Karen Elson’s Wardrobe Is an Accidental Archive

The supermodel and her artist daughter Scarlett White share an expansive collection of rare designer pieces and fashion laced with history.

Karen Elson will never quit her day job. Though she’s found acclaim as a singer-songwriter, author, and occasional interior designer, Elson remains a fashion mainstay, ever-present on the cover of glossy bibles like Vogue Italia or in ads for Burberry and Versace. While many of her ’90s contemporaries have hung up their heels, at 46 she still finds getting in front of a camera—and connecting with an on-set team—enthralling.

“I still have so much fun with it,” she says in her East Village apartment. “Being a good model isn’t about beauty—sure, your cheekbones have something to do with it, but it’s also about how you show up when you’re working and if you’re ready to be a collaborator; if you’re willing to be molded and shifted to play a part in what you create. I was willing to go the extra mile, willing to literally get in a room with a lion—which happened—or go stand on the edge of a mountain because it was going to make a gorgeous photo.” Few would pose alongside an apex predator, but for Elson, it’s another day at the office. “The joy of photography is play; you don’t know how it’s going to turn out,” she says. “So many of those iconic moments were happy accidents that occurred when people were allowed to just be creative.” Elson’s enthusiastic outlook allows her to take risks others wouldn’t, even comparatively tame ones. It’s a brisk autumn day when most of New York is bundled in puffer coats and layered scarves, but she is a jolt of sunny energy in a lemon sundress. “I will always be the girl who loves walking into a vintage store and finding a gorgeous one-of-a-kind dress,” she says. “It never gets old.”

The kind of arresting Manhattan apartment whose visual impact defies its square footage, Elson’s abode feels like an escape. Paintings by Jenna Gribbon and Louis Fratino, set against colorfully patterned wallpaper, make for a jewel box of a space. “It’s wonderful when things come into your life and just inspire you,” she says. “My husband and I collect a lot of art, so many of our days are spent just sending pictures to each other back and forth.” Her taste skews toward portraiture, oil painting, and contemporary photography. “The social media age has its negatives, but the one good thing is that it’s broken down the barriers of what people label themselves,” says Elson. “I think if you’re creative, your mediums are many.”She shares the magic—and her archival wardrobe—with her daughter, Scarlett Teresa White, an 18-year-old art student with a passion for ceramics and an eye for old-school Margiela. A Gen Z beauty whose style is a dark take on whimsy, White shares her mother’s polymath tendencies. Sharing a stage with her father, Jack White, whom she accompanied on bass guitar during his tour in February, she’s eager to explore all sides of her creativity. “Both my parents are artists, and they kind of introduced me to all forms of art, like a plethora of different artists, musicians,” she explains. “I just wanted to kind of dip my feet in the water and experiment.”Together, the pair explore flea markets, gab about inspirations, and meld their love of music into contrasting looks. With Scarlett starting her sophomore year at university and Elson a newlywed—after marrying longtime partner Lee Foster on the rooftop of Electric Lady Studios in a custom Alessandro Michele gown last year—2025 is set to be a transformative year.

You started modeling at 16 and grew up in the industry. How did that affect your tastes?When it comes to style, what have you learned from each other?

ELSON: My early adult life was spent around so many crazy, creative people. It’s funny because Pat McGrath just sent me a lipstick, and Pat was one of my earliest friends in fashion—someone I’ve always had so much admiration for. She’s more than just a makeup artist; she’s an artist, she’s brilliant. Grace Coddington was also very much a mentor to me throughout my career, and seeing them work was very informative. I saw that Grace was interested in not just fashion but also textiles, photography, and the history of photography.Anna Sui used to take me to the flea market when I was Scarlett’s age. When I first moved to New York, she’d take me to the Chelsea Flea Market, and I didn’t even realize what was happening as we walked through. She’d point out what each designer was, what each period of fashion represented, and suggest, “You should go to the textile museum, you should check out this exhibit.” She’d encourage me to absorb it all—the photography, the fashion. I did that, and it was very informative to me, both for my own personal style and for understanding what fashion is truly about.WHITE: Well, I steal all of her clothes. She had an attic upstairs where there were tons of her archival pieces from all her runway shows, where she’d been given clothes from designers. And it’s so nice to learn firsthand what it is I’m feeling, what I’m touching, what I’m wearing. It’s like, this is the Chanel bag that she got. This is the Jean Paul Gaultier dress that she used to wear and stuff like that. It’s just nice to think about what she used to wear as a young person now translating into what I’m wearing as a young person.ELSON: It’s so different too. I’m always blown away by Scarlett’s style. I remember when she was in high school, she would come down the stairs, and I’d be like, oh my God, I can’t believe she’s wearing those Chanel hot pants, but it looked great. I wish I’d known how to put a look together back in high school, but I really didn’t. Maybe it’s because I was living [fashion] and not really appreciating it enough. When I see it through her, when she just walks down the stairs and I’m like, “Oh my God, that look is genius.” It’s wonderful. I see so much of her personality shine through in the way she styles things. I’m convinced there’s a fashion stylist in her!

