RERUN: Kate Moss

12 Aug 2026 · 48 min · 23 chapters

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In short

Fashion Neurosis rerun episode “Kate Moss” features Kate Moss and host Bella discussing Moss’s style, early modeling experiences, and how clothing affects confidence. Moss says she wasn’t raised as a “fashion household,” but at age eight she fought to get ankle-strap shoes (pale pink) and later, at 14, bought Westbourne Grove/Harlem-inspired looks. She describes early topless modeling at 15, including crying about showing a mole and being pressured by a photographer to do topless work; she frames modeling as her body becoming “a vessel” for others’ imagination. She credits Vivienne Westwood with shaping her: Westwood’s “sex shoes,” corsets designed for Moss’s flat chest, and punk/radical rebellion.

Key claims

fashion codes and trends are boring because they become uniform; “a good look” can open doors (nightclub access at 15). Examples include dressing up friends from her wardrobe, fashion-policing tourists on Camden High Street, and preferring old men’s shirts over gym-buff looks.

Guests

Kate Moss (model) and Bella (host/interviewer).

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Fashion Inspirations and Choices

0:03 to 1:08

Kate describes her outfit choice and its connection to Bella's style.

“It's the only business software you'll ever need.”

Fashion Inspirations and Choices

2:21 to 3:21

Kate describes her outfit choice and its connection to Bella's style.

“Can you describe what you're wearing today and why you chose these clothes?”

Growing Up in a Non-Fashion Household

3:21 to 4:50

Kate shares her early experiences and struggles with fashion choices in her family.

“I was never like, I want that dress or, you know, no, it wasn't.”

Body Image and Self-Perception

4:50 to 6:43

A discussion on body consciousness, modeling, and self-acceptance.

“Like in those vampire films where they talk about the vampires glamorizing someone.”

Early Fashion Experiences

6:43 to 8:14

Kate recounts her experiences with clothing that made a significant impact on her.

“And was that the Corin Day pictures you could do?”

The Power of a Look and Social Acceptance

8:14 to 11:00

Exploring how fashion can influence social interactions and acceptance.

“and do you remember the first time you found a piece of clothing that made you feel different I think like like Vivian Westwood like the bustier when I was like 15 I thought I think like we'd go down the rue St.”

Creative Styling and Wardrobe Challenges

11:00 to 14:01

Kate and Bella discuss the joy of styling others and the creative process behind it.

“It's always been easier for me to buy something that I can fit in my suitcase.”

Fashion Encounters and Observations

14:01 to 16:40

Explore the unique observations and experiences in fashion styles and encounters.

“And it was just like this rag and it was the prettiest thing.”

The Dangers of Fashion Codes

16:41 to 17:48

Discuss the limitations and frustrations of following fashion trends and codes.

“That's what I love about what you're describing.”

Influences in Fashion

17:49 to 19:19

Learn about influential figures in fashion and their lasting impact.

“You know, she knew so much about it as well.”
Show all 23 chapters

Attraction and Fashion Choices

19:20 to 22:48

Examine how clothing choices influence attraction and relationships.

“The last thing she, like when I went to stay in Jamaica and she just left and she left me a present on the bed saying, you know, I'm sorry I'm not there.”

Attraction and Fashion Choices

22:49 to 25:22

Examine how clothing choices influence attraction and relationships.

“of mine and but she asked me what she think and I was like he's really cute but that shoe It's kind of like a no-go.”

Attraction and Fashion Choices

25:25 to 25:57

Examine how clothing choices influence attraction and relationships.

“So why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other?”

Attraction and Fashion Choices

25:58 to 27:17

Examine how clothing choices influence attraction and relationships.

“Running a small business means every dollar has to work hard.”

Vivienne Westwood Shows

27:26 to 28:01

Reflect on the memorable moments and experiences from Vivienne Westwood shows.

“like when you first walked in her show and what it was like?”

Exploring Body Image and Fashion

28:01 to 29:13

Discussion on body image in the fashion industry and experiences with nudity.

“I had to get over the whole like tit thing.”

Vivienne Westwood's Impact on Fashion

29:14 to 31:09

Insights into Vivienne Westwood's designs and their rebellious nature.

“say that though because all those clothes I think of are so sexy like the bustiers and the sex shoes and even the punk stuff that was like, you know, radical was so sexy.”

The Chaos of Fashion Shows

31:10 to 33:19

Recollections of the chaotic yet exciting nature of past fashion shows.

Support and Friendships in Fashion

33:20 to 36:08

Discussion on friendships and support within the fashion industry.

“You know, where I'm staying, there's no food, there's no room service.”

The Role of Models in Fashion

36:09 to 38:14

Conversation about the evolving perception of models in fashion.

“So, you know, they're not just fashion people.”

Personal Insights on Nudity and Fashion

38:15 to 40:16

Personal reflections on nudity, comfort, and clothing choices.

