A straight talking Aussie with bucket loads of charm and the jokes to match – we can thank Gabriele for re-naming herself ‘Agent 99’ with her KOTUR #getsmartbag sidekick, after the actress Barbara Feldman’s character in the 1960’s Get Smart sitcom – Hackworthy’s down to earth yet inspirational, attainable yet eternally chic approach to both her personal style and her profession has made her a woman to watch and admire in many more ways than one.
As the Sydney born, London living Editorial Director of Net-a-Porter.com and Fashion Director of their magazine Porter, Gabriele Hackworthy certainly has a global outlook on fashion. Factor in stints working as the Fashion Director at Vogue Australia, Vogue Nippon, Vogue China and Harper’s Bazaar in the UK, and you begin to get why this smart woman’s take on her industry is far from run of the mill.
In her most recent position – a post she has held for just over two years – it is Hackworthy’s responsibility to hone in on the inspiration and vision that will strike a chord with the millions of women that make up Net-a-porter’s customers all over the world. That she is a working mother with an eight-year-old daughter who has held jobs at the top tier of her industry for over a decade probably helps with this.
What we love especially about Gabriele, however, is her own personal approach to style. Known, as she admits below, for her Boy meets Girl take on dressing, her fondness for a bit of boho mixed with a slice of androgynous chic (she sure knows the power of a well cut blazer,) has seen her emerge on style blogs all over the world as the poster girl for a certain sort of nonchalant take on fashion with plenty of power dressing thrown in.
Here, she tells us what makes her tick.
What’s in your make-up bag?
Mac Face and Body Foundation, Mac Pro Longwear Concealer, Dior New Look Mascara, Tom Ford Brow Sculptor, By Terry Rose Lip Balm, Nars Bronzer
Do you have a beauty secret?
Sleep
How would your female friends describe your style?
Boy meets girl
What’s the most treasured item in your wardrobe?
My wedding dress, a Black Prada 1920s-style chiffon and lace slip dress with Art Deco chain embroidery
Hot date night with your husband, what do you wear?
A little Black dress, at the moment most likely by Saint Laurent
When home alone, what do you wear?
Men’s style silk pajamas
What do you wear to bed?
Less is more
You’re the fashion police for a day, what do you ban?
Acid Wash denim
Have you ever worn anything you now regret?
No, I never have regrets
How high is too high a heel?
I can run in heels
How old is too old for jeans?
Jeans are like women, they get better with age. Currently I’m wearing a lot by Frame and J Brand
If you could live in any other time for its fashion, when would you choose?
The 1970s – I loved all the women of that Era. Stevie Nicks, Angelica Houston, Bianca Jagger, Jane Birkin, Lauren Hutton and Charlotte Rampling would be just some of my style icons
What is your most recent purchase?
An Etro handkerchief hem bohemian dress
Can you judge a book by its cover?
You can judge a man by his shoes
What are your bad habits?
Addiction to Instagram
What’s your greatest extravagance?
Yet to be experienced!
What are your guilty pleasures?
I don’t feel guilty
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Be nice to people on your way up, you never know who you will meet on your way down.
What’s your favorite smell?
Frangipani flowers
What’s your idea of a great holiday?
Sun, sea, surf in Sydney, Ibiza or Majorca
What are you most proud of?
My daughter Charlotte
What is your pure bliss?
Lying on a beach with my family
Who or what would you like to be reincarnated as in your next life?
Betty Catroux . She was a must to YSL, and she once told me that as a little girl she had two ambitions in Life. “To never have to work and to lead an extraordinary life.”
What would you eat for your last supper?
The Baked potato and caviar from Caviar Kaspia in Paris
If you could meet someone from history who would it be?
Cleopatra
Yes or no to a nip and a tuck?
I hope technology will have become so advanced that I wont ever have to go under the knife
Do you have a favorite purse or bag?
My Hermes Constance bag
Do you have a favorite KOTUR bag?
My iphone and Agent 99 bag have seen many fun nights out together
On a scale of one-to-ten, how good looking are you?
Off the charts!
How would you like to be remembered?
As someone who lived life to the fullest
Photo Courtesy of Oliver Holms