Rachel Zoe just revealed the origin story of her entire career, and it’s way more casual than you’d expect. Her first-ever freelance styling job was Britney Spears’1998“…Baby One More Time”music video. She landed it while working at YM magazine, when a colleague couldn’t cover a shoot and asked her to step in. That’s it. That’s the big break. One favor, one video, one career.
From there, Zoe styled basically the entire late-’90s pop landscape: the Backstreet Boys, Enrique Iglesias, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson. And yet, when Page Six’s“Virtual Reali-Tea”asked her about sourcing that iconic schoolgirl look, she admitted she doesn’t remember it at all. The reason is very real: music videos back then had tons of extras, tight budgets, and a“source it from everywhere”mentality. Iconic results, zero memory of how.
Zoe’s latest project is also worth your attention. She’s partnered with Aflac on its Check for Cancer campaign, which includes a limited-edition checkered jacket with an embedded QR code that links to cancer screening assessment tools. So a woman who dressed the biggest pop star of a generation is now helping people take care of themselves. Which’90s music video outfit still lives in your head rent-free?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.