We Talk to Dree Hemingway About Being a “Perfectionist for Imperfection”

Back in the fall, we sat down with model Dree Hemingway to talk about her latest project as the spokesperson for Chloé‘s Fleur de Parfum fragrance. But when you meet the model (or even think of her, really) you think of spring. And while the end of January is typically frigid and painful, thanks to some daunting environmental concerns it’s feeling awfully spring-like in Toronto.

Read our interview with the 29-year-old model below.

FASHION Magazine: You have a rich history with the brand. I’m sure this feels really natural to you. Dree Hemingway: It’s really natural. It’s funny, the history with the brand was more in my head before it really began. It has my favourite flowers. I’m a flower child. I love what the Chloé fragrance embodies and stands for. It was kind of a no-brainer. When I’m feeling the most stressed, I make sure I have a lot of flowers and veggies and shit like that.

FM: Like how putting certain plants in your bedroom help you sleep. DH: Yeah, it’s like oils and stuff like that. They all have different key notes that are helpful.

FM: Are you into essential oils? DH: Yeah. I put rose oil on my pillow before going to bed. I like bergamot and gardenia. They’re all good for stress. Rose is really good for relaxation.

FM: Where was the campaign shot? DH: We shot the film in Paris but the picture was shot in New York. When I first started modelling, I chose to move to Paris. The French women there are very inspiring. It’s very chic and put together but not put together. I went to high school in California and it’s very blingy. It’s gotten ten times worse.

FM: What do you mean? DH: It’s very over-the-top with plastic surgery. It’s very over-the-top with health but for fast health instead of actually maintaining a healthy lifestyle. What drew me to the less-is-more look was French women. I moved to Paris and wasn’t hired for a year and didn’t do anything. I spent a lot of time sitting, staring, and observing.

FM: Did you spend a lot of time at the beach growing up? DH: I never really went to the beach when I was younger. It wasn’t until I was 24 when I was able to go out in the sun and not burn. I’ve never loved sunscreen to be honest. I still don’t. I’ll just be an old bag. It’ll be fine. I think if you’re happy, you can decrease the aging process.

FM: If you could bottle up any smell in the world, what would it be? DH: There’s something really beautiful when flowers bloom in the spring and you can smell through the air. It’s very light.

FM: Do you have a least favourite scent? DH: I have an aversion to men’s cologne. I think I’m allergic to them. I don’t think men know how to apply cologne correctly. They kind of bathe themselves in it. There’s also Lolita Lempicka [the fragrance] that all the girls in my high school used to wear. I don’t hate it, but it just has that memory.

FM: If you could bring one beauty product with you on a desert island, what would it be? DH: Probably nothing. If I’m going to be on a desert island, who cares?

FM: Is there a makeup look you wish would go away? DH: The whole Kardashian look with contouring. It’s just too much. A person doesn’t need to look airbrushed walking around on the street. It’s very fun to play dress up in my house, but I couldn’t be asked to leave the house looking like that. I have anxiety when I sit in a chair for too long. I have anxiety when it’s me, Dree, personally being touched all the time as opposed to a character or a photo shoot. I’m in an industry where I get to play pretend. I play all these different characters. The minute I get to be myself, it’s refreshing to just be like, “This is me.”

FM: Do you feel like you’re playing a character equally with acting and modelling? With one, do you feel more like yourself? DH: I think it’s equal. There are shoots where it’s really raw. There are also movies where it’s really raw. There’s always a bit of me in there, though. It’s also getting to exaggerate and play up parts of who I am. I’m maybe turning up a note of little things of Dree. With a movie, there’s more of a written script. When I go into a photo shoot, I have to play pretend in my head and make up a character. It’s more difficult, oddly enough, in modelling. Sometimes it can be difficult finding who that person is. That’s the most frustrating thing for me. If I feel, at the end of the day, that I haven’t captured that or had that connection with the photographer and created something that we’re both proud of, that’s the only time I’m disappointed.

FM: So you’re a perfectionist, is what you’re saying DH: In a way. I’m a perfectionist for imperfection.