Photographing cult model and Saint Laurent muse Jamie Bochert

Taken from the spring/summer 2019 issue of Dazed. You can buy a copy of our latest issue here.

Our spring/summer 2019 issue dove into the mysteries at the heart of cult appeal, reflecting on what the word means today. One of eight iconic models covering the issue, Jamie Bochert is an obvious choice for the title, though to call her a model would not be entirely accurate. A musician, occasional actor and muse to Anthony Vaccarello, Bochert is the answer to the meaning of cult.

Scouted at the restaurant where she was waitressing in LA, Bochert had her runway debut walking for Ann Demeulemeester’s autumn/winter 2002 collection. She shot to fame shortly after, appearing on the pages of Vogue, Numero and W, and walking for the likes of Versace, Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Saint Laurent, while also steadily forging a music career with her band, Francis Wolf. Building relationships that last has defined Bochert’s musical career too – Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore were early supporters. 

The model was shot by Letty Schmiterlow on the outskirts of Paris in Anthony Vaccarello’s SS19 collection for Saint Laurent. The designer and model have a long history of collaboration, from a sensual encounter between Bochert and Kate Moss in the brand’s SS18 campaign, to a Saint Laurent look Bochert wore to the 2018 Met Gala that was both steamy and clerical. Vaccarello’s SS19 catwalk staged under the Eiffel Tower paid tribute to the “independent, confident, carefree, liberated, bold” Saint Laurent woman, in the designer’s signature glam-rock style – a sensibility effortlessly embodied by the cult model.

Hair David Harborow at Streeters, make-up Nami Yoshida at Bryant Artists using Chanel Rouge Coco Flash and Chanel Hydra Beauty Camellia water cream, model Jamie Bochert at The Lions NYC, photography assistant Andy Moores, styling assistants Jordan Duddy, Isabella Kavanagh, Christelle Owona Nisin, production Louise Mérat at Artistry London, casting Noah Shelley at Management + Artists, printing Luke at Touch