Behind the Seams: The perfect gift for fans of The Great British Sewing Bee

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Hubby bought me Esme Young’s autobiography for my birthday as she always has such interesting snippets of stories dropped in the TV show (like sitting in a window with David Bowie) and I was keen to learn more about her career. Born into the very early era of punk, and then raised in the difficulty of the early 1980s, I always saw fashion as a huge important element of society - a reflection of what the masses wanted to be, and in many cases what could be afforded and imagined as a result of the restriction. I still fear the stay pressed, flat fronted nylon trouser, but admire it as a part of our wonderful textiles heritage and history. I love Esme on the Sewing Bee, she comes across as such an interesting character, so I was very keen to read her story. Young attended the Convent of the Holy Ghost, Bedford, where she learnt to draw and to sew. [11] She went on to Saint Martins School of Art. [11] [3] Career [ edit ] Swanky Modes [ edit ] Young writes and speaks warmly about both of her parents, and all of her four siblings, but admits that her relationship with her glamorous, independent, practical joke-loving mother was not always easy. “She had a difficult childhood,” Young tells me. “She had postnatal depression as well. But she… she didn’t really like me. That’s what I felt.” When Young would dress up in her colourful, self-made outfits – she recalls one that was made from a child’s patchwork dressing gown – her mother would refuse to walk down the street with her. “She was embarrassed by me.” It was towards the end of her mother’s life that the pair became, she explains, “much closer”.

Young developed sewing and pattern cutting techniques for underwear and swimwear which commenced her to work on special projects for ‘ Triumph underwear’ and ‘L’Oreal’. A very engaging and interesting autobiography by the Sewing Bee star. I felt, as a reader, almost as though she was sitting with me, telling her story - it's that immediate. Her own voice comes over very strongly, and she had a most interesting life: at the forefront of fashion in the 60s and 70s with her Swanky Modes, a tutor at Central St Martins, and then a judge on Sewing Bee. It's straightforwardly told, with a few chapters on sewing skills too (eg, pattern cutting which is Esme's own speciality). She's good at recognising the contribution of others to her success - not always the case in autobiographies - and it's a book I'd enjoy reading again. After the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee burst onto our screens in 2013, we all fell in love with the art of sewing and embroidery all over again, but the fun hasn't stopped with the end of this year's series. It was around this time that Esme met David Bowie, chatting to him on a ­windowsill at a party as they watched Notting Hill Carnival parade go past. What did they talk about? Her most famous creation is Renée Zellweger’s iconic Bunny Girl outfit from the hilarious first Bridget Jones film.

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I was frightened,” Esme admits. “I was also worried it would take up too much of my time. I was scared because I didn’t want to mess up.” Esme is not sure what else she would have done in life. She was partially deaf until she was seven when doctors discovered she had “glue ear”, a condition where the middle ear fills with fluid. They cured it by removing her tonsils and adenoids. Until that point, she struggled to read because her poor hearing meant she could not sound out words phonetically. Now Esme, a graduate of the prestigious fashion school Central Saint Martins, where she teaches pattern cutting, is hoping to help inspire more people to take up sewing.

The book didn't disappoint, you could "hear" her reading it to you as you went along. It is written just as she would speak and was very amusing at times. She also has a wonderful way of going off on a tangent. There is a sort of chronology to the book, but she isn't scared to nip off elsewhere if her thoughts go that way! I loved the little insights to 60s and 70s fashion and lifestyle, with lots of exciting name dropping. It is, however, quite reserved - although names are dropped throughout, don't expect lots of juicy stories about people, you definitely don't get them. His suit and his shoes,” she says, seeming amazed that I’d had to ask. “The tailoring was Italian.” Christie, Janet (11 June 2022). "Esme Young, star of The Great British Sewing Bee goes behind the seams with her new book". The Scotsman . Retrieved 22 September 2022.David Bailey photographed one collection and Vogue featured Brigitte Nielsen wearing a Swanky Modes lycra two-piece in the mid-1980s. Viewers will be interested to learn that Esme has also made costumes for many films, including The Beach, Romeo & Juliet, Trainspotting and Bridget Jones' Diary. She revealed in a recent interview that Renee Zellweger's iconic Tarts and Vicars party bunny costume was one of her creations. In December 2022, she was a contestant on Richard Osman’s House of Games. [16] Academic career [ edit ]

BBC Two - Richard Osman's House of Games, Series 6, Week 14: Thursday". BBC . Retrieved 11 December 2022. In 1972, she formed the fashion house Swanky Modes with three other designers. They had a shop in Camden and made one-off designs to measure.

The TV judge and designer on partying with Pink Floyd and David Bowie, dressing Grace Jones, and collecting animal skulls.

She ponders a moment. “When I think about it, my life has been a lot to do with chances. It’s a bit like my dad in the war, ­surviving everything he did.”

Singer songwriter Lucy Dacus tells Janet Christie about bringing her Home Video to the Edinburgh International Festival The hotel is a stone’s throw from some of Bath’s most impressive sights which you will have plenty of time to explore. You'll find Bath Abbey, the Roman Baths and Thermae Bath Spa, the UK’s only natural thermal spa, nearby. Bath also has cobbled streets full of quirky independent shops. It was a wild time. By day, she was creating garments and at night she rode her motorbike to parties dressed in a leopard-skin catsuit. Still, money was tight so Esme lived in a squat. She loved the experience. Esme discussed making the iconic Hawaiian shirts for DiCaprio and co-stars John Leguizamo and Harold Perrineau in Baz Lurhmann's masterpiece during last year's series.