In someone else's shoes

Sofia Coppola wanted to create a day bag that was chic yet practical and says it was a fantasy to custom design shoes, especially with the talented team at Louis Vuitton. Photo / Supplied

She's a Hollywood darling, it's an established design house respected for its heritage and craftsmanship. Together Sofia Coppola and Louis Vuitton share a love of good design, and the results show.

Famous for being an Academy Award winning screenwriter, director, actress and producer, Sofia can now add being the designer of one of the coolest accessory ranges around to her list of accomplishments. Renowned for her effortless elegance, it is this that she brings to her latest collaboration with the leading French design house and it is what helps set the range apart from others.

Sofia, who chooses to base herself in Paris, worked on and off for almost a year to create a collection of bags and accessories so right for this time: a practical and understated day bag, an elegant pouchette for evening, and feminine shoes that are distinctive for their lack of ostentatiousness.

Here she shares with Viva what makes her style unique, and the creative process behind working with Louis Vuitton.

How would you define your style?
That's hard to say about yourself. I like beautiful things, so I enjoy clothes, but for myself, I like things that are classic and not too loud or flashy.

Do you remember when you first became interested in fashion?
As a young child - I was always interested in my parent's friends jewellery and accessories ... and then as an adolescent, I loved looking at Paris Vogue and The Face.

Who are your fashion heroines?
Tina Chow, Lauren Hutton (had her in mind when we did the Monogram pochette), Diana Vreelend.

What is your best fashion memory?
Sitting on Yves Saint Laurent's lap at New Years when I was about 12.

How did you first become friends with designer Marc Jacobs?
I saw pictures of his grunge collection when he was at Perry Ellis when I was about 19 or 20. I was visiting NY with my mom, and asked if we could go see it. Robert Duffy, Marc's partner, met me and was nice enough to show me the collection and then Marc said hello, and we started talking and got along and had interests in common...

I don't remember after that, but I remember hanging out with him and Anna Sui in NY in the early 90s.

How would you define the spirit of his collections, both for his own label and for Louis Vuitton?
Not sure how to define them, I love what he does, he makes women look chic, he makes the kind of clothes you want to wear.

Aside from Marc Jacobs, who are the fashion designers, past or present, whom you most admire?
Yves Saint Laurent.

Do you agree that, as the French say, il faut souffrir pour etre belle (you must suffer to look beautiful)?
I don't, but I do admire these French women who walk around all day in crazy high heels.

What do you think is different about French and American attitudes to fashion?
The French aren't as into comfort - in America that seems to be a priority, here women seem to make more of an effort to look chic.

What item would you never, ever wear?
I don't like to say never, but I'm pretty sure I'd never wear a velour sweatsuit.

What is your favourite item in your wardrobe?
Silk pyjamas.

What piece of clothing could you not do without?
A T-shirt.

How did your collaboration with Louis Vuitton come about?
I had met some of the people who work there through Marc Jacobs, and the idea of doing something together came after I visited the factory and museum. After seeing all the things they're making and custom orders, it's hard not to imagine what you would want for a custom order for yourself.

Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted to do before you started?
I had an idea of what I was looking for. I wanted a day bag that could fit everything but wasn't too big or heavy, something chic and discreet. The day bag was based a little on the Keep-all duffle bag.

How did you work with the teams from Louis Vuitton?
It was great to work with the teams because they're really experts at what they do - so I could tell them what I wanted, and they helped me with the exact proportions and details. It was similar to, on a film, telling the costume designer or the art director what you have in mind, and then they show you options to choose from to get your idea across.

What inspires you about Louis Vuitton?
I love their history - they symbolise glamorous travel to me, and I love their high level of quality and craftsmanship. My idea of Vuitton was of a company with a heritage and great quality, and working with them solidified this.

What were your key considerations in designing the collection?
What, for you, makes a great bag and a great pair of shoes? It was great to be able to make exactly what you want. For evening, I love to have a small envelope that fits just a phone, lipstick, a key and a credit card. I like leaving all my work things behind. For the shoes, I wanted something chic, but not too dressy. I wanted a 70s version of a 40s sandal, that wasn't too high, so easy to wear but looks great on... and you can wear with a lot of things, so when you travel you don't bring too many shoes.

Why shoes and bags?
It started with wanting to make a bag that I could use, and they asked if I'd be interested in doing a shoe also and I thought, sure, [it] would be fun to make a custom shoe. It's a woman's fantasy...

How did you choose the materials and the colours?
For the bags, I wanted classic colours that could go with everything and you wouldn't get sick of, but wasn't black. It was great to look at all the materials they have available to them at Louis Vuitton, the teams showed me great things once I told them what I was looking for. The gold for the piping is nice, because it's not too shiny...

I used the prototypes, so we could add practical things. I love that the pochette has a little enamel mirror inside and slots to put credit cards. And the day bag has a zipper pocket inside and an open one to find your phone easily, and lightweight lining.

Which products are your personal favourites? I like them all, anything I didn't love we eliminated from the line.