Tara’s shirty secret
Is it a man’s shirt? A leotard? No, it’s a ‘kubbi’– bizarre result of TPT’s latest reinvention... as a fashion designer
SHE was one of Britain’s original It Girls and has been a star of the TV jungle, a celebrity columnist and a TV presenter. And now Tara Palmer-Tomkinson has found yet another way to stay in the limelight – remodelling herself as a fashion designer. And after years of hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons, such as turning up to high-society parties clad only in a bikini and a fur coat, the fact that the signature piece of her new collection is a demure and practical garment may come as something of a surprise.
Tara, 44, who is a goddaughter of Prince Charles, has created an all-in-one bodysuit called the Kubbi, which she hopes will become a staple in women’s wardrobes around the world.
Her brainchild is a twist on the ‘body’, the leotard-like garment that became a fashion trend in the 1980s.
Her big idea is to combine the stretchy jersey fabric that made the body so comfortable to wear with the smart finish of a crisp, tailored shirt front, complete with oversize collar and cuffs.
While she is happy to show off her svelte figure in the Kubbi for The Mail on Sunday, she concedes that most women will feel more comfortable pairing it with trousers or skirts.
‘The Kubbi goes with everything,’ says Tara. ‘I pair mine with trousers or jeans, I ride in it and ski in it. It’s warm and snug but what’s best is that it streamlines all shapes and sizes and is very sexy.
‘I’ve had lots of testimonials from men who just love the shape the Kubbi gives their wives and girlfriends. It really does suit every body type. Everyone should be able to wear it.’
The Kubbi promises to ‘breathe new life into your wardrobe’, she says.
Tara is the daughter of Charles PalmerTomkinson, a landowner and Olympiclevel skier who taught his close family friend Prince Charles to ski, and AngloArgentine model mother Patty. She acknowledges she had a privileged upbringing but is at pains to point out that her latest venture has been funded with her own money.
‘This is not a trust fund company,’ she says. ‘Yes, I come from a privileged family who are loving, kind and supportive but I started my business myself with my own cash.
‘I’ve worked very hard since I was 19. I’ve rarely taken a day off. This has been the most rewarding thing I have done by far. It’s been amazing to grow the business and I’ve been involved with every stage. There’s been a lot of blood sweat and tears.’
In her youth, Tara was seldom out of the spotlight and her descent into cocaine addiction was widely reported.
And she was back in the public eye a year ago when she was arrested at Heathrow Airport for unruly behaviour after being refused admission to a First Class lounge, an incident she refers to as ‘ Heathrowgate’ and dismisses as ‘absolute nonsense’.
Now, she says, life is calmer because she is responsible for running her own business, selling her designs through her website Desiderata London.
‘Setting up the company has been a big deal for me. Now I know about fabric books and the costs of running a business. It has been a steep learning curve, but I love what I’m doing now.
‘I didn’t want to launch it as a celebrity brand because I’d had enough of myself. I want Desiderata to breathe on its own rather than be about me.’ And after all, there has been a lot of talk about her down the years, much of which is, she says, mistaken.
She adds: ‘I’ve had a lot of horrid things said and written about my body. I am 44 and I don’t lie about my age. I don’t do Botox, I barely wear make-up.
‘I know I’m not an oil painting but I’m very content with who I am, although I would say I’m a work in progress.
‘The truth is I’ve never struggled with my body image. It’s been written that I’m too thin when I’ve actually always been the same weight. I’m a size eight and always have been.’ Tara says she came up with the idea for her first foray into the world of fashion designing three years ago during a two-month stay at a yoga retreat in India. ‘I left London because I was being photographed everywhere I went and I couldn’t stand another camera in my face.
‘I had reached the point where I knew I had to change my life, so I took myself off to India where I had time to think k about what I wanted to do with my life e and what I could do for others.
‘I have always dreamed of designing. As s a teenager I lived in my mother’s ward- robe and also nabbed pieces from my y father’s. He had beautiful shirts fromm Jermyn Street and I would cut off the e collars and cuffs with the kitchen scissors and tape them on to my cardigans and jumpers. My father went mad, but all ll my friends thought it was a cool look andd it is the inspiration for the Kubbi.
‘I have always loved the look of a tailoredd white shirt g.– I think it’s very empowering. Whend I got back to London, a friend helped me draw some sketches which I sent off ff to America. When the prototype arrived it was brilliant, and exactly what I wanted. d. All my Kubbis are made in England, d, in Leicestershire actually, which is imporortant for me.
And she adds: ‘For years I’ve been en known as TPT. Now I’m CEO and I like ke it. I’m not a mother, but I feel as if the he Kubbi is my baby.’
I used to be just TPT but now I’m CEO …and I like it