Helena Christensen on Timeless Style, Vintage Fashion, and Her Favorite Pieces From Gap

The supermodel talks to InStyle about starring in Gap's Fall 2023 campaign.

There’s a popular TikTok trend that claims everyone’s personal style can be boiled down to just three words. According to supermodel Helena Christensen, hers are “colorful, cozy, and confident.” The style icon, who counts clothing designer, philanthropist, and co-founder of Nylon magazine among her professional multi-hyphenates, helped redefine the fashion industry in the '90s — and fully deserves the “super” prefix in "supermodel."

Despite wearing everything from lingerie as one of the original Victoria's Secret Angels to Versace's famous bondage dress, the legendary model says that she likes to keep it simple when it comes to her own fashion choices. She favors timeless staples, menswear-inspired silhouettes, and pops of color over micro trends and over-the-top glamour. “I like mixing colors and patterns with classic and edgy styles,” she explains. “I guess my [outfit] formula is not really having one. Big, cozy, comfortable pieces are always favorites, though.”

That attraction to the classics is part of what makes her the ideal ambassador for a brand like Gap, which has spent more than 50 years selling wardrobe staples and versatile workwear. Today, the retailer debuted its new fall campaign photographed by Bjorn Iooss, starring the supermodel and other familiar faces like Sophia Roe, Lionel Boyce, Veneda Carter, and her daughter, Coco Pink Princess.

“Gap’s fall 2023 campaign is a celebration of self-expression and individual style,” Christensen tells InStyle about the photo series, adding that, for her, personal style should reflect “being true to and believing in yourself.”

Christensen's fashion philosophy is all about the high-low mix, and she loves unexpected pairing ("I am a big fan of pairing classic wardrobe staples with more eclectic pieces to create an original look," she says). This ethos extends to her Gap campaign, which shows the model wearing trousers with sneakers, a white tank under an oversized blazer, and jeans under an elegant overcoat. Naturally, the brand has been her longtime go-to for the comfy and classic side of the equation. "I’ve been wearing Gap for as long as I can remember — I’m a big fan of their denim and classic button-downs," she explains.

That sense of individuality has always been at the core of how she gets dressed. “I have more or less stuck to what I loved to wear since the beginning,” the model shares. “In my teens, I was already wearing vintage ball gowns and silk slip dresses, corduroy pants, and long men’s underwear — sometimes, dresses paired with pants. I also always loved faded sweatshirts and big, colorful sweaters." What's more, she says, "I still wear all of the above to this day.”

As for her current favorites, there is one recent fashion trend she's a fan of. "I appreciate the vintage style trend," says Christensen. "While it may not be obvious, clothing has the power to tell stories about the wearer. Trends come and go, but the ability to utilize clothes to express yourself at any given moment in time is powerful."

Case in point: her favorite Gap piece, the Icon Trench Coat. According to Christensen, "there are endless styling opportunities with it," proving that fashion staples are classics for a reason.

You can shop Gap's fall 2023 collection online and in Gap stores beginning Aug. 29.

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Read the original article on InStyle.