Kristin Scott Thomas Calls Erdem With Her Fashion Emergencies

Summary

---

The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode: Kristin Scott Thomas Calls Erdem With Her Fashion Emergencies
Release Date: February 24, 2026
Guests: Kristin Scott Thomas (actress), Erdem Moralıoğlu (designer)
Hosts: Chloe Malle, Chioma Nnadi

---

Episode Overview

This episode offers an intimate conversation between acclaimed actress Kristin Scott Thomas and celebrated designer Erdem Moralıoğlu, with Vogue hosts Chloe Malle and Chioma Nnadi. Exploring their creative partnership, the duo reflects on two decades of friendship, sartorial collaboration, and memorable fashion moments—from damehood at the palace to spontaneous "fashion emergencies." Listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at inspiration, the realities of couture, and the evolving meaning of style across both personal lives and public events.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Erdem's 20th Anniversary & The “Imaginary Conversation” Show

• Theme and Concept:

  • Erdem shares his discomfort with the word “retrospective,” preferring a more dynamic approach to marking his 20-year milestone.
  • The latest show was conceived as an "imaginary conversation" among muses—Radclyffe Hall, Duke Ellington, Deborah Mitford, Marion North—bringing voices across time into imagined dialogue.
  • Quote: “I love this idea of this almost like this imaginary impossible conversation…” (Erdem, 01:06)

• Behind the Scenes:

  • The show’s creation was informed by the writing of Erdem’s recent book (notably non-chronological) and aimed to embody the messy, creative “space between my ears.” (02:09)

2. Kristin and Erdem’s Relationship: From Damehood to Weddings

• First Meeting:

  • Kristin needed an outfit for her damehood ceremony, leading to her first visit to Erdem’s studio—above a popcorn-scented cinema with her young son in tow (03:12).
  • Quote: “You made me something beautiful to wear to the palace.” (Kristin, 03:12)

• Evolution of Friendship and Collaboration:

  • Over the years, Erdem has dressed Kristin for milestone events including the Met Gala and her wedding celebration.
  • Fashion Emergencies:
    • Kristin jokes about last-minute requests: "Emergency calls. Emergency calls. I need something for tomorrow." (05:43)
    • Everyday moments—like seeing friends in his clothes—bring Erdem the most excitement (07:06).

3. The Joy and Responsibility of Dressing Icons

• Tailoring to Life’s Moments:

  • Erdem acknowledges the honor and pressure of dressing loved ones for significant occasions.
  • However, the real thrill is in garments being chosen for “real world” wear: “In truth, actually, that’s the most thrilling thing.” (Erdem, 06:27)
  • Kristin agrees, noting there's “something magical and poetic” about Erdem’s designs, which remain accessible through simple forms (Kristin, 02:19).

• On the Psychology of Dressing:

  • Erdem describes the transformative effect of wearing his designs: “There’s this kind of extraordinary moment when someone has zipped in something… They feel like a more beautiful version of themselves.” (Erdem, 07:29)

4. The Legendary Nail Polish Incident at the Met Gala (08:45)

• Storytelling Gold:

  • Kristin recounts a backstage near-disaster: a jittery assistant drops a silver nail polish bottle onto her gown moments before the event.
  • With luck, the stain is hidden by a fold in the fabric—averting what could have been a nightmare.
  • Quote: “The remaining bit of silver nail polish was just in one of the beautiful little folds. So it got hid by a shadow. Oh, thank goodness.” (Kristin, 10:21)

• Segue to the Gala Night:

  • Their night at the Met was capped by a front-row “Like a Prayer” Madonna performance, which left Erdem blissed out (11:24).

5. Celebrating with Ruthie Rogers of the River Cafe (12:26)

• Ruthie, a close friend, chef, and founder of the River Cafe, is organizing an intimate dinner to celebrate Erdem’s 20th anniversary.
• Both guests share admiration for Ruthie’s ability to connect people and her omnivorous engagement with the arts.

6. Charli XCX’s Pink Wuthering Heights Gown (14:41)

• Erdem shares anecdotes about creating a striking pink bridal gown and gothic veil for Charli XCX—melding references across collections and embodying the drama of the Brontëan narrative.
• He reflects on his eclectic inspiration: "The woman that I designed for is somewhere, somewhere in between those two extraordinary women and everyone." (Erdem, 16:43)

7. Reminiscing About the First Show (17:34)

• DIY Roots:
  • In 2006, with little budget, Erdem and his husband Philip (an architect) hand-painted thrifted shoes black for the runway (17:43).
  • The debut collection (“inspired by George Sand”) sold first to Barneys New York before London, highlighting shifting centers of fashion influence (19:57).

8. Creative Motives: Childhood and Early Inspirations (20:20)

• Erdem remembers being “a strange child,” drawing women, designing for Barbie, and being fascinated by feminine codes thanks to his twin sister (20:23).