“I mean, I don't, on my own, but with a man, definitely, I like to have a heel, yeah.”

Memorable Gifts and Fashion

40:17 to 42:05

Sharing stories about significant gifts and their emotional impact.

“I mean, I've got hardly any tits, but I like that.”

The Power of Stilettos and Fashion Crisis

42:05 to 48:10

Explore the emotional connection to fashion and the struggles women face with their wardrobes.

“Two years of not running around in a soakate and I was out of practice.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Support for this show comes from Odoo. Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing Odoo. It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one, fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, and more. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you? Try Odoo for free at odoo.com. That's O-D-O-O dot com.

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1:26But if your team is still booking travel the old way, it's costing you more than you think. Injun is the fastest growing travel and spend platform in the country, built specifically for businesses like yours. Book a trip in as little as two and a half minutes. Earn up to 10 % back on hotels. And in 2025, Injun customers saved more than$300 million on travel. with zero booking fees, no contracts, and no BS. More than a thousand businesses join Engine every month. Join them and get$500 when your business signs up and starts traveling at engine.com slash box.

2:11Hi, come in.

2:17Welcome to Fashion Neurosis, Kate Moss. Hi, Bella. Can you describe what you're wearing today and why you chose these clothes? I was inspired by you today, actually. This is an old Salon dress, but it reminds me of the kind of things, the kind of masculine feminine that you wear. And I'm wearing a Vivienne Westwood sex shoe because that's what I associate you with as well. Like that's how I, when I met you, just left Vivian. And I know that she inspired you a lot. So that's why I chose this today. I like the sheer tight as well. That's really very pretty and very, very kind of belle de jour. Yeah.

3:06With the sex shoe. Oh yeah, she's always a good look. It's a reference, belle de jour. I wanted to ask you whether fashion was a thing in your household and did you have to ever fight to wear the things you wanted to wear? I definitely never thought of my house as a fashion household ever. I was never like, I want that dress or, you know, no, it wasn't. and I had to fight for a pair of ankle strap shoes because my mum said they were common and eventually I got them from Ravel. I think I was about eight and I remember driving home with them on. They were pale pink ankle straps and I was like, oh my God, I couldn't stop looking at them and I just wanted to sleep in them and I loved them so much.

3:58it's funny isn't it yeah I remember we didn't really have new things and I came to London and visited my dad and he took me to this shop it was called T T Elliot on the corner of Westbourne Grove and I bought these these wedges with a blue they had ankle straps too it's all about an ankle strap how old were you I was 14 then yeah and uh and I remember going home on the train pulling up my skirt and putting my feet on the yeah seat across and like thinking admiring finally I think it is something about an ankle strap being like sexy isn't it like it's still now when I wear an ankle strap it's like it feels like a bit it's there is something it's sort of demure but there's this thing holding your ankle yeah it definitely draws attraction to the ankle and probably the ankle is quite a sexual part of your body yeah like in even in Jane Austen and stuff they go on about the ankle or the wrist you know these bits that they get to see yeah and do you do you have any hang-ups about your body yeah of course because you're so good at I mean, I've watched you working and you just treat yourself as an instrument and you act as though you have no self-consciousness and you're dazzling.

5:31Like in those vampire films where they talk about the vampires glamorizing someone. And you do that when you're working, you glamorize everyone and we become spellbound by you. well I think at a very young age I started working and I started doing pictures um topless and I was very very conscious of um I have a mole on my right tit and um I hated it so much I would cry I never wanted to show never wanted to be topless I would cry and and I had to get over it because the photographer was like if you don't do this I'm not going to book you for the next job so I had to get over it and so then I was just like maybe he really gives a shit about my mother so and then I just kind of like I think as a model you can't be very self-conscious because your body's kind of not your own when you're a uh when you're a vessel for somebody else's imagination.

6:41God, that's so interesting. Something like that. Yeah. God. And was that the Corin Day pictures you could do? And I was like 15 and I was topless in a magazine and I was still at school. And luckily the face wasn't really sold in Croydon, so I don't think anyone really saw it. But I was still, no, I mean, they did. they heard and it was kind of like you know they took the piss out of my brother and all like your your sister's got her tits out and you know I think he probably suffered more than I did about it it must have taken a lot of courage I mean everyone else had those pictures on their tear sheets you know as inspiration because they were it was so fresh and beautiful you looked so amazing I think at the time it was very closed I mean it was only me and Corinne and Mel and Drew Jarrett as their hairdresser and Dick Page was the makeup artist and so you know the boys I'd make the boys I would make Drew turn around because he was straight and I was like I'm not having him look at me and you know I kind of was I was really shy but it was so it was like family I'd worked with them so many times already that I knew them really well but I still like even after that shoot I did I did cry a lot about taking my clothes off with her I really didn't want to do it and do you remember the first time you found a piece of clothing that made you feel different I think like like Vivian Westwood like the bustier when I was like 15 I thought I think like we'd go down the rue St.

