Karen Elson splashed out on “real” Dr. Martens after her first modelling job.
Karen Elson
The 41-year-old model had only ever worn replica footwear so when she was paid £20,000 after her first gig, she was thrilled to treat herself to “a few pairs” of boots.
Speaking to ELLE magazine, she said: “My first fashion pay cheque was £20,000. It was when I went to Tokyo.
"For a 16 or 17 year old from the north of England, it was a huge, huge deal.
"I bought my mum a car and myself a few pairs of Dr. Martens.
"I’d had loads of fakes but I thought I'd treat myself to the real ones."
Karen – who has Scarlet, 14, and Henry, 13, with ex-husband Jack White – now finds her daughter raids her old clothes, which she likes to see.
She said: "It's funny, my daughter wears Dr. Martens now with all my old T-shirts. IT's amazing to look at my wardrobe through her eyes.”
Scarlet may sound stylish, but Karen insisted she wasn’t when she was younger.
She revealed: “Growing up in Lancashire, I had no style. I was quite wild looking.
"I had strawberry-blonde Shirley Temple curls, my knees were always scraped, my dresses always wrinkled.
"My shoes were scruffy because I'd spend forever on the swings and scuff them."
But the English model finally figured out her look in her late teens.
She added: “I developed my own sense of style when I went to New York. I was 18 or 19 and started going to flea markets with the designer Anna Sui - it became a ritual to meet Marc Jacobs there. Anna was pivotal in helping me discover my own taste.
"I was a vintage store queen. I've still got so many pieces from that time in New York. It was when I discovered Ossie Clarke: beautiful dresses from the 1960s and 70s that you can wear forever.”
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