  • Quote: “From a very early age I was really preoccupied by how women dressed, how they looked, how they moved.” (Erdem, 20:49)

• Kristin recalls her own playful origins as an actress—copying friends while playing, and her “disaster at school” leading her to the stage (22:07).

9. Costume and Character: Clothing as Transformation

• Kristin unpacks the critical role costumes play in her acting, especially in period films.
  • “When you start building the character, basically when you find the costume, you’re looking for the character as well.” (Kristin, 25:41)
  • Vivid anecdote: Catherine Deneuve recognized Kristin’s pallor from period corsets, underscoring the physical toll and authenticity of historical wardrobe (26:33).

10. Erdem’s Creative Process and Team (28:21; 30:20)

• Favorite part of designing: the rush at both the collection’s “blank page” inception and the fleeting backstage moment before a show (28:44).

  • Quote: “There’s this fleeting moment where this kind of idea, this kind of manifesto is alive and on someone.” (Erdem, 29:36)

• Breaks down pattern cutting and fit: the technical, collaborative, and iterative nature of couture from sketch to drape to finished garment (31:17).

11. On Fashion’s Evolution: Everything Has Changed / Nothing Has Changed (33:16)

• Erdem reflects on industry change: from no online shopping to the Instagram era—even as his creative core and continuity of language remains unchanged (33:17).

12. Kristin’s Upcoming Projects (34:35)

• Shares that the TV series "Slow Horses" is ongoing, her film "My Mother’s Wedding" (with Scarlett Johansson and Sienna Miller) is upcoming in April, and she will perform in "The Cherry Orchard" in October (34:40).

  • Quote: “[Stage is] a completely different set of muscles... requires a big engine. So you have to keep that engine really sort of tuned up.” (Kristin, 36:04)

---

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

Friendship & Artistic Support

• Kristin on Erdem’s Support:
  • “It is the symbol of me deciding to marry this wonderful man and this wonderful man accepting me in that dress.” (05:06)

The Met Gala Nail Polish Fiasco

• Kristin: “I still get a sort of lurch when I think about that. Oof.” (08:52)
• Erdem: “A wet wipe, which was a disaster. No, no, no, no, no, Honestly.” (10:18)

Madonna at the Met

• Erdem: “Like a prayer, Madonna mega moment. And we were just, like, in the front row of a concert.” (11:35)

On Their Craft

• Erdem: “What is it that happens in someone’s brain that... they feel like a more beautiful version of themselves?” (07:29)
• Kristin: “When you start building the character, basically when you find the costume, you’re looking for the character as well.” (25:41)

---

Noteworthy Timestamps

• [01:06] – Erdem on the “imaginary conversation” show concept
• [03:12] – Kristin & Erdem recall their first meeting
• [05:43] – Kristin’s “emergency calls” for last-minute dresses
• [08:45] – The infamous nail polish spill before the Met
• [11:24] – Madonna’s legendary performance at the Met Gala
• [14:41] – Charli XCX’s pink Wuthering Heights gown
• [17:43] – Erdem recounts his first fashion show in 2006
• [20:23] – Childhood inspirations for both Erdem and Kristin
• [25:41] – Kristin on costumes and character formation
• [28:44] – Erdem’s creative highs and process
• [30:20] – Pattern cutting and atelier behind the scenes
• [33:16] – Reflections on what has (and hasn’t) changed in fashion
• [34:40] – Kristin’s upcoming roles and projects

---

Closing Thoughts

This episode shines as a celebration of creative partnerships, the joys and dramas of fashion, and the emotional arcs that garments—and friendships—can witness. Both Kristin Scott Thomas and Erdem reveal how deeply personal style intersects with career milestones, memory, and art, making for a delightful listen for fashion fans and anyone interested in the magic behind the scenes.

---

Transcript

[A]

This episode of the Run through is brought to you by Bumble. One of the reasons why so many of my friends are on Bumble is that it makes conversations feel that much more natural and easy. This is partly thanks to the app's guidance tools, which help you put your most confident self forward, and partly because my friends are also amazing people. Bumble offers tips on writing and filling up prompts, sparking more conversations instead of stale small talk. You'll never be left chatting about the weather again. If you're looking for someone who gets your vibe, refresh your Bumble profile today. This is the Run Through.

[B]

I'm Cho Menardi, and I'm here with one of fashion's faves, Adam. Welcome back to the Run Through. I can't believe we're lucky to be joined by an absolute legend, Kristin Scott Thomas. Thank you so much for coming and welcome to both of you.

[C]

Thank you very much.

[B]

We're so excited to have you here during this really crazy week. Let's start with the show yesterday. I love that you called it Imaginary Conversation. Tell us about the starting point.

