Mayfair – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | Rous Iland and the Sestra Moja collection

A few days ago I had my very own Alice in Wonderland moment when I escaped the busy, information pills crowded streets of London and went through a little door in the heart of Mayfair. I was greeted by an exquisite range of womenswear, visit plenty of spring/summer colours to contrast the weather nicely, look and a lovely cup of tea. Sitting on their plush sofa, and having a chat about their current collections definitely brightened my dreary (when we will we see the sun!?) weekend…

Established by ex city lawyers Kara Iland and Clare Rous, Rous Iland is a personal shopping service providing private consultations and viewings for women who find it hard to spare the time to shop. Catering to a wide range of women it’s easy to see why the enterprise is proving so successful. Bright, inviting, and friendly, the showroom ticks all the boxes after only 3 years of trading.

As one of the only UK stockists of Sestra Moja, their talents in sourcing quality labels are well represented. The label, by Slovakian born Antonia Widdowson, has grown from her love of customising vintage pieces into a full blown collection. Using her flair for vintage as a template for the designs, the result is a timeless array of floaty dresses, tunics, slips and tops using muted tones.

Sestra Moja Angel Dress

‘The designs are unique with intricate lace and crochet pieces, combined with chiffon and muslin. They are timeless, feminine and elegant with a distinctly vintage feel’, said Kara and Clare of the collection.

The range has a feminine, delicate look throughout; bearing in mind that lace and underwear as outerwear are to be big trends for S/S 10, it will definitely be one to watch this season. Tapping into the boho trend (Sienna Miller circa 2003 will be pleased), yet also managing to exude elegance and sophistication at the same time, it blends together two distinct styles. Using muslin, crochet, and lace to create her pieces, the beautiful creations are irresistible and sure to outlive faddy summer trends. The current necessity to invest in long lasting clothes, and banish throwaway fast fashion buying, is expressed by the owners…

“We are very interested in the origin of the fabrics and pieces we select. Ethically made design is one of the criteria we look for. In an age when we tend to buy frivolously without regard to the environment and the communities affected we believe ethical fashion is a positive sign. We encourage people to buy fewer pieces they will treasure forever, rather than buy lots of things they will ultimately only use for one season.”

Sestra Moja Bibiana Dress

All the pieces use summer neutrals and pretty, lightweight fabrics, making it difficult for us to find a favourite. I fell for the Angel Dress imagining its suitability on lazy summer days, whereas Karen and Ilana went for the Bibiana maxi dress, owing to the beautiful pistachio colour – perfect for spring!

Prices for the collection start at £65. Rous Iland also stock eco-friendly labels Noir and Good One.

Find them here.

Written by Florence Massey on Friday March 26th, 2010 6:23 pm

Categories ,Boho chic, ,Ethical Fashion, ,fashion, ,london, ,Mayfair, ,noir, ,Rous Iland, ,Sestra Moja, ,Sienna Miller

Amelia’s Magazine | Ohh Deer Pop-Up Shop at Wolf & Badger: Review

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

The only thing I know about Mayfair is that it’s a pretty good property to buy if you’re playing Monopoly. In reality, this pretty ‘n’ posh street is filled with people wearing suits standing outside clubs in the afternoon sun and, as far as I can tell, looking (or at least trying to look) as though they make lots and lots of dough. The cash kind, not the squishy kind.

It is strange but sort of perfect that the latest Ohh Deer Pop-Up is on Dover Street. As I head to the launch I notice that skinny jeans, hipster glasses, tattoos and dyed hair are dotted amongst the briefcases and Oxford shirts, as people make their way to the opening of this creative hubs latest temporary shop. These arty folks are a stark contrast to the suited up worker bees hanging out for cocktails after a hard day in the office.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

When I get to my destination I am not disappointed. Nestled in a basement shopfront, in independent retailer Wolf & Badger‘s Gallery Room is a wonderful, creative celebration. Although it’s been and gone now, this illustration extravaganza took place between the 21st June and 4th July, with the launch event I popped along to falling on Thursday the 20th June.

