Girls in FRAME: Karlie Kloss
Karlie Kloss is the prototypical contemporary supermodel. While the St. Louis native has graced the cover of Vogue 36 times, she’s also fronted the likes of Forbes, Fast Company, and earned a spot on Time’s influential 100 list for her entrepreneurial and philanthropic efforts. A master multi-hyphenate, Kloss defies the status quo, challenging the very definition of “model.” At the age of 15, her first fashion week tour saw the six-foot-two beauty walk a staggering 64 shows. Outside of the fashion scope, and ten years later, Kloss is an entrepreneur, coder, television host, philanthropist, role model, smoothie mad scientist (as she explains), and that hardly scratches the surface. While undoubtedly atypical, our friend and longtime FRAME collaborator decodes an ordinary day (if there ever was one).
First things first, let’s talk about FRAME and “Forever Karlie.” We must have met five years ago. I love being part of the FRAME family. I immediately fell in love with their energy and creativity. When we first started talking about doing a collaboration together, I was super flattered and excited. I always struggled with finding the right pair of jeans, so when we first spoke about creating the “Forever Karlie” collection featuring super long-legged jeans for long-legged girls, it was a no-brainer and is something that today, years later, I’m still asked about. At the Oscars this year, a woman even stopped me in the bathroom and said, “Karlie, I have to tell you. I wear your jeans every day.” You know, It’s always nice hearing from people about projects I’ve worked on.
What is a typical day like for you? Does one exist? It’s always changing and depends on where I am. For instance, I blocked out the first two weeks of January to just focus on my learning. So I’m starting my day with a good workout, studying with my coding teacher and spending time in my office for any calls or meetings later in the day but I’m more so based in New York on days like these. Those are my favorite days when I get to do all the things that I love – a little bit of learning and a meeting with my team to keep the ball moving forward on all projects. It’s my favorite thing to just be in the office and to really be productive. I love to collaborate with my team and be in the same space as everyone. Being in my own office is such a luxury because I travel so much. Or, it might be getting on a plane and going to a photo shoot, which I love too.
What is your favorite place in all of New York? Washington Square Park. I love going there on a Saturday or Sunday morning to see the piano players in the park. It’s a totally immersive New York City experience. I love to walk everywhere and anywhere. I love my commute to work. My office is in SoHo and I love to stop at this little coffee shop, La Colombe, which is downstairs from my office. It’s the best.
Jumping into fashion. What is one thing that you have in your closet that you’ll never throw away? Oh, well first of all, my “Forever Karlie” jeans. I also have so many beautiful handbags and shoes that were gifts from designers, which are really personal and special. I have an Oscar de la Renta gown that I wore to the Met Ball with him [in 2014]. I was his date and it was the last time I got to spend time with him. I will never, ever get rid of that.
Tell me about your Instagram use. Do you have any rules? I don’t like to be on my phone all the time because it feels too distracting. It’s hard to be present and productive if you’re only looking at your phone. I look at Instagram a couple times a day – first thing in the morning, around lunch, and again in the afternoon or evening. But I love working off my laptop to answer emails, code or work on any other projects.
Speaking of Instagram, what apps are you obsessed with? I’m obsessed with Postmates and Uber. Those are essentials. I’m also really into these two investment apps. The first is called Robinhood, where you can invest, watch stocks and manage your own investment portfolio, which is awesome. I love learning about investing and about different tech companies. Robinhood is a cool new tech company and I love their app. The other one is called Coinbase where you can buy and sell Bitcoin and other currencies. I also love Instacart to avoid going out to get groceries, and the ESPN app for my fantasy football team.
How do you switch off after work? If for whatever reason I didn’t work out in the morning, I love to do some light cardio at the end of the day, which could mean a bike ride or long run. I call my family, friends, check in with loved ones. I love going to great restaurants, I’m always looking for cool new spots. I definitely love to go for a run to blow off some steam. When I can, I’m also obsessed with Netflix and binge-watching. When I was home for the holidays, I watched every minute of The Crown. I watched the entire second season twice. [laughs] and I love Stranger Things and South Park.
Who is on your dream list to bake cookies with? I feel pretty lucky that I’ve been able to bake with some pretty dreamy people including Martha Stewart, who is such a legend, but I absolutely worship Oprah. I would love to bake with her.
OK. Now, if this conversation were a cookie, what type of cookie would it be? A double chocolate vegan cookie with extra chocolate chips, salt on top, and maybe some walnuts for a nice bit of nuttiness.
Perhaps frozen? Yes! Frozen. Love it. (x)