Amanda Wakeley: StyleDNA Amanda Wakeley

In the final episode of Season 4 Style DNA I go on a Style journey with the inimitable, iconic, Dame Prue Leith, currently best known for being a judge on The Great British Bake Off as well as her Saturday morning ITVX show, Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen. Prue is now in her 9th decade and appears to be speeding up rather than slowing down... she says she is still discovering her style with the help of her 2nd husband John who used to be in the fashion industry and loves nothing more than shopping for her. She credits him with suggesting her more youthful haircut which now sees her hair swept off her "lined forehead that was being hidden by her fringe" into a wonderful choppy crop that has honestly taken 20 years off her look...We discuss the lasting impact of the vibrant colours that she grew up surrounded by in South Africa  - and how she loves the fact that "many women write to me and say that they never wore colour until I saw you did it" ... and with 323K followers on Instagram alone, she is a veritable Influencer... We talk about her love of wearing trainers and how our choice of footwear can be so transformative...either making us look older or cooler...not to mention, the power of good posture.She talks about the joy of a super organised kitchen which translates into a super organised wardrobe...all colour coded for ease...  We talk about the challenges of dressing for the Red Carpet ...and, in fact, her love of all things red...the red Lanvin dress she chose to wear to her pre-wedding dinner to John, her favourite red coat and a colourist once telling her never to wear red as it is an aggressive colour ...(I must admit I think fashion "colourists" have a lot to answer for) ... And we giggle about her dislike of Botox ... at which point I try to move my forehead...(ahem, with difficulty)... and the fact that she has never worn sexy lingerie but thinks she may still give it a go...I so enjoyed this conversation with Prue Leith... thank you for sharing your thoughts with such warmth and humour.

In the penultimate episode of Season 4 Style DNA, I go on a style journey with the Broadcaster, Journalist and Radio Presenter …the gorgeous Kirsty Gallacher.

Kirsty spent her childhood in Surrey watching her golfing legend father, Bernard Gallacher, wear “a lot of Lyle & Scott”…. She is a keen sportswoman herself and I asked her whether her fit, athletic body affects her style choices...

We talk about her using clothes to help her navigate her role as a young female sports presenter for Sky, and working with a stylist especially for the thoroughly intimidating experience of dressing for the Red Carpet…and the counter to that…not having to “dress up” for her presenting role on Smooth Radio… we both agree that if you feel good in what you are wearing you will do your best job.

Kirsty has always been passionate about fashion, an early job meant that she learned from the master himself, Joseph Ettedgui in Joseph on Sloane Street, but she is now a self-proclaimed capsule wardrobe fan …and how at 48 she finally feels more at ease in her skin as well as her style choices …

I hope you enjoy this episode.

In this episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with the British jewellery designer, the founder of both Links of London and Annoushka, the Creative Director and Entrepreneur, Annoushka Ducas MBE.

 

I couldn’t resist asking Annoushka her views on the difference between lab grown versus mined diamonds and how the jewellery industry is notoriously opaque…she talks about her passion for re-using existing stones from vintage jewellery and how all of her newly sourced diamonds are certified by the Kimberley Process (established in 2003 to prevent conflict diamonds entering the mainstream market) …but perhaps more importantly, the joy she still feels discovering new varieties of semi-precious stones …and how the experience of travelling to a pearl farm in the Philippines and learning about the whole process of cultivation of  golden pearls and the attention to detail and sheer hard labour that goes into pearl cultivation shone a whole new light on their beauty…

 

We laugh about the “trauma” of her mother’s appearance at the school gates …this seems to be a recurring theme with my guests!  However, in time, some of her most precious pieces in her wardrobe are pieces that once belonged to her mother…

 

She talks about her first job, being a PA to her godfather Mark Birley (the supremely stylish founder of Annabels, Harry’s Bar and Mark’s Club) and how he took her to the then newly opened Manolo Blahnik on Old Church Street and treated her to 3 pairs of shoes to elevate her appearance…and we agree that by wearing just one really special piece (whatever that may be, jewellery, shoes or a jacket) can be transformative, and can totally up your game sartorially. 

