Brooke Shields is now 56, but she’s been in the spotlight since she was about 12. That means she’s been photographed in decades worth of iconic fashion looks — many of which are now coming back in style. Glossy chatted with Shields about the fashion trends she’s revisiting from her youth and the clothes her daughters love to borrow, as well as her signature brows and current self-care routine.
You became famous at just 12-years-old in the late ’70s. Are there looks from that time you’re excited to see come back in fashion?
“I definitely think that everything is coming back in style. It’s hard, because when you look back at something, you might cringe a little bit. But I also remember feeling like I looked great then! I felt like I looked great with my big shoulder pads or my legwarmers, or whatever it was. And so, who’s to say that I didn’t? It might not be something I would wear now — but all the styles from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s are coming back. Things are just very cyclical.
I have hair problems, from feathering my hair and perming my hair — those things that just destroy your hair, and I just wore whatever my friends were wearing.”
Are there any trends you plan to revisit?
“I’m liking the re-advent of the shoulder pads. That was kind of fun. It’s reminiscent of another time. I like that there’s a ’70s sort-of essence. Things that are coming back like topsiders and colored shirts — those are comfortable stuff that I wore when I was in high school, and I look back at it fondly.”
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What about looks you never want to see again?
“I used to think, ‘I’m never gonna wear clogs again,’ and I just bought another pair. Or legwarmers, and now I’m sort of like, ‘No, they look kind of cute.’ There’s something retro and kind of comforting about going to something that you know you loved years ago.”
You recently posted an Instagram of you and your daughters in coordinating Aerie swimsuits. Do you influence each other’s style?
“They’ll say, ‘Mom, you need to show your body more,’ or ‘Mom, let’s get this.’ The fact that they want to have a say is sweet. Whereas, you know, if I suggested this stuff, I’m sure they would say, ‘Oh, that’s weird.’ I just got a tattoo with my daughter for her graduation. We sort of play with nails and play with makeup.
They have a lot to say, how they want me to be cooler, and yet now they’re starting to go into my closet. Every day there is something missing. I’m built much more like one of my daughters, my 18-year-old. We can wear the same clothes. She’s always taking my big sweaters, like those oversized things that I used to wear. They’re coming back. Or [my] fitted T-shirts for the wider leg jeans. There’s a youthfulness to [that look] that I think is fun and refreshing. I don’t feel like it’s too young for me, either. It seems still appropriate.”
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Can we talk about your iconic brows? How do you do them today, and how has that changed over the years?
“I’ve actually never really spent too much time doing my brows. My mom always enforced that I didn’t do anything to them. Nobody ever was allowed to touch them or dye them, or anything like that. So I always wanted to keep them a bit clean, but never overly groomed.
I think they’ve gotten a little thinner over the years, but I definitely was never an over-groomer. I’m much more about fitness, internal health, gum health, skin health and that kind of an [inside] approach, rather than the outside.”
Did your self-care routine change during the pandemic?
“I’ve recently just added gum health to what I call my beauty routine. I never really knew the importance of it until I started working with Colgate again [as an ambassador]. Dental care and skin care seemed like very separate things, and now I’m starting to sort of incorporate both. I’m using the ritual of taking the time to clean my skin properly, to moisturize, to work out at least three or four times a week, to drink enough water — with all those things I have to actually make a conscious effort to take the time for myself.”
What are the key products in your beauty routine?
“I always have an SPF; I always wear a sunscreen of some kind. That is something that’s much more important to me now. It should have always been, but now I’m much more aware of it. I like vitamin C serums. I don’t keep it too complicated. I just try to clean my skin with cleansers that are not harsh or abrasive, natural products and toners. Maybe once a week, I’ll do an enzyme mask of some kind — it’s really more about keeping my skin moisturized and clean.”
