The Dress That Changed My Life

I was in a car coming home from the airport in 2010 when Diane von Furstenberg called me and said, “Darling, the CFDA has nominated you.”

- Iman

I’m like, “For what? I’m not a designer.” She said, “The Fashion Icon Award. It was unanimous.” And I said, “Well, I’m honoured.” Then automatically I was like, “What the hell am I going to wear?”

I knew I wanted something that would transcend time, that nobody could ever put a date on. I didn’t want a colour, so if you look at a black-and-white picture it could have been 1950. It had to be couture and have a presence, but feel timeless and iconic.

Giambattista [Valli] had sent me a couple of dresses for other events, and beautiful as they were, they took up the entire room. I’ve always told him jokingly, “I’m not Sarah Jessica Parker.” I’m much taller than she is, but somehow she pulls off these huge gowns effortlessly. I don’t like big gowns. I have a Somali body; we’re very small-boned, so things can overwhelm me. And I don’t want to wear something that I’m worried about how to walk in all night.