My Fashion Life

What does a typical working day for you consist of?

My work is extremely varied and there’s no ‘typical day’ at NET-A-PORTER.COM!

I love this about my job and thrive on the buzz of never really knowing what the next day can bring. When I am travelling, I go from appointment to appointment and meet with existing brands and potential new ones, scouting out trends and new talent.

When I am in London, I meet with the rest of the buying and retail teams as well as marketing, creative and editorial to plan for the season ahead.

Most treasured item in your wardrobe?

I know I always say this but I love my Rick Owens leather jackets – they go with everything in my wardrobe and I would be lost without them!

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Penny Martin may not been a name you recognise instantly, but the Professor and former SHOWstudio editor has gained the recognition she deserves with her recent nomination as Communicator of the Year at the fourth annual Scottish Fashion Awards in association with Vogue.com.

After seven years at the editorial helm of Nick Knight’s groundbreaking website, Penny now holds the position of Rootstein Hopkins Chair of Fashion Imagery at London College of Fashion, with a brief to lead research in fashion imagery as well as to develop relationships within the industry.

Here, Penny talks exclusively to MFL about her thoughts on fashion today and her weakness for Taggart…

Congratulations on your recent Scottish Fashion Awards nomination as Communicator of the Year, what are you thoughts on the Scottish Fashion Industry?

Thank you! I was born in Glasgow, which is a very fashion-conscious city. When I last lived there, in the early 90s, the focus was either on retro clothing – mainly 1960s style – or Italian fashion, particularly Versace. The Glaswegians love anything flash. There wasn’t really a sense of fashion design being locally produced, however.

When I first began working in the industry in London, about eight years ago, I became aware just how many Scottish people were in senior jobs in the media or in influential positions in fashion education or styling. It’s great to have witnessed the growing number of young designers coming out of Scotland over the past five years to back that up. It feels like we’re a real force when we get together!

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Rachel Roy has been on our radar since the début of her her eponymous label in 2005.

Each season she churns out sophisticated and classic collections that speak to the working woman perfectly. Celebs fans include Kate Hudson, Helena Christensen, Veronica Webb and Lucy Liu. Oh and André Leon Talley is a fan too. Enough said.

A native of sunny California, her home is now in Manhattan with her two daughters.

Rachel recently added to her workload with the launch of a more affordable contemporary line titled Rachel Rachel Roy. The collection is sold exclusively to Macy’s and is a must to check out, especially if you adore Rachel’s signature aesthetic.

If you could go back in time and shadow any designer, who would it be?
Coco Chanel. I admire the strength she had to start her own business and maintain a strong voice in a time when it was much harder for women to hold a position of power.

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Multi-tasking is nothing new to Princess Kasia Al Thani. She’s a mum, wife, philanthropist and somehow manages to find time to run her successful luxury gift boutique – Savoir-Faire.com. Since founding the site in late 2007, Savoir-Faire.com has become the “go-to” for those in search of the perfect gift for their loved ones. We caught up with Princess Kasia to get an insight into her life and loves.

Oh what we wouldn’t give to be a Princess…even just for a day!

How would you define your style?

Elegant with a bit of an edge, I really like to mix it up.

Which 5 personalities both past and present would you invite for the ultimate dinner party?

Coco Chanel – She was always so effortlessly chic and sophisticated – a quality that only a true style icon can claim to possess.

Virginia Woolf – A strong and opinionated woman – I would have thought she’d bring very interesting topics to the table

Barack Obama – I was brought up in the States and would love to meet Obama, a symbol of just how much the world is changing for the better. I would ask him if being the top man is living up to expectations.

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You’ve watched her swoosh her hair probably thousands of times in that irritating but fascinating way only shampoo advert girls can do. Some may have cursed her for that implausibly shiny hair. Others will have cricked their necks trying to copy it – come on, admit it, you’ve done it too. So chances are you’ve already formed an opinion of Kathleen Baird-Murray. From star of the early 90s Pantene shampoo adverts, to leading beauty journalist and acclaimed author, Kathleen’s career has been nothing if not varied.

After a brief stint modelling, her first journalistic job was writing for You and Your Wedding Magazine. Moving across to beauty writing “because it was marginally more interesting” she went on to write for Elle, Marie Claire Australia and The Telegraph Magazine before becoming beauty director at Tatler – a post she held for five years, until 2004.

But she says she’s not a beauty expert. In fact beauty products have never really excited her that much, mainly because she doesn’t enjoy receiving a deluge of beauty products to sample:

“I just don’t have the space, and also I’m too lazy to run up to the post office and collect the parcels.”

Is she human? Actually, in an industry of fluffy editorials and over-written press releases stuffed with gushy adjectives, Kathleen Baird-Murray is a breath of fresh air.

