Interview: Melissa Coker, Wren

This week's interview is with designer and founder of Wren, Melissa Coker. After stints assisting Alex White at W and André Leon Talley at Vogue, Melissa turned her hand to fashion design, starting LA based label Wren in 2007. Since then Coker's youthful and carefree aesthetic gone from strength to strength, proving a firm favourite with the likes of Leith Clark, Gia Coppola and Clémence Poésy to name but a few.

Where are you and what are you doing right now? In LA, working on wrapping up Spring 13.

Did you always dream of being a fashion designer? Not at first. It kind of happened by accident! I have a background in editorial and through a twist of fate I ended up designing. There were a few things that I wanted and couldn’t find in stores, so I had some friends set me up with pattern makers and I started making things for myself. I made ten pieces and realized that I basically had a small collection. Wren was born.

Tell us about your past jobs. What lead you to your current position? I worked in the fashion departments at Vogue, W and Details and was recruited from there to provide design direction for corporate brands. That brought me onto the apparel side of things and eventually led to my role as a designer.

Tell us about the inspiration behind your designs. My inspiration comes from a mix of things. I draw ideas from films, art, travels, and books. Also friends and girls I see on the street.

Describe the Fall 12 collection in 5 words. Classic, feminine, quirky, smart, cool.

What inspired the name Wren? "Wren" is named after Jenny Wren, a winsome little creature from the Dickens' Novel "Our Mutual Friend" who makes dresses for her dolls.

Who is the Wren girl? The Wren girl is bookish, but still very cool; feminine, but also not afraid to be a little bit of a tomboy too.

Does your personal style influence your designs? Almost everything I design is something I'd love to wear or fills a hole in my own wardrobe.

Do you have a favourite material to work with? Vintage sequins and tarnished shine, plush velvets and luxe brocades. I love mixing textures and pairing shiny with dull, soft with hard 

Do you have a favourite Wren piece? There are certain dresses that I wear constantly.  It's a real illness.  A few friends seem to be suffering as well.  I've shown up to meet both Leith Clark and Tennessee Thomas and we were wearing the same dress.  I find that cute.  It's like we're in a gang and the baby doll dress is our uniform.

You recently collaborated with Tavi Gevinson, Leith Clark, Maximilla Lukacs and Sarah Sophie Flicker on the film “Beware of Young Girls”. Tell us about a bit about this. How did the collaboration come about? Leith and I have worked on many projects over the years together, including the Spring 12 film we made with Gia Coppola.  Tavi and I have been in communication for quite some time now about this and that. She is such a smart, interesting, and grounded person - a true inspiration. When we were developing the project, the directors, Maximilla Lukacs and Sarah Sophie Flicker, had the idea that she should star and sing the Dory Previn song"Beware of Young Girls". Needless to say, I was over the moon on the idea. 

Any other dream collaborations? We collaborated with Minnetonka this Fall and that was a dream come true for me. I've been wearing MInnetonka mocassins my whole life so that was a very special collaboration.  We also have a dream collaboration cooking presently, more on that soon.

What other brands inspire you? Chanel, APC, Beams Boy, Charles Anastase and Lulu Frost.

What are your 5 wardrobe essentials? Printed dresses, colorful cardigans, full skirts, flats and a sun hat. Can't let the sun eat me alive here in LA!

Any beauty rituals? Less rituals, but maybe signatures. I nearly always have red nails and wear bright red lipstick for evenings out.

What’s coming up next for Wren? Spring 13 is wrapping up and we're going to be moving right into summer.  It's going to be very California inspired, which I'm looking forward to.  We have a collaboration with Lake & Stars in the works for the season -- our first foray into swimwear. 

Describe your perfect day. Would probably involve time spent with friends, staying up very late, having lots of fun.  Or, since it's my perfect day, it would be that but in Tokyo.

Wren is available to purchase from wrenstudio.com

(Photographs courtesy of Wren)

The Essentials: Packing

There's now less than a week to go until my summer holiday to the South of France and I've got packing on the brain. I'm often guilty of over packing so this year, in a bid to keep it simple, I've turned to Joan Didion for a little inspiration...