[D]

Well, it was, I mean, coincidentally, it's my 20 year anniversary since we started, so my first show was in February 2006. I think there was something about the word retrospective that makes me feel kind of slightly uncomfortable. So I was. And maybe it was the exercise of doing the book that came out just before Christmas. When we were putting together the book, I was determined that it wasn't like chronological. And in a strange way, when the show was coming together, this idea of the imaginary conversation between all of these muses and characters, the idea of Radcliffe hall speaking to Duke Ellington, Duke Ellington speaking to Deborah Mitford, Deborah Mitford speaking to Marion North. I love this idea of this almost like this imaginary impossible conversation of all

[C]

of these muses which all goes on in your head.

[D]

Exactly.

[C]

And then it ends up on the page.

[D]

Exactly.

[C]

Beautiful.

[D]

Exactly the space between my ears.

[B]

Kristen, you've been to several Erdie shows over the years. What is it about his work that you love?

[C]

Well, there's something very kind of magical and an overused word but poetic about his clothing. And at the same time, the shapes are always very simple. And the way he juxtaposes ribbon and embroidery and then a sort of bit of denim or something. I think he's just really, really exactly what he's just described.

[B]

I'd love to know how you both met because I think it's like, it's such a beautiful pairing and a beautiful conversation.

[C]

Well, I was looking for an outfit to wear to something.

[D]

Well, it was a big something. It was when you became a dame.

[C]

Oh, yeah, it was. No, it was. And I came to the studio and it was in that. That in Beth on Green Road or something, wasn't it? Up there somewhere?

[D]

We were above a movie theater.

[C]

That's right.

[D]

Everything smelted. Popcorn.

[C]

Yeah. And there were these huge tables with huge rolls of fabric on them. And I brought my little boy along and he was very interested in bicycles and making things at the time, who was little then. So he just goes. You saw the size of him now anyway, so. Yeah, that's. That's the proof that time has passed. And it was a long time ago, but. Yeah, you made me something beautiful to wear to the palace. And that was what. I can't remember the date of that.

[D]

It's like 12, 13 years ago, something like that. We met then and I of course was always aware of this extraordinary body of work beyond everything from the English Patient to everything. And let alone the body of work from French film, English film, American film, like just this extraordinary catalog of work. And I'd seen Kristen in Elektra, which was just the most. I still to this day think it was the most gripping, beautiful performance I've ever seen on a stage. It was the most extraordinary thing. And then to have this extraordinary woman really become a friend. We became kind of partners in crime and I decided to. We. We went to the Met together, which was wonderful.

[C]

That was fun.

[D]

The Catholic imagination. So. And I made her this kind of extraordinary kind of moire, kind of watteau backed dress. And most recently I made a dress for your. Kind of.

[C]

For my wedding.

[D]

Wedding.

[C]

My wedding party dress.

[D]

Wedding celebration.

[C]

So we wanted. It was quite a difficult thing to come up with because I wanted something that went well in the countryside that. That was fun, but had a kind of stateliness to it as well. Is that the right word? Not really stately, but something which was a bit impressive.

[B]

Yeah. Excessive time. Yeah.

[C]

But still had to be fun. So that's quite a difficult mix. It is the symbol of me deciding to marry this wonderful man and this wonderful man accepting me in that dress.

[D]

Wonderful. Well, anyway, but the. It was a wonderful exercise for, you know, someone that I love. It was so nice to. It was so wonderful to kind of create something that was. That felt really. It was also. The setting was extraordinary and it was in the countryside and it was just a magical night. But anyways, we've had lots of moments and lots of moments in between and

[C]

an emergency calls. Emergency calls. I need something for tomorrow.

[D]

Yes. With, like, involving like a French president or all of those things. So you. You're extraordinary and equally like, so nice to just have you in our kitchen and have a roast chicken. Equally.

[C]

Yes, it's true.

[B]

It's such a privilege to be able to dress someone in the most important moments in their life. And I think that that's true. Whether it's a wedding or going to see the, you know, going to the palace. How does it differ from making a collection? Why do you enjoy doing it? And there's a weight of responsibility, I'm sure, because this has to please the people that you love the most, you

[D]

know, in a way. And, well, what an honor to dress women from all sorts of different backgrounds and talents and everything. You know, that's. First of all, that's the most thrilling thing. Absolutely wonderful to dress someone for an amazing moment in the palace or a wedding, actually, if I'm really being honest, I would say that if you just see someone or a friend just wearing something as they walk down the street, or you in having dinner with them, or you see someone across a restaurant wearing something that's yours, there is like, in truth, actually, that's the most thrilling thing. If you see someone in an art gallery and they're wearing something of yours, that must be.

