“You have to stay true to your heritage; that’s what your brand is about.”
“Eclectic yet classic with a playful bohemian twist is how I’d describe my style.”
“My favourite finds are often antique pieces with a history.”
“Lingerie is my next love after clothing; I think it is what is worn underneath that really inspires a woman to feel beautiful in her clothes – that inner, secret glamour.”
“When I was a child, I was always nicking my mum’s jewellery to wear, and I loved to drape a massive Chinese shawl around me from our fancy-dress box. I was obsessed with a feather and rabbit-fur collar from the age of three and attempted to make one with my friend, whose father was a gamekeeper.”
“As far as accessories are concerned, I think it is always best to be as minimalist as possible.”
“I think fashion can always date, but I think if a woman has elegance, she doesn’t date.”
“I like to be real. I don’t like things to be staged or fussy.”
“I try to take care of myself, and I lead a healthy lifestyle.”
“I get up between 6:30 and 7 A.M., and my morning routine is always the same: hot water and lemon, eggs on toast and rose oil on the face.”
“A lot of self-importance goes on in the fashion industry. I’m not like that.”
“I’m a morning person, really alert.”
“I used to be frustrated about being called bohemian, but I don’t really care now. If that’s what you are, you should celebrate it.”
“Red carpet dressing all depends on the climate. I think richer, deeper colours are more flattering on the body, but the opposite is true if you are in Cannes or St. Tropez where the light makes deep colours look heavy and unflattering.”
“I have an obsession with details and pattern.”
“I can live in a bubble, I like not to know anything about financials.”
“I was always in trouble at school for what I was wearing; I was never made a prefect because of the way I used to dress – I ripped my tights, my skirts were too short, all sorts of things.”
“I loved being in London. Always walking everywhere, always out and about and always at markets, walking around Brick Lane and Covent Garden and Soho.”
“I don’t think many people would think I’m a designer. I behave in a different way. I’d get knocked down and cut to pieces if I went home and flounced about; this industry is known for the flounciness, but I’ve got my feet on the ground.”
“I like the things around me to be beautiful and slightly dreamy, with a feeling of worldliness.”
“If you took some of the behavior that you see in the fashion world and put it anywhere else, it would just be embarrassing.”
“With celebrity being our new religion, it’s increasingly difficult to start up on your own. Talented young designers are more likely to either go and work for celebrity brands or huge fashion houses than ever before.”
“I’m really excited about the future.”
“I think that a woman that is elegant herself is somebody who can dress herself easily and effortlessly.”
“I don’t try to be in fashion; I don’t try to follow trends. You just end up out of fashion that way.”
“It should be natural, and that’s how I like women to look. I like them to feel comfortable and look organic.”
“Fashion moves so quickly that, unless you have a strong point of view, you can lose integrity.”
“I buy vintage – mainly Alaia and some Westwood – but 90 per cent of the time, I wear my own designs.”
“I keep only a small edit in my wardrobe because I think it is important to keep things moving through, and I like to find out which pieces from my collections work and which could be reworked and improved.”
“I always knew I wanted to create. I used to sit in my room for hours drawing and making things. I once got into trouble for cutting up my mother’s lampshades to make a dress. I was three.”
“My mother has always encouraged my creative side. She is a very eclectic, creative woman and looks incredibly glamorous, even when trudging about in wellies. Our family home is full of items from her travels and her amazing etchings and drawings.”
“I love long power walks in the countryside.”
“I’m from the middle of nowhere in Somerset, and if I have too much stimulus or chaos, then I tend to not be as creative.”
“I think I’d go mad if I didn’t have a place to escape to.”
“It’s a real luxury to have a studio all to myself, somewhere to start mood boards for the next collection.”
“I grew up in the countryside and always used to wear my parents’ Barbour jackets. It is a fantastic British heritage brand.”
“Paris is one of the fashion capitals of the world and such an incredible breeding ground for designers. You can’t help but find it an inspiring place.”
“I like the Hotel Costes, on rue Saint Honore, a boutique hotel near the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and the Tuileries. I love the dark, moody decor as well as the fantastic scented, candlelit pool in the basement.”
“When it comes to shoes, I always think Charlotte Olympia, of course! Her footwear is always feminine and sexy and also just right for every occasion.”
“Remember, its all about you and the dress. Nothing more, so keep the accessories very discreet.”
“I love trawling through markets and vintage shops, and I make super-quick decisions about buying clothes. I also have my usual haunts I go to when in specific cities.”
“Clothes can transform your mood and confidence.”
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