To Pack and Wear:
2 skirts
2 jerseys or leotards
1 pullover sweater
2 pair shoes
stockings
bra
nightgown, robe, slippers
cigarettes
bourbon
bag with: shampoo, toothbrush and paste, Basis soap, razor, deodorant, aspirin, prescriptions, Tampax, face cream, powder, baby oil

To Carry:

mohair throw
typewriter
2 legal pads and pens
files
house key

This is a list which was taped inside my closet door in Hollywood during those years when I was reporting more or less steadily. The list enabled me to pack, without thinking, for any piece I was likely to do. Notice the deliberate anonymity of costume: in a skirt, a leotard, and stockings, I could pass on either side of the culture. Notice the mohair throw for trunk-line flights (i.e. no blankets) and for the motel room in which the air conditioning could not be turned off. Notice the bourbon for the same motel room. Notice the typewriter for the airport, coming home: the idea was to turn in the Hertz car, check in, find an empty bench, and start typing the day’s notes.

—Joan Didion, The White Album (1979)

(Image credit)

The Beauty Product: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

When it comes to matters of beauty I have a confession to make: I have a morbid fear of looking matte. Call it a reaction to growing up in the Spice Girls era where fake tan and lip liner reigned, but to me there's nothing worse than that caked on, one dimensional look; layer upon layer of foundation disguising the natural luminosity of the skin. I'm all for the transformative power of makeup but the vast majority of people really don't need full coverage. That said there's a very fine between having naturally dewy skin and just looking plain greasy. That's where RMS Beauty's 100% organic Living Luminizer comes in. Applied to the browbone, the cupid's bow, and across the cheekbones, this mineral highlighter creates a subtle sheen minus the sparkle and shimmer of other products in the same category. Skin appears fresh, healthy and glowing, and, most importantly, not at all shiny. A must have for the matte-averse among us!

RMS Beauty is available to purchase from organic skincare store Being Content & Cult Beauty

Interview: Nicola Elliott, NEOM Luxury Organics

After 7 years in the fashion industry as an editor for In Style and Glamour magazines, Nicola Elliott turned her hand to natural beauty co-founding luxury, organic bath and body products range NEOM with business partner Oliver Mennell in 2005. Since then NEOM has gone from strength to strength with a fan base including Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. I caught up with Nicola to discuss the benefits of organic beauty and her must-have beauty products.

Hi Nicola. Tell us about yourself. How did you get into beauty? Before creating Neom Luxury Organics, I studied Art History at Northumbria University, and then spent seven years as an Editor at In Style and Glamour amongst other consumer magazines where I was constantly surrounded by beauty products; it was the start of the beauty bug!

What made you create Neom? Was there a particular event that triggered it or have you been an advocate of organic living your entire life? I have to admit I haven’t been an advocate of organic living my whole life. My sister Katie was the real environmentalist in the family and used to work at Friends of the Earth. One Christmas, I was searching for a gift for Katie which was high in organic content but would also make a gorgeous and luxurious gift and I couldn’t find a single one that fit that description. After more research and attending night classes in aromatherapy whilst I was still working at Glamour, I embarked upon Neom and made it my ambition to provide luxurious and glam products that are made with only the finest organic ingredients and essential oils.

Neom uses only natural, organic ingredients. Why do you think people should use organic products? After I learnt that our skin absorbs up to 60% of substances used on it and its only 2mm thick it hit me and I had to find an alternative. Women everywhere were covering their bodies in over 200 chemicals daily, including petrochemicals, SLS, parabens and pegs. I believe it is essential that every person where possible opt for an organic alternative.

Tell us about the manufacturing process. We buy oils and extracts from different countries and make them up in small bottles so we can test every 500 products.

What tips do you have for blending your own essential oils? Rose is a perfect oil for comforting and when relaxing use a few drops in a bath, lavender is great for after sun, and peppermint for after exercise!

What is your favourite product from the range? That is such a tricky question but the one I would have to say at the moment is our Real Luxury Body Scrub, I find with two small children I have to often skip a step in my beauty regime and this product is perfect for just that! It scrubs away all the dead skin cells and being packed full of jojoba it acts as a moisturiser too,  it is my beauty savior.

