Having graduated from Westminster in 2014, Emma Charles racked up an impressive list of experiences before she decided to launch her own label. An intern with Preen during their AW12 collection, Charles spent time at Tom Ford and Stella McCartney, before returning to Preen in 2014 to work as their Archivist Manager. Here, she developed 13 looks for influential women in the industry, including Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine.

“These two years spent with the brand really pushed me in all directions. I was able to absorb everything from my surrounding environment, witnessing the whole process of a collection from sampling, sales, press, production to e-store distribution. Having gained all this knowledge, I felt that I could use it to benefit myself as a brand.”

Emma Charles, AW16

The first Emma Charles collection embodies the core values at the hear of the designer’s ethos: “My ideal woman is creative and has a strong interest in art and fashion. She is more likely to buy into the ‘fun’ yet sophisticated pieces in the collection.” Each piece in the collection reflects this balance, with an aesthetic that marries a smart approach to tailoring with a modern femininity. This aesthetic has evolved from a detailed study of tailoring, and Charles is heavily inspired by menswear from the ’20s and ’50s. “Evenly beautiful fabrics and embellishment play a huge part of my design aesthetic, especially bringing them together to create harmony between masculinity and femininity,” she says. It is these many dualities and contrasts that make her designs exciting.

Emma Charles, AW16

At the beginning of her new venture, Charles is ambitious about where she wants the brand to go: “My goal is to showcase my collections on runway, hopefully within two to three years. Until then I am conscious to work with new exciting photographers, set designers, stylists and casting directors to produce timeless look books.” Amongst dream collaborators she cites photographers such Juergen Teller, Scott Trindle, Jamie Hawsworth and Glen Luchford and stylists such as Jane How. With talent and drive such as this at play, we advise you to watch this space.

Emmacharles.co.uk

Tags: Emma Charles, Glen Luchford, Jamie Hawsworth, Jane How, Juergen Teller, Leandra Medine, preen, Scott Trindle, Stella McCartney, Tom Ford

Tom Ford’s new make up hits counters this autumn. Though I’ve seen nothing as yet apart from the lipsticks. Little samples or information has been made available. It’s typically Fordian to be so tightly controlling of the press coverage. Much as I love the existing lipstick range especially the white and gold packaging (very old Hollywood), I feel a little ambivalent about two things: the price point and the USP.

Firstly, the whole range is likely to be expensive considering the lipsticks alone are £35. For the same price you could buy a dress in New Look, Top Shop or Zara and even an outfit in Primark or Peacocks.

My second question mark here is: is there room for another cosmetics line in the marketplace? Burberry and D&G have both joined the melee in recent years which makes  a lot of luxury make up lines out there. And how much of a market is there for this sort of ultra expensive product? Competitor-wise there’s Serge Lutens make up which is gorgeous but even more eye-wateringly expensive than Tom Ford and then Shiseido’s other superluxurious brand Cle De Peau which has been withdrawn from the UK – presumably due to lack of a market. Still, we wait with bated beauty breath.

Words by Bethan Cole

Tags: Bethan Cole, Burberry, Cle De Peau, D&G, Lauder, New Look, Peacocks, Primark, Serge Lutens, Shiseido, Tom Ford, Top Shop, Zara

Admission: I used to hate gourmand fragrances. Not spicy ones but obvious scents that smelt of chocolate and caramel and vanilla. Oh and fruity florals were an absolute bugbear. Why? Well in all honesty I felt they were too obvious, too commercial, too lowest common denominator (yes it was a bit snobbish of me I admit). I felt they were predominantly marketed and aimed at young girls with unsophisticated tastes who wanted to smell good enough to eat. Who would want to smell like something edible? I did at the age of 18 – I used to wear the long defunct Body Shop Mango oil and also the Vanilla and Dewberry oil. With the vanilla I thought I smellled as good as bowl of fresh custard.

How naïve I was! The grown up me found gourmand scents totally unacceptable. But I’ve had something of a damascene conversion. I think this is because some of my favourite indie perfume brands have been making gourmands recently that are a little bit different. They are not your usual fruity florals or toffee caramel concoctions. Byredo’s Pulp does smell of exotic fruit, but it also smells of green leaves and stems and slightly sour but fresh foliage. So it’s a kind of interesting riff on the gourmand genre. Likewise Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille – yes, it smells of vanilla and cocoa beans and other delicious edibles but there’s also a tinge of smoke, a dirty gentleman’s clubby woodyness about it that lends it a sophistication and hauteur that a straight vanilla wouldn’t have. Lastly, Etat Libre d’Orange’s Like This, Tilda Swinton fragrance is equally off-key. It smells of carrots and gingerbread and almonds – not your obvious epicurean fragrance by a long chalk. So, thanks to the niche perfumers gourmand fragrances are changing. I love these new oddball gourmands, if only the blockbuster brands would pay heed.

Byredo’s Pulp is available at Liberty.co.uk

Words by Bethan Cole

Tags: Bethan Cole, Byredo, Etat Libre D'Orange, liberty, Like This Tilda Swinton, perfume, Pulp, scent, Tobacco Vanille, Tom Ford