Christy Turlington on Fashion, Philanthropy and Turning 50
The supermodel on her maternal crusade, runway return, and why clothes don’t have an age limit
By Shaunagh Connaire
“I barely wear heels any more. And, also, I had this fracture without knowing it. Putting one foot in front of the other in the darkness, with blinding light in my face . . . I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!”
Christy Turlington Burns is recounting her spectacular return to the runway. In February, she closed the AW19 show for Marc Jacobs in a black gown embellished with feathers. She shared the catwalk with models half her age including Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss and Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber.
The 50-year-old blithely refers to the experience as “terrifying”. It was only when her 15-year-old daughter Grace emboldened her to embrace the catwalk after 25 years of doing only occasional campaigns and shoots that she decided to make her return. “She’s just suddenly becoming aware of my connection to that world because her whole life I’ve just been a mom and advocate,” says Turlington Burns of her daughter, who came to the show straight from a basketball game and changed in the car on the way. “I think she’s now seeing me in a slightly different light. A little bit more glam than usual.”