8:30George in Croydon and I had like a pair of Adidas high tops I'd got in New York when I'd gone and a puffer jacket a leather not puffer jacket a leather goose with a mink collar black and we'd gone to Harlem to buy it on Easter Sunday and it was packed it was so mental and um I went home and they were like oh my god it was like proper fashion in Croydon that was the look and um yeah I was allowed in the recent George after that even though I was 15 because I had a good look on it's amazing the power of a look where it just kind of makes people accept you I mean it sounds prejudiced but it's not actually it just a good look and I mean if you wanted to get in a nightclub at 15 you had to have a look for sure I mean, even if you're a boy at that time, you know, if you were head to toe in Westwood, you know, and a three-tongued trainer and a, you know, I don't know.

9:31It was all like, it was more fashion then. Yeah. Like late 80s, like the wag and the brain and, you know, the clubs that we used to go to and come up from Croydon on the train. And it was like, are we going to get in? and, you know, they'd push us to the front, obviously the girls, me and my friend, and, you know, we'd be all like, you know, trying to be sexy and get in. And then they were with us, so then they'd get in, the boys. Do you remember that night we went to see George Michael at the Albert Hall and then we all went back to your place afterwards with Stefano Pilati and Johnny Shankid and Jerry Stafford.

10:16And then you made us all dress up. You dressed everyone up from your wardrobe. That is my favourite thing to do, really. It's almost like a challenge for me. Like when I go, like, I know what, I've got to look for you. And like the challenge of like, in my wardrobe, I've got something for everyone. And I love doing that. It is my favorite, like creating like a look on somebody that they never thought they would do or they wouldn't have thought about. It's like it's it's it brings me a lot of joy doing that. Because when did you start doing that? I mean, I think I was in my 20s when I started like getting a lot of clothes, like collecting clothes from like, you know, I bought things from India, you know, just on travels and stuff.

11:05It's always been easier for me to buy something that I can fit in my suitcase. Because I lived out of a suitcase for so long, I wouldn't think twice about spending£3 ,000 on a dress, but when it comes to something I can't fit in my suitcase, like a piece of furniture or a picture, I can't. I don't know. I've got like a block. So I had a lot of clothes. because didn't you used to dress up your little brother yeah sylvia he was called sylvia and i think basically i was my mum wouldn't really didn't really like people coming over to play i don't know why but um so i would get bored and i'd dress him up and then i'd make him like ring the doorbell and pretend he was my friend and sylvia he found a picture of sylvia and framed it saying too Kate loves Sylvia I mean it's the most hilarious he's got I don't know where I've had a brown wig he looks like Elizabeth Taylor kind of gone wrong he's got like massive tits he's only like seven or something it's so funny it's really and blue eyes shadow obviously and a beauty spot and red lipstick he looks like a really major drag queen like but as an eight-year-old and you dress him up yeah I dress him up and make him ring the doorbell and say um it's Kate coming out can Kate come out and play?

12:29So I had like a made up a friend. And how did your mum react to that? Can't remember. Probably, no, she can't. I don't know. You silly bugger, I'm cooking the tea. Leave me alone. I don't know. And where do you start with an outfit? I start with like, where am I going and who am I seeing? I kind of, I always, because I have to, because if you've got too many options, you have to kind of, I think, narrow it down to like, who am I, not who am I today, because it's always, but who am I with today and what kind of, I always like want to please someone a bit. It's almost like I want somebody, I want to wear something that when I turn up, they go, oh, I like that.

13:17I wouldn't wear like the same thing to see you as I would to see Katie Grant weirdly or somebody like that I don't know like or Camilla I don't know like women or men or whoever I think and also like where am I going like and who's going to be there and what and what do I want to and I want them to like it I suppose this is like my dream look the things that really inspired me when I was first starting my own label this I like cover up but I like very short and legs I think are so funny because I wouldn't have thought that about you I always I always you know think you're a suit girl yeah apart from when you wore that amazing pink Aussie Clark do you remember that yeah oh my no was it Aussie Clark No, you had a dress on from like the 20s.

14:16Oh, yes. I had one that Susie Cave sent me. Oh, my God. And it was just like this rag and it was the prettiest thing. You looked so amazing. I think you should wear dresses more. Like, you know, like that time you had something at your shop and I found that Aussie Clark and it had the red, green and gold stripes. Oh, yeah. And I was like, that's so Bella. Yeah. And you were like, where's that dress from? Yeah. I love it when there's so many times when you've appeared and you've done exactly that. I've become enchanted by what you've done with what you're wearing and the kind of effect it's had.

14:57You're a master at that. I don't know about master or anything. Oh, yes. No. Do you and Lila still do fashion police? Yeah, I did it yesterday. I was not just me and Lila, just me on my own. I was like, I was in the car and there was this woman and this man and they were walking down the street and she had like a, I don't know, it was the weirdest look. And I went, I bet, where are they from, those people? They're definitely not English. And he had a big camera. So I knew he was like a, he was a tourist. And they were walking down Camden High Street. She had a port pie hat and a yellow Chanel backpack, tights, leather shorts and a yellow Nike high top trainer.

