By Susan Kirschbaum
Amber Valletta’s hard to miss. The golden girl of the nineties was the face of the Versace and Prada campaigns, and can now be found in David Yurman ads. For a beauty who got tons of free threads from designers, she’s incredibly unattached to material things. Amber’s been actively involved in charity work, from St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for kids with cancer to raising funds for Doctors Without Borders. A few years back she emptied her closet, auctioning off her clothes for International Fund for Animal Welfare. She reflected pure Zen even then.
Wow, what are you wearing? The beige-striped sundress is darling.
The dress is Ladies of the Canyon and the boots are Ugg.
So what are you donating to charity? There’s a ton here: bustiers, skirts, dresses, tops by Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Jil Sander, Victor Alfaro, Jeremy Scott…
I wish I had the gift of style. These lace-up copper Versus boots looked amazing in the show, but when I got home I was lost. I couldn’t figure out how to wear them. Now they’re just taking up space.
What are you thinking about the transparent chartreuse Prada blouse?
It’s difficult to wear and I’m funny about sheer things. You need the perfect bust and cleavage—which I don’t have. And confidence is a whole other can of worms.
You’ve put some gold Manolo strappy sandals in the give away, too? Aren’t they classics?
These babies got a lot of wear. You’ve got to turn over clothes!
[She pulls out an orange-and-taupe paisley by Thea Porter, a gold and violet number by Jude the Obscure, and one flowing white wrap.] What are these?
Keepers. They are works of art. The wrap would be cool to wear over a slip dress to get married in.
You’re going to hold onto the black ABS halter gown?
You know when you’re not feeling good about yourself and you go shopping? I got this when I had excess baby fat after giving birth. It was simple, inexpensive, and looked good.
Is it true that Jil Sander—who never gave models free clothes—made an exception for you?
Yes. It was unheard of with Jil Sander, so I was really touched by that. I will keep this [black evening gown] out of respect.
What would you never throw out?
Years ago, Karl Lagerfeld just told us to “go crazy” at Chanel. We were like kids in a candy store. All his pieces are wearable even today, like this black suit with gold buttons or the black overalls. And if I ever have a daughter, I can pass them on to her.
