Who would have said that the interpreter of Lily van der Woodsen in
Gossip Girl
would again be the idol of young people more than ten years after the end of the series?
It was enough for Netflix to re-air the hit show about the golden youth of the Upper East Side for a new generation of teenagers to discover the “old money” style of Lily (Kelly Rutherford), the chic mother of Serena ( Blake Lively).
And, a rare thing in this Hollywood (and fashion) industry where it is so difficult for women to age, the 55-year-old actress overshadowed influencers and other pop stars during the haute couture shows in Paris, end of January.
We notably saw her at Dior in a cream Bar skirt suit, at Jean Paul Gaultier by Simone Rocha in a pink satin dress, at Ashi Studio in a corset, at Patou in a total beige look...
A noticeable return of hype.
Why now ?
“
Because my children have grown up, have friends, and have advised me to live my life.
I live it with fashion!
, laughs Kelly Rutherford, her hair casually tied up in a ponytail, XXL glasses and a big ecru sweater with a funnel neck.
I loved everything about the collections this season and I wore fun clothes, more daring too, but isn't that what Fashion Week is all about?
(Laughs.)
I remember my very first show, at Jean-Louis Scherrer, at the Louvre, in 2007 - I think the brand no longer exists!
Fashion has always been part of my life, thanks to my mother who was a model and her friends who were so well dressed.
My grandmother too, who was one of those women proving that you can be sexy while keeping a conservative style, and still be sexy at 80 years old.
» An innate elegance that Kelly has inherited and that she displays daily on her Instagram account @kellyrutherford (followed by 1.9 million subscribers) through “elevator selfies” (taken in the mirror of an elevator) from well-polished, tasteful but always casual looks.
Also readAlaïa, Jean Paul Gaultier by Simone Rocha, Armani Privé: what to remember about haute couture in Paris
Kelly Rutherford, during the Dior haute couture Spring/Summer 2024 show in Paris.
Getty Images
“
I wear a lot of French brands that I like to introduce to my American subscribers: Heimstone, Nomasei, Sézane, Rue de Verneuil, Carel, Bobbies, Salomé Rico, Molli, Sœur, Michel Vivien…”
The actress, who lives in Monaco and regularly goes to the capital, knows them inside out.
“
I travel in Europe and discover pretty brands in Italy and Spain, but Parisian style has no equivalent.
You only have to observe these modern-day Jeanne Moreau and Jane Birkin in the street, these girls with intellectual glasses like Simone de Beauvoir, to be inspired.
The Parisian has the gift of appropriating a brand, even a very recognizable one, and making it her own business, her singularity!
Nothing is exaggerated, everything is simple, I think that's the key.
She wears the clothing, never the other way around.
I would dream of being Parisian!
»
The Parisian has the gift of appropriating a brand, even a very recognizable one, and making it unique!
Kelly Rutherford
Its color palette betrays its preppy American origins!
“
Neutral, whites, creams, beiges, natural fabrics in which I feel good, energetically speaking.
It’s much easier to think when you’re monochromatic.
You can stay chic when taking your dog out!
» A sentence worthy of her character Lily van der Woodsen!
“Gossip Girl
is a timeless series thanks in part to the clothes.
This is why the new generation takes pleasure in discovering it,
continues the actress.
And then Lily is an honest character.
A matriarchal figure, an active woman, who loves fashion and does what she can to be a good mother... She has inspired many women, me first, just as Brigitte Bardot did for French women, through her films and her outfits.
With Lily, I was able to truly express my sense of style.
Every morning, Eric Daman
(the costume designer of the series, Editor's note)
brought the most beautiful fashion pieces to the set and we talked for hours so that I felt as good about myself as I did about the character.
»
One of Kelly Rutherford's daily selfies on Instagram.
@kellyrutherford
One day, on screen, she decides to carry her own Hermès Kelly bag.
“
My first luxury item
!”
I gave it to myself with my pay from
Melrose Place (the series that introduced him in the late 1990s)
, to congratulate myself on working eighteen hours a day.
The black box model size 28 with the gold metallic parts at the Rodeo Drive store, which was still a discreet, old-fashioned avenue, which is no longer the case today... It was the accomplishment of a life.
I dreamed of it, I had seen it on Grace Kelly, Catherine Deneuve, and then… it bore my name!
At the time, there was no waiting list at Hermès, I bought one a year, which I wore in
Gossip Girl.
The store on Madison Avenue called me to tell me that they kept getting requests for references which over time were no longer even produced!
»
A chunky cardigan over a satin shirt dress, a look worthy of Lily van der Woodsen.
@kellyrutherford