15:42and it was extraordinary. And I really was like, Nina, Nina, Nina, pull them over. And then I was like, where are you from? And they were in France because we had a bet that they were Canadian. Canadian? They were French. I was like, they're definitely not from Paris for sure. I'm terrible. It is a bit, they were nice though. I said, oh, bonjour, you know, and you know, have a lovely day. I wasn't rude, but I do like it. I do like going like, wow what were they thinking i love the new not like i don't like doing that i don't want to be judgy but you know when you just go like nino nino like fashion police there is a there was a tv show wasn't there called fashion police was there there should maybe i'm making it up maybe i should have one yeah you should have one we should have one together all around the streets of all the different countries especially and then like the really good ones like wow where did they come up with that.

16:38Yeah. But it's like, it's the code, isn't it? That's what I love about what you're describing. Sometimes I get on the tube and I see some, someone wearing just amazing look. Yeah. And I wonder what they're, they, everyone's always doing something. It's like, how am I going to affect? And, uh, and I suppose in our, in fashion, there's so much code. I hate code. What bit of it don't you like? Because I see it as shortcut, like what you're describing as shortcut. But tell me what the code, what code don't you like? Oh, I hate fashion codes. Yeah. Like I hate like, oh, this bag's in fashion, so everybody designs the same fucking bag and sells the same bag.

17:24I hate that kind of thing. Like, oh, this is fashionable, so everybody has to have that in their shop. I really don't like that. like I walked through the airport the other day and in every shop was the same shoe in the same bag from like every designer I was like what the fuck is the point in doing that I don't understand nobody's just nobody's like they might just put it on the runway different but then when it gets to the shop it's all the same it's like why it's not it's not fun when it's fashionable or like you know like the trends that's what they call them in their trends yeah trends are terrible trends are awful because as soon as it's a trend you can't wear it anymore yeah it's out you're you're dated the minute you're trendy yeah it's done is there anyone who's inspired you fashion wise so many people david bowie jolly thunders keith you know men i think inspired me just as much as women like you know bridget bardo um grace kelly anita palenberg yeah anita was yeah anita is great inspired me well she inspired me because of her love for fashion as well like i i would hang out with her and we would spend all night in my wardrobe like doing looks and playing and shopping and we'd go to like and you know vintage places and she'd and she would be like that dress is a 30s Schiaparelli or something.

18:57You know, she knew so much about it as well. And she kind of, she was really, she had like an amazing taste. She put things together in such an original way. But even saying the word original way sounds awful. She was just, she just had no, there was nothing that, there was no barrier. She would just do things and then you'd wonder why on earth you've never seen that before because it was just so. I know. The last thing she, like when I went to stay in Jamaica and she just left and she left me a present on the bed saying, you know, I'm sorry I'm not there. I hope you have an amazing time. They were lime green lightning bolts, like down for this long earrings, with like crystals all over them.

19:50I was like, wow, she would actually wear them. She would. I mean, that takes like, she's like fearless when it came to fashion. Yeah, she was fearless. And God, she was so strict as well. So when she chose something, when she'd say, I need to buy a jumper from you, and I think, oh, thank God, you know. Oh, my God, yeah. It's okay, you know. Yeah, if Anita likes it, I'm doing all right. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Oh, God. But I often think of her, if I feel like I need a compass, I think Anita. What would Anita do? What would Anita do? Yes, yeah, I know. She was just the best. Yeah. Yeah. And is there a random garment that a man wears that attracts you?

20:42A random garment? Well, I suppose I only say that because I think if I see a man in a khaki shirt, I just down, I just think, oh, that's attractive. Yeah. I was going to say a shirt. Really? Yeah. See, I like, weirdly, kind of like old men's shirts. One of my boyfriends had this shirt that was like passed down from his grandfather. And it was a dress shirt, but it was like so old and like, you know, when it's just a lift and he would wear it. And I was just like, oh, so, you know, because I don't know, like old things like my friend's grandfather died and she gave me his old like Turnbull and Nassau pajamas.

21:29You know, like they'd been worn and worn and worn and worn. and they were so beautiful. I was like, oh, you know, like that kind of old, worn, yeah. I'm not really, I don't, for me, like men in like trendy, fashionable clothes don't do it for me at all. So if you fancy someone and don't like what they're wearing, does it kill your attraction? Well, it's funny you used to say that actually because there was a boy that I really fancied and I was like oh my god but he wears cowboy boots the fuck am I gonna do with that I can't go out with somebody who wears cowboy boots and when was this and then a long time ago when I was like 17 and you know him obviously he was American as well disaster in a cowboy boot and I was like do you know what I'm gonna let it go I can get rid of them I'll just lose them so I did and um I went out with him for ages and you know he was one of the like the loves of my life so thank god it was you know it didn't put me off so there's always room for negotiation I think yeah that's a good way of but then I did see somebody the other day and they had a really bad shoe on and I thought no I can't I mean he's really cute it wasn't for me it was a friend of mine's uh he was a friend of mine and but she asked me what she think and I was like he's really cute but that shoe It's kind of like a no-go.

