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Now Casting: Jane Moseley
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Jane Moseley may have made her runway debut as a Balenciaga exclusive at Paris Fashion Week last month, but the model swears that runway life was never part of her plans. “It was a fluke,” she exclaims. “I’m blown away that anything has happened with modeling.” She sees herself as a visual artist first and foremost, but to industry experts, including our very own photography director Evelien Joos, Moseley’s success is not surprising—her recently minted deal with Next Model Management is enough to prove it.
One thing is for sure though: Moseley is not your typical model, and she’s the first one to admit it. The L.A. native is not interested in the quintessential, completely fitting as the daughter of cult horror film actor Bill Moseley. Fantasy worlds are more to her liking—but not the dreamy, romantic kind. Although, a 2011 video for Rodarte’s Opening Ceremony collection would tell you otherwise. The weird and the macabre—these are the worlds where Moseley thrives, a fact she’s cemented with her artwork and with over 30 tattoos.
Here, we catch up with the model on being a Balenciaga exclusive, her work as an artist, and every gig in between:
What inspired you to get into fashion?
“I have a lot of friends who work in fashion. I appreciate fashion objectively speaking, but it wasn’t until recently that I decided to participate in it in the way that I am now. I’m an artist, so fashion was never anything that I thought I would be a part of.”
How did your debut with Balenciaga come about?
“I have friends in the industry, and it just happened that my friend was helping with the Balenciaga casting, and she was asked if I’d be down. I had told her I was thinking about modeling because it kept popping up. Before that, I had worked every odd job under the sun. I was a set design PA for SNL when I graduated from college. I’ve been a hostess. I’ve worked in vintage stores. I’ve assisted an artist. I’ve done plenty of different things.”
What was it like to walk for the brand as an exclusive?
“I obviously wasn’t part of the process of creating the clothes by any means, but when I showed up and they put this really structured dress on me I was like, ‘This is rad. This is awesome.’ The boots I wore were so high. They were patent leather I think, and they were totally insane to walk in, but I loved them.”
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done for fashion?
“Probably wearing those shoes. I felt like I was walking into a room with scary, intimidating people wearing these very unforgiving shoes. I kept telling myself, ‘It’s fine. It’s fashion. You have other things going on in your life if and when you fall, don’t worry. It’s not the end all be all.’ I was trying to calm myself down in that way but my body was shaking. I had done a show before but in flats. Balenciaga was a whole different ballpark.”
How does it feel to have signed with Next Models?
“Great but scary. I’m still a bit apprehensive in how fashion and art get along. Especially as an artist, my appreciation for fashion and art is fashion in art like if the satin is glowing in a painting or the detail on the lace in a 17th or 18th century painting.”
What inspires your art?
“People’s imaginations. People’s experiences. I take pieces from things I find aesthetically or what they represent conceptually. I try to apply them in my own work with my own experiences. It’s very much a personal thing. I’m not trying to comment on anything.”
How do you think growing up in LA influenced you?
“Growing up there wasn’t so bad at all. I think it’s how you’re raised there that really affects a person anywhere. My mom, my dad, my stepdad and even my stepmom are all creative people in the arts so they raised me right as far as that goes.
My dad is in horror movies. He’s an actor, so I grew up watching horror movies but also classics. My stepfather is a director. I had very early exposures to quality stuff.”
What are your favorite horror movies?
“I really like Candyman and The Abominable Dr. Phibes, which is a Vincent Prince that was done in the early 70’s—the set and the costume design are pretty incredible. A Nightmare on Elm Street has always terrified me, as well. Recently, I really loved The Visit; It’s about two children that visit their grandparents. I loved it. It’s crazy. It’s really smart and funny.”
Fashion-wise, would you say you have a certain style?
“It’s whatever I feel in the moment. As a teenager, I wore a lot of regrettable stuff. I wore Uggs and Hard Tail leggings tucked in. I wore Frankie B jeans super low and Forever 21. Remember, Kate Moss was photographed in those moccasins that were mid-calf? They had fur on the outside and were tufted. I thought they were so cool, but then I went to a school that had a uniform—khaki bottoms and a white button up collared shirt, and I wasn’t really interested. When I came to New York, my style became a lot about function. I just want to exist and function in the world.”
Lets talk about your tattoos. How many do you have?
“Around 30. We’re all going to die, so I figured I might as well have fun with my body while I can. I don’t really regret any of them. Some of them are dumber than others. I have one that’s a tree that I got when I was eighteen and in Paris. I liked Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit so that was my motivation, but I don’t see how they’re at all associated now. Nobody would ever know from looking at them. A lot of them are cartoons I grew up watching and loving. I was just trying to have fun and not take it too seriously. I don’t have a poem on me or any sort of meaty tattoo.”
Did you tattoo any names on yourself?
“I don’t, but I have things that my ex-boyfriend tattooed. My current boyfriend has tattooed me, too. Actually, all of my ex-boyfriends have tattooed me, my big ones anyway. They tattooed dumb, little things, but they left their mark. They branded me.”
How has the industry responded to you having so many tattoos?
“Some of the agencies that I went to New York turned me down specifically because of my tattoos. Maybe some of them were for other reasons but others kept saying, ‘You have too many tattoos, you have too many tattoos.’ On the other hand, some people really happen to like them. I like them so I can see it as being a nice distinguishing factor. I think a lot of other models have tattoos, but they might be more delicate or discreet. Maybe they have them on their hipbones or wrists, and they might have a little symbol like a cross. That’s never been my game though.”
How do you keep a positive outlook in an industry that can be extremely difficult to navigate?
“I don’t give it too much power. Obviously, it’s easier for me to say that now that things are working out. At the time when agencies rejected me, all the L.A. in me kicked in. I was like, ‘I should get Botox.’ I would never do anything like that but rejection makes you second guess yourself.
Whatever insecurities came up in that moment, I couldn’t give them too much power because I also have a full life and other things that I’m invested in like my art and my boyfriend and just trying to be a good person. If modeling didn’t take off for me, I think I would just say, ‘Okay, that’s not an option. That’s fine, and I’ll figure it out.’”
Do you have any role models?
“When I was in London, I met Juergen Teller. I was so impressed by him. He does his thing. I feel like most industries or a lot of people feel like there are formulas for everything. Everything’s about clients. Everything’s about due diligence and working hard and getting somewhere with that, but people who do their own thing are so inspiring.”
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