What Women Wear: Teresa Colonett
What Women Wear photos: Claire Pepper
Teresa Colnett is a curator at the Fashion and Textiles Museum in London. We’ve met several times at exhibition openings and talks and I’ve always admired her singular style and eye for good vintage. Now 60, Teresa started her career in retail, on a graduate buying scheme at Liberty. She then sidetracked into wholesale (still with Liberty), a role that took her to Paris in the 1970s where she met ‘cool people like Agnes b and Kenzo’. Moving back to London, Teresa worked at Laura Ashley, before marrying and relocating to New York, where she had four children. ‘I’ve always dipped in and out of things, my career has been quite serendipitous,’ she says modestly, of a professional life that has taken her around the world. Returning to London when her children were young, she volunteered in the education department at Somerset House, going on to study for a Masters Degree in History of Design at the V&A (in combination with the Royal College of Art). For her dissertation Teresa focused on the design of scissors, specifically the industry in Sheffield between 1850 – 1915 and, ‘The way women used scissors to cut through the patriarchy and create their own image.’ A subject she would like to eventually turn into a book.
Volunteering at the Fashion and Textiles Museum she developed her professional skills further and finally became a curator. ‘I’ve found something that brings a lot of my interests together,’ Teresa adds, ‘ This ticks all the boxes. I love social history and finding a voice behind an exhibition, researching, reading about things and I’ve always enjoyed writing and I get the chance to do that. There’s a lot of variety – styling mannequins is fun. Working at a small museum is great, and I am very lucky to have been there at a point when the museum has grown and taken off. I’m involved in all sorts of aspects – practical as well as theoretical and creative – it’s just a case of rolling your sleeves up.’
Teresa is currently working on ‘Zandra Rhodes: fifty years of fabulous‘ an exhibition celebrating the designer’s colourful career (27 September 2019 – 26 January 2020).
Teresa’s scissor necklace
Here’s what Teresa wears:
“The first outfit I’m wearing consists of a patterned, vintage Lanvin blouse (from Menage Modern Vintage) worn with floral trousers from Finery (now sold out but the skirt and jumpsuit in the same botanical print are still available), finished off with my Zara cowboy boots. The volume of the blouse narrowing at the waist nicely complements the volume of the wide legged trousers whilst accentuating the waistline. The outfit feels fun but also practical. I like the combination of prints and colours.
In general, I like mixing things up – modern and vintage, different prints, clashing colours, feminine and tough, contrasting textures and proportions. I enjoy the process of choosing unobvious components and making them work together. Wherever I am, they seem to come to me. I love a good rummage at Portobello Market or in a charity shop where you’re more likely to find unexpected pieces that offer new possibilities and there is something about the diversity of what you find in a charity shop that encourages you to try clothes that maybe you wouldn’t select in a high street shop. It’s very liberating! On the high street I do like Zara, & Other Stories, Finery, Warehouse – designer Emma Cook is cool – and I’ve recently bought a couple of pieces from Ganni.
My second outfit is a dress by New York designer Batsheva. I bought it when I turned 60, which was an interesting moment. I did reassess things and let go of clothes I thought I’d never wear again. I like the vintage references of the dress, the print and the colouring. I have always been a fan of a sailor collar! Batsheva is influenced by the pastoral nostalgia of vintage Laura Ashley. I used to work for Laura Ashley in the early 1980s so maybe the nostalgic factor attracts me. Also I cannot resist a bit of ric rac! A pair of tough flat boots provides a good contrast to this feminine, slightly prim look. I’ve owned the scissor necklace for more than a decade and wear it regularly – I’m a design historian/curator and the history of scissors and their power as ambiguous objects is a particular interest of mine. My house is full of scissors.
Batsheva dress and boots
Choosing my outfit helps me to get myself into gear for the day ahead and I enjoy looking in my wardrobe and deciding what clothes either mirror my mood or if I’m not feeling particularly positive, uplift it. I don’t plan, I just see how I feel. I’m quite eclectic and don’t have one particular fashion aesthetic, I enjoy playing with the contents of my wardrobe and surprising myself. I have always been a little experimental with my style but I think more so now that I am older. Now I dress solely for my own pleasure and love of fashion. For me clothes are fun and therapeutic and I don’t really take them too seriously. I never wear an outfit that doesn’t have some note of fun or individuality about it. And I definitely choose colour – I would never wear all black!”
