Why Canadian model Heather Marks rocks
By Allison Dean (www.ellecanada.com)
Canadian supermodel Heather Marks’ picks, from Jay-Z to Zanzibar.
Heather Marks’ doll-like beauty has charmed the fashion world, but it’s her down-to-earth Canadian attitude that has helped her go the distance. Discovered at the age of 11 in her native Calgary, Marks made her runway debut four years later at Givenchy’s spring couture show in 2003. Since then, she has walked the catwalks for Burberry, Christian Lacroix, Zac Posen and Chanel. Now based in Greenwich Village, the model took a break from her peripatetic schedule (we caught her in between an American Eagle store opening in Times Square and a fashion shoot in Texas) to give ELLE her take on fashion, beauty and the other essentials of “supermodeldom.”
FASHION & STYLE
What is your constant companion?
“I always carry my navy-blue Balenciaga bag. I’ve just destroyed it, but it’s my number one and I carry it everywhere.”
What’s in it?
“You’ll always find my BlackBerry—horrible, I know! Usually I have a digital camera because you never know when you’ll need one. Also, I always carry NARS Duo Concealer in Vanilla/Honey, and I’m a huge ChapStick person.”
How would your friends describe your style?
“I dress pretty comfortably—normally in leggings or jeans. There will be days when my friends are like ‘Oh, my God, Heather, what are you wearing?’ but I always wear what I like, not what other people like.”
Who are your favourite designers?
“I really love Alex Wang—what girl doesn’t? He has fun, young designs that are easy to wear and lots of leather, which I love. Azzaro also has great half-denim, half-leather jackets that are really cool.”
What are your favourite spring trends?
“I like the
military look—it’s masculine yet sexy—and I love the green and khaki combination. I also noticed a lot of lingerie over fashion at Marc Jacobs and Dolce & Gabbana, which I thought was really cute.”
View all the spring trends here.
Do you have any fashion don’ts?
“I’m not a huge fan of neon. And I don’t like pointy stilettos: If you get the right point they’re okay, but people go out and get these witchy, pointy, awful shoes thinking that they’re fashionable and it’s like ‘No, no no!’”
Who are your friends in the modelling world?
“I don’t normally hang out with the other girls. We hung out when we were younger, but when you’re working all day and you’re finally done, you want to go somewhere else. When we’re working, we get along really well, which is great because we can be friends at work. And I definitely don’t have frenemies!”
Who was your favourite model when you were growing up?
“
Linda Evangelista, mainly because she’s Canadian and she was the one person I knew of at the time. Growing up, I didn’t know a lot about fashion or models.”
Have you had any fashion casualties?
“I’ve definitely had a zipper break or a stiletto snap just before I walked onto the runway. I’m lucky, though: I always walk on my toes, even in flats, so when the heel snaps I don’t fall!”
Who are your style icons?
“Daphne Guinness and Madonna—two people who aren’t afraid to take it there. I admire their risk-taking.”
ellecanada.com