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Stella McCartney Gets the Seinfeld Treatment

Photo: Joe Stevens/Corbis

Jerry Seinfeld and Stella McCartney could not be classified as peas in a pod. They are Massapequa versus London, clunky white sneakers versus chic vegan heels. Last night at “An Evening With Stella McCartney” at Lincoln Center, Seinfeld pointed out another crucial difference: that she famously refuses to design with fur and leather, while his diet, he joked, only consists of fur and leather.

With Stella fans like Drew Barrymore, Kate Upton, and Lorne Michaels (as well as proud papa Paul) in the audience, Seinfeld played Elsa Klensch as he and McCartney struggled to find common ground during a Q&A about fashion. Hilarity ensued, and the designer gave as good as she got. Here are some of their best exchanges from the evening:

Seinfeld: “My first question about fashion is: What’s the difference what anybody wears, anyway? It’s a legitimate question!”
McCartney: “The difference is that what you wear reflects who you are and how you feel. It also keeps you warm, and it means you’re not naked in public.”

Seinfeld: “You said you want women to feel empowered by the clothes. What is the power that you want them to have? What power don’t they have? I would like to know. What’s missing, for Christ’s sake? Because as far as I can see, women are crushing us with their power.”
McCartney: “I think it’s more an inner power, Jerry. Inner power. That’s what I’ve decided, since I’ve been sitting in this chair.”


Seinfeld: “My next question is a two-part question, and it’s: Why do most people look disgusting, and why are they getting more and more disgusting with each passing year as far as I can tell?” [He tells a story about performing at Caesar’s Palace and being horrified by the audience’s shorts, tank tops, and flip flops.]
McCartney: “Well, they’re at one of your shows.”

Seinfeld: “Why are models so angry? They seem like they storm down the runway like, ‘When I get to the end of this runway, I am going to give this audience a piece of my mind.’ They’re just scowling at us constantly, these people. [A low boo from the audience.] What? Someone disagrees? Who?”
Natalia Vodianova, in the second row: “We always want to smile!”
McCartney: “That’s Natalia. Natalia’s a smiler. We’ve got a smiler in the room. You know what, at every one of my shows, I say to my girls beforehand, ‘We’re in Paris. We’re in the Opera Garnier. This is amazing, be in this moment, enjoy this moment! Take it onto the runway, it’s okay, you’re allowed to smile.’ And then they literally walk out and they go [pulls scowling face].”

Stella McCartney Gets the Seinfeld Treatment