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I’m seated at the entrance of Nandos in Shepherds Bush. This is fashion stylist, Johnny Blue Eyes’ favourite restaurant. It’s also his local. Born and bred in Shepherd’s Bush, Johnny has lived in the area all his life, although he does flit between his home town and New York. As he approaches the door I recognise him instantly. His long thick dark hair is a major giveaway. He’s wearing a hoodie paired with leather trousers, accessorized with a big buckled belt and carrying a large oversized bag. Johnny greets me so warmly that I feel immediately comfortable in his presence. At 41, he describes himself as an artist first and foremost, however his love for dressing up has played a major part in his path down the road of fashion.

Johnny is perhaps better known as a stylist, in particular for his work with artists such as Beth Ditto (whom he considers to be a close friend), Ana Matronic from the Scissor Sisters, the Klaxxons and many more famous faces. At the moment, the self-confessed grafter (Johnny wakes up at 7am every morning and hits the sack at 2am) has made a move to the world of design through his label House of Blue Eyes.

“The House of Blue Eyes is essentially a movement”, says Johnny passionately. “It’s very inspired by Warhol and the energy of The Factory of New York in the late sixties, early seventies with me as the sort of Warhol-esque character with all these designers and artists and performers and models who are part of that house. The fashion collection is a big room in the house but it is essentially bringing together fashion, art and music…. The House of Blue Eyes is a house of love, and hope and change.”

It was the House of Blue Eyes that pulled Kate Moss out of catwalk retirement during fashion week in September 08. Her impromptu return to the runway made the headlines and consequently the House of Blue Eyes was the hottest ticket around for fashion week this February.

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Romina Karamanea may not be a name you recognise instantly, but the former right hand woman for Robert Cary Williams has been gaining recognition among the fashion cognoscenti ever since she branched out on her own with her instantly covetable collections. Specialising in experimental design, playing with structure and texture, her approach has appealed to fans including the late Isabella Blow and Italian Vogue’s Franca Sozanni.

Karamanea has been sponsored to appear at London Fashion Week’s On/Off and the White shoe in Milan and now, after featuring in the 100 New Designers book by Lawrence King, it is only a matter of time before the London-based, Athens-born designer becomes the hottest ticket at Fashion Week. Here she talks exclusively to MFL about setting up her own label and the influences behind her unique design approach.

Have you always known you wanted to be a designer?

I have always wanted to be a fashion designer, for me it combines so many different disciplines like art, culture, music, film, architecture and people. It transcends language and everyone can appreciate it, so it is inclusive and also there is never a dull moment.

When did you first start making clothes?

I was 18 when I first started and I must say I have learnt a lot since then! I remember when I made my first garment, I had no formal training, I did not know how to cut or stitch, so I ended up using canvas, folding it in half, I then made a model lie on the floor so I could draw around her! I then secured the two pieces of canvas together with PVC tape and embellished it with metallic pieces from consumer packaging, i.e crisp and bottle tops. Very Blue Peter! It was quite a feat but to be honest that very first garment although technically atrocious still managed to maintain my signature of architecture and structure. I painted the canvas so it was rigid and crisp, so it really did had a very futuristic and anatomic aesthetic, even back then.

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Since designing her first handbag in 1989, Lulu Guinness has launched a hugely successful vintage-inspired accessories brand - combining kooky uniqueness with girly glamour - that has attracted the likes of Helena Bonham-Carter, Dita von Teese and Claudia Schiffer. With stores spread across the globe, partnerships with the likes of Japan’s Itochu Corporation and Stratton Compacts, an OBE, AND an anniversary collection coming up, Lulu Guinness is one busy lady. It is some wonder that we managed to catch up with the designer herself, gaining an insight into the life of Lulu Guinness in the brand’s 20th year…

It’s been 20 years since you started the Lulu Guinness brand. Which collection, to date, have you most enjoyed working on and why?

I enjoy working on all my collections. I love the design process and am constantly inspired by vintage fabrics, markets, films, anything really. My new AW09 Anniversary collection I loved working on because we’ve brought back some of my favourite icons and prints from over the years.

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For vintage shopping look no further than Shopping for Vintage by fashion writer and editor of Brownsfashion.com, Funmi Odulate. Her book which is packed with amazing shopping tips is a must have for vintage lovers everywhere. Funmi has also contributed to fashion bibles Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Stella Magazine and Russian Vogue as well as major newspapers such as The Guardian, Sunday Times Style and The Daily Telegraph. Despite her hectic schedule we managed to catch up with Funmi to discuss fashion, movies, music and of course we had to talk a little vintage…

What does a normal working day for you consist of?

It varies. I tend to check my emails first thing and then make a list of a million and one things to do. On Mondays I tend to get my team together to discuss the fashion stories going forward. This sets the tone for the rest of the week where I tend to write, organise interviews and features with designers, meet with the buyers to discuss what is on the hot list this week, go down to the Browns stores to see which new designers have come in, meeting with stylists to discuss shoots, meetings with prs, working on our blog and redesign … As I said it really varies. No two days are ever the same.

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