23:01So they have to be bigger than the offending piece of clothing or gun accessory. It's awful, isn't it? It seems so shallow. It sort of sands it in a way, but I think there's something in it because I think there are other messages. So it's like a love test. If someone, like the cowboy boot, you got over it and there was a love, and sometimes you override it which is different yeah and it's a disaster like I think you know those kind of holiday romances like when you see somebody on a beach you know oh my god they're so cute and then you see them in normal clothes that can be a passion killer you get them back to London And you're like, oh, God, me, no way.

23:55It's like a kind of different person, really, for me. It's like if you're wearing, you know, it's like almost like city clothes and then beach clothes and somebody on holiday is so different than somebody in, yeah, in town. I suppose it changes all the proportion, doesn't it? because they can look like on a beach completely sort of just a person. And then when they, if the clothes are wrong, you see the wrongness of it all. You're the same as me, aren't you, really? Because I don't mind. I mean, I quite like unfit looking men. Yeah, me too. I don't like buff. I don't want anyone that looks like they've been to the gym.

24:39No. Even if they do go to the gym, they can't look like they do really. It's like natural. yes natural muscles I know it's a funny I just sort of registered that recently and thought yeah I actually find it quite sexy when someone's a bit out of shape yeah yeah I'm not into like I think it was probably from like growing up around male models as well I just really like those kind of pretty boys with perfect bodies just don't saying that you never know do you but You know, usually it's not the kind of guy I go for. Obviously, my track record is not the kind of man I'm attracted to. Support for this show comes from Odoo.

25:25Running a business is hard enough. So why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? Introducing Odoo. It's the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one, fully integrated platform that makes your work easier. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, and more. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. That's why over thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you? Try Odoo for free at odoo.com. That's O-D-O-O dot com.

26:03Support for the show comes from Engin. Running a small business means every dollar has to work hard. But if your team is still booking travel the old way, it's costing you more than you think. Enjin is the fastest growing travel and spend platform in the country, built specifically for businesses like yours. Book a trip in as little as two and a half minutes. Earn up to 10 % back on hotels. And in 2025, Enjin customers saved more than$300 million on travel, with zero booking fees, no contracts, and no BS. More than 1 ,000 businesses join Enjin every month. Join them and get$500 when your business signs up and starts traveling at engine.com slash Vox.

26:47Support for the show comes from Google Gemini. You know that moment when curiosity strikes? You're exploring a new city with a family and a sculpture catches your daughter's eye. What is that? Who made it? With Gemini, you can snap a picture and get a fully interactive breakdown of its history, architecture, and even hidden secrets. Gemini is built for moments like that. Whether you're learning something new, solving a problem, or looking for your next favorite thing, Google Gemini is here to help. Download Gemini, Google's AI app, or visit gemini.google.com to learn more. Do you remember the old Vivian days of Vivian Westwood shows, like when you first walked in her show and what it was like?

27:34I always remember seeing you in one of, I think it might have been the first one you did because I'd left by then. I came to a show in Paris and you came out in a corset, but it just finished under the boobs. And I thought, oh God, that corset's on back to front. That's so funny. I don't think it was. No, it wasn't. It wasn't. No. I looked on YouTube. By that point, that's what I'm saying. I had to get over the whole like tit thing. and then everyone just wiped my tits out, even though I didn't even like, I had such a phobia about them. I was like, I mean, still, well, not actually still, but, you know, like for a long time, I would do shoots and I had no top on, a long time.

28:21And, yeah, and at Vivian's show. And I think because they were, I was kind of so flat-chested that it wasn't like vulgar. they could kind of use me as like like it wasn't if I'd have had like amazing big tits like Helena Christensen or something and they put her in a corset with their tits out it kind of would have changed the vibe because I was so flat-chested and I had a big mole it wasn't it was different yeah you were just like an ingenue I mean I you just were so enchanting it was you were so charming there was so much charm in your whole demeanor and how you wore that and it was like you didn't really notice the nakedness and Vivian wasn't she wasn't really into sexualizing people she just wanted the clothes to to be a certain way and to be radical yeah and you it's funny you say that though because all those clothes I think of are so sexy like the bustiers and the sex shoes and even the punk stuff that was like, you know, radical was so sexy.

29:32It was. And the crutch minis and the whole thing. It's like, but the way she saw it, it was never sexual in that way, was it? Yeah. It was kind of like, fuck you, wait. I know. It was amazing. So I remember her developing the corset and we went to the... No way. Were you there? Yeah, I was there then. No way. And because she'd come back from Italy and I started working for her then. I think I was about 23 or 22. And we went to the costume department of the National Theatre, no, the Opera House. And she said, I want to find this corset like the old ones. Oh, my God. And then she found it. And I was expecting something like, you know, that had room for breasts.

