M&S finally makes our work accessible to women everywhere
Despite having her own store and working on The Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty, Patricia Field will always be known as the stylist who turned Carrie Bradshaw into a worldwide fashionista in the TV series Sex and the City (SATC).
Carrie's wardrobe has been the envy of women around the world, but for many those designer threads were merely a dream, that is until now.
Field and her design partner David Dalrymple have teamed up with British fashion chain Marks and Spencer to create a one-off collection. As the range flies off the rails at Wafi and Festival Centre, Field told Emirates Business how the collaboration came about and who is her fashion icon.
Why have you chosen to collaborate with Marks and Spencer?
We designed the Destination Style collection and immediately our business partner suggested M&S, since they are a giant retailer and they responded favourably. We were thrilled because M&S has such a tremendous reach and produces high quality clothing. From the early 1990s to 2004, David and I designed a collection called House of Field, which we delivered to boutiques and specialty shops, but due to our small size, we had limited reach. As the years passed, interest in our brand grew worldwide, enhanced by the success of SATC and other projects. The collaboration with M&S finally makes our work accessible to women everywhere.
You're known for your edgy style, but M&S is very classic and can be basic at times, so what are you hoping to achieve from your collection?
Yes, we have had our edgy moments, but the classics are still our favourite. Classics endure the test of time. In Destination Style, we interpreted wearable timeless shapes and gave them a bit of the "Patricia Field" style. The pieces can be worn simple and sophisticated or styled to the nines… be your own costume designer. And actually, the philosophy fits well at M&S. It had so much to offer us and we bring so much to M&S, it's a winning combination.
Who are you aiming it at?
We are aiming at the fans of SATC, the powerful woman, the optimistic fun-loving fashion fan, the smart shopper.
What are your favourite pieces?
It's so hard to say as we love them all. The trench coat is a real treasure as it can be worn so many ways. That's the beauty of the range, the versatility – style it your own way.
From where have you drawn inspiration?
We are inspired constantly, by the streets, the clubs and our travel. Luckily, David and I work on many projects that take us down different avenues and we are challenged daily. Some styles from the collection were "born" in the fittings for various projects. A fitting can provide such valuable information for us – the fit, the proportion, the length, the neckline. We are in the trenches of the fashion war every day.
You've taken over the styling of Ugly Betty – how do you plan to evolve Betty's style? Will you design some of the costumes or put the looks together from other designers?
I find Betty a very sensitive character and consider that fact carefully. I also contemplate her journey because Betty does work in a fashion magazine after all. There is no way she could be there day in day out and not absorb some fashion fever. So in the third season, Betty goes designer… but in her way. I call it "Kooki Kouture" and her style seems to be getting very favourable attention.
The UAE weather doesn't permit us to follow the same seasons as Europe and the US, but what three pieces should we have in our wardrobes this winter?
Luckily our collection is seasonless, so there is no need to choose just three.
Who is your style icon?
David and I have many, but Audrey Hepburn is a favourite of mine and Grace Jones always electrifies David with her looks.
Who is the worst dressed celebrity?
We don't like to comment on things of this nature...
Is there anything you wouldn't wear?
I wouldn't wear something that didn't flatter me or fit properly. Mainly, I have to really "feel" something to wear it, which is good advice for all.
What are your favourite and most hated trends?
Trends generally are short term, so not really our favourite thing. Finding pieces that you feel you'll wear for many years to come are the ones to invest in. Trust your heart and soul, go shopping with some friends and try on things you wouldn't normally try. Take pictures, nurture yourself and make a day of it, you may discover an attribute you want to enhance.
PROFILE: Patricia Field, Designer and stylist
Patricia Field is of Greek and Armenian decent but was born and raised in New York. She has had her own boutique since 1966, which moved from Greenwich Village to the Lower East Side six years ago.
Field has been a stylist for 20 years but her career really took off after she met Sarah Jessica Parker on the set of Miami Rhapsody in 1995. Parker asked if her friend could design some of the costumes for Sex and the City and the famous partnership was born.
Field has since worked on some of fashion's favourite films and series, including The Devil Wears Prada and Cashmere Mafia. The designer has won two Emmys as well as various other awards.
She lives in New York.