This blog has now moved to http://janiebritton.skyeladder.net/wordpress/

This blog has now moved to http://janiebritton.skyeladder.net/wordpress/

Dea London - Fantastic designer based in London

Dea London - Jelena Fehmi                  http://www.dealondon.co.uk/

July this year I had the great pleasure of attending an event in Leeds called Plus North organized by the lovely Becky and Toni and sponsored by Simply Be.

This event was all about loving the skin your in, and celebrated, Beauty, Curves and Confidence!.   There were several designers/retailers touting their wears, but I knew I had struck Gold when I came across the amazing and awe inspiring designer, Jelena Fehmi with her new female career focused “DEA London” label.

On their website they describe their range as “Quality garments made for the everyday goddess in the working place." I couldn't agree more,

 

Jelena, was delightful enough to answer a few questions for me and allowed us a little peak into her studio so we could see were the creative process started. 

“Thanks, it was a pleasure to meet you at Plus North, thankyou for agreeing to this interview.”

So tell me how did you get started and Why?

I have been running a bespoke studio for over 15 years, tailoring for customers who weren't able to find professional work wear in their size on the high street. With increasing demand I decided to start my own label and offer a custom tailored approach to the plus size fashion industry.

How many people work with you  at Dea London?

We have a small team focused on the creation and delivery of bespoke work wear. I am very proud of the hard work and creative input that my team places into every stage of the fashion process, from new collection design to the assembly and fitting of the outfits.

Its such an interesting name how did you come up with it?

The word Dea means goddess in Latin. Our name describes the radiant beauty of a fuller body figure.

So what do you hope to achieve with your business?

I want to make career focused women look and feel confident, stylish and professional. I want customers to love how Dea clothes make them feel.

I just love the way you describe your brand ,  how did you come up with the idea?

Most of my private customers are ambitious, educated and successful businesswomen, who spend most of their time in a hectic business environment. To save time, they prefer to buy unique good quality clothes that will stay in fashion. The brand image came from working with these amazing individuals, true goddesses in a workplace.

How do you ensure that you are competitively priced for the currently market/climate?

We use high quality fabrics and ensure that our work is finished to the highest standard. Our garments are designed to be worn over several seasons and in different combinations. Our customers are women who appreciate the benefits that quality brings.

 For all the readers out there that fancy getting into the fashion industry - were do they start?

Know your customer.

 

Does your company run internships?

We offer a number of internships throughout the year. Interns whether international or based in the UK work on the day-to-day duties from production upto helping run events. 

 

  

Where can customers purchase Dea London merchandise (is it just online or do you have a retail outlet?

At the moment you can purchase garments from our online store www.dealondon.co.uk and very soon from www.onestopplus.com. We also have an international stockiest in Split (Croatia).

What’s your favorite piece out of your current collection and why?

I love dresses; an outfit is only truly complete when you wear a dress.

What fabrics do you use and how do you choose them ie cottons because they are cool, silks etc?     

I adore classic fabrics, they look and feel great. I often add a bit of colour to follow working place etiquette and carefully experiment with new fabrics from the mills.

Was Plus North the first time you had displayed your clothes in that type of environment?

Plus North was our first event of its kind in Leeds. Becky and Toni have done a great job organising it. Usually we organise private press and buyers events in our studio in Dalston. 

 

At Plus North I noticed a collection of beautiful dresses in vibrant colors, were does this fit in with your working place collection?

It is the “prototype’’ collection for the fuller figured body shape. I wanted to show with this collection that it is not necessary to wear black all the time. The right vibrant colours in the right patterns can bring out the best in any body shape.

 

How do you make use of color in your collection and why do you think it is important to utilize the right color?  ( ie empowering etc)

Playing with colours can be great fun. Traditionally darker colours are used to minimise body shape. I am currently working with bright colours around neckline and shoulders to emphasise the face.

What inspires and influences you?

Naturalism. For many cultures in the world, a fuller figured feminine body is a demonstration of femininity, health, wealth, respect and desire.

 

Why do you think your designs are different compared to other plus sized designers?