30:26But there was this thing. It was like. Flat. Yeah, totally flat. It was like a kind of washing board or something. And I thought, oh, no, that's awful. And I just so didn't get it. But she, you know, she just saw beyond. And then she made the corset. I remember the first one took something like 28 hours to make. and then gradually, obviously, it speeded up like mad. And what was amazing was that all the girls just became obsessed with them. Yeah, I mean, in Croydon, I used to go to Cinderella Rockefellers and there was like, if you didn't have a fucking 50-month-old corset, you were not getting it.

31:06You weren't anyone. You were like, you just weren't. It's like a thing. You have to have one. And I'd saved up. I mean, I saved up. and every you know it was just the yeah it's like so it was such a thing of my of that that era for me and for lots of people I think Vivian Westwood was such a statement of like I don't give a fuck I'm gonna wear this and you know my parents couldn't you know it's like it was a rebellious thing I think she had like it was she set out to do something like that and obviously not with punk and everything but even you know as well when she did all that um with the bus chases it really was like rebellion it was it was amazing also using her love of kind of 18th century and stuff and having this decollete right up under the chin and then this flat rib cage and then this it was just wild wasn't it yeah so I know and then with the rocking horse shoes all like laced up and with the angels painted on the bustiers and the whole like and the pearls and that I mean I mean she's major she was amazing she was so great yeah and I loved I mean doing her shows and the chaos and the whole like you know it was all you know it's not it was so um punk still wasn't it even though she was like everybody was in the front row like it was so like mental it was really really exciting yeah it was really exciting and then fashion shows were much longer then as well it went on for yeah yeah exactly well you know then we'd have like three but you know some shows we'd have six looks yeah now they have one look and they have like five hours of hair make or like something ridiculous like the last show i did and lila was in it she had to be the show at eight in the morning and the show was until seven at night god it's like fucking hell what are they doing to her yeah and then it was like rehearsal rehearsal rehearsal this i don't know i mean i have no idea i was like oh my god can you imagine i wouldn't i wouldn't i wouldn't um get away with that i mean under the way i was like i'd turn up like half an hour before yeah everyone knew what to do even though it was complete chaos yeah and it didn't matter even if i turned up three hours before i'd still be the last one to get ready anyway so really yeah because I just couldn't stop talking to everyone I was just so I couldn't sit still so I'd like just procrastinate about having it done and I'll be like oh there's such calling first lips and I'd still be smoking smoking back in the day yeah backstage yeah what what made you feel secure back when there were all the supers did you have like a big sister who super who took care of you I mean you the youngest of all of them and did you have like a favorite or yeah yeah I mean Christy and Naomi kind of took me under their wing it's uh you know yeah they did and then I felt scared but there was a long time where I didn't have friends you know who did as well before I even knew Naomi and Chris Carla Bruni she was so nice to me she took me for dinner once because I was like starving to death we were in Milan she's like darling you know and I was like I'm so hungry.

34:43You know, where I'm staying, there's no food, there's no room service. And she took me for dinner. She was really nice. What you don't hear about in, you know, film or you don't see in films or you don't hear about is all the loyalties in the fashion world. And I know there's loads of terrible stuff, but there is a lot of good stuff and there's a lot of friendships and people do look out for each other. Yeah, definitely. I mean when I there was you know when I had a bit of a what do you call it scandal um I had so much support from people in the fashion business you know that they were like fuck this and you know as soon as kind of I was able to go back to work I I got booked by everybody in like kind of like a no we're not going to let them cancel you kind of thing yeah it was amazing it's so good because I mean I know fashion's corporate and everything but there's still the individuals within it are so yeah conscientious you know people really stick up for each other and they just don't take shit yeah and they don't conform nearly as much as other I mean I've got Most of my oldest friends are in the fashion business.

36:05I mean, most of my friends I've met through the fashion. So, you know, they're not just fashion people. They're like my oldest friends. I mean, I've known Jess Hallett for 37 years. It's like fucking mental. That's amazing. She was a booker. Did she work at Storm when you first started? Yeah, she worked at Storm. She was my booker and then she was my PA and then she was my maid of honour and then my daughter's godmother and, you know, she's family. She comes every Christmas. So it's not really through fashion you make really good friends. Yeah. I think because people work so hard as well when you work together in that way.

36:48They understand what you have to do. Like if you told like normal people, like, you know, my mum still doesn't understand. like when I say I've really I've worked I've been working so hard she's like yeah right what do you do stand in front of a camera that's what I think that she means when she says she don't work like you don't really know what I have to do I know I think people perceive models I think maybe less so now there seems to be finally a real appreciation of what a model can bring to the story, how a model lights everything up, gives the, because clothes are nothing without people, of course.

