and a full night’s sleep.But it wouldn’t necessarily make any difference at all,and you could easily lose out to someone who’d just

come in stinking of booze. I had to learn that you can’tdo a “good job”. With animals, what you put in is whatyou get out. As a competitor –showjumping and racingcars – I have the control. With modelling, you just hadto sit there. It wasn’t possible to have ambitions.’

As a young teen, did you find that rejection hard to take?‘You get let down so many times. But you have to know it’s not personal rejection. Your hair’s just a bit too blonde or something.’

A lot of the media coverage was incrediblypersonal, though. (Lorraine Kelly called

her a ‘sick, anorexic giraffe’.)‘I was really protected by my agent.

I honestly didn’t see much of it untilafterwards, thank God. It would have

really harmed me and I wouldn’t have wanted

to carry on.’

If you could swap your 34-year-old body for the

one that opened thosecatwalk shows, would you?

‘No, God no. I don’t aspire toskinniness. I’m a mummy. I’ve

got saggy tits [for the record, aseyewitnesses we can report that

this isn’t true], but then I breastfed for nine months. I’m not yearning for that

time or that body.’

What do you think when you look back on thepictures themselves? ‘I can see I was terribly skinny. But it was never whatthey said it was. I had anxiety attacks constantly; I never wanted to eat. It was a ton of different things– but there are pictures that aren’t even real. Theone that follows me everywhere is a shot of a Dolce& Gabbana catwalk show that has been doctoredbeyond belief. I don’t even look human. That wasn’treally me at all. But that’s the British media…’

I heard another great rumour about you: you were upfor a role with Tom Cruise in ‘Mission Impossible II’,but were rejected for obvious reasons…‘It’s absolutely fucking rubbish! They said I didn’t get it because Tom Cruise is too short! It’s just utterbollocks: made-up crap. I’ve never done any acting inmy life! Haven’t the slightest interest in it…’

But you have done TV – smashing the ‘Top Gear’ celebrity lap record.‘I would LOVE to go back on “Top Gear”!’

You need to – your record has beenbeaten. By Jay Kay!‘That’s because they changed the car!

I was on top for two years.’

You’re still faster than Jeremy Clarkson.‘Ha! That’s not difficult. He’s as slow as they come.I can beat a lot of people, but I can definitelybeat him.’

Previous page: silk dress by Whistles, £175,www.whistles.co.uk; necklace by Laura Lee, £190,www.lauraleejewellery.com. This page: dress by Peter Pilotto, £1,840, www.net-a-porter.com; shoes by KG Kurt Geiger, £140, www.kurtgeiger.com;rings by Katie Rowland, £160 and £450, www.katie-rowland.com. Stylist: Julia Brenard. Hair: CraigMarsden at Carol Hayes Management. Make-up: Molly Portsmouth. Thanks to the Ace Hotel, 100Shoreditch High St, E1 6JQ. www.acehotel.com.

I’m a mummy. I’ve got

saggy tits. I’m not

yearning forthat time orthat body…

See the rest of our

exclusive shoot atwww.timeout.com/

jodie

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