[C]

For me, I would imagine that that would be the most thrilling. When you see somebody taking your design into ordinary. Into the real world, not ordinary life, but the real, real world, which isn't, you know, which is a choice rather than something that has a sort of an event where you present. But this is just a choice. For my daily life, I want to wear this little tweed coat or whatever,

[D]

you know, the psychology of, you know, often people are like, you know, in your. What's the aspect of your job that you enjoy the most? Or da, da, da, da, da. There's this kind of extraordinary moment when someone has zipped in something or puts on something and they see a reflection of themselves. What is it that happens in someone's brain that gets them to. To take it? They understand that they feel like a more beautiful version of themselves and that truly, generally speaking, is a motivation. Or they feel more powerful wearing it, or they feel like it says something about them when they wear it. Whatever the motivation. But to be, you know, to create something that is part of that psychology is really interesting. But when I do see someone, I don't know, wearing something, it happened at the. I don't know what'll happen. Let's say at an art Gallery or something. I'll walk by someone, maybe they're wearing a dress of mine, and I'll say, I love your dress. And I just walk away. And that's it. Just like as a stranger, I don't say. I don't say I've made it. I just say. I just compliment them.

[C]

That's true.

[B]

But sometimes they must recognize you. Sometimes very.

[D]

Yeah. I mean, on occasion, I think mostly they're just like, who is this strange man with glasses? It's like staring at my buttons all night or whatever.

[C]

It's great.

[B]

Well, I want you to tell us, please, about the nail polish story.

[D]

Oh, my God, the nail polish story.

[C]

I still get a sort of lurch when I think about that. Oof. So we were doing a final check before the Met, and I put on this beautiful dress. It came out of its tissue paper, and the tissue paper that's in the sleeves came out and the beautiful Watteau back. And we were thinking about hair and makeup. And there was a very, very sweet who was quite jittery, and she was. She said, well, what about these nail polishes? And we're looking at the nail polishes and we're saying, well, we really need to see what they're like. And she shakes the bottle.

[B]

Oh, God, no.

[D]

Something happened.

[C]

And something happened. It flew out of her hand, spinning in the air. Spinning in the air. And the poor girl literally disintegrated. Do you remember how she was just. And I could see him also. Same thing. Melting with the horror of it all. And there was about a dollar coin. They don't exist anymore. But that's what the size is. Half a crown. That doesn't exist either. 50pps that exists.

[D]

We're getting Dickensian, as we're like.

[C]

Of silver nail polish in the middle of the train.

[B]

Oh, no.

[C]

And then I watched as chaos. And of course, I knew what to do because I'm very, very practical.

[D]

You are.

[C]

But you rushed off to get a wet wipe.

[D]

A wet wipe, which was a disaster. No, no, no, no, no, Honestly.

[C]

And she was just, like, shaking and terrified. I was kind of in a situation where I couldn't really get down and do it because I was wearing the thing and I didn't want to move to make it spread anymore. But just because we were being looked after by the gods that evening, it turned out that the remaining bit of silver nail polish was just in one of the beautiful little folds. So it got hid by a shadow. Oh, thank goodness. But it was a moment to remember in your worst dreams.

[B]

It Was wardrobe malfunction.

[D]

No more at the Met.

[A]

No more.

[D]

No more nail polish.

[C]

But what were we thinking, looking at nail polish when I'm dressed in the dress? I don't know.

[D]

I don't know.

[C]

I mean, we were so excited to have the dress on because it looked so gorgeous. We didn't want to take it off.

[D]

You just looked really beautiful. But that was. We had so much fun.

[C]

I know.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Tell us about that night. I heard they were singing to Madonna,

[D]

dancing for hours in France.

[C]

You're such a Madonna fan.

[D]

I was. And we somehow. I don't know how someone maybe tipped us off to, like, get to the bottom of the stairs.

[C]

Yes, yes, yes.

[D]

The bottom of the big stairs in the Met. We were like, you kind of do what you're told in those situations. So we were like. We promptly, you know, dinner finished, and we both, you know, like good guests, made our way to the bottom of the big stairs. So we were in the front row of the bottom of the big stairs, and lo and behold, there is, like, a. Like a prayer, Madonna mega moment. And we were just, like, in the front row of a concert.

[C]

Bliss. He was blissed out.

[D]

Honestly.

[B]

That was one of the best performances at the Met, I think, ever. Coming down the stairs, I had, like,

[D]

Kristen on my arm. I'm looking at Madonna. I was. It was really. It was. That was good. It was good.

[A]

Heavenly. Heavenly.

[B]

It was in a. Heavenly Bodies. It was a Heavenly Bodies exhibit.

[D]

Literally, a heavenly moment.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Well, I know that there's. The 20th anniversary dinner is happening tonight.

[D]

Yes, it's actually. It's gonna be. It's a very special. And it was Ruthie's idea to come up with the idea of having a dinner, a celebration, and she.

[B]

Tell it for our listeners who don't know who Ruthie is.

