The rules of A-list elegance by Emilia Wickstead, the woman who dresses the Duchess of Cambridge
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Loading... - Ervin Sera
- 01 Jun 2022
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Unlike many of her peers, Emilia Wickstead doesn’t shy away from the word elegance. “I love it,” she says in her slightly husky, still markedly Kiwi accent. “I’m all about elegance. It’s probably a throwback to growing up in my mother’s workrooms in Auckland. “
Angela Wickstead was a designer (“not a dressmaker,” laughs Wickstead. She was quite miffed when a British fashion magazine described her as such. She had catwalk shows during New Zealand Fashion Week). A designer then, but one who could sew and who created bespoke outfits for her clients, fitting them all personally – just as her daughter does today. It’s this insistence on rolling up her sleeves (both literally and metaphorically – she loves a bracelet length) that makes Wickstead stand out. She’s really studied what shapes and fabrics work on women. “Fabrics are a huge consideration,” she says. “When I started out they were heavier. But now I know how to get structure from lighter fabrics. ”
While she used to avoid patterns, using texture such as cloque, and volume to create impact, she recently fell in love with florals. “I think they look fresh when they’re against a white background, and good in the evening because they’re more unexpected.” She is testimony that a structured dress that might look formal and serious on the hanger can be a breeze to wear because it requires very little else to make an impact.
Now 38, Wickstead has flirted with many looks in her time, from rockabilly and skateboard queen to a spell, when the family moved from her native New Zealand to Milan, as an Italian preppie. “New Zealand is a very casual society – some Kiwis still walk around barefoot,” says Wickstead. “But in Auckland, there was also a circle of women who really liked to dress up. So I had all that influence going on too. ”
By the time Wickstead turned up in London to begin her fashion career at Central Saint Martins, she had landed on a demure, feminine, updated Audrey Hepburn vibe, perfect for her body and strong, beautiful face. She says she’s a pear-shaped size 12-14. But you’d never know about the pear bit from the way she dresses – be it shirt dresses or capri pants, she accentuates her small waist and fine ankles and wrists. In her book, there’s almost nothing you can’t wear, provided you pay attention to the proportions.
A pencil skirt looks wonderful on the tall, slender Sabine Getty it’s photographed on, in her latest campaign for her new collection (Wickstead likes to shoot her clothes on “real” women). But it’s not one for pear or apple shapes, is it? Wickstead disagrees.
“I’m living in them at the moment. It depends on what you wear them with. The conventional way is to take your top in and wear heels, which I do a lot, but I wanted to try it with a longer, looser blouse because women tend to think they must have a fitted waist to look smart, but with the right fabric weights that’s not always the case. Read More...
