Nylon december cover

SHINE ON

Her clothing line, Femme for DKNY Jeans:
“I got to bring in textures that I loved and tell them about the shapes that I like. I designed clothing that I feel are staples for my closet. I think that’s really helpful to girls who need to know they can mix high-end with low-end, and you don’t have to buy a complete outfit the way it’s shown in the store. Every girl needs a great leather jacket, and every girl needs a skinny pair of black jeans.”





On her close bond with her mother:
“My mom is rad. I feel I’m so much like her. I don’t know if it’s wrong to drop an F-bomb in the same sentence as your mother, but I’m so fucking lucky to have my mom. She’s just taught me so much and given me so much, and she has such an open heart.”





The experience of fame:
“I walked into a mall one day and was mobbed by people. And I just remember feeling really different than everyone else. I felt really loved. But it was weird at the same time. I don’t necessarily like to walk into a place and be recognized.”





Taking the part of starlet Olivia Burke on Gossip Girl:
“I was a little hesitant. It was kind of close to home… then I realized, I would never say something [that Olivia says] like, ‘Oh, this is just for the cameras.’ I think that’s what makes me so different from some of the other people my age. It seemed for a time there were people who hated each other – and I knew they hated each other – but they were in pictures together all the time, smiling and throwing their arms around each other. I was like, “You’re in the same business I am – how can you do that and feel okay? I so wouldn’t do that.”
--INTERVIEW BY LUKE CRISELL



Photos by Marvin Scott Jarrett for Nylon