[D]

Well, Ruthie is an extraordinary, iconic, amazing woman. An amazing chef, an amazing. She founded the River Cafe, which is arguably one of the most famous. The most famous restaurant in the world. But she's also one of my best and most loved friends. She's an amazing woman and she's. I just. I love her very much.

[C]

She has a great podcast. Have you done her podcast?

[D]

Yes, I've done her.

[C]

It's really fun, isn't it?

[D]

The best podcast in the world, apart from yours, Alongside yours, Alongside yours.

[C]

But also, what she's really, really great at is connecting people. Don't you find? She just is.

[B]

Yeah, she's a real connector.

[C]

She's so clever and she. She listens to everything, so she has an opinion about everything. She goes to every single show you can possibly imagine. So she's seen all the theater, she's seen all the art shows. She knows the music, she's read the books. She really is a force to be reckoned with. She's extraordinary.

[D]

I love her. She's like family, truly. She's like. And so she wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. And so we're having this very small dinner. And that will be. And that's just to celebrate the 20 years. And that's it. I mean, I keep talking about these 20 years, and it's just like.

[B]

Feels like 20 minutes.

[C]

Yeah, 20 years is nothing. You're gonna keep going for at least another 20.

[D]

Exactly. Can we do this again in Kara?

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Well, I don't know if I'll be right, but you will definitely be.

[D]

You will absolutely be around.

[C]

But I mean, 20 years, it's great to celebrate it, but, you know, you've got a lot more in there.

[D]

I feel like. It just feels like the beginning of something. But it's.

[C]

I mean, you think I've been doing this job for 40 years.

[D]

Well, you started as a child.

[C]

Exactly.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. You're a child actress.

[D]

Me, too.

[B]

So another major moment that I've loved recently, and we talked about this when we went to Oxford, which is really fun. You and I did a talk at Oxford.

[D]

Oxford Union.

[C]

Oh, yes. Is that fun?

[D]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Yeah, it was good. It was like real life Hogwarts. It was really fun. And we were Talking about Charli XCX's amazing pink bridal gown that you made for the Wuthering Heights premiere.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Can you talk a bit about how it came together? Because I know that there were certain aspects of that dress, namely the veil, that kind of came together at your suggestion.

[D]

Yeah, well, it was. You know, we were approached to create something for Charlie, and I just think she's an amazing. An amazing person. And I'd met her earlier. She'd come to one of my shows earlier, and she's. I just think she's extraordinary. In Wuthering Heights, of course. I love any kind of Bronte situation. And actually what she did wear to that premiere was one of the looks from this show. But we created this veil. And, you know, originally there was gonna be. There was. It was actually kind of a mash up between this new season and the previous season that had this kind of very distinct black embroidery that looks like almost kind of like running paint and it. And there was this idea of doing the year that Wuthering Heights was published. But I thought this idea of a kind of gothic kind of bride with the veil felt like a really interesting idea. But maybe what was interesting about that day is I was talking about my kind of 24 hours and someone asked me about, who's the woman that you designed for? And I was, you know, at that time, the fitting had just happened and within 24 hours, I'd done a fitting with Charli XCX and Glenn Close. And I was like, I was kind of like, you know, the woman that I designed for is somewhere, somewhere in between those two extraordinary women and everyone. And so it's, it was, it was a really interesting kind of 24 hours.

[B]

More with Erdem and Kristen Scott Thomas after the break.

[A]

This episode of the Run through is brought to you by Bumble. Okay, so you've set up your Bumble profile, you filled in your prompts, and you've added your favorite pictures. But how do you make sure the people you're meeting are who they say they are? Bumble's profile verification features are super quick

[B]

and easy to use and give you

[A]

the confidence that the people you're meeting are as authentic as you. It's just an extra helping hand so that you can feel more comfortable getting that first date into the diary. So download Bumble and verify your profile today.

[B]

Thinking back now to your first show, what do you remember about that first London Fashion week show in 2006?

[D]

Oh, my gosh. Well, Philip was spray painting. I had like, I really had no money, so I had to buy these kind of like really quite awful kind of satin bridesmaids shoes that were like kind of white. And we had to. We spray painted them black for the show. And Philip had like a little mini model painting brush. And he was painting the sides of the soles gloss black so it looked like they had proper leather soles when she walked. And so that was happening the night before. But London was a very different place.

[B]

Tell us who Philip is.

[D]

Philip is my husband, Philip Joseph, and he's an architect. So he was very precise with his model painting brush.

[C]

How many pieces did you make for that?

[D]

I made, to be fair, I think there were around 40 looks in the show. So it was a lot. I went back to the Royal College and had all the seamstresses that sewed my graduate collection helped put together and sewing that collection. And so, you know, I had these kind of. It was all inspired by George Sand. So they all had these kind of like neckerchiefs and kind of very kind of high.

[C]

So framing the face.

[D]

Exactly.

[C]

Gorgeous.

[D]

Something I still.

[C]

Is this what you love?