There are few Plus size designers. Most of the available larger dresses on the high street are simply graded up versions of existing size 10 dresses. This approach creates poor quality fits and misses the natural beauty of a fuller body size. My designs are created specifically to produce a stylish look for fuller figured women. 

Do you have any celebrity clients?

Not at the moment. I am personally a fan of Sarah Milican and would love to produce a dress for her.

Do you intend to show your designs on the catwalks this year?

Yes, we are currently searching for a suitable show in the UK. Next year we will be showcasing at the FFFW in New York. 

Do you have any plans to get your designs into other retailers such as Debenhams, Selfridges, Simply Be etc?

Naturally, we would love to eventually have our designs distributed to a wider market. At the moment we are still growing Dea and focusing on our existing customers.

What makes a piece of clothing “Dea London”?

Quality, cut, colour and the goddess who wears it.

Evolve’s motto is ‘Be Proud…Be You’ – What makes you proud to be you and what is Dea Londons Motto?

Love what you are doing, be enthusiastic and the role model for you team. Plan well ahead and have no doubt of success.

“Everything is possible








Hope you enjoyed this article, get online and check out Dea London , they really are beautiful Clothes.

Janie Britton
http://janie.skyeladder.com/  (modeling)
https://www.facebook.com/JanieBrittonmodelpage
http://janiebritton.blogspot.com/ ( Blog, Band, Modeling)
wwww.skyladder.com ( Band)

Matalan Makeover suprise - Janie Britton and Fashion Sense TV - “Kats Closet”

I remember a couple of weeks before, I was at work in Liverpool on a customer site.

My husband Paul rang me and said that a lady had rang me up asking for me saying I’d won a makeover.
I assumed it was one of those services where you go along having won a supposed prize , they take your picture and then charge you loads for a few naff pictures. I said that I didn’t see the point of phoning but he insisted “Now I know why lol”.

So I phoned and spoke to the lovely Emma and she told me that I’d been chosen for a special Matalan makeover and explained that Paul had entered me into a competition and that they’d picked me and that this was his way of thanking me for looking after him :0) .

She explained it would be a complete make over, hair, makeup clothes and that it was an all expenses paid trip to London. Of course I was totally thrilled and said yes immediately: 0), well which girl wouldn’t right!”.

So the day came for me to go and have the makeover, it took about 5 hours to drive down to London, mainly because I had my two dogs with me. Plus my lovely hubbie Paul, is still recovering from a Pulmonary embolism, broken ankle and shoulder operation , so as you can imagine we had to stop quite a few times ( I know, I know I need to wrap him in cotton wool, if his mum had still been alive, she would have said tie a piece of wool around his finger – apparently it stops you being so clumsy, well that’s what they say anyway :0) ).

Lovely Matalan as part of the overall experience booked us into a hotel. It was right next to Euston Station and was called the Euston Thistle. It was rather plush and had a massive bed and the posh-est bathroom you’ve ever seen. London prices though for car-parking , good god I nearly died.
The price for a 24 hour stay was virtually £30.00, ouch!

So the first night in London, saw us walking the dogs around by the station, were they were quite happy padding through the leaves and scaring the tourists ( I have never seen so many people scared of pups before, especially these two lol) .

Then back to the hotel for tea, it was very nice a sort of chicken burger but I’ve never had my meal served on a chopping board before, very quaint. Again the price , eeek.
So to the next day, saw us waking up to a very noisy and crowded London.

We worked our way downstairs to the restaurant rubbing the sleep out of our eyes and ended up having a full English, it was lovely. So nice for somebody else to cook. ( thankfully,no chopping boards in sight this time) .

I was told by the lovely Gurvinder at Atomize TV that climate cars would pick us up at 9:30am to take us to the shoot, apparently when the car arrives they send you a text.
Right on time my phoned beeeped, checked the Text, and we went to meet the car which was a Toyota Prius, goodness what a plush car.

So off we went to the TV company, on arrival we were greeted by Gurvinder one of the assistant produces and Emma from Matalan. We were  led into a room and introduced to the fabulous Kat from “Kats closet” and Closer Magazine, Next I was introduced to the producer Amy and the hair consultant (Aaron Blondell) , beauty consultant (http://www.helenharrall.com)  and camera/photography chappies .    