I’ve written a lot about online shop and illustration collective Ohh Deer lately. I interviewed Co-Founder Jamie Mitchell a few months ago, I wrote a strange and slightly creepy love letter about them which you can read here. Bearing all this in mind, I was understandably pretty excited to be heading to their pop-up launch.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

The night was filled with the latest contemporary illustration talent and general creative peeps and all sorts of products were on hand, from tee’s to cushions. With free illustrated badges and neon cupcakes on the menu as well as plenty of tipple all ’round, this was a pretty cool pop-up (and my first). Complete with a goodie bag to end the night, and artwork projected onto the wall, this was an illustration spectacular at its best.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

Wearing Rosita Bonita seahorse earrings, I bumbled my way inside with a friend and got myself a drink and some cake. Tired after work, this was the perfect way to get my spirits up as well as meet some creatives and browse some great products. Laura Gee‘s beardy cushions and Jack Teagle‘s comics made a particular impression on me, and I also met Drew Turner and saw his spectacular tattoos. The night was a mesh of bright My So Called Life style dyed locks, quirky outfits and plainly clothed artists and arty types too. My friend having abandoned me for her book club down the road, I spent the second part of the night getting to know the amazing Yasmin Dilekkaya of Yas-Ming Ceramics and her lovely mum as well as getting an eyeful of the latest in contemporary illustration.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

One of the especially exciting things about this pop-up was seeing a whole bunch of Ohh Deer products up close and personal. Although I spend a good chunk of my wages buying out their stock and have everything from t-shirts to a notebook myself, there’s something special about seeing it all laid out. As one of those annoying hipster peeps that spends their evenings hanging out in Paperchase until it shuts, I can imagine myself spending my time lingering in permanent Ohh Deer stores one day. Fingers crossed they open one.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

As an illustration junkie living outside London, this Ohh Deer Pop-up was one of my first real introductions into the illustration world. Meeting some of the collaborators and hearing them talk about the brand was great too. With workshops spread over the pop-up to help build skills and get creative in a flock, there was not much more you could ask for from this young, fresh, determined creative company. Pretty impressively the pop-up also kicked up quite a buzz with Elle, Time Out, The Evening Standard and The Telegraph all giving it a mention, as well as the workshops being completely booked up.

Once all the fun and games was over at the end of the night and and after a long journey home courtesy of National Rail, I realised I had left my cardigan on the train (again). ‘Ohh Deer‘ I said to myself, smiling.

Ohh Deer Pop-Up

To find out more about Ohh Deer and get your hands on their beautiful illustrated products check out their website here www.ohhdeer.com.
Pictures courtesy of Ohh Deer and Yas-Ming Ceramics.

Written by Jessica Cook on Tuesday July 16th, 2013 11:25 am

Categories ,Alice Potter, ,art, ,ceramics, ,cupcakes, ,cushions, ,Dover Street, ,Drew Turner, ,Gemma Correll, ,Homeware, ,illustration, ,Jack Teagle, ,Jamie Mitchell, ,Kris Tate., ,Marc Callaby, ,Mayfair, ,Ohh Deer, ,Pop-up, ,Rosita Bonita, ,T-shirts, ,Wold and Badger, ,Wolf & Badger, ,Yas-Ming

Amelia’s Magazine | Roland Mouret in conversation with Colin McDowell at Selfridges

Roland Mouret by Yasmeen Ismail
Roland Mouret by Yasmeen Ismail.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what a hellish place Oxford Street is when you’re in a rush. Last Thursday, viagra having legged it home from work to change (what, click did you think I was going turn up in front of not one, but two living fashion legends in my standard office attire?) I had to dash out of Bond Street tube station, dodge hordes of dawdling tourists and run up three escalators to find I’d missed the first five minutes of the event. I was at Selfridges to watch fashion journalist Colin McDowell interviewing designer Roland Mouret in front of an audience of about 50 people. I needn’t have worried about my tardiness though. The next forty-five minutes were a fashion writer’s dream come true – Mouret’s wonderfully Gallic way with words elicited more truisms, maxims and aphorisms than a whole fashion week’s worth of backstage interviews. And, of course, a few clichés too, but I won’t begrudge him that.

Scarlett Johansson in Roland Mouret by Melissa Kime.

Straight off the bat, French-born Mouret reminisced dreamily about how the first shop he worked in was ‘like a window to the rest of the world,’ because it allowed him to observe people and what they wore close up. This was not some glamorous Parisian boutique, though; it was his parent’s butchers shop. Which prompted McDowell to ask what Mouret thought of dress made of meat that Lady Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV Music Video Awards. According to Mouret, Gaga is an artist whose genius borders on madness – ‘maybe it’s because inside she is as raw as the meat she was wearing’ he deadpanned – and he doesn’t envy that level of fame: ‘I’m really lucky that my dresses are more famous than me.’ But Mouret isn’t precious about how his customer chooses to dress, nor does the designer long for a return to the time of formality when gloves, hats and matching shoes were de rigueur for women. ‘It’s so easy to find the past quite charming and quite romantic but I find life more interesting now. I love to see what women want to buy from me and mix with other designers’

Roland Mouret's Galaxy Dress by Lou Taylor
Roland Mouret’s Galaxy Dress by Lou Taylor.

