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Interview with style.com
Public School’s New York Fashion Week: Men’s event was among the week’s most-talked-about shows in part due to the eclectic cast that included models, musicians, and even a few fashion insiders. Amongst the unusual suspects, Kris Gottschalk stood out from the pack. As the only girl in the lineup, Gottschalk brought a touch of androgyny to Public School’s roster and played the part of jailbird with attitude, though that wasn’t her only menswear turn this week. She also posed in Theory’s menswear lookbook and walked the Garciavelez show. With a shaved head and tough stare, Gottschalk is a girl to watch. Find out more about her, including her start in modeling and the accident that made her revisit her career choices, below.
Earlier in your career you had a different look, with long blond hair. Why did you want to buzz your hair?
I was blond and more commercial [in my early career]. I took a little break and went away and did some traveling. I had an accident and shaved my head as a result. Having a shaved head changes the way people perceive me. It’s opened me up to new kinds of work, edgier clients. I feel much more comfortable in my skin now. I always gravitated toward clothing that was boyish and a little rock ’n’ roll, and now I’m being seen by those clients. Before I felt like I was trying to be someone I wasn’t, and that impacts your work—the clients can tell when you’re uncomfortable.
How do you feel your outlook has changed since your accident?
It was a new beginning, and I just felt so lucky that I’d survived. I was on a motorcycle, and I broke my collarbone, I broke my teeth, I had to get stitches on my face and head, but it could have been so much worse. Since then I’ve been trying just to live in the moment and enjoy each day.
Kris Gottschalk
As a girl, what is it like doing New York Fashion Week: Men’s?
I’ve loved it. It was a very spontaneous thing; I didn’t come to town for castings; I was already here in New York and just started doing go-sees. I love working with the boys; they’re all so cute, very young, and a little angelic. It is great fun working with them.
For Public School you had to play a character, what was it like working with that Usual Suspects theme?
Maxwell [Osborne] and Dao-Yi [Chow] were serious about it; they wanted us to get in character and act. They let us go for it: Are you innocent? Are you nervous? Are you guilty or not? We all spent time talking about it and trying to make it an interesting performance. I spent some time speaking with Nick Wooster about how we were going to play it. Once we were actually in the lineup, though, you just had to go with your instincts and emotions. Since I was the only girl, I didn’t want to go in there and act like an angel! I played it up and acted like a grumpy little kid—there was a good chance that I was guilty!
Jeroen Teerlinck & Kris Gottschalk
Photo: Courtesy of Theory
Do you feel the movement toward gender ambiguity has expanded the possibilities you have as a model?
I’ve heard people talking about the new gender ambiguity. You see it, now a lot of the guys have very long hair, and then I’m in there with the short hair. It’s interesting. Since fashion is such a creative industry, I think people like to play with perceptions and expectations. A lot of the designers want someone who is authentic and has something to represent and say. That said, there have always been women with very short hair like Agyness Deyn or Linda Evangelista back in the day. As long as you’re yourself, it opens up doors.
What’s next?
I’m so excited for the women’s shows! I think that having a shaved head might bring something a little different to the women’s runways as well. We’ll see what the future brings!
I love her new look! She's one to watch for fashion month!