[D]

I'm obsessed with. But it was this George sand kind of idea of push and pull between masculine, feminine. And you had kind of these voile dresses covered in like kind of sepia colored lovebirds and all of these things. And London at the time was, you know, it was like Robert Kerry Williams. It was, you know, it was Boudicca. It was kind of very black. It was, you know, it was. London was like. It was tough, you know. And it was at the beginning of this like kind of generation. I mean, having said that, Giles Deakin was already showing, Roxanne was already showing, Jonathan Saunders was already showing. And then eventually Richard Nicholl, Christopher Cain and then of course like Simone Rochas and then Jonathan Anderson, et cetera. So London kind of was. It was interesting. It was like just pre. It becoming this thing. But that first collection is what I sold to Barney's in New York and Beverly Hills and you know, really truly I sold to those stores before I sold to anywhere in London really. So it was kind of how I was. Kind of how I started. It was how I started.

[B]

I mean, I love that you told Sarah Moa in a conversation in your fabulous book that you knew early on that you were going to take the path that you expected to grow up and become a designer. Designer while you were growing up in Montreal.

[A]

What.

[B]

What brought you to that realization?

[D]

Well, I think like. I mean, I feel sorry for my parents. I was like such a strange child. I think my dad wanted. My dad Turkish, my mother English, she was from Birmingham and my dad was from Eastern Turkey. And although my dad was like obsessed with hockey from quite, you know, really once he, when he moved to Canada. So I think he had hopes that maybe I'd become a hockey player or something.

[C]

Sorry, I have to laugh.

[D]

A hockey player or a chemist.

[B]

I don't see, I don't see this

[D]

for you, something like that. But I, you know, I only drew women. I. From a very young age, I just, I drew women. There's a picture in the book of a strapless little blue kind of circle dress that I made for my sister's Barbie when I was 6. I kind of did paper dolls of the. Kind of the cast of the Nutcracker when I was a child. But from a very early age I was really preoccupied by how women dressed, how they looked, how they moved. My mother's lipsticks, her Shalimar perfume bottles. Just the codes of anything that implied the feminine I found so exciting and like. And really powerful. I also wonder if maybe, you know, I grew up with a twin sister, so you grew up with. You know, a twin is a special thing. It's someone who's like, totally a part of you. And to have someone who's kind of the opposite of you and the same as you is really interesting. So I wonder if my view of the feminine was something that was quite close to me from a very young age.

[B]

Yeah, that makes total sense.

[C]

You had very easy access, certainly to Barbie. Yeah. So brilliant.

[B]

I'm wondering, Kristen, if that resonates with you. You had the same feelings about becoming an act or if that's something that

[C]

I remember exactly the moment when I thought, gosh, people do funny things and I really want to copy them. Which was. I was playing in the. I was playing in the back garden of our. We lived on the patch, which is a military base. Military bases are always called patches. Don't ask me why. Where they put all the people, you know, the officers and everything. And so I was playing in the garden with a girl called Susan Gould, who was our next door neighbor. And we were playing cowboys and Indians. And I was an Indian with a bow and arrow, and she had a gun and she shot me. But I. And so I had to die. But I had been brought up as a Catholic and the only image of death that I have was Jesus on the cross. So I tried desperately, I must have been about four and a half, five, to put my arms out straight, you know, like this, and cross over my feet. And then I thought, as I was doing it, no, I don't think it's like this. I think it's, you know, you've got to just crumple. So I sort of. And then I thought, God, this is really interesting, seeing how people. Why people do that. Why does she wear her headscarf like that and not like this? Why does she open the door in that funny way? You know, I just remember being really interested in how people behave.

[D]

Amazing.

[C]

So maybe I could have done something else with that, but I. Not very good with. I wasn't very good at reading and writing and all that sort of thing as school. I was a disaster at school, so I ended up being an actress.

[B]

Wow.

[D]

I love it. From the Crucifix to Elektra.

[B]

I know, exactly.

[D]

I think there's.

[C]

Exactly.

[D]

There's a connection there.

[C]

Yes, yes, yes, there is. I mean, my first ever film was with the Prince, which was under the Cherry Moon, of course. Yes, I remember that. And so that was quite an eye opener.

[B]

What a way to start your career.

[C]

Well, exactly, because, I mean, he was. It was this big movie, Warner Brothers, he had all these amazing hods. Head of departments. I was working with Francesca Annis. I mean, it was just sort of very, very, very, very glamorous and completely different from anything I'd ever done before. Previous to that, I'd been doing Marguerite Duras play in a field in Burgundy in an open air theater. And suddenly there I was, you know, doing this incredible thing. So that was impressive. But I think the first time I really sort of understood what it is to be in the big game like that was when we did. When I did the auditions. Not really the auditions, because the auditions were done, but the screen tests for the English Patient. When I got on the clothes and they did my hair and they did my makeup and I stood in front of the camera and that was like, this is it. This is the portal.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Everything up until then, whether, I mean, I did Four Weddings before then and I did, you know, various other films, I'd done quite a lot of films, but this one was. It just felt really, really important. Even though we hadn't even made it yet, I knew that the script was beautiful, the actors were amazing. Willem Dafoe, Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Pinarge was just extraordinary. And to be part of that, that was really quite something.

