The BUYER...
IDA PETERSSON, 41, IS BUYING DIRECTOR AT BROWNS FASHION
Iam a magpie. I want to be the person who buys lots of sensible clothes that coordinate, but then I get distracted. There’s always something shiny or brightly coloured that I can’t resist.
There was a time in my fashion management degree at London College of Fashion that I adhered to the all-black fashion uniform, but as soon as I returned to my grandmother in Sweden, she scoffed, ‘Are you going to a funeral?’ I was hugely influenced by my grandmother’s style and as a child would stomp around in her Chanel and vintage Pucci. Emerald green and fuschia pink were her signature colours and she wore bright pink with pearls, diamonds and platinum dyed hair right up until the day she died. It’s probably why my own wardrobe is a rainbow explosion.
I’ve always found shoes to be an essential element of any outfit. I can still remember the first pair that I bought, aged 12 – a pair of bright white stilettoes. I have more than 3OO pairs of shoes in my wardrobe and I go to bed or wake up with a pair in mind. Once I’ve decided which ones I’ll wear that day, I can then play around with the rest of the outfit.
I buy new shoes each season but I also rewear a lot, especially my Balenciaga Lego shoes and original Prada flame shoes. I still think about the pair of Miu Miu knee-high boots I missed out on years ago – the perfect hybrid between a biker boot and pixie point that only Miuccia [Prada] could come up with.
As a buyer, it’s thrilling to see the Bottega or Loewe collections, but young designers have an energy you don’t get from esteemed showrooms. At the moment, I’m so excited about Maisie Wilen, who is backed by Kanye West and has some crazy graphic leggings. Also Lagos-born Kenneth Ize, who reinterprets traditional West African fabrics and Nigerian craft techniques. He’s captured Africa’s incredible culture of colour so well and was a well-deserving LVMH Prize finalist.
A large section of my wardrobe is also vintage. I love the idea of renting designer pieces, but I’m not an ‘easy’ shape, so it isn’t really an option for me. I have small legs, but I’m big and chesty on top, which means I always have to try on items. For a long time, I found it tough working in fashion without being model-sized, but I have learned to like clothes that suit my body. Skinny trousers, leggings, miniskirts and anything that distracts from the waist area are my friends. I no longer succumb to the sample sale adrenaline rush, buying items I love that don’t suit me. I’d rather pay more and invest in a piece that I’ll love forever. To me, not compromising on items that don’t quite fit or aren’t exactly what you’re looking for is a kind of sustainable buying.