Emilia Wickstead is definitely not a name you’ll find on the label of any item in my closet. From my readings, when the designer first started out, she wanted to keep her designs priced to where women like herself could afford them. Now that she has made it, women like herself are no longer ones who have to work extra jobs to make sure they can pay their rent. It’s arguable she’s still pricing her designs so that women like herself can afford them, but she’s now a woman who can afford a $2000 dress. So women like her can afford $2000 dress. For me, that is still not an option. But I do love her designs, particularly for the fact that they are a reminder that dressing doesn’t always have to be about trying to attract lustful interest or to show off what a great body you’ve got.
Shop Emilia WIckstead at ModaOperandi.com
Who Is Emilia Wickstead?
Born in New Zealand, based in London, she is the Elle Style Awards 2014 Red Carpet Designer of the Year Award winner. She started her business in her living room, selling her designs to friends and family. She can partly thank the Duchess of Cambridge and Samantha Cameron (the wife of former British Prime Minister David Cameron), for speeding along her progress on the road to fame by being seen wearing her designs.
From a 2013 Vogue article – When the Duchess of Cambridge began stepping out in Emilia Wickstead’s pastel-colored dresses and coats—the latest the sunshine-yellow printed coat at the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace—it’s fair to say most of the fashion world’s reaction was Emilia . . . who? The Duchess’s discovery—she first wore a green coat on St. Patrick’s Day on her initial solo appearance last year—has a knack for graceful, swirly-skirted fit-and-flare silhouettes, pretty-but-not-saccharine colors. (June 4 2013 – source link)
Also from same article – Your big break came when Samantha Cameron wore a blue Emilia Wickstead dress on the day her husband became prime minster. How did that happen?
Luck! When I was interning in New York, I lived with Lohralee Stutz, who ended up marrying Will Astor, Samantha Cameron’s brother. When Samantha came here, she wanted something classic but with a little bit of a twist—she’s a great character. This was four years ago, and she was pregnant at the time. She bought from my first collection at the shop. So it was pretty big. (June 4 2013 – source link)