Roland Mouret started his design career late in life by today’s standards. ‘I was 36 and I said to myself, if at 40 I’m not making clothes I’m going to be a bitter bastard.’ Now a full-time London resident, he first came to England in the eighties and co-owned a nightclub for a time. Attracted by the counter-culture of Soho, he saw London as the ‘other side of the mirror’ to tasteful, Chanel-worshiping France. With no formal fashion design training, Mouret funded his own first ‘demi-couture’ collection, his definition of that being ‘when someone who doesn’t know how to make clothes tries to make some clothes and pretend they are couture.’ £2000 paid for all the fabric, production and the final show, but he had to cut corners at times, for instance using his own bed sheets to cut patterns until a friend told him that he should be using calico. ‘That winter I was producing the clothes myself on a manual sewing machine. The needle went through my finger so many times and I was bleeding on the clothes and I thought ‘it’s so conceptual, my DNA is on the clothes!’’

Scarlett Johansson Rouland Mouret Dress by Claire Kearns
Scarlett Johansson in a Rouland Mouret Dress by Claire Kearns.

Mouret concentrated on dresses simply because he didn’t know how construct anything more complicated. ‘I used hatpins instead of safety pins, but the first time someone wore [one of my dresses] when she came out of the car she had her arse to the public. So I had to learn how to make a zip.’

Seven years later it was those early dresses that inspired the watershed moment in Roland Mouret’s career, bringing him international fame and credibility. ‘I said to my team, I want to go back to the first dress, the dress that I never finished. And I had just met two women in my life, and I realised that I didn’t have anything for them in my collection.’ Those two women happened to be Dita von Teese and Scarlett Johansson. So, in 2005, the tight, sexy, cinch-waisted Galaxy Dress was born. Adopted as red carpet uniform by A-listers on both sides of the Atlantic, a million high street copies were spawned and the dress gained modern classic status almost instantly. The genius of the Galaxy was that it showed off an hourglass figure perfectly, but also gave the illusion of an hourglass shape on even someone as skinny as Victoria Beckham, who became a close friend of Mouret’s.

roland_mouret_dita_von_tease_soni_speight
Dita von Teese in Roland Mouret by Soni Speight.

That friendship proved to be instrumental in Mouret’s career. Amidst all the success and adulation Mouret split from his business partner, came close to bankruptcy and lost the right to sell his designs under the Roland Mouret moniker. It was at that point that Beckham introduced the designer to former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, who became Mouret’s new business partner. In 2010 they bought back the Roland Mouret name, a feat few designers in the same situation have managed.

GALAXY & DNA DRESS BY CHRIS RODWELL
The Galaxy dress by Chris Rodwell.

The Roland Mouret brand is still growing. A stand-alone shop at 8 Carlos Place in Mayfair opened in January this year and his first menswear collection launches for spring 2012. The latter came about when Mouret realised that at 46-years-old ‘there was nothing was on the market for me.’ Does his design philosophy differ for menswear? The importance of men and women dressing for each other is not lost on Mouret, but it’s the motivation that differs with mens clothing. ‘Men would love to undress the woman I dress and women would like to borrow an outfit from the man I dress,’ he told McDowell. Either way, Mouret loves to see his designs translated into real life. ‘With my new space in London, when [customers] come and try an outfit it’s so fantastic for me to be a part of their life through that outfit.’

London has served the designer well, and created that rare thing, a Frenchman who recognizes that the French have a tendency towards arrogance: ‘I still argue with people when I go back to France and they think they’re the best.’ I came away from the interview liking Roland Mouret, and not just because he’s a veritable sound bite machine. He’s got a blend of self-awareness and measured self-confidence that’s quite unique in the ego-driven fashion industry. If you ask me, he deserves nothing but credit for the hard work and raw talent that has taken him from the butcher’s shop to the stars.

