Who would have thought that legendary supermodel Christie Brinkley, 65, would get flummoxed walking a runway?
But that’s exactly what the Long Island resident said happened when she shared the catwalk for the very first time with her 20-year-old daughter, Sailor Brinkley Cook, at Elie Tahari’s afternoon show Thursday, the first official day of New York Fashion Week.
“During rehearsal, we just spontaneously high-fived each other and they liked it and said to do it during the actual show,” said Christie Brinkley. But when she hit the runway as the show’s closer, wearing a forest green velvet pantsuit, the audience burst out in cheers and applause. “I was so taken aback by the applause that I was trying to hold back tears — it was so sweet — but I walked right by Sailor. She was like ‘Mooooom.’ But I turned around and gave her a ‘that’s my baby,’ ” said Brinkley waving her arms.
The mother-daughter duo, who claim they share signature smiles, said modeling in the same show was unexpected. “I never thought I’d be on the runway with her, but I also thought I’d be behind the camera,” said Cook. “She’s a very, very talented photographer and filmmaker,” added her mom.
Brinkley was impressed with the Tahari clothing lineup. “It’s great to have a designer represent clothes for everyone. He wanted to highlight the generational thing because women my age often feel invisible. But these clothes are for us too, not just for young gorgeous women like Sailor here.”
Tahari, who was celebrating his 45th anniversary in the business, said the Brinkley-Cook team was illustrative of his philosophy. “The clothes are about attitude, confidence and independence for different generations. It’s nice to be able to dress Christie and her daughter.”
