la grande dame

— it’s all in the name.

august 03, 2021 — interview MATHIAS QUINTON & CYRIL VINCHON

version française ici

Describe yourself in three words.

Model, artistic and contemporary.

When and how was La Grande Dame born? Where does the name come from?

It’s been a few years now. I started going out to sample the nightlife in Nice, and meeting drag queens, DJs, bar owners, and I soon began to have fun, play around with fashion and dress a little more extravagantly. That’s how I started getting noticed in Nice. Otherwise “La Grande Dame” comes from the family company. My mother and my sister had an import/export company in wines and spirits. It’s quite a macho and misogynistic sector (wine and business) and they called themselves “Les Grandes Dames” (The Tall Ladies) because they are very tall. My mom measures 1m83 and my sister 1m86. When people talked about them, they referred to them as “the two tall ladies”, “the two girls”, so they decided to take that reference and use it in the company name. The company no longer exists, but when I chose my stage name, I thought it was a pretty fitting one. When people see me or talk about me, they say the same thing: “oh, you know, that tall lady”. It’s an advantage that people remember your name when you’re a public figure. It’s a tribute to my mom and my sister, and to what they built together as independent women.

Your Beauty Hacks on social media are a real hit, how do you explain that?

It’s a new concept that Beauty Studio launched with me. It’s a huge international production company based in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. I’ve made a lot of videos with them, where I was doing makeup for people or putting them in drag, etc. They were really happy with what I did, as the videos were getting lots of views, so we decided to launch the concept together. It’s really fun because we test dubious beauty hacks (we’re totally aware of the fact that they’re dodgy) but there you go, we try them out. I think people like it because we do things that they can’t do at home. I used to watch tutorials like that on YouTube to test them out and see if they really worked. That’s exactly what I’m doing now with Beauty Studio — we pick up on beauty hacks and try them out, live. On top of that, I try to be as amusing and entertaining as possible. I think that this format contains everything netizens expect from a web program. I’m really happy, because every time I do a video, it gets several million views, and the adventure continues — we’re embarking on a third major shooting.

What does La Grande Dame have that other presenters/models don’t have?

In this kind of format, I really don’t take myself seriously. Alongside that, I work a lot in the fashion world, and I take that very seriously. I’m very professional when I’m booked by different brands, I know I am, and people tell me that I am. This project is great because I can just let myself go, and it’s what’s expected of me in front of the camera. The video is a concentrate of all the silly things I do. I think it’s also the contrast between the very rigorous and fashion side of my character, and the more personal aspect of this kind of video. YouTubers really get to see the ins and outs of my personality and get to know how I am with my friends. I think what really works are the different contrasts in my character, for example, the contrast between my pretty feminine image and my truck driver’s voice. I think the contrasts are what people like about La Grande Dame. Jean-Paul Gaultier,

Victor Weinsanto, Jean-Paul Gaultier, etc., are people you work with, or have done modeling for. What is the biggest driver in your job?

Anything fashion-related is a great experience because being a model is like having a dream job. It’s not that technical and it’s just pure enjoyment. I think what I like the most (and Beauty Studio is part of that), it’s the atmosphere on a set, whether it’s for filming, a photo shoot or a television program. I like being part of a team where each person does a specific job because s/he does it expertly. I love that atmosphere, the hyped effervescence, the well-oiled professionalism. I love being a part of it all. My ultimate goal would be to have my own television program, etc. I love working and I love being on set.

The entertainment and events world is strongly affected in the current context – how do you manage your career in all that? Has it changed anything in your philosophy of life or in your approach to your job?

Yes, it’s changed a lot of things in that I soon understood that to survive, I had to turn to social media, whether digital or Instagram. I realized that I was going to have to create content and could no longer rely solely on live shows, gala evenings and meeting people face to face. In the first lockdown, I devoted all my time to creating content and I gained 10,000 followers on Instagram just because I decided to post something every other day and to create quality content. I improvised mini photo-shoots in my house, in drag, with the things I had time to create. It changed my vision of knowing how I was going to achieve my life objectives, through which channels and how I was going to access them. I think I understood all that pretty fast, and applied it so I’m happy about all that. That said, it’s a crisis with disastrous consequences for all artists, the theatre world, those who make nightlife happen, people who need an audience. It’s really very hard, and I know what I’m talking about because I experienced it first-hand at the beginning of the crisis, but I struck lucky after that by working on my visuals and my image. I’m part of that handful of privileged people who were able to continue working. I also have my company to manage all that, so I received the subsidies granted to companies. I’m really very lucky because I was able to do runways and film with Beauty Studio. It changed things in that I understood that I had to change tack to earn my living.

What is your lucky accessory?

I think I’d say shoes, because for years — and perhaps even decades now — I’ve always thought that shoes are incredible. Before my career really took off, I graduated with a baccalauréat in design (bac STD2A), and my dream was to be a fashion designer and specialize in designing shoes. I wanted to create my own shoe house and be the new Christian Louboutin. But when I look at my Instagram account, I realize that corsets are the keystone to my character. I guess you could say that it’s a draw between corsets and shoes.

Can you tell us a bit about the House Of Gucci?

The House of Gucci is one of the many voguing houses in France. There is a French branch, but it’s an international house based in the United States. Directing the house in France is Kiddy Smile who, by extension, became my mother, my voguing mom. Meeting Kiddy Smile was pretty organic. We worked together on a Marc Jacobs event two years ago, and we ended up meeting again at Jean-Paul Gaultier’s. I think he saw the potential of my character and offered me the opportunity of joining the House of Gucci, which is a melting pot of incredible artists, each one more talented than the next. There is a whole host of absolutely fabulous people and I’m so happy to be one of them. I still haven’t had the chance to do my first ball or to walk in the Face and Runway categories, owing to the COVID-19 crisis. But it doesn’t stop us training regularly with the entire family. It doesn’t really matter which category you walk in for the ball, we train in all of the different categories so that we can exchange ideas and keep up with what’s going down. I’m really proud to be part of the House.

Is La Grande Dame more “frills and flounces” or shoulder pads?

Shoulder pads any day! I’m a strong lady, I’m a businesswoman. I’ll leave the frills and flounces to the young people. I love padded shoulders, and everything conveyed by the image of a strong woman. Totally Mugler! Totally Gaultier! We’re for padded shoulders all the way – the frills and flounces are for fancy dress.

A final word?

I recently watched an interview by Naomi Campbell who was asking Iman Bowie questions on her YouTube channel. Naomi asked Iman how she had been spotted when she was a young woman in New York, and what her entry into the world of modeling and fame was like, and Iman said “I wasn’t lost, so I didn’t need to be ‘discovered’”. I liked her answer, and it has stayed with me since yesterday evening. I guess that fate works its magic well, so I had to quote her here.

fashion CYRIL VINCHON

photographs BEN FOURMI

set design DÉBORAH SADOUN

makeup LA GRANDE DAME using LOUBOUTIN BEAUTY

nails LILLY LIZÉ using LOUBOUTIN BEAUTY

talent LA GRANDE DAME (MMANAGEMENT)

fashion assistant SOLENN LE FLOC’H

photography assistant SIDONIE RONFARD

thanks JEAN MELIN

studios À CIEL OUVERT STUDIOS

production FABRICA