You can all breathe a sigh of relief. Chloë Sevigny just released her first book, titled Chloë Sevigny. Filled with behind-the-scenes photographs from her childhood to today, the 224-page book also takes a look back at the icon’s early intern/model days, with ‘90s Sassy magazine editorial shoots and the deluge of fan mail they inspired. We caught up with Sassy founding editor Jane Pratt, one of the women who made Chloë happen.
"We’re having her work in our office, sticking mailing labels on things and stuff," reads a now constantly reblogged article from a 1992 issue of Sassy magazine. “Her tastes are ever-varied—she’ll try anything, then get bored and move on.”
With this, Sassy introduced Chloë Sevigny to the world, patchwork hats, baggy khakis and all. While the role of an intern usually signifies menial tasks, according to Sassy magazine founding editor Jane Pratt, Chloë was never the coffee-grabbing worker bee. "I didn't know what [Chloë] was going to do,” remembers Pratt. “But I knew it was going to be something, because when you have that kind of unique vision and you have the work ethic to back it up, you're going to go somewhere."
The first time Pratt crossed paths with Sevigny was on the corner of West 3rd Street and 6th Avenue back in ‘92. While filming a commercial for her eponymous TV talk show, which, like Sassy, focused on real teen issues, Pratt and Sassy fashion assistant Andrea Linett couldn’t help but notice an impeccably dressed seventeen year old walking up the street from a basketball court.
“There was this girl in this really cool hat, kind of like a Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat hat,” says Pratt with a laugh. “Andrea was like, ‘I'm gonna go get her.’”
Chloë agreed to be in their video, and soon, was a regular fixture at the magazine. “It was a real funky environment, and [Chloë] made it even funkier,” says Pratt. Moreover, she didn’t let her intern status define her. “Chloë was always a teenage girl that didn't seem like a teenage girl; she was older than her years in terms of how she owned her own style,” says Pratt. “Some interns would understandably be a bit timid about talking to the editor-in-chief. She was never like that.”
Before sealing her place in editorial history as the fairy godmother of alternative mags, Pratt was just like the ambitious young Chloë trying to catch her big break. After graduating from Oberlin College and interning at magazines such as Rolling Stone and the now-defunct Sportstyle, Pratt was asked to come on board as the editor of Sassy magazine in 1987 at the age of 24. Newsstands didn’t know what they had coming to ‘em. The no-holds-barred periodical provided an uncensored look into the untidy lives of legit teenage girls—insecurities and all.
“I really wasn't trying to be trendy or ‘of the moment,’” says Pratt of Sassy. “I was trying to hit on deeper, universal truths.” Avoiding mainstream fashion norms but never hard-hitting issues, Sassy was something that all other teen magazines at the time weren't: raw, unfiltered, and real. Covers asked “Do You Need Armpit Hair to be a Feminist?” and &ldqu
"We’re having her work in our office, sticking mailing labels on things and stuff," reads a now constantly reblogged article from a 1992 issue of Sassy magazine. “Her tastes are ever-varied—she’ll try anything, then get bored and move on.”
With this, Sassy introduced Chloë Sevigny to the world, patchwork hats, baggy khakis and all. While the role of an intern usually signifies menial tasks, according to Sassy magazine founding editor Jane Pratt, Chloë was never the coffee-grabbing worker bee. "I didn't know what [Chloë] was going to do,” remembers Pratt. “But I knew it was going to be something, because when you have that kind of unique vision and you have the work ethic to back it up, you're going to go somewhere."
The first time Pratt crossed paths with Sevigny was on the corner of West 3rd Street and 6th Avenue back in ‘92. While filming a commercial for her eponymous TV talk show, which, like Sassy, focused on real teen issues, Pratt and Sassy fashion assistant Andrea Linett couldn’t help but notice an impeccably dressed seventeen year old walking up the street from a basketball court.
“There was this girl in this really cool hat, kind of like a Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat hat,” says Pratt with a laugh. “Andrea was like, ‘I'm gonna go get her.’”
Chloë agreed to be in their video, and soon, was a regular fixture at the magazine. “It was a real funky environment, and [Chloë] made it even funkier,” says Pratt. Moreover, she didn’t let her intern status define her. “Chloë was always a teenage girl that didn't seem like a teenage girl; she was older than her years in terms of how she owned her own style,” says Pratt. “Some interns would understandably be a bit timid about talking to the editor-in-chief. She was never like that.”
Before sealing her place in editorial history as the fairy godmother of alternative mags, Pratt was just like the ambitious young Chloë trying to catch her big break. After graduating from Oberlin College and interning at magazines such as Rolling Stone and the now-defunct Sportstyle, Pratt was asked to come on board as the editor of Sassy magazine in 1987 at the age of 24. Newsstands didn’t know what they had coming to ‘em. The no-holds-barred periodical provided an uncensored look into the untidy lives of legit teenage girls—insecurities and all.
“I really wasn't trying to be trendy or ‘of the moment,’” says Pratt of Sassy. “I was trying to hit on deeper, universal truths.” Avoiding mainstream fashion norms but never hard-hitting issues, Sassy was something that all other teen magazines at the time weren't: raw, unfiltered, and real. Covers asked “Do You Need Armpit Hair to be a Feminist?” and &ldqu