Where does one start about the beautiful Stella Tennant.

I met Stella back in 1994 when I was on my second ever editorial for Italian Vogue. She was with nose ring ( which they made her take out) and at the time was as naive to the fashion industry as I was. I’d flown to Milan off the back of my first shoot for The  Face and I think Stella was on about her 4th or 5th shoot ever. She was one of 4 models on the shoot and the only other British person there too, so I was naturally drawn to her as she was someone I could chat to in an environment that I was still a bit apprehensive about back then because it was so new to me.

I distinctly remember us talking about how funny it was that we were both there and when the shoot ended we didn’t really know if we’d ever see each other again.

That was not to be though. My first ever British Vogue shoot about a year later was with Stella and I’ve gone on to shoot with her for virtually every big publication since and even had the honour of having worked on a UK Vogue cover with her shot by Corinne day (  some of those shoots i’ve added in here!!!) 

Stella has shot with every photographer there is to know and worth working with and is now one of the most prolific female models to come out of Britain. She is quintessentially British and has that special kind of beauty and personality you only see and meet on rare occasions. We recently just shot together for Chinese Vogue with the amazing Willy Vandeperre ( see new editorial post 9th Sept). It was great to see her, have a catch up and do some great images again with a model and work friend that to me never ever goes out of fashion.  

Stella is now happily married with 4 children to her lovely husband David who is an osteopath.  I worked with David on a few occasions when he was a photographer’s assistant and also a photographer in his own right.

Stella is a very private person with her personal life so I want to send her a huge thank you for doing this exclusive Q&A for me to give you a small insight into her life. 

Stella Tennant Ladies and Gentlemen…………

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE GROWING UP?

I wanted to be a pathologist- partly inspired by the awesome Quincy. But mostly a morbid fascination with dead things and why they died.

HOW DID YOU END UP DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING NOW?

I started modelling by mistake. A friend of a friend (Plum Sykes) was helping put a shoot together for Bristish Vogue. Stephen Meisel was the photographer and the idea was to shoot ‘London girls’, not models. At the end of the shoot he asked if I would go to Paris the following week to shoot the Versace campaign. The rest is history.

My first shoot with Stella shot by Manuela Pavesi for Italian Vogue.

WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IF YOU WEREN’T YOU? 

If I could be someone else I’d like to be one third my mother (for her brains) one third my granny (for her wit) and one third my cousin (for her huge and open heart). 

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? 

We live in the country in Scotland. 

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING IN YOUR CITY WHAT WOULD IT BE?

It is pretty perfect but I’d like to never hear traffic.

My Stella Cover shot by Corinne Day for British Vogue.

WHAT ARE YOU INTO RIGHT NOW? ( MUSIC, FASHION , ART,  FOOD)

I’m really into interiors. We’re doing up a flat in Edinburgh so I’m currently obsessed with taps and tiles etc.

WHAT MUSIC WERE YOU INTO GROWING UP- ARE YOU STILL INTO IT NOW? 

Adam and the Ants was the first album I bought. Then came reggae. These days there’s a lot of other noise in the house so I like silence, or Leonard Cohen.

WHO’S YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNER THAT YOU WOULD WEAR?

Designers? No one favourite. Celine, Dior homme jeans, Margiela, 45 RPM, comme, alexander Wang, Chanel…

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO NEXT? 

Next stop? Edinburgh. 

Amazing shoot with Stella shot by Michael Thompson for W Magazine.