On Friday, a new documentary about Anita Pallenberg – model, muse and ex-wife of Keith Richards, who died in 2017 – will be released in cinemas. Sometimes dubbed “the sixth Rolling Stone”, much has been written about Pallenberg’s influence on the music and style of the band, whose members she entranced with her distinctive brand of cool Germanic-Italian glamour. Yet what is perhaps less acknowledged is how much her attitude to fashion has inspired the way that we dress today.
Born in 1944 in either Rome or Hamburg, depending on your sources, Pallenberg had a cosmopolitan upbringing, and was noted for both her intelligence and beauty, with doe-eyes, blonde hair and coltish limbs. She modelled and acted – an early iteration of an It girl, in every sense. In the early 1960s, she ran around Rome with the La Dolce Vita crowd, before appearing at Andy Warhol’s Factory in New York. In 1965, she met the Rolling Stones after one of their concerts, and was soon in a relationship with founding member Brian Jones.
Anita and Brian embraced a “his-and-hers” aesthetic – when dressed identically they could look more like siblings than lovers. Their relationship could be volatile, and after one altercation Anita took off with Jones’s bandmate Keith Richards instead. The pair stayed together for over a decade, sharing three children: Marlon (now 54), Tara (who died aged just two months) and Angela (now 52).
Richards has credited Pallenberg with transforming his style in the 1960s and 1970s when they were a couple, with the guitarist frequently borrowing chiffon blouses and paisley or leopard print trousers from her wardrobe, not to mention her jewellery, scarves and hats. But as well as the items themselves – mini skirts, low-slung belts, lurex sweaters, lamé dresses, fur coats and gladiator sandals – it was the insouciance with which Pallenberg threw everything so effortlessly together that made her stand out. Case in point: the devilishly low-cut, flared black jumpsuit she wore for Richards’s 1973 court date, accessorised with one of her trademark floppy hats, high-heeled paisley boots and an armful of bangles.
“She had such an original, uninhibited and confident approach to style,” reflects the stylist Bay Garnett, who knew Pallenberg well. “She was the opposite of a sheep. We once went to a Louis Vuitton show together and all these fashionistas just looked the same, and there she was, in a leopard coat, 501 jeans, Vivienne Westwood pirate boots and big glasses; to say she stood out and looked more stylish is an understatement. She was just utterly original. She never followed fashion, ever. She had an incredible eye and she made clothes come alive.”
With their shared interests in rock stars and fashion, many parallels have been drawn between Pallenberg and Kate Moss, who has openly borrowed ideas from Pallenberg’s playbook for decades. The pair knew each other for years before Pallenberg’s death in 2017, and were often photographed together in matchy-matchy looks – they could almost be a mother and daughter duo.
Moss specifically references Pallenberg in her boho-chic look, whether that’s her Glastonbury festival attire, or her fur coats and lamé dresses. “She was everything you want a woman to be,” Moss says in the new documentary Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, which is narrated by Scarlett Johansson.
Designers too have long been inspired by Pallenberg’s aesthetic. For his debut collection at Saint Laurent, Hedi Slimane channelled her punk spirit, while Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui and Stella McCartney have all also credited her with inspiring their collections. In 2015, two years before her death, she starred in a campaign video for London designer Bella Freud.
“I have been obsessed with Anita Pallenberg since I was 11 and I saw a photo of her on the cover of a tabloid in my country village newsagent,” Freud tells The Telegraph. “I was smitten. And it was because of her style – which was like an electric shock of originality and glamour. Anita was incredibly beautiful but the impact she made was because of the way she wore clothes. How she dressed reflected her interest in clothes and their history. Who had worn them and how to play with them and make them more powerful. A compliment from Anita was something to be treasured. She didn’t say things for the sake of it. Whenever I need a jolt, I think of Anita, and something good happens.”
Channel Pallenberg’s style
Rhea sandals, £265, Ancient Greek; Le Bob leopard hat, £335, Jacquemus at Net-a-porter; Maye belt, £180, Rixo; Brigitte Supernova dress, £220, Realisation Par; Junie cropped floral trousers, £450, Zimmermann
It’s easy to see Pallenberg’s influence in fashion’s current vogue for bohemian style – but for many fans, her originality offered so much more beyond that trend. “Anita Pallenberg’s iconic style has always been an inspiration, over countless seasons she’s been on our moodboards,” shares Henrietta Rix, co-founder and chief executive of Rixo. “From her eclectic mix of prints to her laidback flair, Anita’s timeless aesthetic resonates deeply with our brand ethos.”
“For me, the real magic to Pallenberg’s style was her ability to make an outfit look completely effortless,” adds vintage seller Laura von Behr. “She was an original and inimitable It girl and muse who inspired and influenced not only those around her but generations to come. In an age where personal style is being squashed by Instagram algorithms and viral fashion, Pallenberg is a reminder to rediscover rebel spirit and reignite the passion in the way we dress.”
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg is in cinemas May 17
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