 

I’d watched a few of the programmes online so sort of got the gist of what was going to happen.
Kat and the producer Amy asked for a private chat, this involved stepping outside of the room were I was asked what size lingerie I wore lol:0).

Paul was taken to sit in what they call a viewing room as the makeover was not only being photographed but being filmed as well. ( excited :0)

I was a little worried leaving him as hes really not been that well but the production crew sensing my fears told me that they would keep checking on him . They even brought in food and drink in case we needed anything.

I was then whisked away into Kats closet for a bit of a chat with the lovely Kat telling me what she had in store for me that day.

So here’s a confession for you!. I must admit here and now to being very soft, as Kat was asking me why I thought that Paul had put me forward for the makeover.

She asked about the year we had, had and I went to bits . You see Pauls my soul mate and its been a very stressful year seeing him in so much pain, its totally broken my heart. I explained that as well as him being in constant pain with his right shoulder and a broken ankle this year. I’d nearly lost him again to the blood clots and that I just couldn’t imagine life with out him truly. In fact I’m sat here with tears in my eyes , whilst I write this ( I’m such a softie) . So when you do watch the programme please bear in mind you might need some tissues ( very sorry) .

So back to the Closet, Kat showed me a variety of clothes and we discussed style , shape, fabric and color looking at the things that would suit my shape and coloring.

We looked through a variety of clothes including a very stunning adelesque Rogers Chiffon Dress.
It was a Chiffon overlay dress with sweetheart neckline and 1/2 sleeves. The dress had a lovely pinky colored satin underneath and looked very elegant and feminine.  It also had a bit of





You can see the dress here http://www.matalan.co.uk/fcp/product/fashion-to-buy-online/Plus-Size/Rogers-Chiffon-Dress/65292&resultsPerPage=100&attrList=Dept,brand
Prize £28.00















I was also shown a lovely Turquoise dress “Dipped Hem Prom” again a lovely dress
http://www.matalan.co.uk/fcp/product/fashion-to-buy-online/-Dresses/Dipped-Hem-Chiffon-Prom-With-Gold-Belt/66599&resultsPerPage=100&attrList=Dept,brand http://www.matalan.co.uk/fcp/product/fashion-to-buy-online/-Dresses/Dipped-Hem-Chiffon-Prom-With-Gold-Belt/66599&resultsPerPage=100&attrList=Dept,brand
Price -  £20.00








Kat said that I couldn’t see what I looked like until I was completely made-over ( arrr but!) , so all of the mirrors in the room were covered up and Amy the producer stood at the door making sure nobody came in. I remember the door opening and the lift was just outside, Amy literally ran to stand in front and cover the mirror in the lift lol so I couldn’t see what was going on. That was me gone, I cracked me up laughing and shared a giggle with Kat.

So onto the makeup, , I’ve never really used a lot of makeup, but I’m happy to try anything. The first thing Helen (Helen Harrall) applied was like a pre solution , apparently it helps to keep the foundation and power on and stops the makeup sliding off. Perfect for people with an oily T Zone or if you’re going to go clubbing :0) .
Next the eyes, its very strange having somebody applying makeup that you cant see.
Especially having mascara applied, its very ticklish.

Whilst the makeup was being finished off the hair stylist (Aaron Blondell )  explained how he would like to do my hair, it sounded amazing. He told me that the trend currently was to have your hair in a bun type effect with a plait forming part of the fringe.

Talk about being totally pampered, hair and makeup done and it was time for lunch. It was chicken green Thai curry and it was so tasty with like a brown/bean rice and a nice cup of tea to finish it off with.

The production staff were amazing, constantly asking me , if they could they do anything for me. It was a surreal experience and I feel truly blessed, they were so lovely and I was treated like a total Queen and not allowed to do anything. To be honest the only thing I asked for was for them to check on Paul, make sure he’d had his pain killers and oh please may I have a cup of tea?

So back to Kats closet and I was given shapeware to put on, I had to tug and tug and, it was very difficult to get on , but it really did work to smooth out my lumps and bumps.
Next Kat passed me a couple of dress’s to try on, together with lots of different accessories. She advised which one suited me best, talking about the cut of the garments, and the style.

