British Vogue - 09.2019

INTERVIEW: TIMOTHY HARRISON. DAVID BAILEY; GETTY IMAGES; REX FEATURES/SHUTTERSTOCK

VOGUE ASKS

What qualities should every good leader have?

Compassion, commitment and honesty.

How did you establish your credibility when people

doubted you?

By being a witness. I went to Honduras in 1981

to document the Salvadoran death squads that were

kidnapping refugees. They pointed their M16s

and we screamed they’d have to kill us all – and

they let the refugees go.

What’s one urgent problem that deserves more attention?

Climate change.

What novel should people read before they turn 30?

L’Etranger by Albert Camus was the first book I read

in French. It had a profound influence on my life.

You are known for wearing a white linen suit.

What is it about a suit that you love?

If it is well-cut, it’s a very elegant and practical outfit to wear.

What important lesson did you

teach your daughter? “Authenticity.”

What was

your last fashion

purchase?

“A red satin

coat from Prada.

I’m not a red

person, but now

everybody says

I should always

wear red.”

Bianca

Jagger

photographed

by David

Bailey

for Vogue,

December

1974

What would

Bianca Jagger do?

Advice on life, love and style from the seasoned human rights defender

Andy Warhol introduced

you to the art world.

What did he teach you?

“He had this childlike

quality of never being blasé

• never. Andy was genuinely
  interested in people, and
  people could tell.”

You’ve spotlighted

human rights abuses for

decades, and started a

foundation in 2005. What

achievement makes you

proudest? “The evacuation

of children from the

Bosnian War, in 1993.

I brought an eight-year-old

boy [Mohammed, left] to

New York for a heart

operation. He lived with

me until we could bring

his parents to America.”

Bianca with her daughter

Jade and granddaughters

Assisi and Amba

What do you do if someone’s late for lunch?

It has happened to me. I read the paper.

Yves Saint Laurent was your style mentor.

What did he teach you about flawless style?

The most important thing is where he placed the

shoulder pads. He made me the most elegant suits.

You’ve said you prefer designers who love women.

Who do you wear these days?

I like to wear dresses more than I used to. I love Dior.

What should I do to get over a broken heart?

Remember that no one deserves for you to suffer.

Where do you go for a glamorous lunch in London?

Claridge’s.

Andy Warhol once called you the most romantic

girl of the 20th century. Were you?

Yes. I am hopelessly romantic, I believed in

extraordinary loves. n

Where’s the

best place to

buy a gift?

“Le Bon Marché

in Paris, for a

scarf.”

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