A Few Things with Caroline de Maigret

Get to know Caroline de Maigret — model, producer, street style icon and one of our October muses.

She is the epitome of Parisian cool. A street style star, producer — check out her rock label, Bonus Tracks Records — model (posing for the likes of Mario Testino, Steven Meisel and Peter Lindbergh, just to name a few), mother and muse. In 2014 she added the title of author to that list, publishing How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits, with Audrey Diwan and Sophie Mas. And this month she graces the pages of our October catalog. Yes, you could say Caroline de Maigret wears many hats…all of them painfully stylish.

On set, she’s just as relaxed and cool as you’d expect her to be, completely at home in front of the camera, exuding that effortless French thing so many strive to emulate. Laid-back and easy-going between shots, she laughs with our team as she fills out the questionnaire that would eventually accompany her portion of the catalog and checking out her shots with photographer Bjorn Iooss. Read on to learn more about this French style icon and be sure to scope her out in the pages of our October catalog, out tomorrow!

Hello Caroline, it was a pleasure to be on set with you in Paris. You have your hands in a bit of everything; on top of modeling, you produce, act, write…how do you find balance in your life while pursuing all of these passions?

Well, I didn’t have the chance, when I was younger, to have one true passion for the rest of my life. It was strange at the beginning, because you keep searching and studying different things to find what works for you, what makes you happy, while some people around you study to be doctors, lawyers, artists or guitar players. And one day, I finally let go of that pressure and realized I was allowed to do different things, and this altogether is my balance. I need to fulfill different things that I like in life. Just one of them would make my life unhappy.

I understand you’ve been working on a documentary film about women’s education in India. What can you tell our readers about that project?

Aaargh. I still haven’t done it. For different reasons we had to postpone it — it has been quite complicated to try to make it happen. Permits, floods, school holidays…it’s a beautiful project the NGO, Care, with whom I work, supports. The education system they put together provides the equivalent of 5 years of schooling in just 11 months — which is amazing for girls who are not allowed to go to school in still too many countries. They help them once they finish school as well, to either study longer or to get a job, to have money to create a business…when girls go to school, you’ll see that the whole village/society benefits from it. The numbers are unbelievable.

How did the concept for the documentary come about?

Well, working with the NGO, Care, I wanted to go to the camps, schools and different projects they’re working on all around the globe. And as I decided to specialize in education and women, the schools in India became my focus. I wanted to invest myself more than just going there, so I decided to try to take a creative perspective as well.

When you’re not on-set, producing or traveling for work, how do you like to spend your time?

When I’m not working, I want to be with my man and our son. That’s all I want. If not, I like to go to concerts and hang out in bars, read books and watch classic movies and documentaries.

You moved back to Paris from NYC in 2003 – what sets the Parisian life apart from other countries? How do you feel it differs from your life in New York?

NYC is really fast, which was amazing in my 20’s but, now that I have a family, I find the Parisian rhythm more suitable to my likes. I like to hang out at lunch, dinner with my friends and talk, debate for hours. I like the long holidays, I like to take my time. But I do need NYC to give me the strength of achieving things, of believing and dreaming, which really, you encounter nowhere else. I feel like I have super powers when I’m there but I get anxious really fast there; also, because its speed and the suffocating ambition. NYC/Paris is the perfect balance for me and the most amazing luxury of life.

What can we expect from you in the next year?

I wish to never know what I’m doing next year. I want it all to be an adventure that I don’t control. There will be more and more of women’s rights and ethics, that’s for sure.

+ Be sure to check back tomorrow for more features and stories inspired by our October catalog!

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