Tuesday, April 19, 2016

A Fashionable Family Affair

You may be more used to hearing the names Cara andPoppy Delevingne, but now another Delevingne is making her mark on the capital's fashion scene - their mother, Pandora. Setting up shop in her London home, Delevingne is holding what she calls a "grown-up jumble sale", but in reality it's a curated edit of unique sartorial treasures.

"It all started when I was in South Africa," she explained during a special preview of what will be in store when the doors officially open today. "I was staying with a girlfriend who was making these wonderful missionary necklaces. What happens, is that the missionaries go out preaching and educating, and pick up little trinkets along the way. My girlfriend then makes them into necklaces and the money they sell for goes back into the charitable work being done."

The necklaces are, by her own admission, Delevingne's piece de resistance ("Every one that I've worn I've sold - my friends just love the 'theatre' of them," she told us), but there is much more on offer than that. Delevingne has unique vintage dresses from Manoush; intricately embroidered Ukranian folk-style dresses that she has managed to source (hurry, stock is limited); and dresses that she has designed and had made herself, based on her favourite summer silhouettes - the delightful bohemia of which is perfectly balanced by clean and crisp cotton separates from Bamford. Also featured prominently are pieces by designer Karien Belle, another highlight for Delevingne, which she came across by chance.


"I saw a shop in South Africa that was closing down and had all of these beautiful poetry pieces - so I went in and struck a deal to buy the lot," she smiled. "I'm a bit of a romantic and so I love the poetry - the ones that say, 'I love you to the end of the earth,' - they're such fun aren't they?"

The result of everything thrown in together is one of endearing eclecticism - crucially at affordable price points that start at £10 for jewellery and around £30 for clothing. It's easy to see how her daughters have carved out reputations for being style influencers given their mother's great eye for the interesting - something that Pandora has lots of experience with too.

"I'm a seller!" she told us, recalling her time on the Fulham Road when she had a children's clothing shop (selling traditional smocked dresses and handmade furniture), before she went on to set up the VIP personal shopping department at Selfridges (did we mention that there is a plentiful rail of her own Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana, McQueen, Burberry and Valentino pieces also for sale in her current pop-up?). And it goes back further than that.

"My mother, Jane Stevens, had a column called 'Serendipity' in British Vogue, which was all about discovering new things," Delevingne cooed. One might call it serendipitous that she finds herself doing the same, but based on what we've seen, we'd say more a natural calling card.

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