Designer, model and partner to Mick Jagger
L’WREN Scott, who has been found dead at the age of 49, seemed almost predestined by her astonishing physique to be a model, fashion designer, stylist and, eventually, the longtime girlfriend of a rock star — in her case, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger.
Yet, as the adopted daughter of Mormon parents, she was never entirely comfortable with the celebrity circuit.
As a model, she stood head and shoulders above the competition — her 1.9m stature leading her to count “legroom” as one of her greatest luxuries. As a designer, she reworked the “little black dress” and developed a series of signature outfits such as her “boom-chica-wa-wa pencil skirts”.
But as Jagger’s companion for more than a decade, she struggled with the disconnect between the private nature of their relationship and the public attention it drew.
She met Jagger on a photoshoot in 2001 and kept their relationship out of the media glare for several years. Their first public appearance was at the 2005 Golden Globe awards, where Jagger won for best original song (from the film Alfie).
One journalist noted the reserve embodied in her “spectral complexion, the looming height and the habit of referring to herself in the third person”.
As the years went by, it was clear that she remained uncomfortable discussing her romance. “I’m so happy promoting my craft, my art work,” she said last year, “but the stuff with Mick? No, I don’t like being objectified like that, I never have.”
She was born Laura “Luann” Bambrough on April 28 1964 and grew up in the small town of Roy, Utah, where she soon inherited the family’s strong work ethic.
As a child, she nurtured an ambition to be a dancer and secured her first regular income teaching gymnastics to her fellow elementary school pupils.
The prospect of a ballet career diminished as she grew and grew. Already six feet tall by the age of 12, she towered over both her adoptive parents, but was encouraged at home and school to view her appearance as something to cherish: “Weirdly, my nickname was Lady. I didn’t get Stretch, or Stilts, or Spider Legs — I got Lady.”
To discourage her from slouching, her mother consented to the purchase of her first pair of high heels. At 16, she was spotted by the photographer Bruce Weber when he came to Utah for a Calvin Klein photo shoot. Weber advised her that she would get better modelling work in Paris.
Rechristened L’Wren to mark the new stage of her life, she left home on a one-way ticket the next year, having told her parents that she was visiting a friend in New York.
She landed a job as a hosiery model. The exposure led in turn to her first Chanel couture show, and further catwalk appearances were quick to follow.
I don’t like being objectified like that, I never have
She modelled for Chanel and Thierry Mugler, the latter sending her out in some of his most daring creations: 20cm platform heels and a dress with what she termed a “pubic neckline”.
After her move to California in 1994, she focused on work as a film and celebrity stylist and designer. She worked on costumes for several feature films, including the 1996 remake of Diabolique, Stanley Kramer’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007). On the last of them she drew the praise of actress Ellen Barkin: “If I looked naked like I look in her dresses, I’d be happy.”
This was an effect Scott set out to achieve. “The dress, the trousers, the pencil skirt — they should do the work,” she said. “And believe me, I’m in the gym every day to keep my stomach flat. We’re hard on ourselves as women, so if I can help somebody out, I will.”
She worked on the 2008 Stones documentary Shine a Light, directed by Martin Scorsese.
As a stylist, she attracted high-profile clients, including Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Adams and Penelope Cruz.
As a fashion designer, Scott worked at producing a “capsule collection” for Banana Republic. “You know, I live with a very disciplined person and, although I’m quite hard on myself,” she said last year, “I never think I’m disciplined enough.”
Scott is reported to have committed suicide and was found hanging from a scarf in her apartment.