I remember my first day at the JC, I was in my early twenties, which was more than ten years ago. I wore a high-waisted mini triangle black leather skirt paired with a black top with shoulder pads and a pair of high-heeled boots. My hair was in a Black Swan-like top knot and my lips a scarlet red. It was what is called “a look”.
I also remember a comment from a colleague at the time that the JC was not the sort of place to stand out, sartorially or otherwise.
They were, of course, wrong. However it is true that, despite being a lover of fashion, things have changed for me since then. As a thirtysomething mother of two, I don’t have the time to put together those sorts of outfits, not for work anyway, and my go-to items now probably favour comfort but not, I like to think, at the expense of style.
Like all self-respecting north London Jewish girls, my love of fashion was inherited. My weekends as a child were not spent in parks or softplay centres, but at Brent X and I was oh so young when I learnt about the thrill of a good bargain. Before he retired my grandpa Sam ran a jewellery business and had an office behind the flagship Top Shop on Oxford Street. He sold costume jewellery to big chains, including Biba, the “Top Shop of the 1960s and 1970s”. My sister and I would spend hours dressing up and playing with his leftover stock. So while I don’t profess to be an expert, I do love fashion and how good it can make people feel. While the world, particularly now, is dark and serious, it can be a welcome escape.
My plans for this page are simple, I want to bring you style for any age group and shine a light on some of our own fashion icons – of which we are a community of many.
To start things off, here are a few things I can’t live without – staple items for any wardrobe. They include some well-known brands as well as some independent ones run by female-led businesses I’m lucky enough to know personally.