Fashion People | Episode: Sims City

Host: Lauren Sherman
Guests: Jacob Gallagher (NYT), Molly Sims (model, actress, podcaster, founder)
Date: October 24, 2025

Main Theme

This episode of Fashion People delivers two main stories:

1. A timely, insiders' analysis of Grace Wales Bonner’s appointment as Creative Director of Menswear at Hermès, featuring a deep-dive with Jacob Gallagher of the New York Times.
2. An in-depth, candid interview with Molly Sims, tracing her career from modeling through Hollywood, motherhood, and entrepreneurship, culminating in the launch of her successful skincare brand.

Throughout, Lauren Sherman brings her signature “Line Sheet” style—sharp, analytical, yet genuinely fun—probing industry moves, career pivots, and the realities of celebrity and business with warmth and intelligence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breaking News: Grace Wales Bonner at Hermès (with Jacob Gallagher)

(Starts at 03:30)

• Jacob broke the appointment news of Grace Wales Bonner as Hermès’s new Menswear Creative Director.
• Wales Bonner’s background: Coming from Central Saint Martins and the London fashion scene, she’s known for a reverence for craft and tailoring.
• “Her dream” job: Citing an old System Magazine interview, Jacob notes:

  “She told System magazine many years ago that it was her dream to work at Hermès.” (05:14)

• Impact of the appointment:
  • Hermès will give her more room for exploration—“it moves slower, it’s going to give her time to develop,” says Jacob (08:13).
  • There’s curiosity about how she’ll connect with Hermès’s established, older clientele.
• Significance of outgoing designer Véronique Nichanian:
  • 37 years at Hermès: “She had such an intimate understanding of what their wealthy consumer wanted.” (06:44)
  • Her shows stood out for being wearable but never stale.
• Hermès’ unique structure:
  • Store directors buy for individual stores, unlike other major luxury houses.

    “Every store director buys the collection for the store. And this is very rare at this level of luxury to have that.” (11:15)

• Expectations for Wales Bonner:
  • She’s influential among designers even if not yet a household name in the U.S.
  • Debate over the future of her own label, especially its Adidas collaboration.
  • Jacob:

    “She would be the first designer in a long time to have her own brand and also be doing Hermès... La Mer and Margiela continued onward with their own brands post their time with Hermès.” (14:32)

  • Anticipation over whether she can create a “hit” men’s product (akin to her Adidas work).

Notable Quote:

• Jacob Gallagher:

  “Will she be able to pull something off like that [the Adidas Samba revival] with Hermès? … I’ll be really curious to see if she’s able to inject something like that into Hermès.” (16:53)

2. Molly Sims: Modeling, Reinvention, and Building a Beauty Brand

(Molly Segment starts at 18:41)

Podcasting & Parasocial Fame

• Molly’s podcast “Lipstick on the Rim” has run four years, co-hosted with her best friend Emisha Gormley.
• Discusses the unique fame from podcasting vs. modeling/acting.

  “Who needs a TV show? No, I’m just joking. … But I was a little—I didn’t love the gatekeeping of Hollywood, of beauty...” (21:10)

Early Career & Modeling Industry Realities

• Entered modeling with no connections, in the height of heroin-chic era—“I did not enter at a good time” (26:19)
• Recounts tough entry into European modeling:
  • Faced criticism for body type, moved to Germany and London, “I was a fucking worker. … I work like I’m poor.” (29:02)
• Tackled industry’s harshness and body dysmorphia; feels fortunate to have started at age 21 after two years of college.

  “My success was definitely not the prettiest, if not the tallest. But I was a good client. Like, I would show up, I would do my job...” (32:30)

• The tough parts:
  • “There’s no way I don’t have body dysmorphia to this day.” (33:22)
  • Her travels and relationships built global perspective and resilience.

Transitioning to Acting & Presenting

• Didn’t want to be “just critiqued all day”; had a voice and curiosity about art/fashion (44:46)
• Breakthroughs included French Vogue cover, Old Navy commercials, CoverGirl contract, and hosting MTV’s House of Style.
• Landed a recurring role on Las Vegas:

  “I got the best acting experience of my life working with Jimmy Caan. … I got to play tennis every day with him for four years.” (50:58)

• Managed modeling and acting careers simultaneously, often making complex logistics work:

  “I drove my product. … Don’t worry. I’m last seen out on a four. I’m on a red eye, I’m in Paris… And I was.” (51:08)

Motherhood & Career Balance

• Touches on the challenges for women in Hollywood, especially after having children.

