I Adore Tatjana Patitz
Whenever I think of sexy broads smoking cigarettes, I always think of Tatjana Patitz. Tatjana was one of the five models on Steven Meisel’s now-legendary January 1990 Vogue UK cover. As the story goes, George Michael was so mesmerized by the cover that he cast all five models in his Freedom ‘90 video.
At that time, Tatjana was already ubiquitous: Her face was everywhere. Although she never toiled in obscurity, the video still didn’t make “Tatjana” into a household name. Lip-synching the words to a George Michael song elevated the careers of Cindy, Naomi, Christy and Linda into iconic status. Forget what Janice Dickinson says, because the era of the supermodel began on the day that Freedom ‘90 premiered. Before that day, there were no supermodels.
Nevertheless, Tatjana wasn’t really a supermodel, despite her efforts to make smoking in bed look more glamorous than any other pastime known to man. The reason: Tatjana’s beauty was a little too esoteric. Editors and photographers practically wet themselves over this gorgeous woman. Meanwhile, the public didn’t get her.
I guess it goes to show you that fashion isn’t for everyone. I don’t need to explain why Tatjana Patitz was a legend in the business, and I don’t need to explain why Gareth Pugh is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I don’t know why anyone in the industry would want to share their secrets, anyway. The purpose of fashion is to elevate us above the artless rabble, not to bring us down to the level of the common man. If I wanted that, I’d read InStyle.
