Bruce Darnell, an American choreographer and model best known as an entertainment show judge on German television alongside Heidi Klum and Dieter Bohlen. "/> Bruce Darnell, an American choreographer and model best known as an entertainment show judge on German television alongside Heidi Klum and Dieter Bohlen. " />
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FASHION

Making it in Germany: An American fashion aficionado

The Local's series "Making it in Germany" presents Bruce Darnell, an American choreographer and model best known as an entertainment show judge on German television alongside Heidi Klum and Dieter Bohlen.

Published: 19 October 2009 12:29 CEST
Making it in Germany: An American fashion aficionado
A 2008 file photo of Darnell. Photo: DPA

Coming to Germany two decades ago, Darnell rose to national fame in 2006, when he was an expert on Klum’s Germany’s Next Top Model. Last Friday, he helped launch the third season of “Das Supertalent,” Germany’s version of “Britain’s Got Talent,” with fellow TV personalities Bohlen and Sylvie van der Vaart. The Local caught up with him for a few questions.

Name:

Bruce Darnell

Age:

52

Where do you live?

I live in the beautiful city of Aachen, near the border to the Netherlands.

Where are you from originally?

New York City.

What did you do before coming to Germany?

I was a parachutist in the US Army.

What brought you here and when?

I came in contact with Germany through the military, and over 20 years ago, I moved to Munich. I wanted to do something else in life than serve in the army.

What was your first job in Germany and how did you find it?

I worked in a discotheque in Munich after finding the job through friends.

How would you describe your current job?

I work in one of the craziest businesses in the world – the fashion industry. I choreograph fashion shows, and I’m also part of the jury of Das Supertalent. I’ve also written a styling guidebook. You can’t say my life is boring!

What was the toughest part of coming to terms with German language and culture?

In the beginning, the language was pretty hard to learn, especially the horrible grammar. And I thought things like “German carnival” were strange – it was a real culture shock. But I like German people and their culture. People are really polite and always want to give their best – that’s very impressive.

What was the easiest part?

It was easy to get to know people.

What has your experience been like operating professionally in Germany?

In Germany there are many possibilities to work in completely different fields. But you have to give your best, be disciplined and work hard for your aims. Many people helped me to get ahead and gave me the chance to test different things.

What percentage of your life would you say you split between English and German?

I’ve been living in Germany for such a long time now that I feel 90 percent German.

What fascinates you most about German culture?

People help each other and think of others. I like the openness to other cultures, the food (e.g. potato-soup) and the great diversity in art, fashion and design. There are so many exciting cities where so many new things emerge, like in Berlin for example.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your work here?

The love that many people give to me. Their sympathy, affection and readiness to help others. Here in this country I can be honest, show my feelings and don’t have to fool anybody.

What’s your best advice for someone looking to ‘make it’ in Germany?

Just go there. Live your dream and ask people for help – in Germany it is self-evident to help each other. But you need the will to work and you need to be ambitious. There are many public and private places that can help to find a job or an apartment. Nobody is left alone here.

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FASHION

Paris exhibition celebrates 100 years of French Vogue

A new exhibition in Paris will tell the story of 100 years of French Vogue - from the post-war 'New Look' of Christian Dior through the sexual liberation of the 1960s to the dangling-cigarette waifs of the 2000s.

Published: 7 October 2021 08:21 CEST
French Vogue celebrates 100 years
French Vogue celebrates 100 years. Photo: Thomas Olva/AFP

But as well as celebrating the magazine’s storied history, the exhibit comes at a time of turbulence for the publication.

Just last month, it was confirmed that its editor of 10 years, Emmanuelle Alt, was out and wouldn’t be replaced.

She was not alone.

Looking to cut costs, owner Conde Nast International has axed editors across Europe over the past year, and put international Vogue editions under the direct control of global editorial director, Anna Wintour, in New York.

New York-based Anna Wintour now has overall control of French Vogue. Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

Like much of the media industry, Vogue is struggling with tumbling sales and ad revenue in the digital era.

But the latest twist is also part of the endless push and pull between New York and Paris going back to its early days.

“The whole history of French Vogue is one of back-and-forth with Conde Nast in New York – growing more independent for a while, then being reined back in,” said Sylvie Lecallier, curator of the new exhibition, “Vogue Paris 1920-2020″, which opened this weekend after a year’s delay due to the pandemic.

The Paris edition was often the loftier, more bohemian sibling to its more hard-nosed New York version.

But it was also the hotbed in which much of 20th century style and womenhood came to be defined.

“Paris was the place to hunt out talent and content and bring it to New York,” said Lecallier.

The exhibition charts the evolution from art deco drawings of the 1920s through the erotic image-making of photographers like Helmut Newton in the 1960s and 1970s.

Its last peak was under editor Carine Roitfeld in the 2000s, who brought back a provocative Gallic identity by ridding the newsroom of foreign staff and becoming a fashion icon in her own right.

Her successor, Alt, was a quieter presence, though she still oversaw key moments including its first transgender cover star, Brazilian Valentina Sampaio, in 2017.

But internet culture has created “a perfect storm” for Vogue, says media expert Douglas McCabe of Enders Analysis.

“The first 80 years of Vogue’s life, it had the market to itself, it was the bible for fashion,” McCabe told AFP.

“But online today, there are so many other ways to get your information. Influencers, Instagram, YouTube — everyone’s a threat.”

In a world where new fashion trends can blow up around the world in seconds, it has become much harder for a monthly magazine to set the pace.

“It’s not that they can’t survive for another 100 years — but they will be differently sized,” McCabe said.

Vogue has tried to branch out into different areas, including events.

“I used to work for a magazine, and today I work for a brand,” Alt said on the eve of French Vogue’s 1,000th issue in 2019.

But the big money was always in print, and Vogue Paris sales are dropping steadily from 98,345 in 2017 to 81,962 to 2020, according to data site ACPM.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the new top job in Paris, redefined as “head of editorial content”, went to Eugenie Trochu, who was key to building the magazine’s online presence.

She declared herself “thrilled to be part of Vogue’s international transformation”.

For the curator of the exhibition, it is ironic timing.

“We had no idea it would end like this when we started work on the exhibition,” said Lecallier.

“Who knows where it will go from here.”

The exhibition Vogue Paris 1920-2020 is at the Palais Galliera in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. The gallery is open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays. Tickets for the exhibition are €14 (€12 for concessions and under 18s go free) and must be reserved online in advance. 

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