[B]

It's interesting that you said that putting on the clothing. Do you relate to your characters through the costumes, through the fashion? Does that?

[C]

Yeah, definitely. I think when you start building the character, basically when you find the costume, you're looking for the character as well, and you're building it together with the costume designer and your own ideas and your knowledge of the story, your knowledge of the personality of the person you're about to play and the situations you're going to be in. Because you might say, well, why am I gonna have a red dress in this scene? And the reason is because there are 150 other people in the scene and we want you to stand out. But I do find it, I mean, it is one of the fundamental moments of finding the character is getting its costume. And it's really fun to do in period costumes when you have, you know, the corsets and the experience of just

[B]

moving in the world is different.

[C]

Yeah, totally different. And I love that. I really, really love that. And you feel, because you've got this whole sort of shell on which is all this, this clothing that is applied to your body, you move differently, you react differently, you look different. I remember going to the hairdresser's once, and Catherine Deneuve walked in and said, you're doing a period film. And I said, yes, I am. How do you know? She said, because your eyes. You've got huge dark circles under your eyes. And that's because of the corset. It compresses your innards so much that nothing can move around.

[D]

So it changes the color.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

No, not.

[C]

I can totally believe that your skin tone changes.

[B]

I can completely believe that.

[C]

Back hurts. It's. It's. It is.

[B]

Thank goodness we don't have to wear

[C]

those on a table. Well, I know, but, you know, it has its advantages.

[B]

Yeah, it does. It does. It does.

[D]

It does. It does.

[B]

We'll be back after a quick break.

[A]

This episode of the Runthrough is brought to you by Bumble. A picture tells a thousand words, but there's no need to stress over choosing the right ones for your profile. Whether you feel your best self submitting a picture of yourself on a mountain or all dressed up, Bumble's personalized tips will help you choose the pictures that

[B]

show the real you, attracting people who

[A]

get who you are right from the start. So download the app or refresh your Bumble profile today.

[B]

Now that your 20th anniversary show is out in the world, I wonder what, to you, is your favorite process of putting together a collection? Is it like, for me, when I'm writing a story, it's just like when it's done.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

What is it? Do you like putting together the research? Because I know you go so deep on that. Or what's your favorite? What's your favorite part in the creative process?

[D]

I think I would say two extremes. The beginning, the very beginning, and the very end. I'll start with the very end. Yesterday, when I was at the show, you're backstage and you have this kind of fleeting moment where the entire collection is together and each outfit is on an amazing character. And the casting of each of these extraordinary models, you know, they're like actors. They kind of bring something to life. And there's this fleeting moment where this kind of idea, this kind of manifesto is alive and on someone. So you see, you know, every single look together and that I find extraordinary. And it's the moment just before you kind of. It kind of the first model walks out and it goes into the world. That. That's my favorite moment.

[C]

That would be terrifying because it's just.

[D]

It's a fleeting, tiny moment, short. And then the other moment, I think, is at the very beginning, because of the possibility.

[B]

You like the blank page?

[D]

I love the blank page. I find, like the sketch, that first idea, sketch conversation, that first beginning of where you're kind of starting to paint a picture of who this person might be or where you're going to go and where you're going to take everyone on the team. Where you're going to go with the collection, I find really exciting.

[B]

Does it happen the day after the show or when do you begin to think about the next one?

[D]

The next one's already started.

[B]

Yeah, they're all happening in town.

[C]

That's what's crazy. But I wanted to ask you about your team.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

So you must have quite a few people working with you, and you tend to use the same seamstresses and things, do you?

[D]

Well, the seamstresses in the atelier, absolutely. They're part of the permanent team. And then there's, you know, everything. You know, in order to even. To create everything that you saw yesterday is an extraordinary, amazing team. So everything. Everything happens from everything from the extraordinary design team. Pattern cutters, seamstresses, embroidery designers, print designers,

[C]

pattern cutting.

[D]

Pattern cutting is extraordinary.

[C]

I mean. Sorry, it's probably. I'm just really interested in pattern cutting because where does that go to that start? It's a piece of paper, basically. Yes, but who designs that? You say, I want this line, and your pattern cutter will say, I know how to get there.

