Priyanka Chopra: actress, producer, model, singer, and now the latest celebrity face of designer denim brand Gloria Vanderbilt. The last time the the brand had a celebrity serve in the role was 1995 with Helena Christensen — model, photographer, and co-founder of Nylon.
A staple in the denim sector of luxury fashion, Gloria Vanderbilt was the first denim brand designed by a woman and is credited with launching the designer denim movement. With denim making a comeback as the world attempts to move past the pandemic, Chopra says that now is the time to explore your fashion identity and revive the blue jean.
“Especially after the pandemic, nobody wanted to wear jeans,” Chopra told Bustle. “Everybody was like, I want to be in my sweats because jeans are uncomfortable — but not these ones.”
The campaign featuring Chopra is shoppable now at Kohl’s, Macy’s, belk, JCPenney, and Amazon. Ahead, Chopra talks to Bustle about her personal style, the trend she hates, and why denim is her go-to.
How does it feel to be the first celebrity face of Gloria Vanderbilt in almost 30 years?
I love the legacy of this brand. Gloria Vanderbilt was such a pioneer of her time — especially in the seventies when there were not that many female founders, she got into denim, which was very male dominated. Then there were so many amazing female designers and founders that came in after her. I loved the idea of associating with the brand for that reason.
What does the campaign slogan “I Have Needs, Fit Them” mean to you?
Women have always been told like, ‘you have to take care of other people’s needs. A woman is nurturing, so she has to nurture everyone else.’ But who’s nurturing her? I like that this reminds all of us to take a second and think about what we need.
What’s your jeans style for everyday wear?
I like many different kinds of jeans. I’ll wear a wide leg with sneakers and a sweatshirt or a little crop top. I love a little bit of a flare or a boot cut jean, because I think it gives you length if you wear a heel underneath. I also love these pull-on jeans, which are great because you don’t have buttons or a zip that you have to deal with. A lot of the jeans have really unique stitching to them, with like the pockets at the back and the stitching around your waist. They’re really unique and cool, but I think those would be my few favorites.
How do you feel about Y2K coming back in style — like flare jeans?
Back to high school. I’m kind of scared of the low rise jean coming back though.
How has your style changed throughout your career?
I need to be comfortable in the clothes I wear. I remember like early twenties, I didn’t care how uncomfortable I was and was all about the fashion. If I didn’t have to sit all night, I wouldn’t sit. I committed really hard, but I think now I’ve reached a point where even my red carpet looks have to feel fun. I feel confident when I’m having a good time. I feel confident when I know that I’m not scared of the outfit that I’m wearing. That’s an evolution I’ve really noticed in myself.
You can have both — that’s the beauty of it. I didn’t understand that you can be fashionable and comfortable at the same time. People do that and it can still be super chic. It doesn’t have to be painful.
Can you describe a red carpet look that you regret?
It was just too much of everything. Too much hair, too much makeup, too much jewelry, too much clothes. You lost me in it — and that’s a regret. I’ve had a few of those.
Are there any current trends that you’re over?
Bucket hats. They don’t fit my head. I have a big ol’ head — it looks like a top hat, not a bucket hat. That’s not cute on me. Just customize the size of the bucket hat, give us a size option for large-headed people.
What part of this collection are you most excited about?
I would ask people to think about — especially coming out of this pandemic — what does ‘dress up’ mean to me now? It’s different than what it was before the pandemic. Now that the world’s opening up, we’re all going out, we’re starting to take vacations. To figure out what your version of personal style is, is something that’s going to happen to people. This is the easiest way of figuring that out, because you have every type of jean catered to a woman’s body — thought of by a woman — and you style it up, down, medium, however you want. They just work with everything.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
