SITTING opposite me at a dinner party at my house, Kate Moss was completely at ease in her own skin.
It was 1995 and, at 18 years old, I was the baby of the bunch — totally dorky and awkward.
But Kate, who was four years older than me and already a big name in the business with campaigns for Calvin Klein, Levi’s and Chanel under her belt, was mesmerising and mysterious.
And I was in awe of her.
I had just broken into high-end modelling after working with luxury lingerie brand giant Gossard and Chanel, but I was still starting out and had not yet reached the international heights that Kate had.
“How can anyone be that cool?”, I thought to myself.
Kate held a bit of herself back that night and, honestly, that is the way she always was.
But she wasn’t being aloof.
She had this unique, captivating quality that set her apart from other models, which we have since seen on catwalks all over the world.
As she turns 50 next week, it’s still that natural poise and coolness that continues to capture everyone’s attention.
I believe one of the secrets behind Kate’s incredible longevity in the business is that people have always been intrigued by her.
Behind closed doors she was reserved and cautious about who she let into her inner circle — something, in retrospect, I could have learned a lot from, especially separating my public self from my private life.
Kate, a down-to-earth girl from Croydon, rarely spoke in public, but that’s because she knew that wasn’t her job.
She protected herself and her mental wellbeing, and rightly so.
She managed to maintain who she was as a person and keep that separate from work.
Her professionalism was unrivalled, too.
She could pose and move like she was born to do it, and was renowned for being on time and working incredibly hard.
Any model worth their salt knows it’s all well and good being the most beautiful person in the world, but you have to be able to model like a silent actress, and there was never anyone better than Kate at this.
She always had the whole package, and that is why clients and photographers all fell head over heels in love with her.
These days, things are very different in the industry.
In the Nineties, models like Kate were individuals and, even though she was reserved, she had bags of personality.
Models weren’t manufactured in the Eighties and Nineties, they were raw, and that was Kate all over — natural and authentic.
She was the ultimate influencer before that became a multi-billion pound industry, and long before social media existed.
She didn’t follow trends, she set them.
I remember the lemon drop colour dress in her first Topshop collection based on a piece she had within her archive.
It wasn’t on trend, but she made it one.
When Kate cut her hair into the pixie cut in 2001, I thought, “I want to do that”, and I lopped my hair off shortly after.
She also taught me to buy more vintage, which is now a huge trend known as sustainable fashion.
We all had major wardrobe envy — and still do.
Kate taught me about investing in key pieces, and today I still often wear the vintage clothes I bought in my twenties.
Fashion companies have caught on to the appeal of models in their fifties.
It’s interesting how top brands such as Balmain, Gucci and Prada are now hiring models from that era to front new campaigns.
Those who can afford high-end brands want to see real women their own age in the clothes they want to wear.
Kate is the face of Saint Laurent, as well as make-up brand Charlotte Tilbury and even Diet Coke.
Speaking as a woman in her 40s, I don’t want to buy something an 18-year-old is wearing, so I applaud Kate and other models who are flying the flag for our generation.
Meanwhile, social media is brilliant for so many things, like making fashion more diverse.
But it has diluted the industry by making it so vast and fickle.
Careers don’t last as long because people get bored so quickly.
But the likes of Kate have the staying power of an organic model who hasn’t been pigeonholed like many are these days.
She has maintained her own sense of style while managing to branch out.
For example, I’m loving her recent Hollywood glamour on the red carpet.
She updates her outfits while keeping them within the realm of her signature rock ’n’ roll look, with dramatic caped gowns or classic, undone hair.
And her projects are just as interesting and varied as ever.
Her Cosmoss range, where Kate sells her own beauty products including skincare and fragrances, celebrates slowing down, self-discovery and spirituality.
And the Kate Moss Agency boasts the likes of Rita Ora and even Kate’s daughter Lila, 21, on the books.
I’m sure she gets a huge amount of satisfaction passing on her wisdom and experience to them all.
It’s like she’s saying, “I’ve done everything I need to do, I’ve ticked every box and have nothing to prove so now I’m building my business”.
In short, Kate has evolved, but remains true to who she is.
I love that about her.
As she approaches 50, she exudes the kind of mature confidence that we all want.
And, despite being largely content with a quieter life in the Cotswolds, I’ve no doubt Kate will be celebrating in style as she hits this milestone next week.
Let’s hope she’s around for many years to come.
After all, the fashion industry — and culture — would feel empty without her.
