British broadcasting icon Vanessa Feltz, 62, talks to Joanna Ebsworth about her new fashion range, giving women what they want, and living her best life.
WORDS: JOANNA EBSWORTH. IMAGES: 4LOVE.
‘What a load of absolute rot!’. That’s the response I get from television personality, broadcaster and journalist Vanessa Feltz when I raise the subject of a recent announcement from department store John Lewis that declared the floral midi dress – a beloved staple of many a wardrobe – to be out of fashion. But Vanessa has good reason to rubbish these claims.
The astonishing success of her recently released fashion collection with new celebrity capsule clothing brand 4Love – which features many a beautiful floral midi dress – only goes to show us that as women, we know what we like and we’ll keep on buying and wearing what we want, thank you very much!
‘You know, the reason I wanted to do this collection is that I had so many women contacting me on Instagram to ask where I got my dresses,’ explains Vanessa. ‘Because there are certain women – and they can be any age – who don’t want dresses that are too short, too tight, and that let your bosom fall out. They want something different; more sartorial, romantic, pretty and celebratory. And so far, the overwhelming response has proved that to be the case.’
Vanessa launched her first capsule collection last December, despite warnings it was too close to Christmas for the range to do well. Thankfully, she says, the four female founders at 4Love – including Linda Plant, the dynamo behind British knitwear brand Honeysuckle and interviewer on BBC’s The Apprentice – ‘had faith’ in the designs, so they ignored the naysayers and launched anyway.
‘The reaction was beyond our wildest dreams,’ says Vanessa. ‘I think it’s done so well because it fills an evident gap in the market where boutique fashion for young people somehow doesn’t quite fit, or isn’t quite flattering, or is a bit too extreme. My dresses are beautifully made, very flattering, generously cut using gorgeous fabrics that float and flow, and they feature the kind of uplifting prints that don’t sock you in the head and give you a migraine,’ she continues. ‘They’re life affirming and joyful. Not in a loud, tacky, vulgar way, but in a pretty, romantic, feminine way. The dresses give you a lovely feeling when you put them on – like you’re a little girl playing dress up and feeling your pretties
