DESIGN SECRETS
The world of design unfolds in 20 well-kept vignettes across fashion, interior design, jewellery and retail
One of the greatest joys has to be BEAUTY, BY DESIGN Rachel Roy, Fashion designer, US
With a passion for fashion, a head for business and a face that makes cameras smile, Rachel Irene Roy makes exotic look clichéd. Born and raised in California to a Dutch mother and a Bengali father, Roy started collecting Vogue magazines as a child, using fashion pages as a passport to dream a different life. “I remember as a three-year-old in India, trading my favourite long blue dress for my cousin’s gold sari and feeling like I was completely winning in the trade.” Her love of Indian colours and heritage has been a constant since her childhood and still finds a way into her design aesthetic. The globally-recognised Rachel Roy brand, which she launched in 2004, includes ready-to-wear and accessories business includes contemporary, curvy, dresses, outerwear, jewellery and swimwear. While old Hollywood glamour informs her sense of style, the Los Angelesbased designer has named her daughters
the thrill of discovery; uncovering hidden gems that peek out from everyday mundanity. So whether it’s a scarcely known fashion designer of Indian descent who has dressed top Hollywood celebrities or a new bar in portside Pondicherry that lives and breathes history in a carefully curated design cocoon or the scion of a royal family who moonlights as a jewellery designer, our insider secrets unveil some of the most storied vignettes of the design world.
after famous Hollywood starlets, Ava Gardner and Tallulah Bankhead. With a client roster that boasts names such as Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson, Sharon Stone, Tyra Banks and Penelope Cruz, Roy believes that fashions feeds “the idea that you can be whomsoever you wish and tell a story without opening your mouth”. Of collections and chutzpah Strong, sexy and cool; we approach each collection the way we live our lives and what we want to wear on our journey to design the lives we wish to live. Strong prints, mixing materials to create individual feeling pieces, and sexy silhouettes with a twist is what sets us apart. Feeling beautiful and confident starts from the inside, but fashion has a transformative power. It can re-frame your perspective on life inside out.
On India inspirations
I love mixing prints and bright saturations of colour. All of that stems from my Indian heritage. The idea of dressing up and allowing the clothing and make-up to transform your appearance, is another Indian trait I believe.
Fickle fashion; faithful staples
Trench as a dress, tight turtleneck, black blazer, men’s shirts, LBD that makes you feel fantastic, and of course, a pointy toe pump.