by When American actress Kelly Rutherford agrees to speak with me on Zoom, I eagerly text a few friends to share the news. One word comes back from all three: “obsessed!” They are not the only ones.
Rutherford, who starred in a cult TV show Backtalk girl as New York socialite Lily van der Woodsen (AKA the ultimate “Birkin mom” to Blake Lively’s character Serena), has a devoted following but now she’s on her way to becoming an Instagram fashion icon, with two million followers and counting.
Moreover, she has achieved this newfound status with ease by posting stylish selfies on Instagram that are often taken in her elevator. Her regular wardrobe updates have gone viral, and everyone wants a piece of her.
Indeed, Rutherford has claimed a place on the front row of fashion and has done so with panache. At London Fashion Week, she rocked Emilia Wickstead florals and laid-back glamor in Mithridate, matching this after a busy New York Fashion Week where she spotted Tod’s cocktail party in preppy beige and the Tommy Hilfiger front row in red and cream graphic. – dress print.
It was during the couture shows in January that Rutherford became fashion’s new favorite frow fixture. For Simone Rocha’s couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier, she wore a voluminous pink satin dress from the Irish designer’s own SS24 ready-to-wear range, paired with red pumps to match the dress’s long scarlet ribbon draped, channeling the ballet trend and her happily. rubbed shoulders with Kylie Jenner. Their unlikely interaction became the show’s most improvised moment on TikTok, reimagined as mother-daughter Backtalk girl scene, set on the high jinks haute couture.
That same week, the 55-year-old actress-influencer wore a cream Dior skirt suit for the Maison’s couture show at the Musée Rodin, a vision of old-school glamor and cementing her reputation as a true style chameleon.
When I talk to her on Zoom, she’s wearing a slouchy chocolate knit with big brown glasses framed by LRG, a boutique Italian brand with specialty handmade frames. Her blonde hair is gathered in a messy bun and her skin looks radiant thanks to a sustained skin care routine and barely any make-up.
Rutherford is the ultimate Comeback Queen. She endured a highly publicized six-year custody battle with her ex-husband over their two children following the couple’s divorce in 2009. He won and the children moved abroad, leaving the actress to emotionally unhinged as she suffers legal fees. She managed to bounce back, traveling back and forth to Monaco and France to see her children at every opportunity, working from time to time to make ends meet. Then came her Instagram reinvention and real-life elevator pitch.
“I always take my dogs for a walk in the morning and I noticed that the lighting was good there, so I started taking pictures on my way out, purely from a practical point of view,” says Rutherford from his still tiny lift effective. -cum-studio, stylishly retro in itself with a mirrored frame, stainless steel features, and what appears to be a wooden floor and marquetry panels.
I ask her if she ever saw the elevator as a metaphor for potential, a life under the “current places” spotlight again. “Well yes, it’s symbolic, that’s true,” she admits. “There is a certain mystery and anticipation attached to it. You could be going to dinner, to a cafe, to meet friends… who knows!”
If you ask me, no one has made better sartorial use of a retro elevator since Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore taped their way up to the 12th floor dressed in flapper dresses for the 1969 musical romp. Thoroughly modern Millie. But Rutherford doesn’t sing and dance about her style, instead she usually tilts her head to one side and strikes a majestic pose for her mirror shots, adding her own blend of Scandi chic, Upper East Side glamor and garçonne elegance Parisian. with a pinch of eccentricity – just enough to stay on the cool side of quirky.
Mixing independent boutique finds with ready-to-wear luxe, as well as a healthy supply of vintage fur, the actress rocks the polished look in her own unique way. “I think there’s a part of me that always wanted to be a magazine editor or a creative director,” she says. “I’ve always loved putting images together and creating mood boards. My Instagram is just an extension of that. In addition, I want to share that when I find a brand I love, I want to support it.”
Rutherford is truly a dedicated tagger, allowing her fans to easily shop her style. Shouts are true endorsements from the fashion grape, unpaid endorsements that connect big brands.
So far, she has been checked out by an international smorgasbord of fashion newcomers and independents, Ukrainian label Kulakovsky recently noted for its luxury leather aviator jackets, Italian luxury denim company Darkpark, sustainable Portuguese sneaker label Hirundo and knitwear designer Irishman Colin Burke.
She loves skinny boots and ruffled collars, but above all she is big on neutral styles. “I love prints only in the summer. For me, winter is all about brown, taupe, grey, camel and black. Although I love the tweed and of course a lot of woolen things,” she says, laughing.
In fact, if you’re into statement sweaters, it’s a reference to Rutherford. Her new selection includes handmade sweaters by Mr. Mittens based in Perth, Australia; Items14 from Antwerp; and Mumshandmade, a small operation run from Thessaloniki, Greece. She prefers cable patterns and is partial to pouffy sleeves. Everything she designs looks lovingly crafted, not fussy.
Rutherford says her love of fashion stems from the same place as her love of acting, which is from watching foreign films growing up. “That blending of cultures was something I was involved with since I was young, and my grandmother was from Denmark,” she says, adding, “it’s really about moving energy. We all get into a rhythm of wearing a certain thing, so it’s good to change things up.”
As proven by her haute couture appearances, Rutherford often dresses in the spirit of Parisian chic. So much so that last year she designed a capsule collection with the French footwear brand Carel. Currently, she is appearing on Apple TV Escort boys also a raunchy comedy set in the Camargue, which also stars former Chanel model Carole Bouquet and Spanish cinema star Rossy de Palma.
Although she has not quite mastered the French art of rolling R, fashionistas across the English Channel see her as France’s honorary muse.
“She exudes effortless chic, blending seamless sophistication with a touch of understated elegance. I was very happy to see her wearing our coat,” says Jeanne Damas, the model entrepreneur who founded the label Parisian Rouje.
Rutherford associated with the big camel coat at the same time cuddling one of his beloved pet dachshunds. The actress prefers symbols to words to show her appreciation for a brand or designer – the squirrel, shooting star, coffee cup, dove and dog emojis regularly appear in her careless rating system, it also has a younger demographic.
It’s true, this queen is back climbing high in that elevator.
