Mischa Barton made a scheduled appearance at Macy’s in San Francisco this week, and the brief interview she had with a reporter shows her mastery of the vague but positive interview style that older actresses like Aniston and Longoria have yet to grasp.
Q: What’s your relationship to your character, Marissa Cooper? Any major similarities or differences?
A: At this point, we’re so different just because she goes through so much surreal stuff.
You start with some similarities but after everything she’s been through, thanks to the world of television, she’s grown and changed into a completely different entity. I love her as a character because I think she’s truly entertaining.
Q: You and Sienna Miller are often referred to as young style icons. How do you define style?
A: It’s all about individuality and having your own mark on things and not being afraid to try new things. Style is also about confidence in your clothing and the way you carry yourself.
Notice she says nothing at all about Sienna Miller when the interviewer mentions that she has been compared to the erratic actress’ messy style. Barton just answers the other part of the question, and we might infer that she thinks Miller is sloppy and not on par with her level of fashion, but she simply skirts the question. She also has something nice to say about almost every question.
Proving that she’s a worthy spokeperson, she later gives Keds a plug without sounding fake about it. She also acknowledges that she has a few Chanel bags, but downplays it. She doesn’t brag about it or say how fabulous they are. She’s more effusive about Keds than about Chanel:
Q: We’ve heard you collect Chanel bags. How many do you have?
A: Oh, I don’t know. I probably have 15 or 20. It’s not ridiculous. I probably get a bag every season from them and then I buy the ones that I really want.
Q: You embrace Keds, which is just about as far as you can get from Chanel. What is it about the canvas shoes?
A: I love them because everyone can identify with them and so many cool people have worn them over the years.
I love when you take a brand and it comes back. It has that established side to it but you can also put a new spin on it. Keds is really good at doing that. They’re so open and they have so many different styles. They identify cool.
Barton has the grace, style, and intelligence to be an A-list actress and we know she will go far.
Here she is at fashion week on Thursday with David Cardona, the designer of the Bebe collection. Barton is 5′8″ tall and in heels she towers over Cardona. Unlike Paris Hilton’s little friend, fashion designer Louis Verdad, Cardona is actually smiling and looks like a friendly guy.
Update: Barton will be at Tilly’s at the Irvine Spectrum center in Irvine, CA from 3:00 - 4:30 pm on Saturday, March 25th to promote Keds. [via]