When did you start to really engage with high-fashion—not just as a model?What are some of your favorite pieces up in the attic?Where do you think fashion is headed?

ELSON: Well, I was actually given my first pieces [from Chanel] because I didn’t have anything nice to wear. As a teenager, I never had anything. I couldn’t afford it. I’d just shot a Chanel campaign, which was my first big advertising job. At the time, I had maybe a few pairs of jeans but nothing nice. Karl Lagerfeld took me downstairs to the flagship Rue Cambon Chanel store and said, “Get anything you want.” I felt like Cinderella, I couldn’t believe it. So I didn’t get as much as I should have because I didn’t want to be greedy, but I still have those clothes. When Scarlett went into the attic and naturally gravitated toward the Chanel, it made me so happy.ELSON: Alexander McQueen designed this couture dress that he gave me after we had this incredible night out in New York when I was 19. It was such a tender moment. We got so tipsy and danced the night away. And at four o’clock in the morning, I’m like, “Lee, I’ve got to go home. I’m so tired. Shall I find you in the morning, and shall I bring you the dress?” And he was like, “No, no. Fucking take that dress!” It was amazing going back to my tiny little apartment in this gorgeous couture gown. Scarlett actually wore it when I did this performance at Café Carlyle, and it looked gorgeous. It doesn’t fit me anymore, but I have such a fond memory of it.There’s also this pair of sparkling blue Miu Miu shoes. They’re so high I don’t even know how I walked on the runway in them—I don’t know how anyone did—they have these huge button-size sequins. I wore them in the show, so afterward, Miuccia Prada gifted them to me. We went out dancing that night and found ourselves at a party where Prince was. Prince stops me, points at my shoes, and goes, “They’re amazing.” Then I danced with him for 30 seconds, and he wandered off with his entourage! I couldn’t believe my life.WHITE: It’s so hard to pick favorites. I have things that I wear all the time, but one I love is this Vivienne Westwood shirt. It’s peach with long sleeves and these black designs all over it, which is perfect to wear during the fall. I’ve been gravitating toward it lately—I want to wear it all the time. Then there’s this incredible brown leather Balenciaga jacket by Nicolas Ghesquière that is just so worn in and buttery soft.ELSON: I think fashion is ever-evolving, and that alone is inspiring. Any given season or year, things change so much in this job, and there’s new creative talent coming in—it feels like every other month. Sometimes that can be exhausting in itself, but I feel like there’s so much creativity. I love working with great photographers, designers, fashion editors, or even creative directors. That’s why it is always inspiring to get on set and have an interesting or inspiring shoot. Working with people I’ve known for years is wonderful, and collaborating with new people is equally thrilling in its own way. The older I get, the more I look at my daughter’s age group and her friends—the people she’s relating to—and I see that they’re both the present and the future.WHITE: See, I feel like it’s all coming back around, full-circle, to a ’90s supermodel thing. Of course, it’s not the same, but more things are happening lately that feel compelling—there is iconic stuff happening right now. They’re trying to bring some of the creativity and life back into fashion. There are cool models, cool designers, and new things that feel inspiring. I love what Gabriette is doing, Alex Consani, Yasmin Wijnaldum . . . .ELSON: Youth culture has always been where fashion is most vital. It’s the way young people put outfits together, reinterpret art, and reinterpret fashion that creates trends. I mean, it’s interesting now to be of a generation where every trend has returned. I came up during the ’90s and early 2000s, so seeing that era come full-circle, especially in my child, has been interesting. I think my role these days is to sit back and watch. I sit back and watch and go, OK, kids, what are you doing now? Granted, when cycling shorts made a comeback, I was not here for that—athleisure is not my thing—but if they want to try it, I am all for it.

W magazine, Dazed & Confused,