Tiff Manuell
Founder of ’90s brand Happy House, Adelaide designer Tiff Manuell’s eponymous wearable art label is loved worldwide for its signature bags, which are now in the retail space in London’s Tate Modern art gallery.
Describe your personal style. Relaxed, a little bit masculine with an edge of unpredictable fun.
How has your style changed? I know myself better these days. I select a few new awesome pieces each season and make them work with the rest of my wardrobe, mixing old and new. My haircut and colour determine what outfits work or how I wear my clothes. I wave in between wearing a lot of print to the next season just craving block colour. I am consistently inconsistent, I realise that and just work with it, so rather than try and establish a style I just dress for how I feel, combining colours, print or shapes and accessories. Dressing should be fun.
Who are your style icons? I love how Tilda Swinton holds herself, she is a little bit androgynous which I love. I am more obsessed by people’s talents than their personal style.
What’s the oldest thing in your wardrobe?
I have a black, sheer silk cape adorned in metal sequins from the ’20s. It’s so incredible and timeless, closely followed by a hand-painted floral dress from the ’30s. They are beautiful conversational pieces.
What are your favourite brands? There are many. I love Chanel and Dior for their intricate detail and mastery of shape and pattern making. Emilio Pucci for their brand’s consistent pursuit of print and colour. Romance Was Born for their fierce exploration combining Australian artists and their own clever talents. Oroton for their reinvention and wearability in their clothing line. Scanlan Theodore for simple sexy dressing for the past 30 years. Megan Park, of course, for her incredible use of artisans and craftsmanship in her designs and for always developing her own prints.
Most surprising thing about your wardrobe?
I can’t part with my accessories. Like my first pair of earrings gifted to me by my childhood sweetheart when I was 16!
Have you ever made a style faux pas?
In hindsight, yes, but I probably didn’t recognise it at the time though. I love dressing and don’t really leave the house unless I feel good! Maybe big hair in the ’80s. It must have felt good at the time!
What’s the most you have spent on an outfit?
I think it was a single pair of boots. A pair of Guccis I bought in New York on a whim, hugely expensive but literally unwearable!
Top three accessories? Always a Tiff bag, currently my new shape day bag which I am product testing. My Dolce Gabbana reading glasses, pretty much lost without those! Always a piece of Palas jewellery, never n a day without it for sentimental reasons, alongside my wedding ring of course!
Most sentimental item? A brown velvet, beaded scarf designed by my dear friend Megan Park. We were in Paris when she was launching her label … she was terrified because the likes of Barneys and Liberty were placing orders, this was one of her pieces from that range. It was 23 years ago. Closely followed by the first Tiff clutch numbered TM01 … currently we are at TM78000 (all made by hand in Adelaide).
What would you buy if money was no object? Vintage Chanel.
If you had to wear one outfit every day for the rest of your life what would it be? Probably my painting clothes.
What’s your signature fragrance? Often Gucci – currently Flora Gardenia. I am in love with it. I love the vintage look of their current packaging and bottling as well.
Winter or summer? Summer. Oven heat like the desert.