Gwyneth Paltrow Covers Elle September, Talks Beyoncé
Photos courtesy of Elle
Thigh’s the limit: Gwyneth Paltrow shows some leg for Elle September covers.
Given that both Lea Michele and Beyoncé have spent their own September cover stories gushing over her, it seems only natural that Gwyneth Paltrow graces an issue of her own.
Et voila! The star favorite wears a black Burberry knit tunic paired with Julien Macdonald silk tap pants on the September cover of Elle (plus laser-cut Louis Vuitton for an alternate cover), which includes an accompanying fashion spread featuring designs from Isabel Marant, Tom Ford, and Christopher Kane.
Photographed by Carter Smith and styled by Joe Zee, the Oscar winner opens up about her high-profile marriage to Coldplay singer Chris Martin, whom she calls a "musical genius ... [it's] like living with Picasso."
"He makes music for his fans, and he doesn’t want people to conjure a lame famous couple when they’re getting into his music," she says of the couple's tendency to avoid the red carpet together. "I get it.
"Sometimes it’s hard being with someone for a long time. We go through periods that aren’t all rosy. I always say, life is long and you never know what’s going to happen. If, God forbid, we were ever not to be together, I respect him so much as the father of my children. Like, I made such a good choice. He’s such a good dad. You can never be relaxed or smug and think, I’ve got this thing. That’s also part of it—keeping yourself on your toes. I’m not going to take this for granted.”
Another thing the Coach campaign star doesn't take for granted is her friendship with Beyoncé, who thinks she should do a solo album.
“This story always makes me cry," Paltrow says of the time her pop star pal came to see her duet with Cee-Lo Green for the Grammys. “It’s 10 in the morning and Beyoncé schleps it all the way down to the Staples Center to watch. I mean, She’s Beyoncé! Beyoncé’s like, ‘Okay. The singing is great. But you’re not having any fun.’ She’s like, ‘Remember when we’re at Jay’s concert and Panjabi MC comes on and you do your crazy Indian dance? Do that. Be you!’”
Paltrow, who reveals that she'll be resurfacing on Glee, also wants to keep it real by showing her true personality via her GOOP newsletter.
“If you speak to my friends who’ve known me since I was 4, they’ll say, ‘That is her,’" she says. “They always said to me, ‘You’re the dirtiest person in the world and so funny. Show the world that side of you.’ I felt guarded. I felt like if I really showed people more of me and I was still not accepted, then … Who cares. You just realize it doesn’t matter what people think of you.
“It’s so much easier to sit home and not exercise and criticize other people. What I love is inspiring people. People come up to me and say, ‘I want to have two kids and wear a bathing suit and not feel terrible about myself. I see how hard you work and it makes me feel like I can do that too.’”
For more of Gwyneth Paltrow's shoot and interview, visit Elle online and pick up the September issue, out August 16.