What are your 5 beauty essentials? Trilogy’s organic Rosehip oil, I use it under my face cream for added TLC. Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer in Blowing Raspberries, it is my favourite all time colour, Cellular Protection Sun Cream SPF 30 from the organic Pharmacy, Neom Real Luxury Body Oil and Dr. Hauschka Rozen Crème.

Describe your perfect day. I love living in Yorkshire and one of the reasons I love it so much is the countryside. My perfect day would most likely be a day at the farm with my children and husband or a walk along the Yorkshire Dales or better yet, a trip down to Ripley, they do the best ice cream there.

NEOM is available to purchase here

Interior Inspiration: Suntraps

Interior inspiration from Mark Borthwick, Margaret Howell & Ai and Cedric Bihr. I have a thing for big windows.

Summer Essentials: The Black Bikini

 































With less than a month to go until my summer sojourn to the Côte d'Azur, my thoughts have turned to the dreaded topic of swimwear. Never an easy task, this year I have vowed to keep it chic and simple inspired by Romy Schneider's little black numbers in Deray's cult classic La Piscine. Pared with a crisp white shirt as a coverup and a battered pair of brown leather sandals, this look should see me through summer. Nothing left to do except pray for sun!

(Photo credit: tumblr)

Interview: Daphne Javitch, TEN

Next up in my interview series is Brooklyn based founder and designer of TEN underwear and creative consultant Daphne Javitch. Inspired by style icons of the sixties and seventies including Jane Birkin, Joan Didion and Romy Schneider, Daphne's line of simple yet chic cotton undies are the perfect foundation to a stylish yet hassle free wardrobe. Here she talks French New Wave and the quest for the perfect shade of navy... a girl after my own heart!

Hi Daphne! Tell us about yourself. How did you get into design? Hi! I’m laughing trying to answer this question because everything I write sounds like an online dating description! I’m originally from New York and I still mostly live there, but I spend lots of time in Los Angeles. I’m a New Yorker who loves LA- a California-girl poser I guess. I’ve always been interested in personal narratives which I think is what led me to design as a way of visual story telling. First I was a costume designer, then a personal stylist, then I started my underwear line TEN which is what I do now as well as consult for the design teams at Theory and Uniqlo.

What about your past jobs? What lead you to your current position? I was a costume designer for film and theater before I started TEN. I absolutely loved costume designing and did it from the age of 19 for 10 years, but eventually I really wanted to create something all my own. I wanted to be responsible for an entire creative project, to have input and impact on every aspect of what I was putting out there.

Tell us a bit about Ten. What inspired you to start designing underwear? Before TEN, I wore a lot of children’s underwear because I loved their simplicity and shape- classic full seat cotton bikinis. But since I’m not a child, fit was often a problem! So I started dreaming up my perfect pair of undies. After working out shape/style/fit, my priority was to make a true navy blue pair. I’m obsessed with navy. True navy begs the question “Is that black?” Navy TENs are very rich and often mistaken for black. I release new colors with each collection, but always repeat white and navy.

What inspired the name Ten? I wanted a name that had a classic American sportswear sound. Something that was timeless and also feminine without being too girly. My best friend and I always rate things on a scale of 1-10 so the name TEN refers to being the best on that scale!

What influences your designs? I’m influenced by narrative- so I always think ‘Who is the TEN girl?, What is she like?, Who doe she have a crush on?, What does she think, say, read, eat?”… The answers to those questions almost always lead back to my spirit and style icons from the 60s and 70s- Diane Keaton, Romy Schneider, Goldie Hawn, Jane Birkin, Joan Didion, Anna Karina, Lee Radziwell, Julie Christie…the list goes on and on! These are graceful, smart, straight forward, and playful women. That’s my kind of sexy.

