Top 75 Quotes & Sayings by Emilia Wickstead

A lot of people ask, 'How did you start the business, and how did you do it money-wise?' And the truth is that I had three jobs. A day job, an evening job, and then designing my collection as well. That's just how we did it.

The most wonderful thing about having a small business is that every person we dress gets a really intimate process.

The Emilia Wickstead customer is a sophisticated, accomplished woman who expresses her femininity and style through the way she dresses. She appreciates classic with a twist, yet luxurious and high quality clothing that make her feel confident, elegant, and ultimately chic.

I was so young when I started, my taste has changed and developed, and I've gone from being a little bit safe to trying different things.

As for design, I gravitate to traditional styles but mix it with an element of surprise. Whether it's a big sash bow in the back or an unexpected fabric, it all needs to work together.

I feel far more empowered, sophisticated, and forward-thinking in flats than in high heels. Especially when I am working and hosting meetings.

Here in London, you can go for picnics and have a barbecue; you can go to a park and wear bare feet, much like New Zealand. But there's just so much buzz going on; you can be inspired by anything and everything. There's always something to do. Always.

The AW14 collection is inspired by Film Noir. Elements of masculinity and femininity were reflected in the fabric, tailoring, and features.

We do have a lot of personal relationships with people who will come to our store or showroom.

What's exciting for me is to make sure that people do still dress up - how do we do that in this fast-paced modern world, when we're all on the move and all so busy?

My grandmother, Amalia Pia Emilia Vignola, whom I called Nonna, brought out the fairy tale in everything. She used to tuck me into bed so vigorously that I never felt anything less than comforted, and then afterwards, she would sit on a cane basket box next to my bed and read Hans Christian Andersen to me.

My wedding dress was featured by 'Vogue' and 'American Town and Country,' and from there, people started to come to us because they had seen that dress.

I would not dress Katie Price. Ever. It's important to keep the right look, so it's important to be dressing the right people.

I think that the typical Emilia Wickstead women is very effortless, very sophisticated: she's got alluring style, and she's always taking on fashion. I always describe her as 'imaginative with her own taste'.

The minute that a celebrity wears your clothing, that gives you international exposure and the best advertising you can get.

Old images and films are my main source of inspiration.

I'd like to think we can make a nice, glowing change to British dressing.

I would've loved to dress Diana Vreeland. I just loved her work as a creative woman and as a business woman - unpredictable, exciting, fun, and very, very clever.

I have clients from 19 to 80 years old, and the way I work means that they can take the same dress and shorten, lengthen it, remove the sleeve, adjust details - and make it their own. They get a piece that is right for them. It's a clever way of shopping in this economy.

The first wedding dress I ever made was for myself. It was at a time when I had my business up and running, but it was still very early days, and I thought, 'This is my moment to do whatever I like.'

I saw a niche in the market where made-to-measure wasn't being done in a modern, fresh way or in a short period of time. Traditionally, bespoke orders take a very long time, but I thought, 'Here we are with all these fashion-forward ideas - why not?'

I love everything I design.

It's almost like a chintzy floral that I play on, and sometimes it can get a bad rep. It doesn't necessarily feel modern, but with different silhouettes and cuts, it can.

We're creating a brand image which didn't exist in the beginning, and I want to grow that. And in the way that the clothes and services we offer are a luxurious niche, I want to be doing that with accessories.

I am a little obsessed with stripes.

My clients can choose their own colours and fabrics to have something unique in their wardrobes.

I put myself into another world and another identity, and I design not for how my life is but for how my imaginary life is.

It's quite funny. I grew up with my mother: as a designer, she was always working, and I actually used to say to her, 'Whatever you do, never leave me your business.'

I'd say I play on old world couture as opposed to modern day bridal; there's something very timeless and appealing in that.

I never get my hair done. I just do it myself.

I love wearing interesting shoes that work well with my outfit.

I want to offer a wide range of classic and contemporary bridalwear to suit all personalities, readily available to try on.

New Zealand is such a down-to-earth place.

It's about having that nice balance. I think that's the answer to today's modern girl who is on the run. She's throwing on something before she goes out, but I still believe in the glitz and the glamour of everything and making that come to life.

It is important that every bride feels comfortable in her chosen dress, and fabric choice has a big part to play in this.

I feel like British designers are having a real moment; there's a lot of freedom to be different, and I think that that's what so unique. There's no expectation of what you're going to see at London Fashion Week, and I think that's why you get such a mixed bag of sweets.

If I'd really known how hard I was going to have to work behind the scenes to have any kind of business, I think I would have stopped.

I attended speech and drama classes with a nun to help me gain confidence in speaking without my face turning red each time.

There's a great niche in the market for what I do, which is effortless style.

From the age of 11, I was taught the importance of earning my own money. I would babysit, walk dogs, clean cars, and work at the local corner shop and the butcher's. If I wanted to buy something, I always bought it myself.

I like to think that people are buying Emilia Wickstead because they want to keep it in their wardrobe as an investment piece; she's not just buying it because it's of the moment or what's currently in season.

Once, four friends and I cut all our hair off, like boys. A couple of them cried afterwards, but I thought we looked really good.

I think that we cater for the woman that wants to be fashion-forward but also wants to purchase an investment piece that she'll have in her wardrobe forever.

Red lipstick aside, I firmly believe that less is more in terms of make-up.

My father, Dennis Popham, was a very handsome, talented artist, and as my mother always reminds me, 'someone who had wonderful style.' He was half Samoan-German, half New Zealander, and their first date was to a Fleetwood Mac concert, which I love the thought of.

I love seeing a woman in a beautiful dress and pairing it with a light shoe that shows skin - I really believe in toe cleavage.

I don't like the word 'ladylike.'

I always think about my lifestyle when designing, so that's being a mother, being a career woman, being a wife, and being a woman who loves to entertain.

The majority of our clients are British. They want to wear things time and time again.

I love the cleanness of Kaare Klint and Rud Rasmussen furniture, especially the wooden criss-cross under-bars of their sofas.

I was very aware of the fact that I was a young designer, and I didn't want to fall into the trap of 'mother of the bride' dressing and 'occasion-wear.' I wanted to make sure that girls my age were wearing it and that there was a cool factor to my clothes.

There are many bespoke services in the U.K., but everything's quite old-fashioned. There wasn't anything young and modern and fresh. We're this young service, where a 25-year-old might come and get some great skirts and her mum could come in for some linens.

I don't come from family money, and neither does my husband.

I strongly believe that many of the best decisions are made on gut instinct.

I love the idea of a dress or a coatdress rather than a suit with a jacket.

To escape and sit quietly on the beach - that's my idea of paradise.

I wore one of my own designs on my wedding day.

I love doing fittings and seeing women look really confident in their clothes because they're not wearing something too boxy but that really shows off their figures. Everybody has a different figure - it's important to design for different shapes.

There is so much talent in British fashion: a real cookie jar of different aesthetics with designers like Mary Katrantzou, Erdem, Christopher Kane, J. W. Anderson, and Simone Rocha.

I don't think there's any excuse for not being able to put on a beautiful product and make yourself feel fabulous. Just have some key pieces in your wardrobe that aren't seasonal.