Who's That Girl? - My Interview with Charlie May

I recently stumbled on to the blog Girl a la Mode via Twitter and I'm surprised I never discovered it before. I instantly fell in love the writers flawless sense of style. She exudes an aura of understated elegance and sophistication. So when I discovered that her talents extended to Fashion Designer I had to take a peek.

The Charlie May S/S12 Ladieswear collection is a sight to behold. It is a collection full of wonderful contradictions. Androgynous but feminine, edgy but also extremely wearable, pretty but tough. It is the perfect collection for the 21st century female who is empowered and confident and doesn't care who knows it. Full of clean lines and neutral hues, sleek looking but also fun. The detailing is immaculate and the tailloring demonstrates the skill of the designer. Her choice of fabrics is unique and the perfect partner to the silhouettes of the pieces. The sheer fabrics and pony hair add to the feminine feeling that the pieces exude. She constructs garments in a way that is both unique and stunning.

Her work fascinates and leaves me spellbound so of course I was interested to discover what inspires her, so I posed her some questions:

Q1 - what or who inspires your designs?
I'm very inspired my nature and strong graphic imagery, I'll research by flipping through random books or looking through tumblrs, anything that catches my eye and inspires me; I'm currently obsessed with the sea, crashing waves against the rocks or ice.; it's a lot about putting myself in a certain mood I think.

Q2 - how long does each piece take from design to the end product?
It depends what it is but most garments have to be toiled about 10 times before they are perfect, that's the longest process. I would say a couple of solid weeks from design to finished product, I start work about 3 months before fashion week starts.

Q3 - who are your favourite designers?Ann Demeulemeester, Haider Ackermann, and Celine - Beautiful, minimal, and romantic.

Q4 - does being a blogger influence how you promote your collection?Definitely, it's a great way of showing my readers all the behind the scenes, which you never really see in the industry; I really like being so open with it.

Q5 - what are your fave blogs?My top faves are: Fashion Sphere, Stop it right now, Love Aesthetics, 5 inch and up and Park n Cube; but there are too many to choose from!

Q6 - what are your favorite London shopping haunts?
Strutt on Broadway Market is pretty good for vintage designer finds, Liberty for all the besties and Layers from some avant garde hard to find labels.

Q7 - what advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers thinking about showing their first collection?Work hard and be prepared for a lot of hurdles, I'm still learning so much every day, I think your brand is something that grows with you, it's a real evolution of ideas every season.

Visit Charlie's blog here
View her full collection here