Roksanda Ilincic and Roisin Murphy
Tall, beautiful and impossibly glamorous in her own designs, the Belgrade-born
designer Roksanda Ilincic doesn’t look like she needs a muse. But her chosen
one, the singer Roisin Murphy, is equally self-assured when it comes to
fashion — an adept image-maker, she styles herself for shoots and videos.
“Being a female designer, you know what you want and what your friends like,
so it’s not necessary to have a muse,” says Ilincic. “At the same time, it
is lovely to have a Roisin, who understands what I am doing, but who takes
my clothes and wears them in such an original way.”
The two have different styles. “Roksanda is more classic than I am,” says
Murphy. “If I am going to be elegant, I like there to be a touch of humour
as well.” For a recent appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, she
surprised Ilincic by wearing two of her jackets at once. “It looked
amazing,” says the designer.
Despite their differences, they each recognise something of themselves in the
other’s work. “Roisin’s music reflects what I like,” says Ilincic. “It’s
edgy but feminine, and has a strong woman behind it.” Murphy counters:
“Roksanda’s designs have elegance, but there is also an avant-garde edge.”
They first met when Ilincic gave Murphy a dress, but the relationship quickly
developed into a firm friendship. “I still have that first dress she gave
me,” says Murphy. “I wore it in the first painting my boyfriend [the artist
Simon Henwood] did of me. I also hung it on the wardrobe in the You Know Me
Better video.” For Ilincic and Murphy — two strong, creative, independent
women — the muse relationship is one of equals.
Above: Roisin Murphy, left, wears pink square dress, £645, by Roksanda
Ilincic, from net-a-porter.com. Tights, £20, by Wolford. Ilincic wears
Rocket dress, £1,595, by Roksanda Ilincic, from Harvey Nichols
Osman Yousefzada and Tamsin Egerton
Osman Yousefzada has a fledgling muse in the actress Tamsin Egerton. The pair
haven’t known each other long, but both are rising stars. The 19-year-old
actress played Chelsea Parker in last year’s St Trinian’s movie and is about
to gain greater prominence starring in the film adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s
Octavia. The Birmingham-born Yousefzada is a London Fashion Week name who
recently gained wider recognition for his hit cocktail-dress collection for
the high-street giant Mango.
The matchmaking process started when Egerton needed a dress for a red-carpet
appearance and chose one of Yousefzada’s signature cocktail numbers. She
became hooked on his sophisticated style. “We really hit it off,” Egerton
says. “Osman’s clothes are so beautiful. They are figure-hugging and sexy,
and they hold you in a way that makes you feel womanly. He prides himself on
his exquisite tailoring. It’s beautiful to see the work that goes into it.”
Yousefzada is just as pleased with Egerton. “She’s stunning and doll-like —
almost too beautiful,” he says. “But she’s a chameleon, so she can look
edgy, too, which is important. I don’t think my stuff will ever be too
girlie, as it’s very sculptural. The clothes are cut so that a real woman
can wear them, but they are for strong individuals.”
Thandie Newton, Mary-Kate Olsen, Charlize Theron and Lily Cole have all been
photographed wearing his pieces, and Yousefzada knows that getting his
clothes on the right women is good for business. “I don’t want to make
background clothes,” he says. “I want the women who wear them to walk into a
room and make a statement.”
This modern muse relationship is one of mutual benefit, as well as mutual
appreciation: he makes clothes that are hard to ignore; she needs to be
centre stage. Everyone is happy.
Erdem Moralioglu, and Virginia and Daisy Bates
Erdem Moralioglu chose not just one muse but two: Virginia Bates, whose
antique-clothing boutique in Holland Park is an important resource for
designers, and her actress daughter, Daisy. “They are both so similar, but
so different,” says the designer. “They are not dictated to by fashion. I
like an innate sense of individuality in a woman, and there’s an irreverence
to both of them that is lovely.”
He became friends with Virginia first, after attending one of the famous tea
parties at her shop. “I guess it was love at first sight,” says Virginia. “I recognised the party animal in him. He’s fabulous fun and very cultured. I
love his work. He will be here in 25 or 30 years because he has his own
style.” High praise indeed from one of fashion’s most respected
connoisseurs.
The pair quickly developed what Moralioglu describes as “a genuine friendship.
When things go wrong, or they’re great, I ring her”. Their relationship is
built on mutual respect and plenty of fun. “His sense of humour is so quick.
I want to keep all of his text messages,” says Virginia.
It wasn’t long before Moralioglu met Daisy at Virginia’s shop. “He came for a
cocktail, and we had a mad afternoon going completely loopy, playing with
clothes and being bad and drunk,” she remembers. Together, he and Virginia
created Daisy’s wedding dress from several vintage pieces in the shop. “I
wore three petticoats on top of each other as a dress. It was wicked,” says
Daisy. The pair have regular dressing-up sessions. “I went to his showroom
and fooled around, trying lots of stuff on. I hold myself differently in his
clothes. It’s princess stuff.”
Moralioglu adores the eccentricity of both daughter and mother. “Virginia is
an amazing person. She’s iconic. She’ll waltz into somewhere in a Poiret
coat, with a fabulous bias-cut gown underneath, but she wears it so causally
and in such a relaxed manner. It’s so far removed from where I’m from,” says
the Turkish/English designer, who was raised in Canada. “She is so English,”
he adds.
Virginia insists that the muse relationship is mutually beneficial. “I get
something as well. He has taught me things. There is a lace mac in his
collection that is brilliant. That’s the way forward — putting unusual
pieces together, but making it look like it was meant,” she explains.
On being appointed his muse, she says: “I’m beyond flattered. I have to live
up to it now. Nothing will change, though. We will still have fun and play
and grow together.”