Can you describe the design making process? TEN started with one shape- a classic full seat bikini, but now there’s a bra (for the small breasted) and two new bottoms styles: a boy short and a high waisted. After the styles and fit are perfected I choose a color palette for each collection. I aim for unexpected, exciting and desirable colors. To me, undies are the clothing equivalent of a surprise party- when you take your clothes off POP! There’s a pair of tennis ball yellow undies! I also like the look of modest shapes in bright colors showing through a vintage nightie or crochet pants…I think I’ve gone off topic! Anyway, all TEN pieces are custom dyed and sewn in the USA. Since we repeat styles an important part of the design process is contextualizing each collection with images. Each collection has been represented in a different way on our website in order to continue to establish the TEN world.

Who is the TEN girl? I hope every girl is a TEN girl. The goal was to create everyday undies that are suitable for an unexpected sexy situation! I think everyone needs a pair of 1970s babysitter white cotton undies because they’re downright sexy without trying too hard!

Tell us a bit about the Godard inspired packaging. I once sent my crush a pair of white cotton knickers in the mail…now every pair of TENs comes in a custom airmail envelope! I like the innocent and romantic nature of that gesture- even if you’re giving them to a pal or buying them for yourself. The TEN font is the same as the one used in the opening credits of Pierrot Le Fou and the envelope is a bit oversized and cartoonish in a Godard inspired way.

Nouvelle Vague has inspired your designs. What are your top 5 Nouvelle Vague films? I love A Woman is a Woman, Breathless, Stolen Kisses and these last two films aren’t New Wave but I love them so much and they endlessly inspire me so they must be included: Annie Hall and Two For the Road.

What other brands inspire you? I’m very inspired by Band of Outsiders. I love nostalgia and I feel that Scott really tapped into a collective nostalgia to design updated versions of amazing classic pieces. He also started with just ties and shirts and took his time expanding- he’s a perfectionist who cares about detail and it shows. I consider myself the unofficial brand ambassador for their women’s line Boy! I like to think that TEN goes with their whole vibe and that we share a girl.

How would you describe your personal style and how does that manifest itself in your designs? Hmmm…words that describe my personal style: balance, nostalgia, cartoon, and ease. I wear lots of classic things but I’m also very attracted to humor and adventure in clothes. My friend described my look as that of a super- hero wearing half of their super-hero and half of their society outfit! Does that make sense? The way it manifests is that the shapes I design are timeless and relatively basic but the colors I use and how I wear my pieces is un-boring. Chic muppet. That’s my style.

What are your 5 wardrobe essentials? The perfect trench coat, a small purse (laughing-matter tiny), boyfriend’s broken in APC jeans (tailored short a la Carolyn Bessette), a perfect vintage white tee (tubular) and something epic with a splash of cartoon like my highlighter-orange Christopher Kane lace dress.

What outside of work has inspired you recently? There’s a song I’m very inspired by at the moment, but I don’t want to name it because I’m musing up a little TEN film to use it in. I play it 4 times a day and dance around my kitchen trying to figure out what to do with it!

Can you give us a hint as to what’s coming up next? I’m working on a really fun collaboration with Ron Herman Japan that will be in their stores S/S 2013. We’re designing 10 items for the TEN girl. It’s my first clothing collection, a little capsule of essentials. I hope we keep it going for a few seasons because there’s so many pieces I want to make and wear! I’m also collaborating with one of my all time favorite designers A Détacher. We’re making exclusive TEN colors and styles for their New York store. It’s a dream come true project- A Détacher is one of my favorite stores in the world. And I’m working on the Fall/Winter TEN collection. I’m finalizing and perfecting the new colors now.

Describe your perfect day. My perfect day has double the amount of hours in it. It starts with an apple and a perfect cup of coffee. I go for a run or take a yoga class. I catch up with my 5 closest friends (and my sister) thoroughly on the phone or in person. It’s sunny and I walk around New York and end up somewhere inspiring, unexpected and fun. I see something I’ve never seen before. I learn the names of flowers and remember them. I eat a Pali-made salad, his steamed artichokes and corn on the cob. I take a bath. I stay awake into the night talking to my favorite people in my (or someone’s) living room laughing so hard my stomach hurts and at least 3 of us end up in bed falling asleep in the middle of more talking and laughing.

TEN underwear is available to purchase from tenundies.com. For more of Daphne's inspirations, check out her blog here.

(Photograph by Ezra Woods courtesy of Daphne)