So to the end and the reveal – I came out of the dressing area and stood in front of the mirror for the final reveal.

It was almost like a ta-da moment , the sheet was whisked off the mirror and I stood looking at myself.

I was totally shocked, I actually looked pretty ha ha, my hair was amazing, I’d never thought of having my hair piled up so high, I loved the plait and the way my fringe was swept to one side.









Kat explained that to appear youthful instead of wearing dark eye makeup, it was more attractive to utilize paler creams and browny type colors. The makeup was so pretty and it was definitely something that I’ll try in the future.

I couldn’t believe the effect that the makeup had in opening my eyes up.
The best bit though was the dress, it was the Rodgers Chiffon dress that I’d described earlier. Kat was right it really flattered my curves and had the most amazing see through chiffony sleeves. It was so very femine, sexy and pretty.

So the end of the makeover came boo, the cameras were turned off and it was time for me to get changed. Once changed, I was told to choose what ever I wanted out of the clothes I’d been shown to take home. Super generous of Matalan, I went home with a large bundle of clothes, thankyou x. Aso thanks for the bottle of wine x

It was an amazing experience being filmed, something I’d quite like to do as a professionally to be honest (presenting that is, hint hint :0) .

I had such a fantastic day and I still cant get over it, I have never felt so pampered in my life and I went away on the day feeling so incredibly relaxed and pretty for a change.

Thankyou to my lovely wonderful hubby , my soulmate, thankyou for putting me forward for this amazing prize.

Finally, I just wanted to say a huge thankyou to Matalan and Atomize TV for the most perfect day. Again I cant thank you guys enough for the experience it was totally amazing and you treated me so , so well.

You are all wonderful xxxxxxxx

BTW you can catch the programme here :0)

http://www.closeronline.co.uk/makesfashionsense/  ( see Kat's Closet - Surprise Christmas Makeover)

http://www.wirewax.com/7002571 
http://www.itv.com/matalan/  ( see Kats Closet - Merry Christmas Makeover)
http://www.matalan.co.uk/fcp/content/makes-fashion-sense/site-content?icmpid=hp_mfs_290812 
http://www.aaronblondell.com/  ( Hair Consultant)
http://www.helenharrall.com/ ( Beauty Consultant) 


Its also in Closer Magazine today  ( hope I dont get into trouble for posting this)  :0)

OMG - apparently I was on this morning as well - just checked back as put it on record just in case :0) re the Matalan makeover piece :0)

Thanks all
Janie Britton
www.skyeladder.com (band)
http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder

Excited from Lancashire - Matalan Makeover advance notice date

Had a mail from the TV company re the Matalan Makeover  piece.
So excited :0) 

"film is being finished in the edit as we speak and will be going live on the website on Tuesday next week (27th November). You'll be able to see it on www.itv.com/makesfashionsense
The story will also feature in that week's copy of Closer magazine. Hope you're looking forward to seeing it. I've seen sneak peaks and it looks great."


https://www.facebook.com/JanieBrittonmodelpage 

Flugel Horn - love it.

Loving Skye May Fall with the Flugel Horn added - let me know what you think

http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder/skye-may-fall-pre-mix

New demo - Name of the Game - Skyeladder

Such fun at the studio last night loved it and hope you all like the results. Still very much in draft version - but hope you all like xx

http://soundcloud.com/skye-ladder/name-of-the-game-early-demo


Let me know what you all think, we are hoping to build this into an epic three part song :0)

Santa baby - send me a boot delicious pressie from Simply Be

Has anybody checked out the amazing new range of shoes at Simply be. 
They are so fabulousa, I have added them to my Christmas list, Santa I hope you're getting this :00) . 


"Hello shoes , I love you all and hope and pray that Santa sends me a size 8 in all of these - thankyou very much xx"

http://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop/_/N-1ytvgps/Ntt-6991/products/show.action?SearchKey=P_BoUid&originalSearchTerm=Fast+Fashion+Footwear&cm_sp=DAL%20Freeformat-_-Most%20Wanted-_-All%20most%20wanted