Transcription
Well, I would always say hello, hello Carl. And then he would say, hello Claudia. He would always call me Clodia. Hi, V. It's CL Shaer here. Welcome to my home in the beautiful English Countryside. I can't wait to show you around some of my favorite things. Okay, let's go.
[Music]
This is the house we live in and work in. Me and my husband Matthew, our three children, and then we've got also a German Shepherd, Rolo, and a cat, Chip. What's so special here are these very big glass windows. They have this most amazing view. We're in the middle of nowhere, pretty much. Countryside all around, and you can see like a fox going by every day.
So, my taste in interior design is a mixture of Scandinavian, mid-century, 50s, 60s, 70s furniture. Everything has to do with something. It's not just randomly put together. For example, I buy art not because it's an investment, but because I fall in love with it. It's the same with the furniture. I sort of buy it 'cause I like it, and then I work out the space for it afterwards. It's actually one of the things I love to do. Often, when the kids have been in bed, I sort of move, start moving furniture around. It's one of my passions.
So, I have a large collection in my archives of all kinds of things that I've been given during my career. In the 90s, Kaga has been always very generous. At R, he had an atelier where he did all his creations and designs. For example, this bag. It was just a black canvas bag, and he had the idea last minute to paint over it. And I was like, "Oh my God, this is amazing." And then, when the fitting was finished, he said, "Oh, you know what, Claudia, you can have one." Held was sort of my magic dust. I was a very shy girl, and it transformed me from this shy girl into the a supermodel.
And I remember when I first met him, he somehow thought there was something special about me and said, "You know what? I'd like you immediately to start tomorrow. You got to go to Dille, and we're going to shoot the Chanel campaign." And as the day went on, I warmed up a little bit more. We then spoke German together and realized that we had a lot of things in common, lots of energy, and we both didn't drink. We didn't do anything naughty. At 3:00 in the morning, we were still up and running and full of energy, and everyone else was getting very tired. And he said to me, "Yeah, you're just like me. You're very German, Titanic, and disciplined." It was that sort of bonding moment that started our long relationship together.
And then, this is quite fun as well. We had my picture put on a Chanel bout that I wore in the in one of the fashion shows. And this is a bag. Such a great trip that we took in the Amalfi Coast, and it was in one of the campaigns. And I love it because it's just so unusual for for Chanel. So fun.
So, this is one of my favorite paintings. It's Sed, who's an American painter. It's called Point Blank. It's a reference to a film from 1967. So, I don't have any advisor for the art. I go into an art exhibition or art fair, and I see something, I immediately feel a connection to it. I can't stop thinking about it. And, you know, if I can afford it, then I would then buy it.
Well, anything from Edret is really special to me because it reminds me of the time when I first met my husband in Los Angeles. We had met Edret ourselves there, and we went to his student studio and looked at the way he painted. And so that's sort of a connection to me now. So that when I look at that painting, I think of that story back then.
So, we're here in the kitchen, the most important room in the house, where we spend most of our time as a family. And even when friends are coming, everyone is always in this kitchen. I do not cook, but I'm very good at presenting. It's very important for me that everything is in beautiful bowls and flowers and vases, and the candle is always burning. It just makes me feel really good.
Another object of my affection, this beautiful butterfly vase. I collected ceramics from this Portuguese company for years until one day I called them up and said, "I'd love to know more about you, and perhaps we can do something together." And so I created this collection with all the butterflies. I love the idea of transformation, and a butterfly symbolizes that for me. And so we're lucky. We have a wonderful view outside. This is where we have our breakfast and lunches and dinners.
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Here, I've got another object of affection, which is my secret stash of chocolates. I actually did not like English chocolate when I first moved to England. I was obsessed with German chocolate. And then one day, someone brought this as a present, and it's the best chocolate in the whole world. I think it's got really soft, liquidy caramel inside. I'm obsessed. German chocolate still good. This is just a little bit better.
[Applause]
Very good. Don't not open.
This is the dining room where we have dinner parties or meetings. And while you eat, you can enjoy the great view. And now I'm going to show you something in this dining room close to my heart. Follow me.
This is my collection of tortoises. Wherever I go around the world, I always look for one that I can bring home. When I met my husband, I said that I loved tortoises and I never had one. And next thing I know, a real tortoise showed up at my house. Tortoise also represents love and protection. So it's sort of the symbol of the relationship of me and my husband, and something to protect the family.
And this is a very special object of affection. It's Chip the cat. Chip is in the film of my husband called Al Chip. Hadad is was sharing his trailer with Matthew and became a bit of a star. So he's now sort of like a nap kitty. He's even written his own memoirs now. He's got his own Chip Instagram. You know, it's quite rare I spend time with him nowadays 'cause he's so busy. This is one of his tantrums. It's a new thing since he's become a star.
So, cats aside, there's something else I really wanted to show you. This is my jewelry box. My favorite rings from Solange. They all gifts for my husband. And my nickname is Cloudes, because as in Claudia, cloudy, but actually like cloudy as in clouds in English. And so there's one here with a scenery with a cloud, and another ring as a cloud, which is me. And then a lot of animals. The first one was the tortoise, obviously.
Another piece I want to show to you. This is an English artist, Damien Hurst. And this is a dot painting. The reason I like it so much is the classic dot painting has a white background, and this one has unusually a dark background. Since the piece has like literally every color you can imagine, I thought it needed a really plain background. And that's why I hung it here, 'cause there's absolutely nothing else besides the plain wooden wall. I have encountered the dogs. Huh? That's this probably one of those things to do when you have nothing to do, which I never have.
So, we're now in the basement. This is not your usual basement. It's, um, the place where I work, where my husband works, and where we have a cinema room for work and pleasure. And now is something I really want to show to you, which is my wedding dress by Valentino. My dear friend. It was designed in Rome by his Valentino atelier. Took them six months to do. So when I, um, told Valentino that I got engaged, first of all, he then threw me an engagement party, which was really sweet of him. And so on, I said to him, "Well, actually, I was going to ask you if you could design my wedding dress." And he said, "Fun, you ask. I already did it." And so he had A, B, C, D options of what I would like, off the shoulder, rounded neck, was all these different, different options. And then I went to Rome with my mom and my two bridesmaids, and I put on the dress in Rome, looking out the window, thinking, "Oh my God, this is La Dolce Vita."
So, goodbye Vogue. It's been lovely showing you all my favorite things. And now, one very last object of affection. Rolo. Bye.
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