IN CONVERSATION WITH MARGO STILLEY

interview by JANA LETONJA

Margo Stilley is back, and London is watching. Once a fixture on Milan and London’s fashion circuits in the early 2000s, she became one of the era’s ultimate model-muses, known for her edge, wit, and unforgettable presence. After over a decade focusing on life outside the industry, she returns as a core cast member of Ladies of London: The New  Reign, premiering on 5th March. Unapologetically American, sharp-tongued, and entirely self-possessed, she’s stepping back into Mayfair nights where half the room remembers her runway reign and the other is just discovering her all over again.

After 13 years away from the spotlight, what made now the right moment to return?

It was less of a conscious decision and more one of those moments when everything just aligned perfectly. Michael Winterbottom had asked me to return for the fourth season of The Trip, and by now the cast and crew feel like a second family, so saying yes was easy. It wasn’t exactly ideal timing. My daughter was only 18 months old and still very attached to me, but when Ladies of London: The New Reign got in touch, it was a completely unique opportunity to include my family in my work. Luckily, everyone was up for it.

How did Ladies of London: The New Reign come into your life?

In the summer of 2023, I was six months pregnant and driving home alone when I heard a voice say, “You’re going to do reality TV.” I immediately shot back, “No, I’m not!” I’d heard of plenty strange things that can happen during pregnancy, but hearing a voice predicting the future definitely wasn’t one of them.

Then, when my daughter was three months old, my dear old friend Martha Sitwell called to say she was in talks to take part in a new reality show. I remember thinking, “Oh my God… is this it?” She put my name forward, we went through interviews, and at the time, it would have been impossible for me to film with such a tiny baby. But the show was delayed for a year, and that unexpected pause made it possible for me to say yes.

Do you feel like you’re reclaiming something, or redefining it entirely?

It’s both. It feels strange to have a younger version of myself living online, disconnected from the woman I’ve become. In a way, reclaiming my own narrative is also a way of redefining myself.

London played a major role in your early career. How does it feel stepping back into that world?

This is exactly what this whole season is really about for me. It turned out to be completely different from what I expected. Some things had changed, some had stayed the same, but what surprised me most was how much I had changed. You’ll have to tune in to see how it all unfolds.

When people think of you, they often remember the early 2000s fashion era. How do you see that chapter now?

Glorious. Iconic. Inspired.

We did our own hair and makeup. There were no smartphones. No camera phones. No social media. If you wanted to meet someone, you had to be in the same room, which obviously led to some truly weird and wonderful situations.

And fashion? You couldn’t just order it online. You had to be where it was sold. Or know someone who knew the designer. Access meant something.

And the magazines. The magazines, every month, these miniature books of art would hit the stands. We’d buy them, cut out the images, and pin them to our walls like sacred texts. We had no idea we were living at the end of an era.

You were a defining muse of that time. What did it mean to hold that space in fashion?

Back then, we were influenced by our travels and our conversations. By history, and by the futures we believed we were building. Everything felt tangible. When I experienced something for the first time, it was in real time. In real life.

We sat across from each other and talked instead of disappearing into our phones. When an artist or designer called me their muse, it wasn’t symbolic, it was an exchange of energy. You could feel it. The electric charge in the air when someone new walked into a room. The way a single presence could physically shift the atmosphere. That shift inspired the art.

You’ve been part of pop culture moments that sparked conversation. How do you look back on that period with the perspective you have now?

It’s hard to be ahead of your time. I always wanted to be first, to see the idea before everyone else did. Looking back now, I can see that some of the things that felt difficult then would be far more understood, even celebrated, today.

Carving out space for my point of view wasn’t easy. But I understand now that I was part of the bridge. One of the people who helps culture evolve. And evolution is rarely comfortable while it’s happening.

Did stepping away from the industry feel necessary at the time? And what did those 13 years off-screen teach you?

I had lost touch with what truly inspired me. It was like being surrounded by dessert and forgetting what a real meal was meant to taste like. When I stepped away from the public eye, I left the UK and began a healing, and deeply spiritual, journey that lasted nearly a decade.

Only after that time did I feel grounded enough, clear enough, to show you who I really am again.

Reality television is a different arena than fashion or film. What excites you about it?

Reality television has become one of the most powerful forms of modern storytelling. In a way, it skips the poetry and goes straight to the source, the lived experiences that inspire the movies, the songs, the art.

Instead of watching the interpretation, you’re watching the origin. There is a place for both.

Fame in the early 2000s was different from today’s digital era. How do you navigate visibility now?

I don’t know if I could compare it to the early 2000s. So much has changed in the way we receive information, but I have a completely different lifestyle.

If your early career was about raw charisma, what defines this new chapter?

Oh wow, that’s a great question. If my early career was about raw charisma, this chapter is about clarity.

Back then, I led with instinct and energy. Now I lead with intention. I know who I am, what I stand for, and what I’m building.

What would you say to the woman you were in 2005 if you could speak to her now?

Once when I was having a really hard time, my friend held me and said, “The future you is so grateful for everything that you are doing for her right now.”

I would tell her how grateful I am for everything that she is creating and enduring so that I can have the life that I have today. And to invest in Bitcoin.

TEAM CREDITS

talent MARGO STILLEY
photography JOHNNY LAVALLEE
makeup MIRIAM NICHTERLEIN
hair DALLIN JAMES
interview JANA LETONJA
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA