Diane Pernet

Renowned fashion journalist Diane Pernet is an iconic style heroine to fans around the world. Working for such heavyweights like Elle.com and VogueParis.com, the woman known for her towering beehive wrapped in a black veil, cat-eye sunglasses and scarlet red lips is the creative juice behind "A Shaded View on Fashion", one of world’s most influential fashion blogs.

Credited for unearthing up-and-comers and her insider’s take on edgy fashion events all across the globe, Pernet has been a designer, a critic, a talent scout and a photographer.

In 2008 Pernet launched Paris’ first annual A Shaded View on Fashion Film Festival at the famed Jeu de paume museum.

"The idea of fashion in movement as opposed to a static photo series in a magazine has always intrigued me," said Pernet, who co-edits ZOO magazine when she's not working on ashadedviewonfashion.com.

Showcasing films from designers, photographers, stylists and people from all walks of the industry, Pernet’s three-day event delivered features and shorts that thrilled diehard fashionistas.

Showcasing films from designers, photographers, stylists and people from all walks of the industry, Pernet’s three-day event delivered features and shorts that thrilled diehard fashionistas.

MODWOMEN caught up with Pernet in Paris to share her thoughts on living the life you want.

MODW: "Diane welcome to MODWOMEN.com."

Diane: "Thank you so much."

MODW: "Many people consider it a dream to move to Paris. Was the professional transition an easy one for you?"

Diane: "No. It was a lot less glamourous than it looks."

MODW: "How so?"

Diane: "Well, I was a fashion designer for 13 years. I was living in New York at the end of the 1980s, long before Rudy Giuliani became mayor in 1994 and started cleaning up the city. New York was a mess. There were psychiatric patients roaming the streets that had been kicked out of hospitals. I lived down in the West Village where Marc Jacobs was staying. I woke up one day and thought I can’t live like this any more. I’m always taking cabs wherever I go. I’m afraid to walk anywhere. I had to leave. But it took four years before I actually made the move."

MODW: "With your credentials one would think the big fashion houses and magazines would have snapped you up when you arrived in Paris."

Diane: "Again, things did not slide into place easily. I moved to Paris in October of 1990. By November the Gulf War was in full gear. Everything stopped. I thought I could survive for a year until I got my career moving. But it was difficult."

MODW: "How did you land your first job?"

Diane: "Paris society works in odd ways. People were happy to invite me to dinner. But they wouldn’t give me a job. That’s how they are with foreigners. My first job was with Fashion File, the Canadian TV show. It took another foreigner to give me a job."

MODW: "What was that meeting like?"

Diane: "When I showed my portfolio for the gig I was flatly told I was overqualified. But I needed to pay the rent. That’s how life works sometimes. You have to be strong and do what you have to do. You can’t give up. That’s why I say you should always be nice to the person working underneath you. The day will come when they’ll be on top. You better pray that they think well of you."

MODW: "In 2008 you launched Paris' first annual A Shaded View on Fashion Film Festival at the Jeu de paume. How did your love affair with film begin?"

Diane: "About 10 years ago I started thinking about putting together a fashion film festival. But the concept was ahead of the times. There were still fashion shows happening all over Paris. Combining film and fashion was natural for me. In 2008 I took the plunge and pulled together a juried festival that I could take to different cities over the next year."

MODW: "Pulling it off must have been tough."

Diane: "I worked very hard to make it happen and I’ll be honest. I felt tremendous satisfaction when it launched at the Jeu de paume. We’re planning a big event in San Paolo next. I never really had a strategy. I just knew it had to happen."

MODW: "Has that been your philosophy over your entire career?"

Diane: "I enjoy fashion and film. I don’t love one more than the other. It was inevitable that these two great loves of my life would mingle in some way."

MODW: "What does real glamour mean to you?"

Diane: "It’s different things to different people, to be sure. I equate glamour with strength. That’s what interests me. To be strong for yourself and for others, to stick to your beliefs and make your dreams happen is courageous, daring, and beautiful. Not many people can live their lives that way. When you see someone who does - and does it at all costs - you have to admire them."

Interview by Constance  
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