Harper's Bazaar (Sept. 6th 2014)

Hollaback Girl: Gwen Stefani Returns to NYFW

In conversation with the singer, designer and newfound TV personality…

After a three-year hiatus, Gwen Stefani made a return to New York Fashion Week to show her Spring 2015 L.A.M.B. collection and lend some celebrity wattage to all of the high-fashion hoopla. In a cavernous, industrial space on West 21st street, a video of models dancing surrounded show-goers on mega screens before a raucous dance performance began, melding the pillars of Stefani's career, music and fashion. "I wanted to do something that felt really modern," Stefani explains, "There are no more rules anymore—whether it's with music or fashion—with the internet everybody can have control over their own world so much more, which is cool and scary at the same time, so this just feels really now, like a virtual look book come to life."

If everyone else is just catching onto the whole "running your own world" situation, Stefani has been at it for decades, and the platinum blonde multi-hyphenate shows no sign of slowing down—recently adding a third child and a hosting job at The Voice to her repertoire. Below, the California girl talks her return to New York, becoming a mom again and thinking pink.

Harpers BAZAAR: Why was now a good time to show in New York again?

Gwen Stefani: I think it's always a good time to show in New York, and I would be here and go to every single show if I could, but it's just not possible. I have all my children and school starts, so that was the reason why I was absent, and then I was pregnant. A year ago I said 'next year we're doing it, I don't care what happens, let's make the dates so it works out with school.' I had spent three years writing a record before that, and when I'm writing I find it really hard to have enough energy and focus to do all the different projects that I have, all my hobbies.

HB: How did you balance music and design?

GS: It was a challenging time, so as soon as that record was done and I got pregnant I flipped right back into fashion. I really wanted to put all my energy into this, so this is the collection that came out of that. At the time, I first of all was shocked that I was pregnant, and I had no idea that I'd be doing The Voice, and I had no idea that the collection would represent how I feel as much as it does. Everything just feels so in bloom, and I think the collection really reflects that.

HB: What was your main goal for the collection?

GS: I'm always trying to make clothes that I want to wear everyday, that I can actually wear, and that are simple enough for that. And I think that's really really, hard to do, because it's kind of easy to make that really cool, quirky, fancy piece, but then you wear it one time and it's over. So I think that the collection really does have a lot of really great, simple pieces and I'm really excited about it.

HB: Who do you see as the L.A.M.B. girl?

GS: She really is me. Of course as the years go by you fall into 'okay, that really worked' and you design around success stories and failures, and 'maybe I'm not wearing a mini skirt everyday but I know that I like them,' so yes there are pieces that are my fantasy, what I wish I could wear, but don't wear. For the most part I try to make pieces that I really want to wear.

HB: What's changed in the decade since you started the brand?

GS: I think style evolves as you mature, and you know, your body changes. It's weird because I always go for the same stuff, I always love black and white, I always love the clash of cultures, I always go to those same inspirations…

HB: I associate you with those great trousers…

GS: If I were actually to go on a vacation ever, I'd maybe wear dresses for my husband. But otherwise I always love to do a nod to army, I always like to do a bit of tribal, especially in spring. I always do a jump suit, I always do a suit. I always do a drop crotch pant, I love that. We did the waist pants a little higher this time, which is perfect for me right after having the baby, again, not planned.

HB: What's the commonality between all of the projects you do? What drives you?

GS: Whether it's music, fashion, or whatever, the thing that feels the best is when people care and they pay attention, and you get addicted to that attention. I'm a people pleaser, I want people to like it, I want them to buy it, I want them to wear it. I want them to enjoy it and feel how I feel when I'm wearing it. This collection feels very cohesive, it feels very commercial in a good way. Being that I'm not trained, I feel proud of that.

HB: You wore that really beautiful Altuzarra suit recently, are you going to his or any other shows this week while you're here?

GS: No, I would but I have no time, I actually got to go to the US Open to see Roger Federer win last night and that was a luxury, and Gavin just flew in this morning, and the boys are in school. I was planning that I would be there for their first week and I was actually only there for their first day, so that sucks. I actually FaceTimed Kingston from the game last night and he just started crying like 'when are you coming home?' and I was like 'I only have one more day!' I'm actually leaving from here to go in the studio with Pharrell tonight. I'm doing an all-nighter of writing tonight.

HB: And how has filming The Voice been?

GS: I've started filming at the beginning of August. It's so fun! It's because it's something new. Like I've realized in my life when you're around as long as me, I've got to do things multiple times, I've done fashion shows multiple times, collect all these collections, I've done all sort of different records, I've done solo records, I've done tours, and I've had multiple kids, luckily one marriage, but I've never been on TV.

HB: Were you waiting for the right opportunity?

GS: I never thought about it. But also it was maybe lame 10 years ago, but now this is where we're at in music—like if I put a record out I would go on The Voice and play the song, that's where you play it. You don't go and do MTV Beach House anymore, like that was the '90s. So it's kind of cool to be part of kind of the vortex what's happening right now. And their breaking albums or breaking singles.

HB: Last question—you are known for your signature red lip but you've been doing a lot of pink lately. Are you switching over?

GS: I'm in a pink mode right now. I've discovered that pink is sort of one of those things that happens to me every time I'm going into a new chapter of my life. Like on the "Retun to Saturn" record I had the pink hair, then when I got married I had the pink dress, and now I'm going into this new chapter with my final baby, and I'm feeling pink a lot again too.