Nothing comes between Brooke Shields and her Calvins. Or her Oscar de la Rentas. Or her H&M sales racks.
The actress and former child model is joining the cast of Nora and Delia Ephron’s “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” April 28 to May 23 at the Westside Theatre. Based on Ilene Beckerman’s best-selling book, the play examines the close-knit connection between ladies and their labels.
“Women have a very unique relationship with clothes and their bodies, and this play’s indicative of that journey we go through,” Shields says.
PHOTOS: BROOKE SHIELDS’ MOST MEMORABLE FASHIONS
Although she spent decades gracing the cover of Vogue, Shields, 44, says clothes were just a job for her until very recently.
“I was very latent with regard to fashion passion,” she says. “It wasn’t until after I had children that I started to have the sensibility of not just looking like people in magazines, but looking my best.”
She’s also a frugal fashionista, listing H&M, Zara and Loehmann’s as favorite shopping haunts.
“I grew up going to thrift shops on the Upper East Side where the women would throw out their old Puccis and my mom would scoop them up for $1.50,” she recalls. “I learned you don’t have to spend a lot of money to look good.”
In honor of the show, The Post asked Shields to take a nostalgic walk through her closet, pulling the most memorable fashion moments of her career.
Calvin Klein jeans, 1980
Age: 15 Why: ad campaign
“I look at these pictures now and I still am sort of shocked that they became so legendary. For me, it was just a huge job I went to after school at 3 o’clock. The one with my leg up, I just remember my arm hurting. You can’t plan on being iconic.
“The controversy [over declaring, ‘You wanna know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.’] didn’t surprise me because I’d had experience with it since I was 11. The pants came above my belly button — even the one with my shirt open, you didn’t see anything. Compared to the things I’d done before, this was like being in winter gear.”
Valentino dress, 1982
Age: 17 Why: Senior prom, Dwight- Englewood High School, Englewood, NJ
“Valentino had made [it] for the movie ‘Sahara.’ I got to take one of the dresses home. It was white and really ’20s-looking, with little epaulet cap sleeves, beautiful pinks and violet and platinum. Everybody had to go shopping for their big poofy prom dresses, and I didn’t have to — it was such a relief.
“My date was Ted McGinley, if you can believe it, from ‘Love Boat.’ We were dating at the time and he said he would fly in from California to be my date. It was just so funny to be posing in prom photo position in a Valentino dress. I didn’t say it was Valentino — nobody in high school would have cared.”
Cap and gown, 1987
Age: 22 Why: Princeton University graduation
“Wearing that cap and gown [with mother Teri], I felt so fortified. I felt like I was wearing this armor — it was the least flattering thing you could imagine, but it made me feel the best I’ve ever felt. It also hid the ‘Freshman 20’ I still had by the time I was graduating!
“I learned pretty quickly that in this industry, [education] is the one thing they can’t take away from you. I’ve worked with Miley Cyrus and Ed Westwick and all these young kids, and I always have that conversation [with them].”
Krizia silk dress, 2003
Age: 37 Why: April cover of Vogue
“I had been on the cover of Vogue so many times as a kid, but it wasn’t until I got pregnant that I was on the cover as an adult. Annie [Leibovitz] shot me all wet and pregnant with my daughter Rowan. It was a re-entry back into the fashion world, but a bit more on my own terms.
“It was before my difficulty [with postpartum depression] began. It’s a celebration of being not skinny, but gloriously healthy with life inside you. To have that be celebrated by a fashion magazine was important.”
Oscar de la Renta gown with Fred Leighton coral earrings 2007
Age: 41 Why: Met Costume Institute Gala
“This was the first time I’d been invited and was able to go. It’s huge pressure — you know Anna Wintour’s going to be waiting for you at the top of those stairs. The dress was so heavy and so beautiful, vintage Oscar. It was one of those huge statements. It had a train, so it was a bit risky.
“After having babies and kind of hibernating, to come back in with my head held high in a fabulous dress and not be afraid — it was all very emotional.”
Badgley Mischka dress, 2008
Age: 43 Why: Emmy’s red carpet
“I put this on and there was no doubt in my mind that it was perfection for me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more glamorous. It was beautiful, it was colorful, it fit me perfectly. It’s hard to top that.
“I was back on television in my own show [‘Lipstick Jungle’] in a great environment. Everything was at its height. I was looking my best, feeling my best and confident because I was working. I was very much invited to the party, and that doesn’t always happen in Hollywood.”
Seafolly bikini, Juicy Couture shorts and See by Chloe cardigan, 2008
Age: 43 Why: October cover of Shape
“I’ve never been one to feel comfortable in a bikini. It was one of those, ‘Oh my God, that’s me and they didn’t retouch it’ moments. I was so proud of the hard work I’d done after having kids. It was about being fit and healthy. I haven’t been in a bikini much after that, but I have this on record!”
Badgley Mischka dress, 2008
Age: 43 Why: “Lipstick Jungle” season two premiere party
“The dress was perfect. It was sparkling and beaded. I felt like a princess. I thought only people like Jennifer Aniston could wear those dresses — I’m twice her size! But then I saw those pictures. My body was good enough. It’s a huge thing when you accept yourself. My confidence is very much tied to my work.”
Catherine Malandrino dress, 2009
Age: 44 Why: Gotham Independent Film Awards
“I wanted to maintain fashion, but still be a little edgy. It’s a combination of both my worlds. I’ve never really fit in. I was born and raised uptown, but I live in SoHo now. My mom was from Newark; my father was Upper East Side royalty. That dress is just indicative of me bringing those worlds together.”