Inside MBFWA: Tanja Gacic
"You can dress up like a crazy person and everyone will understand."
Tanja Gacic is a legendarily awesome Australian/Croation/Kiwi model who also blogs at myempiricallife.com. We spoke to the amazing bundle of energy about how she is preparing, what she's looking forward to, and how she copes with the considerable champagne consumption which is likely to occur at MBFWA.
Emily Royal: What's a song that descibes how you're feeling about fashion week right now?
Tanja Gacic: Um... [Starts singing]. "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!"
Good answer! You've been to heaps of Australian Fashion Weeks — do you have any pre-Fashion Week rituals?
A lot of people go out and lay out their outfits, which is only what I heard this year. Whereas I sort of go, "Oh my god, I have nothing to wear, what am I going to wear, I have ten minutes to get dressed." So I think this year I'm going to try and plan it a little bit better and I'm going to try and work out my outfits... maybe.
A new ritual!
Yes!
Tanja shot by Candice Lake after Dion Lee's show at RAFW 2011.
What are three things you can't live without during Fashion Week?
I'll tell you — it's so amazing — I go to the Alkaline Spa and I get this infrared private sauna. And then because your skin looks kind of shit from all the champagne, you do an Omnilux thing that makes your skin look really fresh. And they do a footrub there and it's just like heaven. It's the best thing for Fashion Week.
And obviously your phone, water... That's what normal people usually say.
Normal people say that, I say this. Champagne; infrared spa; and Omnilux. [Laughs].
What's your favourite thing about Fashion Week?
Just the energy of it, I think is great. The fact that Fashion Week becomes such a celebration and you can dress up like a crazy person and everyone will understand.
Do you have a least favourite thing?
I think the gossip side of it becomes quite intensified over Fashion Week. People tend to develop quite a silver tongue after a few drinks, which can be fun but can veer into meanness, which is not nice.
Tanja courtesy of Chic Management.
Once the week is over, how will you be celebrating?
Oh god, maybe I should have said Alkaline Spa for this question, 'cause I'm gonna be doing that again. Or, I'm hoping to go on a holiday to Broome. I'd love to go to Broome, it's so hot there, I just wanna lie in the sun and do nothing. Or, maybe go to Bali with my girlfiends.
So is there anything else you have to do before the week starts? What about your blog — are you going to plan anything for that?
Yeah, I'm going to try to plan a few people to interview. As you can see, I'm not a planning person. But also — babysitters. I'm going to need a lot of babysitters!
Awesome. Thanks so much, see you next week!
You too!
Tanja in Oyster #92.
Words: Emily Royal
Main image: Emily Royal