37:31And that's why, you know, when you did go through that horrible time, everyone just wanted to show you, we wanted you there, you know, we wanted to be by your side and you showing how great you can make everything look awesome I think it's quite funny like sometimes even yesterday I was working they were like god you really know how you know you're so good and I was like people are still quite surprised when they see me working I think they like they don't get like some people just don't get it they're like really how is she still working and then I go on set and they're like oh god do you know what i mean yeah for sure i mean i go i do get i still get surprised some you know that i get like oh my god i'm still working it's mental i do get surprised because i did not think that i would be working at 50 that's for sure i was like 19 i got my whenever it was 18 i got my first vogue offer and i was like okay i came out i'm fine with that that's fine i did i did it i'm done even if I never work again I did Vogue you know what I mean yeah how many Vogue covers have you done now I don't know a lot I think I'm like I've had the most British Vogue covers do you ever do runway for a boyfriend to remind him of how good you are that's so funny imagine like this is what I used to be like this is how I can move no I never do runway but I do strip I do as I do quite like stripping as my I think it was um I think it was I was a stripper in a former life actually and being naked do you how do you feel about being naked do you wear something to be naked or do you are you good at being totally naked I need a heel or if I'm totally naked I mean, I can do it.

39:30I mean, I don't, on my own, but with a man, definitely, I like to have a heel, yeah. So interesting, that, because I don't want to, I can never be totally naked. Really? No, I like to have something on and then I'm naked. Oh, interesting. But being naked, it's like, I suppose like when I was sitting for my dad, I'd have no clothes on. Yeah. And that was for a purpose. Yeah. Yeah, for a picture I can be like, well, yeah, when I sat for your dad, I was totally naked. And yeah, it was a different, exactly, it was a purpose. But in my own life, I can, with a shoe. But you wear something. Like what?

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40:18What would you wear? Am I not supposed to ask you questions? You can ask me. I'd probably wear something. Is anyone going to do you? No. Yeah, I probably wear a bra. I don't know why. I mean, I've got hardly any tits, but I like that. I somehow feel like I've got some control or there's something still left to take off. Oh, God, now I'm going to take that on. The shoe is very good. Something still a mystery. I don't think there's anything a mystery with my butt by now. I might try the shoe there. Yeah, it's a good one. Yeah, try to put the shoe on. Quite good. And are there certain clothes that make you feel better when you're feeling low?

41:04No. I think if I'm feeling low, I'm feeling low. Like, if I, oh, actually, if I'm, like, you know, if I'm feeling low, usually I don't want to go out. So if I, like, have a bath and put, like, a nice nightie, Like something like that always makes me feel better. Like going to bed in like something pretty and like, oh, even though if I'm in bed and I'm not going out, then I still feel better. Yeah. And what's the best present that a lover has ever given you? Must be quite daunting to buy you something. What, like clothes wise? Yeah. Oh, my ex-husband bought me a pair of shoes. He's the only person to have ever bought me a pair of shoes.

41:51not purse he's the only lover to have bought me a purse and they were christian louboutin and they were like cerise cerise pink they were satin and they were like a purpley pink they were fucking gorgeous i was like when i opened that box i was like that was inspired because i fucking loved them and i was like that is the sexiest gift i've ever got that's really yeah they were amazing class they are amazing i've still got them are they the ones he called after you the so Kate shoes no it was before the so Kate it was like it's a stiletto but it wasn't a so Kate yeah i can't walk i can't walk in the so Kate anymore i try to walk it's okay it's so high it's ridiculous i don't know how i ran around in those for years but i did so high I think after the pandemic, I just couldn't do it anymore.

42:45Two years of not running around in a soakate and I was out of practice. He's making them short. He's made them smaller. He's done a lower version. A lower version, yeah. Because granny can't wear them anymore. So it's something about stilettos that are harder to wear as you get older. But I still wear platforms and I love a built-up shoe. yeah I love to have elevation yeah that makes me feel I can do anything anything yeah if I'm feeling low yeah and I get the shoes on yeah something then you're ready to go you can like take on the world kind of yeah yeah and do you have a fashion kink what's that mean well I'm not totally sure but it's it's a sort of an off thing that you go to as a sort of as a sort of guide to feeling I I've got it for tonight no black I mean I don't know well like if in doubt black cocktail dress I don't know what's a kink a kink or like is a kink something that you wouldn't expect?

44:04No. I think it's a sort of aberration from your normal self. Like, I mean, it's not like you do think you have your very original full stop anyway, but it's like, and you're so familiar with fashion. And is there like a place where you go against fashion but it's part of your sort of way that you know you've got it right no I think no I mean fashion for me like there's always something in my mind that's like that's leading like is it it's like a weird instinct that I feel and when I'm not feeling that it's a disaster like to get dressed if I haven't got like some kind of excitement or something if I'm nervous and I don't want to go or if it's like I just can't get dressed I just literally anything I put on just doesn't work and I just don't want to go and I'll like cry I have cried before like I haven't got anything and pulled everything out of the closet like once or twice in my life I remember like just having complete fashion crisis and being like in a heap on the floor with loads of clothes around me and shoes and like nothing is going to make me feel like I want to leave the house.

45:24Terrible, isn't it? But you know what? I think a lot of girls have it and I don't know about men, but I know like, I know, um, I don't know about a lot of girls, but I know they do. They do. They? I think everyone has it. Like nothing fits, nothing looks good, nothing. You know, I think it's just an internal thing. it's like a superstition almost isn't it you get dressed and you think oh no this hasn't worked I don't know what to do did I ever know what to do you know and suddenly yeah exactly and something I think it is like a or something like for me something just doesn't feel right like suddenly like the trousers aren't fitting like they were or or it doesn't like hit the ankle like something like it just feels weird in my skin it just it's like wearing a weird like it just it's what I like putting on a different skin and the skin does not feel like your own or something no I suppose it goes back to that thing of when you can feel a total totally unconfident and you can get the clothes to do the job for you you can follow behind it and then it works for you and then your confidence comes and you know that you have in your wardrobe these resources.

46:44I remember writing a poem. I tried to write this poem once. I tried to write a poem. Well, I started and I was sitting for my dad and then he wrote the whole thing. And it was called Dress Sense and it ended, In Your Wardrobe, Hang Your Brains. oh my god of course he fucking did clever bastard that's so annoying oh my god in your wardrobe hang your brains because he always had i remember like anyway you know like he had that same look all the time which was so major like that cashmere you know that um coat the herringbone what was it there yeah you know that herringbone coat and it was so it looked like he you know he'd had it forever i don't know but it was so luxurious wasn't it it was like something like the wool or something it was like as though an animal had its coat on it was just so soft yeah it was so soft and it put him together i mean yeah I mean, he could have been wearing like literally his pajama and you put that on and you're just like the chicest man in the room.

48:02Yeah. That's what I like. See, I do like that kind of dressing. Yeah, for a man. It's the best, a suit, someone who knows how to wear a suit. We're done. Yes. Thank you so much, Kate, for being on special. Thank you. I can't wait for my evaluation. Well, it was so lovely to have you here. Thank you, Bella. To hear your amazing thoughts and feelings. Thank you. Thank you. You're free.

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From the publisher

RERUN: I never expected to have Kate Moss as a Fashion Neurosis guest. I knew she hated being filmed and is famously private. I had been doing little experiments with set ups before Covid and one day we were having tea together and I showed her. ‘I want to do this,’ she said. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I knew I must have made something good if Kate wanted to be part of it. Her episode will always be one of my favourites. Her brilliant irreverent wit is second to none. 

-

Kate Moss is an English model. Born in Croydon, she started modelling aged 15 after she was scouted in an airport. She rose to fame in the 90’s during the era of the Supermodel, quickly becoming the most sought after of them all. She is beloved by photographers and designers for her remarkable ability to bring a kind of spellbinding magic to the table. Her work ethic is legendary and she has an instinct for recognising a good idea before anyone else – and wanting to be involved. When I started my brand and decided to have my first catwalk show in 1994, I got a call from Storm Models saying ‘Kate will walk in your show’. I could scarcely believe what I was hearing. This was a typical act of the generosity and imagination she is also known for.

Kate Moss holds the world record for appearing on the most Vogue covers: 78 of the ‘Big Four’, 43 of them British Vogue. As well as starring in countless ad campaigns she has designed collections in collaboration with various fashion brands including Top Shop, Longchamp, and Zara; guest edited magazines; and created her own skincare and beauty range Cosmoss. In 2002 – just as she became pregnant with her daughter Lila she sat for a naked portrait by the artist Lucian Freud which was later sold at Christie’s for £3.93 million.

She is more in demand at age 50 than she has ever been – both in front of the camera and as a celebrity guest on the front row. Kate Moss is a cult name, and her face is recognized throughout the world. She is a private person and rarely gives interviews. She is loved and admired for her iconic sense of style, no one puts a look together like she can. She is famous for her humour and charm, casting a kind of dazzling spell on those who meet her – it is known as ‘being Mossed.’

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Kate Moss discuss Fashion Police, wearing a heel to feel naked, and sitting for my father Lucian.

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:18 What are you wearing today?

00:01:14 Childhood fashion

00:03:10 Body

00:06:20 Clothes that make you feel different

00:08:00 Dressing up friends

00:12:00 Where to start with an outfit

00:14:19 Fashion police

00:20:57 Attractive clothing

00:22:14 If you fancy someone…

00:25:49 Walking for Vivienne Westwood

00:32:03 Supermodel era

00:37:13 Stripping and nudity

00:39:18 Clothes to improve mood

00:39:55 Presents

00:41:51 Fashion kinks

00:46:35 Outro

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