Written by Katie Wright on Tuesday July 12th, 2011 9:42 am

Categories ,8 Carlos Place, ,Chris Rodwell, ,Claire Kearns, ,Colin McDowell, ,Demi-Couture, ,Dita Von Teese, ,Dress made of meat, ,french, ,Galaxy Dress, ,Ickleson, ,Lady Gaga, ,london, ,Lou Taylor, ,Mayfair, ,Meat Dress, ,Melissa Kime, ,MTV Music Video Awards, ,paris, ,Roland Mouret, ,Scarlett Johansson, ,Selfridges, ,Simon Fuller, ,Soni Speight, ,Victoria Beckham, ,Yasmeen Ismail

Amelia’s Magazine | Rous Iland and the Sestra Moja collection

Sestra Moja Angel Dress

Sestra Moja Bibiana Dress

Prices for the collection start at £65. Rous Iland also stock eco-friendly labels Noir and Good One.

Find them here.

Written by Florence Massey on Friday March 26th, 2010 6:23 pm

Categories ,Boho chic, ,Ethical Fashion, ,fashion, ,london, ,Mayfair, ,noir, ,Rous Iland, ,Sestra Moja, ,Sienna Miller

Amelia’s Magazine | Butterflies, Swans, Stars and Tiaras: An interview with beaded jewellery designer Clara Francis

Clara Francis Necklace by Rebecca May Ilustration

Clara Francis Necklace by Rebecca May Illustration.

Clara Francis and I first spoke about doing an interview when she had just given birth to her youngest and I was pregnant with Snarfle… but somehow life as a new mum got in the way and it’s only now, two years later, that I have finally been able to catch up with this super talented jewellery designer. Clara is self taught in the virtually lost art of beading, producing beautifully intricate but bold pieces that seem to take on a life of their own. Here she talks candidly about the swap from acting to making, how motherhood has changed her life, and her excitement about the production of a new bridal collection. She’s a total inspiration.

Clara Francis by N. Sukandiwirya

Clara Francis by N. Sukandiwirya.

Can you tell us a little about your early life, where did you grow up and what was it like?
I was born in miserable suburb of North West London in a street right next door to Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Spent the majority of my youth there pilfering and gobbing on peoples heads walking on the floor below… went to the local comprehensive where I proceeded to only be interested in art and squandered what little brain I had. Decided pretty early on that I wanted to be an actress and went to The Central School of Speech and Drama and studied there for three years. During my 20′s I worked pretty much solidly as an actress, mainly theatre and a little bit of tv and film. But I found the periods of unemployment deeply depressing and hated that I was solely reliant on other people to give me work. I was too thin skinned to be an actress…

Clara Francis beaded jewellery butterfly headband

All photography of model wearing Clara Francis jewellery by Matilda Hill Jenkins.

Clara Francis BUG_BUTTERFLY_FLOWER bead necklace

What were the first crafts you got involved with as a child in the 80s?
My cousin Marion in Paris has a jewellery business called Françoise Montagne and she would send me over boxes of these beautiful vintage French beads – all the ones lying about in her studio that she didn’t need anymore… how lucky was I? So I would fashion my own jewellery even then. Also my mum was very crafty and taught me to knit and crochet very young. She was always making me clothes and I remember girls laughing at me on the bus on the way to school in my very obvious home knit jumper and scarf combo… this was the 80’s and it was all about the label and the bling!!!

Clara Francis beaded jewellery white butterfly headband

Clara Francis necklace by Lucy Eves

Clara Francis necklace by Lucy Eves.

Where and how did you first discover the art of beadwork?
In the bead shop in Kentish Town I saw racks of tiny japanese glass beads in hundreds of incredible colours and finishes. I enquired as to what one does with them and then went to the library and took out any book I could find on beadweaving and taught myself. Once I had taught myself the basic beading stitches I decided I wanted to created my own rather than work with other peoples’ designs. I absolutely love blending all the colours together… it’s like painting with beads.

Clara Francis by Stella Pong

Clara Francis by Stella Pong.

What experience did you have of market stalls before you set up shop in Spitalfields market?
My step father had market stalls all over London selling make up and cosmetics and often things that fell off the back of a lorry (once we had to sell 3 legged tights and umbrellas that you wore on your head!??) so I would work for him at Wembley Market every Sunday all through my teenage years. I couldn’t have hated it more but in retrospect I feel it taught me loads about how to sell to the public, people skills and even how to dress for cold weather!!! And most importantly I learnt the art of a good display… his mantra was ‘flash means cash‘!!!

