I was lucky enough to be invited to the Savoy London to interview Kelly Brook on her 14 piece collection for the high-street giant, Simply Be last year. Read the interview below.
What drew you to collaborating with Simply Be?
‘I’ve been a huge fan of Simply Be for many years, and I first spoke to them about a collection years ago but it never happened. So, I think it was about good timing, I just wanted to, I don’t know – my own style is becoming more sophisticated and the previous ranges I designed were a bit more girly, a bit younger. So, this is a bit classier, a bit more sophisticated, and for women of all shapes and sizes.’
How involved were you with the design process?
‘Very involved. I think Simply Be have been absolutely fantastic in making sure that everything is run by us. Everything from the button details, to the fabrics, to the designs, the shapes, the silhouettes, everything. I’ve been pretty much involved in everything from the shoots, to today…’
What inspired the pieces – the prints, the shapes…?
‘First of all, I think we went for shapes. We looked at my wardrobe and the kind of things I like, and then I thought about women of all ages and all sizes and what women like to cover up and what they like to have on show. So, some women aren’t really that confident with their arms so that’s why we’ve got a lot of sleeves – because you don’t always want short sleeves. I was just thinking - sometimes you can feel really great about your body and other times you feel like you want to cover up a bit more, so I just wanted different pieces in the collection to reflect different moods and how you feel about your body.’ So it’s a bit like a capsule wardrobe? ‘Yeah, yeah – a bit of everything.’
What’s your ultimate favourite piece?
‘I’m in love with the fur coat after seeing it on one of the model’s downstairs. For me, that just looked like a timeless, beautiful, incredible Autumn/Winter piece that you can just throw over jeans, or the skinny red leather leggings or just a beautiful dress, but also this [the colourful dress Kelly’s wearing for the interview] bodycon dress is fantastic, I just feel like you could wear this with some flats and it would look fabulous on a beach, or you could wear it on a night out for dinner on a date or something as well.’
What other celebrities could you see wearing the pieces?
‘Well, I love Kim Kardashian obviously, because she’s super curvy and she’s got a great bum, so she’d look great in all of the bodycon dresses. Kate Upton’s fantastic, she’s a lovely, beautiful role model, BeyoncĂ©, Jennifer Lopez – anyone curvy, gorgeous and who seems to like fashion.’
Can you see yourself working further with the brand and developing more collections in the future?
‘Yes, I’ve already designed a spring/summer collection – which is really exciting. I mean I love it, for me it’s the perfect place for me because everyone knows that I love my curves, I love wearing tight dresses, I love dressing up, I love going on the red carpet or going to bars and restaurants. I’m a girl that loves to eat, I love to drink, I love to enjoy life, and I think this collection should really be for women that just love life and love their bodies – and want to celebrate their bodies and their curves and that’s really what the whole brand should be about I think.’
Do you get a lot of inspiration from the latest trends on the catwalk?
‘Definitely, definitely. I think that’s really important, although we have to think about silhouettes and women’s curves, it still has to be very fashion forward. So, I looked at who I think the designers are that really design well –the designers I wear: so, Alexander McQueen, Preen, Prada. Some of the cuts and outfits are so fantastic , so I looked at what they were doing really, and just took a lot of inspiration from them.’
On Kelly’s personal style…
What trends WILL you be wearing this season?
‘Well anything from my collection really! Probably this little white dress [see below] - it’s fantastic. That was based on a dress from my own wardrobe – a little black dress, it literally goes with anything!’
If your wardrobe was burning down, and you only had ten seconds to decide which two pieces you could save, what would they be?
‘Ummm, I would probably save…’[pause] Me: you’ve got ten seconds!…’Oh no! Everything’s burnt already! Aahh! I’d probably save my black Hermès handbag, my Birkin [laughs], I’d save that. And, I’ve just bought this really amazing motorcycle jacket with an incredible hood – so I’d probably save that as well.’
What trends WON’T you be wearing this AW14?
‘Gosh, I don’t know. I don’t know really – I pretty much like everything. I like mixing and matching. I mean, I like sweatshirts, I like checkered shirts, I like LBDs, it just depends on my mood and if I’m travelling - where I am. I mean I could spend my whole week wearing Lululemon gear...’
And finally, which celebrity’s style do you covet?
‘I’d say Kim Kardashian always looks pretty gorgeous, I mean, she’s so well documented isn’t she?! I always find people really follow her style, she seems to really like clothes, and she’s so into couture isn’t she. I loved her Givenchy wedding dress. I think she’s getting the best of everything at the moment – I love all the Balmain stuff she wears – that’s always beautiful. And she’s womanly isn’t she? A lot of these younger girls like Cara Delevingne - I LOVE their style, that tomboyish look – but for me, it’s soo too young for me [laughs]’ Me: I know what you mean I don’t think I could pull off that look, she looks so effortless – I’d just look like I’m coming back from the gym. ‘Exactly, I would – yeah exactly!’
Product imagery and lookbook shots are sourced from Lee Publicity
No comments
Post a Comment