As the cover star of HELLO!’s new Luxe issue, Olivia Palermo throws herself into our shoot in New York City with enthusiasm – not batting an eyelid as she strides confidently into the middle of a four-lane street to nail a shot and stopping traffic as car horns honk around her.
“I really love being a model,” she smiles. “I love being on set and shooting. It’s part of my foundation from when I started my career, and I love working with new photographers, production teams, hair and makeup. It all tells a story.”
Olivia’s own story is a riches to riches tale; a fairytale, if you like, although the f-word doesn’t do justice to the amount of work it takes to stay in the fashion game for as long as Palermo has. She first came to public attention on The City, an early reality TV show that aired between 2006 – 2010. Set in New York, it showcased Palermo’s sense of style, which is quintessentially New York in that high/low way that’s so specific to the city’s denizens.
The show opened the door for her to launch a career as a stylist, model and brand ambassador: early clients included Tommy Hilfiger, Rochas and Piaget. She rapidly became a fixture on fashion’s international front rows and everyone wanted a piece of Olivia, an influencer before the word was really coined.
Like many of the ‘OG’ influencers, Palermo doesn’t especially like the term. “I appreciate that,” she smiles, when we check how she prefers to be described. “I laugh, because when you look at my entire career, you see how much the [fashion] world has changed. Titles have changed. I’ve been labeled so many different things. It was nice to set a template for the world that they could take and use.” Now, she says she wears so many different hats that it’s hard to assign to her one label. “I am fashion from every direction,” she laughs.
She certainly is, wearing Topshop (“I still have unique archive pieces that I won’t get rid of”) in a way that makes the British high-street favourite look as high end as the Celine, Valentino, Moncler and Giambattista Valli that she also loves. She’s also a big leather lover. “It’s like my uniform,” she smiles. “You can go anywhere in it, even in the summer, if you wear it in a light way.
As a fashion person, I love black and white, but I also love colour. As a child, my favourite dress was mint green, and that still resonates. It looks beautiful on everyone.” As for items that she’d never wear, she says, “I don’t like the ugly shoe trend. That’s not for me. I also think Spandex should really just be for the gym.”
Born and bred in New York as she is (she and her husband, the model Johannes Huebl, have recently moved to a new apartment in TriBeCa), there’s a European sensibility to Palermo’s style. Olivia first met her husband in 2007; they’ve been married for eleven years (he proposed in St Barts), they’ve been together for eighteen.
“He’s so cute,” she beams after he turns up to the shoot during lunch to see how things are going. “He’s my little chef. He always makes me breakfast.” The secret to a happy marriage? “It’s about being caring, thoughtful and sympathetic – really being there for each other. Knowing each other’s needs and taking time for one another. He’s the best support system I could ask for.”
“The Palermo-Huebl household is quality control on steroids. We always give our two cents.”
Johannes looks like the sort of man your parents would manifest – and possibly sell a kidney for – as a husband for their daughter. Does Mr Perfect have any irritating habits? “Honestly? No. I’m really lucky.”
Does he dare to offer opinions on her clothes? “Oh yes. He worked as a model for 12 years before I showed up in his life. The Palermo-Huebl household is quality control on steroids. We always give our two cents.”
She’s relaxed about turning 40 in February. “Honestly, it’s just a number. When it comes to age, what’s the point in hiding it? Own it. I’ve lived a wonderful life. I feel good, I look good, I have a great team around me, and my focus is on longevity and health. Johannes and I are a great support system for each other in that sense. We have the same views on how to live our life.”
For the full shoot and interview pick up a copy of this week’s Luxe issue, on sale now
Read the full article here