Clara Francis beaded jewellery red choker

Clara Francis by Maia Fjord

Clara Francis by Maia Fjord.

How did the switch from acting to jewellery designer happen?
I always carried on crafting and decided that in between acting jobs rather than work in a call centre I would see if I could earn some money making and selling jewellery. I made a small collection and took it to the buyer at Harvey Nichols… and they bought everything I had there and then. I then got my stall at Spitalfields market which I had for about 8 years, and as my jewellery got more popular my acting career got LESS popular so I decided to knock the acting on the head. This was also around the time my partner and I decided to start a family.

Clara Francis beaded jewellery butterfly necklace

How does each design evolve?
I’m always ALWAYS thinking about jewellery and beads and all the possibilities that go with them. When I get an idea I sit in my studio and just play around with beads and various stitches (flat and three dimensional) until I get the effect I had pictured in my head. Some pieces will take weeks to get right as the beading process itself is so slow. I can spend an entire week making something and it’s only when I finish it and take a step back that I realise it hasn’t worked, so I have to start all over again.

Clara Francis wedding portrait

Wedding tiara bessie funny face

I believe you recently made your own bridal headpiece, what did it look like and where did the inspiration come from?
Yes, I got married a couple of months ago. I knew that I wanted to make my own headpiece and five more for my little bridesmaids. I based my entire wedding on these incredible gold glitter brogues I found for all the bridesmaids AND the film Paper Moon which I’m currently obsessed with. So a celestial theme appeared quite organically. I beaded with 24 carat gold plated beads to make 3D stars for my headdress and flat stars for the girls’ ones. I also beaded wedding favours for all my female guests; a beaded butterfly ring or brooch or forget-me-not flower. It was a massive labour of love but worth it whan I saw everyone wildly dancing and butterflies and bees sparkling on everyones fingers and lapels. (A: what a beautiful beautiful idea!)

Clara Francis by Melissa Angelik

Clara Francis by Melissa Angelik.

How did the experience of becoming a mother affect your business?
I had my two girls, Bessie and Maude very close together and continued to build my business whilst changing nappies and breastfeeding, doing lots of wholesale. I exhibited at LFW, selling all over the world particularly in the US, Japan and Korea… plus I was working freelance for Topshop and River Island making jewellery ranges for them. I collaborated with Tracey Boyd for a season plus I did a collaboration with the V&A museum.

In January 2011 Maude died very suddenly from a flu virus and my whole life changed in that instant. I couldn’t work for a long time. Simply couldn’t concentrate on anything. My perspective on life changed completely, and when I did tentatively start working again after many months it was in a very different way to the way I worked before. The creation of two collections a year and everything that went with it was too demanding… I live more simply now. I want to keep my business small and manageable and not travel too much. I want to take and collect my daughter from school most days. I’m so much less ambitious. I have also had another child since losing Maude: my son Gilbert who has just turned 2. It is such a joy to be with him everyday and watch him grow, and I want to savour every second of him as before I know it he will be at school…

Clara Francis stars

How do you run your business now and what designs do you have in the pipeline for 2014?
I currently have 3 beaders who work from home and I send them patterns and beads and they do piecework for me. All of their work gets sent back to me and Fiona (who works with me part time) and we sew everything together and finish pieces off in my studio, which is at the bottom of my garden. It is very hard juggling young children with running your own business and I am constantly berating myself for not having enough time to do anything properly (parent or business) but I am doing the best that I can and that is all I can do at present. I often have to work into the night when everyone else is asleep as that is the only way things will get finished, it’s not ideal but not forever… I’m definitely going to bring out a bespoke bridal collection in the near future as there is a definite gap in the market for the more quirky bride and I enjoyed the whole process of making mine for my wedding so much I want to share it with the world!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday March 27th, 2014 3:17 pm

Categories ,80s, ,Beading, ,Bridal, ,Butterflies, ,Clara Francis, ,Françoise Montagne, ,Harvey Nichols, ,interview, ,japan, ,jewellery, ,Kentish Town, ,korea, ,Lucy Eves, ,Maia Fjord, ,Matilda Hill Jenkins, ,Melissa Angelik, ,N. Sukandiwirya, ,Paper Moon, ,Rebecca May Illustration, ,River Island, ,Snarfle, ,stars, ,Stella Pong, ,swans, ,The Central School of Speech and Drama, ,Tiaras, ,topshop, ,Tracey Boyd, ,US, ,Wedding, ,Wembley Market, ,Wholesale

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