A Quick Q&A with Christine Lerche

Editor and stylist Christine Lerche lives and breaths fashion. She has worked as a fashion editor over the years at publications like l’Officiel de la Mode, Biba, Dépèche Mode, Wad, M le Monde and ELLE Belgium as well as styled advertising campaigns and consulted for brands like L’Oreal, Lacoste, Kipling and Tommy Hilfiger before working as the associate fashion editor at Marie-Claire magazine from 2009 to 2015.  It was at that point that Christine decided it was time to follow her bliss and she launched the highly regarded (and cleverly named) French language webzine called 1nstant.fr. Its focus is to beautifully decipher all the latest developments in style and taste across the fashion, beauty and lifestyle arenas. 

Here Christine talks about why the speed of fashion got her revved up about starting her own website, how she never had a big break and her addiction to binge watching Netflix shows.  

The 1nstant.fr homepage.

How did you first get interested in fashion?
As a little girl, I took sewing classes at school. And when I was in 9th grade, a mother of a friend  was reading Vogue, I often spent my weekends at this friend’s house, I saw her mother getting dressed to go out in nightclubs like the Elysée Matignon… It was the time of Charles Jourdan pumps, short jacket in calf velvet and hair coloring (platinum blonde).

What made you finally decide to launch out on your own and start your site?
Digital is the solution for fashion, it’s instant and has a certain freedom. We can follow our convictions,  and I wanted to work on a different image, a different support, an “instant” one, a publication in the minute, what the classic press can no longer offer. When I was Associate Fashion Editor at Marie-Claire, we were in the installation of fashion subjects, the time to do and redo, it was monthly. Now I think that digital is an ideal shortcut for a personal or collective project, we publish much more and much faster.

PRADA_Shuwei_Shanghai from 1nstant on Vimeo.

What was your big break?
I didn’t really have a big break.

Who inspires you?
Artists who evolve in fashion, artistic performances,  and collectives. I have a big crush on the work of fashion schools and arts, they experiment with all kinds of different possibilities, 3D, videos, dance, photos… They mix things collectively and it reflects the future of today’s society.

Who, living or dead, would you love to be able to have dinner with?
A musician rather than a “fashionista”. Frederic Chopin for his melancholy and his immense popular vision of music… He was perhaps the most popular musician of his time. He is the inspiration of many composers today…  A songwriter of the 19th century.

The 1nstant.fr Instagram page.

What is your favorite trip?
Because of work, I loved the city of Hong Kong for its modernity and exoticism, mixing the hyper modern with the traditional. I’ve traveled a lot for shoots, Miami, South Africa, London, all over Europe… It’s always nice to share and work with a great team while traveling when things are going well. Personally, I rather  take my whole family with me to secret places. I love Spain and Greece, I am more a sea person than a mountain person. Not crazy about the mountains in summer.

When are you happiest?
When I receive good news.

What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing?
Professionally, it is 1nstant.fr. To get a contract that would allow us to work with new artists, new collectives. And personally, it is my family. 

What is your secret talent?
I work a lot, during the week and on week-ends, switching from print to digital  requires a lot of training and different reflexes… I love working from home, it reassures me. I am also a Netflix addict and I’m currently watching Maniac. 

What is your motto or the best piece of advice you ever got?
Always stay up to date, be curious and be a click ahead of the novelty.

What is the latest Instagram feed you decided to follow?
Designer Neith Nyer

Jessica Michault

Jessica Michault is the Senior Vice President of industry relations at GPS Radar by Launchmetrics. She is also the editor-at-large for ODDA magazine and contributes to publications like the New York Times, the Business of Fashion, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Mixte magazine.