What women like Teresa wear:
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Discussion (18 Comments)
Sara says:
The most outstanding feature of this is Theresa’s fabulous smile! She just looks so alive, confident (with no hint of self satisfaction) and as if she would be a really interesting person. How one facial expression says this I am not sure but it drew me, far more than the clothes. What a great job to have too. As someone who previously dressmade constantly and loved choosing unusual fabric, I think her role seems fascinatingWish I lived nearer to London when I see articles like this as I’d love a trip to the museum- though for the rest of the time, glad to be in the countryside (with access to the grand city of Manchester…..)
Mrs Tonia says:
I recommend the Scandinavian design exhibition which is now on at Manchester Art Gallery in city centre. Full of Marimmeko and other designers clothing, textiles, ceramics, glassware, light fittings and furniture. Really good variety on display. And free and peaceful when I visited a few weeks ago. Leonardo drawings too were on without any crowds or queuing. Worthwhile visit plus good tea room and gift shop.
maudie says:
What a fantastic lady! Her appearance and outlook reflect each other in total harmony. Most people never get that right at the same time! I would never wear clothing so ‘out there’ but Ms Colnett looks so at ease and approachable. Her hair is gorgeous – reminds me of Debbie Harry in the 80’s. The idea of a book (‘The way women used scissors to cut through the patriarchy and create their own image.’) would make an amazing read and I hope this fab lady gets the time to write it soon. I agree that ‘masculine’ footwear always saves a considered girly outfit from looking twee. I am playing around just buying and wearing more menswear at the moment – it just seems to look better. (ps love me a bit of ric rac – royal blue nylon anorak circa 1960 garnished with clashing wiggly ric rac…YES!).
Helen says:
I had one of those anaraks too! Loved a zip up jacket ever since. My Mum made a matching one for one of my dolls as well. Might have to revisit the ric-rac look…
I think the dissertation is being turned into a book Rach! But I’ll ask Teresa if it’s available anywhere….
Jodi Brown says:
Fantastic style and a dream career. I have never thought of scissors in this way, but it completely makes sense.
Teresa looks super in these flattering photographs. Well done Claire. Her confident sense of style, most appropriate to her job and interests, is well communicated. I like the mixture of prints worn together. the Batsheva dress looks better on her with a dark high neck underneath and dark heavy boots than anyone I’ve seen wearing this type of frilly girly dress before in pictures.
A good example of an attractive, interestingly dressed creative woman in her prime.Sally says:
So happy to see and hear her thoughts on color – clearly she loves it! I do, too, and feel sad at seeing so much reliance on black these days. I realize that such a choice across the board allows less worry over choice and combinations but it’s so grim. And I like the idea of dress as a creative act and personal choice – she just takes if farther and more freely than I’ve done so far –inspiring! Thank you.
Valleycat1 says:
We live in Oregon. Recently went to a college graduation event, happy to see almost all the women (grads and their family/friends) wore beautiful pastels and splashy florals. One hopes it is a sign that black is being relegated to just one part of the wardrobe. (Several years ago I was a guest at a spring wedding, one of a very small handful of women not in black.) The only sea of black was when they had to don their regalia!
Nicola says:
Like Vivien above I don’t get much more adventurous than a stripe but I really admire Teresa’s style. You can just tell she works in the Arts by looking at her – I can’t imagine her working in a bank! It leads me to wonder if people get jobs because they look the part or whether they dress for the role. Most of the time I’m inclined to think the latter ( I know I do). It brings to mind a program I recently saw on the composer and musician Tim Minchin, who said he had no success whatsoever when he was a clean cut short haired young man. It was only when he grew dreadlocks and started dressing “like a rock star” that he got work – and has never looked back. It proves once and for all that style isn’t a frippery but part of our identities – or who we would like to be.
Coming from Sheffield with a grandmother who worked in the steel industry – at home – I would love to know more about the role women like her played.
Really enjoyed this feature. Teresa has great attitude and style. Envy her interesting career and life too – but maybe not the 4 kids ha!
Boadicea says:
Isn’t is nice to meet a lady who’s comfortable and happy with herself: someone who, quite simply, believes she is in her rightful place? Truly inspirational, even to an old duck like me! And yes, the book she’s planning sounds most interesting.
Er, did anyone else think of Una Stubbs just for a split second?
Isobel says:
Another interesting, clever, creative woman who looks amazing at 60. And what a lovely, friendly face!
Rach With an E 
LondonLiz 
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Teresa looks great and I do admire that eclectic style on other people but it just doesn’t work for me. I don’t go much beyond stripes;. something to do with having wavy hair? It all looks too much somehow, which is a pity because it’s such fun!