Natasha Poly on Finally Being the Christian Lacroix Bride

If it hadn’t been for the music, all 5,000 showgoers would have sat hushed, in awed silence at the sight before them: Natasha Poly closing out the 100-plus look runway—CR Runway’s first in celebration of LuisaViaRoma’s 90th anniversary. The 33-year-old Russian supermodel emerged as the bride in a breathtaking vintage Christian Lacroix couture Fall/Winter 2009 creation, a masterpiece exhibiting the highest level of craftsmanship, featuring a white satin dress decorated with colorful 3D floral appliques blooming from the neckline, layers of tulle for sleeves, and intricate gold embroidery. The finishing touch: An exquisite gold-flecked headdress.

“It’s funny because I’ve done Christian Lacroix shows many times in my career, but I’ve never been a bride—it’s always a big deal to be a bride in a Lacroix show—but finally, I get to be the Christian Lacroix bride,” Poly enthuses to CR backstage prior to the show. “I feel like I’m floating. I’m super happy.”

For Poly, who has graced the catwalk and fronted the campaigns of nearly every major house (Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Fendi, Thierry Mugler, and more), CR Runway felt especially meaningful—it marked her return to the runway just two and a half months after giving birth to her second child.

Keep reading to read Poly’s thoughts on the ‘90s, her most career-defining moment, and when she first met Carine.

What was your reaction when you first heard about the show?
“My first reaction was Florence, then Carine Roitfeld, and then LuisaViaRoma—that was my thought process.”

When and how did you meet Carine?
“We met when I was 18, which was right in the beginning of my career, on a shoot in New York for Vogue Paris. We were doing a fashion story with Steven Klein and we had a fake horse on-set. [The concept] was a black-and-white shoot featuring a tough woman riding a horse. I didn’t know who Carine was at the time or Steven Klein—I only knew Vogue. It was all new to me. I got to know [Carine], and she was super sweet. She said that her favorite thing about me was that I was smiling the entire time, that I had a good, positive energy. We clicked right away. She gave me the cover—my first. It was amazing. A few months after, we shot another story, and I got another cover. She’s my godmother.”

The show is ‘90s-themed. What was your favorite thing about the ‘90s?
“Everything was simpler and very cool. In fashion, there were a lot of simple, straight lines. Knee-length skirts, short pants, small heels—it was all about comfort and casual chic. It was minimal, natural. In beauty, too: natural hair, natural skin, not much makeup—maybe eyeliner and thin eyebrows.”

Do you miss the ‘90s?
“I’m happy it’s back, so it’s bringing back a lot of memories. It’s a time when I was a teenager and my mom was so stylish. For me, she was a big role model of how to dress.”

What was your favorite trend from the ‘90s?
“I loved the short pants and the tight skirt to the knee. It was very sexy.”

What has been the most memorable moment in your career thus far?
“When I got my first Gucci campaign. I had brown hair, it was 1950s-themed, and Craig McDean was shooting. It was a big moment in my career, and that campaign was the start of many others. I think I got seven or eight Gucci campaigns altogether, one after another. David Lynch directed the “Gucci by Gucci” perfume campaign in 2007, and that was the biggest. I watched all of his movies before coming to the set. The soundtrack to the commercial was ‘Heart of Glass’ by Blondie and we had to learn the lyrics to be able to dance and sing onstage. It was amazing.”

What do you think of Gucci now?
“I love it. It’s full on crazy, rock ‘n’ roll, and very arty. You can throw on a lot of things together and it looks so avant-garde. You can have fun with it. It’s a different time for Gucci. From Tom Ford to Frida Giannini to Alessandro Michele—Gucci has had so many different lives, and they’re all beautiful. I love it. It’s an evolution. That’s the most important thing in fashion.”

What’s next for you?
“This is my exciting project because it’s my first job after giving birth to my son, so I’m very excited to be here and I’m thankful. It’s been two and a half months since he was born. He’s my second child, but it’s been six years, so it feels like the first again.”