Oftentimes when we talk about ’90s supermodels and specifically their off-duty style, a few names get mentioned more than others. While the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Linda Evangelista certainly deserve all the praise they get, there’s a severe lack of credit being paid toward one of the most iconic faces in ’90s fashion: Carla Bruni.
Though Bruni began her modeling career in the late ’80s at just 19 years old, the bulk of her time spent on the top runways and in the biggest campaigns in fashion arrived in the ’90s. At the peak of her fame, she modeled for Saint Laurent, John Galliano, Chanel, Dior, and, of course, Versace. (We all know about that iconic blue Versace dress she wore that served as the inspiration for a recent Margot Robbie red carpet look.) Her runway prowess should never be minimized, but it would be wrong to ignore the undeniable chicness of the model’s off-duty style. She is a French and Italian fashion person after all.
Below, see 11 of Bruni’s most enviable off-duty looks from her ’90s modeling days.
If you think Cannes Film Festival style is chic in 2023, you’ll be humbled when you look back at the outfits worn to the event in the ’90s. Case in point: this gorgeous low-back dress that Bruni wore in 1999 ahead of the screening of Marco Bellocchio’s La Balia.
Fashion’s love for oversize maxi-length coats isn’t new. Just like most of today’s top trends, the silhouette was likewise big in the ’90s—as shown here on Bruni in 1993 in a photo taken with actor and photographer Vincent Perez in Paris. With the coat, she wore an LBD and carried a perfectly XL bag, another top trend at the moment.
Nothing feels more classic ’90s to me than an all-black look consisting of a minidress, tall boots, and a long coat—three items that Bruni cycled through regularly during the decade. With the trio, she naturally accessorized with her camel-colored Hermès Kelly bag.
Looking back at iconic off-duty-model looks, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an ensemble as major as this one worn by Bruni at a party at the Ritz Hotel in Paris following a Versace show in 1995. What made it even more special was that Bruni was the one who debuted it earlier at the brand’s spring 1995 haute couture show on the runway. Proving its long-term position in fashion’s history books, Robbie wore a re-created version of the dress to the Australian premiere of her film Babylon in January of this year.
Bruni attended as many fashion shows as she walked in, as shown here at an Azzedine Alaïa runway show in 1991. For the event held at the designer’s studio in Paris, the supermodel-turned-musician casually tied up a gray button-down shirt and styled it with a matching miniskirt for the ultimate “oh, this old thing?” look.
Seeing this look gave me a haunting sense of déjà vu considering how similar this dress on Bruni, worn in Monaco for a gala hosted by Karl Lagerfeld in 1995, is to one designed by French influencer Camille Charrière for Mango that’s been sitting in my shopping cart ever since her collection for the brand came out last year. It just goes to show how relevant ’90s fashion is today.
What makes French-girl style so alluring and timeless isn’t the actual items they’re wearing. Instead, it’s the casual way they wear and style them. Bruni, who is Italian and French, epitomizes the aesthetic to a T. Shown here at a fashion show held at the Louvre in 1995, the model wore a low-key combination of a leather blazer, white T-shirt, and slouchy trousers. These are items that normally wouldn’t be all that special, but worn together by someone as chic as Bruni, they come off as enviable.
Clearly, Bruni had an affinity toward baby-blue dresses. Spotted at Cannes Film Festival in 1994, she’s wearing a spaghetti-strap gown that, despite being formal, feels effortless and casual when worn by the model, who tossed on an ivory shawl and a gold mini bag to bring the whole look together.
It’s hard to believe that someone could fit so many 2023 trends into one outfit despite it being worn over 20 years ago, yet that’s exactly what Bruni’s doing here at the 1995 World Music Awards held in Monaco. Photographed alongside fellow supermodel Nadja Auermann, Bruni is wearing an A-line mini, a fitted leather blazer, a baseball cap, and Mary Jane heels—check, check, check, and check!
Comfortable-cool style was always one of Bruni’s specialties, with the model oftentimes being spotted after runway shows wearing chilled-out outfits like this one consisting of a fuzzy jacket, flared leggings, and classic ankle boots. She wore the look to an Isaac Mizrahi show held in Bryant Park during New York Fashion Week in 1993.
At the Cannes Film Festival in 1998, Bruni did what she does best by opting for a simple and stunning chocolate-brown gown with a square neck, subtle draping, and halter-style spaghetti straps, accessorized only with a not-so-casual diamond choker and matching ring.
