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Articles Source / Date: In Style April 1999 Title / Page(s): "Gretchen Mol: star of Thirteenth Floor" by Eleni N. Gage It's not easy playing the girlfriend of the handsomest men in Hollywood, competing with Matt Damon's shy smile in Rounders and Leonardo DiCaprio's sultry eyes in Celebrity. But Gretchen Mol survived it by concentrating on what she feels makes a person attractive. "Confidence," says the 26-year-old actress. "You can't have it all the time, but just focusing that attention on yourself is worth a lot." Judging by the publicity blitz surrounding this Connecticut native, Mol's strategy is working. And her days playing "the girlfriend" are numbered. In Thirteenth Floor, a science-fiction thriller with a Hitchcock flavor that opens next month, "my character is an enigma," Mol says. "Her father is murdered, and she takes over his company. It's a mystery, but it's a movie that you have to pay attention to; you can't get up in the middle and go for popcorn." How would you describe your style? It begins with the shoes. If I'm in a flat-shoe or a boot mood, I just want to get things done. On my downtime, I wear Diesel jeans--once I discovered those, I'd found it. Jeans and a sweater. I like really simple shapes, things that are body-hugging but not too tight. I'm slim-hipped, so I have to wear things that aren't huge or I look like a total boy. For everyday, I like Katayone Adeli clothes, the way they fit and feel. I just bought a maroon sweater that's got a little label and reminds me of something I wore in the first grade. I love comfortable clothes that resemble things I would have worn a long time ago. What about when you dress up? It's about how I feel--do I feel like making a bit of a splash? I just wore a pink Richard Tyler dress to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute gala. That was taking a chance, because everyone else was in black. Everyone's opening the door to their closets to me now, so I don't want to stick to the same thing all the time. I forget that sometimes people judge you on what you wear--whereas to me, what you choose to put on one night just represents one facet of your personality. Did growing up in Connecticut influence your style? My mom always had a really interesting style--simple, yet with artistic flair. She was wearing cowboy boots in town when none of the other mothers were. Sometimes we show up in the same outfit now, and it just happens, so I'd say my style comes more from my mom than from the town I grew up in. Connecticut is kind of preppy, and I've never been into madras or those little round-collared sweaters. It's nice once in a while, but you have to funk it up. What's your makeup style? When I'm not working, I wear as little as possible, to preserve the skin. But I don't like to go out without at least some powder and mascara on. I'm pale and I have really light lashes, so I look tired without something defining my eyes. I'm a big blush fan, because if I wear blush, suddenly I look awake. It evens out the skin tone. What's in your makeup bag? Smith's Rosebud Salve--can't live without that lip balm. Stila pressed powder in Light. Trish McEvoy no. 5 brush--it feels so good. Nars Perfecting Mascara in Bamboo, which I use when I want to look like I'm not wearing any; I use Stila black for night. A Stila no. 1 blush brush and Hint blush. Awake foundation compact. Tic Tacs. Nars Madrague shadow--it's a cafe-au-lait color, totally natural-looking. Bobby pins, hair elastics. Stila lip liner contour no. 4--that's lip color. Christian Dior Sheer Lilac 002 lipstick--it's got some shimmer to it. Stila Carver lip color--you blot it with a finger and get that "I just drank wine" effect. It's romantic on a clean face. And Awake cleansing sheets. Was your mom your makeup guru too? No. I've learned by experimenting; I love trying new products. I used to look at books with pictures of movie stars to see how they did it. Once I watched The Great Gatsby on TV, then went to my room and did my eyes just like Mia Farrow's. And all of a sudden I thought, That was easy. Not to give away all my mom's beauty secrets, but she was really natural. She's an art teacher and an artist, and I never saw her put lipstick on. But I love makeup; I look on it as painting. Do you wear perfume? Yes, Samsara by Guerlain. I love scent, but I worry I'll put on too much. There's nothing worse than being overpowered by someone's perfume in an elevator. In New York, you're always in tight, enclosed places with people, and you don't want to be the offender. How do you care for your hair? Right now I'm growing it out. I haven't had long hair since I was 16, but I'm letting it grow down to my shoulders. I always use Therappe products by Nexxus. I love the coconut smell, and I never feel that I'm drying out my hair. I'm pretty bad with a curling iron, so I don't really do much styling--except I do have a round brush that I use when I'm blow-drying, to curl under pieces in certain areas and guide it into something that looks halfway decent. But, ultimately, it ends up doing what it wants. What about skin care? My skin is sensitive, and there's not one cream I use all year round. I'm not one of those people who can wash their face with Ivory soap, put on some Lubriderm and be out the door. I do get facials every couple of months from Christine at Ling Skin Care in Soho. I feel much better about my skin since I started going to her. What was your worst hair disaster? Oh, my God! I did a movie at the end of the summer, Just Looking--Jason Alexander directed it--and I had dark red hair. They didn't want to get a wig because it was so low-budget, so guess who suffered. They gave me what they called a temporary rinse. I thought, Oh, it'll be out after eight washes. And no, it completely clung to my hair. Do you hold it against Jason Alexander? Not at all! I didn't want to do it, and he said I had to--and it really made me live in the character. I felt as if my whole life changed. Going to the video store, walking around with this different hair, you realize how much you identify with your hair color.