Words that captured us in 2012

With a new year upon us, 2012 offered us some unforgettable moments by well-known designers and artists; words that certainly left an impression.

Opinions such as Karl Lagerfeld’s on the Royal Family were worth remembering last year: “Kate Middleton has a nice silhouette. I like that kind of woman, I like romantic beauties. On the other hand, her sister struggles. I don’t like the sister’s face. She should only show her back.” This was a harsh comment regarding Pippa that was splashed all over the news in October.

But others were renowned for more sensitive matters. Stella McCartney described her experience on designing the Olympic kits quite comically, one could say: “Doing the Olympic kit fittings for the men is quite out of my comfort zone. I’m like, ‘Oooh where do I look?’” Imagine personally dressing Louis Smith. Would you say no to that job?

Diane von Furstenberg shared a heartfelt moment with Vogue Festival when discussing her life goals, saying, “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I just knew the sort of woman I wanted to be. I wanted to be independent, I wanted to have my own money and be able to stand on my own – not be the type of woman that waits for a man to call.” That’s what I call girl power!

Dior’s visionist Raf Simon’s ultimate obsession as the new boy on the block is to be able to design a collection the public will want to wear. “I want them to wear it on the street. If it doesn’t relate to the outside, then it would be very theatrical for me,” he said. How very noble coming from this rising Belgian star.

Known to all as the actress in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Rooney Mara has a very minimalist attitude towards fashion: “I wear a lot of black. You know what, black is easier. The more colour you have in your wardrobe, the longer it takes you to get dressed.” Well, can we all keep it that simple?

Miss Donatella Versace is quite the opposite. She loves colour and everything wild: “I’d like to dress the Queen. She can handle anything; maybe in black with a little leather, a little rock ’n’ roll.” Do any of us dare see this adorable motherly figure that celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in a leather outfit? That would be quite the challenge, Donatella.

“I’ve always done a kind of skinny silhouette, because I am skinny; I don’t have to worry about covering up fat bits!” claimed Mick Jagger while discussing costumes during his tour in February. If only all of us had that problem Mick, if only.

Since everyone is entitled to voice their opinions, go ahead and say what you want and do what you feel. Or even better, in Steve Martin’s own words, “Some people have a way with words, and other people … oh, uh, not have way.” Happy 2013!

Pooja Sahny