[D]

So it's a process where it begins with, you know, the sketch really informs the silhouette from sketch. From a very loose sketch, it might become more of a technical drawing where you're really drawing more of a flatter drawing against a kind of. Kind of quite a stricter illustration, where it really shows bust line, hip waist. And then that, along with the sketch and the technical drawing that is then explained to the pattern cutter, who will then create an initial drape. You then look at the initial drape. That drape is then unpinned. The drape is done in calico. You unpin the drape from that, a paper pattern is created, and then you sew the first toile, and that toile might become one toile, two toiles, three

[C]

toiles could go on forever.

[D]

Yeah. So we do. We'll do a fitting every Thursday. So you're in a fitting every single. You know, every single Thursday we're in a fitting. Sometimes we have fittings twice a week, but. And certainly when it's showtime, it's every single day. But it's interesting, you know, even in the simplest things, you know, even to achieve that Kind of pure shape or silhouette. There's just such a complexity to the act of pattern cutting. You know, even when you look at, you know, tailoring and the armhole and the shoulder and how. How things fit, and when you're also doing things bespoke, that's a whole other layer of creating that shape for a very specific body in proportion as well.

[B]

No, it's fascinating, honestly, to be honest, even though I've spoken to so many designers, I've actually never had it explained in detail exactly how it all comes together. So it's quite interesting to hear you break it down for us. In your book, you say that in two decades, everything has changed and nothing has changed.

[A]

In what way?

[D]

I think. Well, the. Everything that's changed. You know, when I started, you didn't even have online shopping. You know, something like Net, a portrait didn't exist or something, you know, Instagram or how we interact with.

[C]

It's called Farnies.

[D]

You know, all of. Exactly. All of that world just never, you know, just simply didn't exist. So in that sense, everything's changed. I even think, you know, when you were a designer, being in the window of Colette during Fashion Week was, you know, really important. Being in somewhere like Barney's was really important. Where you were within Barney's was really important. The things that matter and that mattered then might not even exist now, but the things that haven't changed, you know, the idea of what inspires me, the idea of continuity, of language, remains constant. I can look back at my graduate collection. I can look back at science from when I was 21 and still see a connection between who I was then and who I am now. And that kind of line, I can see a connection. So everything's changed. Nothing's changed. You know, I really believe that that's so true.

[B]

Kristen, can you share with us what's coming next and what fans can look forward to?

[C]

What fans can look forward to? Well, I'm still. That's a very popular TV series for Apple tv, which is called Slow Horses, that I'm still involved with Epic. So we've got some more of those to look forward to. And then In April, on April 8, I think you'll be able to see the film that I made called My Mother's Wedding with Scarlett Johansson, who I rediscovered thanks to you, because you took me to the. To the Met gala, and I saw her at the party, and we reconnected after many years. And so, Yep, so that's in part thanks to you. And so Sienna Miller, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Beecham, me. And it tells the story of a mother who's onto her third wedding and her three daughters whose noses are all slightly out of joint because they don't approve of the new husband. So that's coming out in April, and then in October, I'm going to go back on stage and I'm going to do the Cherry Orchard.

[B]

Oh, how exciting.

[D]

Very exciting.

[C]

Yes, that is very exciting. And then after that, I'm free.

[B]

Well, you've got a big busy year ahead. Do you prefer stage or do you have a preference? Or is it just a different.

[C]

It's such a different animal. I mean, we are pretending to be other people, but that's about. But that's where the similarity stops, really. It's a completely different set of muscles that you use. You have to be incredibly fit to keep going on stage, even if you're not doing running around. It still requires an enormous amount of energy just to be able to speak every night and sometimes twice a day. A three hour play to 800 people, that requires a big engine. So you have to keep that engine really sort of tuned up. And yeah, I really, really, really love stage and I'm lucky enough to work a lot with Ian Rickson, who chooses his projects super carefully and casts them brilliantly and has a great designer and it's all really, really fun.

[D]

Wonderful. Yeah, I'm very excited.

[C]

Yes, I am too.

[B]

Well, we really look forward to that. Thank you so much both for coming on. It's been such a pleasure to have you on the podcast. I'm so glad we could make this happen in such a busy week.

[D]

So thank you.

[C]

Let's look forward to the next 20 years.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. We've got a date in 20 years right here.

[D]

I'll meet you right here.

[B]

That's it for the Run Through. See you later this week.

[C]

The Run through is produced by Chelsea

[A]

Daniel, Alex DePalma and Alex John Burns, with help from Emily Elias. It's engineered by Pran Bandy and James Yost.

[C]

It is mixed by Mike Kutchman.

[A]

This episode of the Run through is brought to you by Bumble. Okay, so you've set up your Bumble profile, you filled in your prompts and you've added your favorite pictures. But how do you make sure the people you're meeting are who they say they are? Bumble's profile verification features are super quick

[B]

and easy to use and give you

[A]

the confidence that the people you're meeting are as authentic as you. It's just an extra helping hand. So that you can feel more comfortable getting that first date into the diary. So download Bumble and verify your profile today

[D]

from prx.