 

I ask her about the competition from the mega jewellery brands … she says that when she created Annoushka jewellery she purposefully positioned it between Links of London (silver) and the high jewellery brands like Cartier …  she knew she wanted to appeal to women to buy for themselves and she wanted her jewellery to have a very personal appeal with her clients… and there is nothing more personal than her My Life in Seven Charms collection…inspired by her love of Desert Island Discs…she refers to it as an 18ct gold autobiography of someone’s life…just gorgeous.

In this episode of Style DNA I turn the tables and discuss all things style with fellow Podcaster Sophie Habboo.

Sophie spent most of her 20’s in the reality TV show Made In Chelsea. She met her husband Jamie Laing while making the show and the couple created the podcast NearlyWeds which became NewlyWeds after their wedding in 2023.

She talks openly about trying to dress the part of a “Rah” Chelsea girl whilst on the show and not feeling like it was her, and she is frank about feeling a little lost when she came out of the show …after 6 years of toxicity and adrenaline (her words).

Their 2023 wedding was much publicised and she talks animatedly about the journey and the many hilarious moments…she had not 1, but 3 wedding dresses, although a zip malfunction left her trapped in wedding dress number 1 for the first night!

She talks about being inspired by her mother’s style even though at times she didn’t appreciate it as a kid at the school gates…and her mother once being invited to a wedding where the dress code for ladies was, wait for it – Amanda Wakeley… I had never heard that story and I needless to say I would LOVE to see the photos!

This week's Style DNA guest is the English singer, songwriter, actress and radio personality…the undoubted Queen of British Soul…the extraordinarily talented Beverley Knight MBE.Beverley is fabulously open about her style journey ...it's ups and downs ..and how her body confidence (and at times lack of) affected her choices, and how her gay best friend had been instrumental in helping her find her fashion mojo.We talk about how she has got braver as she has got older (a recurring theme currently) and more comfortable in her own skin. She threw a gig to celebrate her 50th birthday and wanted to make a statement by wearing a body skimming unitard.I was fascinated to understand how her first trip to Jamaica (her parent's birthplace) hugely impacted her sense of style especially during her visit ...Of course we talk about her stage costumes and some of the extraordinary events she has performed at...from Princes's post Oscars party to the closing ceremony of the London Paralympics, and the planning behind the looks...not to mention the floor length latex look she wore to collect her Olivier Award...

This week I go on a style journey with the American Television Journalist Deborah Roberts. I first met Deborah when she came to the UK to cover the Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan and she kindly chose me to guest on her ABC coverage in the lead up to, as well as on the actual day, at Windsor.

 

Apart from being an award-winning ABC News senior national affairs correspondent for Nightline, Good Morning America and World News Tonight with David Muir, in September 2023, she was named co-anchor of 20/20. A media veteran, Roberts has travelled the world for her reporting and has been awarded multiple Emmy® Awards for her national and international coverage of world events, including the AIDS crisis in Africa and maternal mortality in Bangladesh.

 

Despite some of the gritty subjects she covers, Roberts has a passion for fashion (and is very knowledgeable about brands and designers), yet she is also aware of the messages that clothes can convey. We discuss how we make a statement through our choice of clothes and the importance of dressing for the occasion … even how the Civil Rights campaigners would dress up to go on a protest.

 

She talks about growing up in the Deep South and going to a segregated school (yes, just a few decades ago) and how when she was in the 4th grade, at 9 years old,  the school became integrated mid-term… it’s hard to imagine the importance (to her) of what she chose to wear on that first day of integration …how she would potentially be judged by her peers that she had never met before…it’s hard to put oneself in her shoes at that time, not to mention horrifying that this actually happened as recently as it did…however, she speaks about it with her brilliant, eloquent journalistic grace and not an ounce of victimisation.

 

She is a beacon of positivity and generously shares her personal insights.