  “You always have to try to figure it out. … It is innate that I do work hard.” (54:01)

• Advocates for later motherhood if possible—helped her “check other boxes” before starting a family.

Aging, Self-Esteem, and Public Life

• Pressure of aging in Hollywood:

  “First time in a really long time I felt 52… I was like, I need better lighting. Let’s f*ck that thing up.” (56:06)

• Women’s lives aren’t one chapter; multiple reinventions are possible.

  “You can have a lot of different chapters and you can live a lot of lives and it doesn’t mean one’s better than the next.” (57:37)

Founding a Skincare Brand

(Starts at 59:23)

• Brand was born from a desire to be part of building something from inception, not “just the pretty picture at the end.”
• Worked with Kim Kreuzberger and her consulting firm, Pivot Projects, to analyze her strengths and opportunities.
• Origin story:

  “I stopped everything… I went upstairs and brought down like 15 products… and [Kim] was like, ‘I want you to talk to someone.’ And that’s how it started.” (62:16)

• Her product ethos: “Hero driven”—make a great, multifunctional product instead of endless lines.
• Self-funded at first before taking some investment.
• Shock at how much of the beauty industry is “white label”—but Molly involved herself deeply in actives, formulation, and clinical efficacy:

  “I now have a master’s at Harvard in business school—kidding! I can do ops. I can do supply chain. I can do social marketing. … It is the single hardest thing.” (69:36)

• Entered Sephora in June 2024.
• Emphasis on doing things on her own terms and only backing what she believes in.

Good Judgement & Taking Risks

• Noted for spotting talent and potential (she helped launch The Home Edit):

  “I just, when people ask me, I’m very easy to work for because I know exactly what I don’t like.” (72:15)

• Only pursues projects she truly believes in—her production work is highly selective.
• Grit and hustle:

  “I’m just, like, an engine that doesn’t quit. I just keep trying to start it up.” (74:57)

• Encourages women to have resilience and truly understand their “why.”

  “You have to be more passionate about it than anyone else, right? … You have to believe in it so much that you can live and die off of it.” (75:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lauren Sherman on Veronique Nichanian at Hermès:

  “It didn't feel dated to me. ... She was connecting to real humans in her designs.” (12:13)

• Molly Sims on transparency in Hollywood:

  “I didn't love the gatekeeping of Hollywood, of beauty...I was always honest.” (21:10)

• Molly Sims coping with rejection:

  “I sometimes think no is not always bad. You learn from no.” (41:17)

• Molly, on pivot points:

  “Didn’t want to stand there and have people critique me all day long… I knew that I had a voice.” (44:46)

• On succeeding across industries:

  “You can have a lot of different chapters and live a lot of lives.” (57:37)

• On launching her beauty brand:

  “I realized what was missing was all the things I’d do after—humectants to make it not burn and rip… that’s why they’re so successful.” (66:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:30 – Lauren and Jacob discuss Wales Bonner's Hermès appointment
• 11:15 – Hermès’ store structure and impact on design/commercial side
• 14:32 – What happens to Wales Bonner’s own brand, Adidas collaboration
• 18:41 – Molly Sims joins: on starting her podcast and the culture of honesty
• 26:19 – Molly’s entry into modeling, the “heroin chic” era
• 32:30 – Building industry resilience, body image issues
• 44:46 – Why she pivoted from modeling to acting/hosting
• 50:58 – Landing and working on “Las Vegas”
• 54:07 – Motherhood, career, and aging in Hollywood
• 59:23 – Skincare brand origin, working with Kim Kreuzberger
• 62:16 – The Home Edit anecdote, finding direction in business
• 69:36 – Lessons from beauty startups; entering Sephora
• 72:15 – Good judgment and the power of believing in your projects
• 75:41 – The importance of “knowing your why” and resilience in entrepreneurship

Episode Mood & Tone

The tone is friendly, fast-paced, and insightful—mixing “insider” fashion world analysis with grounded, relatable stories about career, pivoting, personal growth, and business reality. Sherman’s interviews are both incisive and empathetic, bringing out candor and authenticity in her guests.

Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is for anyone who wants a window into how the highest levels of the fashion world work—how designers are chosen at old-guard brands, and what it’s really like to move from supermodel to mogul. Grace Wales Bonner’s appointment kicks off spirited, knowledgeable analysis. Molly Sims then delivers wisdom on reinvention, resilience, and business, with equal doses of hard truth and encouragement—making this installment a masterclass in the realities of modern creative careers.