The Model Equestrian, Esther De Jong
Known for her ethereal, androgyne beauty, Dutch-born Esther de Jong is a fashion industry veteran of the 1990s and 2000s, who has collaborated with the best in the business from Fendi and Ferretti to Dolce & Gabbana and Dior to being the face of Prada. These days she divides her time between shooting campaigns for Tiffany’s and walking the piste for Lanvin, with her Thoroughbred racehorses and raising her son on a farm in Kentucky. Here’s Esther De Jong…
On being discovered: In 1995 I was studying in Holland, and I went to Paris and stayed with [friends] for six weeks and did all the tourist attractions—beautiful Paris—[and I] ran out of money. If I wanted to stay, I had to find a job. My friend who studied to be an attorney was a nanny on the side, and I figured I could be a nanny [too]. I went to a nanny agency in Bastille, and the first family I met hired me. That happened to be Anette Aurell, who is a famous fashion photographer, and her husband, Richard, who was then a printer. So that’s how it started. I took care of their children, and I think one day she was shooting for i-D magazine, and we went to England, and we took the children. The model didn’t show up, and Anette was like, ‘Hey, Esther, why don’t you do it?’ I said okay, and the rest is history…So it was serendipity.
On working with Steven Meisel: [Anette Aurell’s] shoot ended up being beautiful, and the pictures were terrific. I was introduced to the Marilyn Gaultier agency in Paris, [was signed], and then my first editorial was with Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue. It wasn’t a very gentle climb into fashion; I actually was thrown to the wolves in that respect. Steven is a significant influence on the fashion business. He really helped me get started and gave me a lot of advice on the side as well.
On her first runway show: Prada and Jil Sander were the runway shows I did. That was actually my first time modelling in 1995. I was booked for Jil Sander and then booked for Prada, and those were the only shows that I did that season in Milan. It was a surreal, crazy experience because I started modelling just about a week before that. For me to work for them [Prada and Jil Sander]—for houses that are so respected and for people with so much integrity—to come in and do that as your first job, I think I learned to fashion the right way; it was beautiful, and the clothes were obviously beautiful, and it was very much my style. It kind of was perfect.
Prada campaign, 1996. Photograher: Glen Luchford.
On Miuccia Prada: It’s Prada, it’s Miuccia Prada, and she’s innovative and new; she does beautiful things, lasting [things]. In the 1990s, after every runway, we’d walk out with bags and shoes; now it’s much more protected. We used to get a lot of extras, and I think that was great. Even if she goes from the A-line and the more intense colors to a more romantic [look], there’s always a similarity to every show. You can look at her runways, and you can look at [them] over the seasons, over the years, and even if she didn’t have her name on them, I think I would recognize [her designs]. There’s always a similarity, whether it’s in the cut or the line. I recognize Miuccia from afar….She’s [a] lovely, lovely lady. I did one of her runway shows [about] two years ago, and seeing Miuccia and doing the fitting, it felt like no time had passed; she was still friendly. It felt like yesterday.
On the Supermodel Era: It was very different. The girls were much more individual looking. If you compare models like Nadja Auermann, Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Amber Valletta and Kate Moss, they were all very different. I think individuality was much more celebrated. The supermodels really carried the designers, shows and magazines and were the center of the business.
On the Return of the 90s: I think it’s great. It has come full circle, but I don’t think it will ever be the same. Some of us girls have stuck around, and I think it’s wonderful. I just love seeing Cindy, Michele Hicks, Kirsten Owen, just to mention some, popping up left and right in incredible projects.
On working with Artists: I pose a lot for painters as well. I love doing that. I’ve posed for Jeremy Lipking, Alexey Steele, and a painter in New York called Brad Kunkle.
Chanel campaign, 1997. Photographer: Karl Lagerfeld
Glamour Magazine, Italy, 1997.
On Modeling and Celebrating a Woman’s Age: We are older women, and most of us [90’s models] have children and a past with fashion, and I think it’s beautiful. I believe the consumer can relate. There was a time in fashion when the models were getting very skinny and very young. Maybe that is when actors got a lot of advertising campaigns and covers. Real women, like Cindy and Claudia, are not skinny girls. They are beautiful women, and always were and will be forever. I think that our society’s preoccupation with youth is quite damaging. I think there has been a shift of late, but it is still pervasive.
On Motherhood: It changed in a lot for me. I can’t just jump on a plane anymore. I am a single mother, and whenever there is a job, and I have to go anywhere. Becoming a mother has matured me tremendously. I’ve always been a late bloomer and I never really saw myself having children until I got older. Then, after Oscar was born, I kept seeing myself having ten children, which unfortunately, did not happen. Having a child changed a lot for me in a very positive way. Even though it has not been easy as a single mother, I think becoming a mother was the best thing that could have happened to me.
On the Thoroughbred industry: I grew up in Holland. My parents had a trotter farm, and we raised them, and my dad raced them. I spent every weekend at the trotter race track in Holland. I did jumping and dressage, but the horse bug—I was born into it. When I started modelling in 1995, mostly in France at that point, I had the opportunity fairly quickly to buy a house and a farm, so I bought a house in Normandy, and I went to Spain and bought four Andalusian foundation mares and a stallion and bred those very successfully in France. When I met my then-husband, he lived in New York and did not want to live in Europe, so I moved to the U.S. and started importing, reselling, and breeding Dutch Warmbloods and Friesians. There has always been a horse in my life. Even when I moved to Los Angeles, I've never been horseless.
On her “boutique” Breeding Operation: It's me and my son [Oscar]. Being in Kentucky, it's sometimes hard when I travel because I still work in fashion. Still, I have a couple wonderful clients who ship in mares seasonally from New York and Pennsylvania for the breeding season. I like to keep it small, so I can look at the foals all day and the mares. They're all like my own, I suppose. I love it. My son, Oscar, and I foal together, so it's a wonderful experience. I try and look at it still as a hobby more than anything. Obviously, I don't have a ton of mares, so I have to keep it as a hobby financially, I suppose, because selling one or two foals a year—I try to do as much as I can in fashion and keep it fun. It has to be fun. The horse industry is challenging. You never know when you breed what you (will) get.
On her Foray into Thoroughbred Racing: [My thoroughbred] Suzee Sunrise is in foal right now to Midnight Storm. I went with a young sire. I thought he was very interesting. I love a horse that can race. I think he ran 27 times on the turf, in the dirt, and the slop. He'd proven himself to be a good racehorse, so I figured between him and Suzee, they would have raced 87 times, so I can't wait for that foal. I also actually bought back Pink Cashmere, Suzee's first foal, this year. I always wanted to try her long on turf. So hopefully she'll have a race toward the end of July, so we will see what the future holds for her as a racehorse. [Racing] wasn't really my plan. My business was breed and sell, but I had the opportunity to repurchase her and brought her home. Now she's with Jeremiah O'Dwyer at Laurel Park, and I have two beautiful partners on her. It makes racing easier when you have a partner or two. I've been very blessed to meet great people, and I'm still learning the Thoroughbred industry and, hopefully, will keep learning for a long time to come!
Edited: Linda Mateljan