INTERVIEW
How I Did It AHEAD OF THE RETURN OF LONDON FASHION WEEK IN SEPTEMBER, STYLIST BAY GARNETT REVEALS HOW SHE GOT HER FIRST JOB AT VOGUE, HER TOP CHARITY SHOP FINDS AND WHY SHE HAS A PROBLEM WITH INSTAGRAM AS TOLD TO ELLEN MILLARD
ABOVE: BAY GARNETT; ALL OTHER IMAGES: GOLBORNE ROAD COLLECTION BY BAY GARNETT FOR M.I.H JEANS, MIH-JEANS.COM
I never had a desire to be a stylist. I wasn’t into high fashion really, I just didn’t understand why people didn’t go to charity shops. I was really into thrifting, but I didn’t think I could have a career from that.
We’d find amazing stuff. Portobello Road on a Friday morning is heaven.
I helped a fanzine create a fake campaign using old clothes. Saint Laurent became Salvation Army and Calvin Klein became Cancer Care. They looked like the real campaigns, but really all of the clothes were from thrift stores. Alexandra Shulman from Vogue saw it and asked me to come and work for her. I did my first Vogue shoot with Kate Moss and Juergen Teller. We used old clothes, and a lot of them went on to be copied by brands like Chloé and Topshop. When I was little, my mum wrote this brilliant book called the Vogue Book of Fashion Photography. I would sit with her when she was working and look through all of the images. That was the first time I remember being seduced by fashion. The internet has changed everything. When I started working for Vogue, you had to look at books and films to get inspiration. Now, everything is on the surface. It makes styling really difficult, because everybody has access to exactly the same references. 46
My best charity shop finds are a really good Dior cape from the 1970s, a Saint Laurent coat and an original Velvet Underground banana T-shirt. I found it in a Salvation Army shop in Queens and I gave it to my friend. I really regret it. What was I thinking?
I did my first Vogue shoot with Kate Moss Instagram is amazing but it’s kind of depressing. It’s just lots of people posting pictures of themselves and getting loads of likes, but where’s the work? Where’s the creativity? It’s just a form of narcissism really. I have always liked to shop in charity shops.
Anita Pallenberg used to live in Chelsea and I’d pick her up and we’d go thrifting.
My most treasured piece of clothing is my banana top, which I used on Kate Moss in my first Vogue shoot. I also love my really big four ply cashmere sweater from Céline; you can’t go wrong. And, of course, I can’t live without my granny pants.
Bay Garnett is working with NIVEA Black and White Invisible Deodorant – the only deodorant trusted by London Fashion Week, ensuring each and every fabric remains its original best, in the most stressful of show environments, nivea.co.uk