What Women Wear: London Design Festival 2019

Kristina Stark. Photos: Claire Pepper
You’ll always find me in the Scandinavian section at London Design Festival (LDF). Simple clean designs, natural fabrics and neutral colours: Scandi Style is right up my garde. Swedish designer Kristina Stark (above) is from Malmo and has an eponymous label creating accessories for the home and for the person, including lovely leather slippers and cuffs. Her sandy coloured outfit and warm demeanour caught my attention at the exhibition, last week. Though Kristina did admit that she’s usually in head-to-toe black but had made a special effort for LDF. Might be time to start wearing Clark’s Desert Boots again… Specialising in ‘ordinary things for everyday life’, Kristina Stark makes items designed to last and be used again and again. ‘What motivates me is to the desire to create things people use everyday and enjoy using. I’m constantly searching for simplicity.’

Kristina Stark leather cuff

Lovely leather slippers
And then I bumped into super-talented design consultant, journalist and writer Kate Watson-Smyth whose award-winning Mad About the House website has been named the UK’s number one interiors blog. Whether you’re decorating the hall, fitting a new bathroom or looking for a house, this the place to go for the latest info. London Design Festival gets bigger every year and Kate has opted for a monochrome, run-around outfit teamed with a pair of old, gold toe-cap Marni boots. Very sensible. Follow Kate on Instagram HERE and leaf through the Mad About the House book HERE.

Kate Watson-Smyth is Mad About The House
Good Ordering is a small independent company founded by Jacqui Ma. Living in a flat above a bike shop in Hackney, accessories designer Jacqui saw the boom in cycling literally take off beneath her and with it the opportunity to develop colourful, unisex bags. I’m not going to say anymore at this juncture because I’d like to write a Creative Women at Work post about Jacqui and her brand, soon.

Jaqui Ma in her jumpsuit
There were so many stylish women at London Design Festival, I’ve decided to split this feature into two parts. The first focuses on women who prefer simple outfits in neutral colours, the second will look at those who like to play around with colour. While we were exploring the coffee and a cinnamon bun options at the Truman Brewery, Portia Knight a That’s Not My Age reader introduced herself. Of Course, I’d already clocked her elegant, grey crop, cool tortoiseshell glasses (Cubitts) and navy corduroy shirt (from Toast, available HERE). It goes without saying that she was charming as well as chic.

That’s Not My Age readers are such a chic bunch
Rhonda Drakeford is the founder of interiors brand and online retailer Darkroom. We were introduced by a mutual friend when Darkroom first opened, as a shop on Lamb’s Conduit Street, and I was flabbergasted when Rhonda told me that was 10 years ago. Celebrating a decade in business, Darkroom has just collaborated with the Science Museum on a lovely lifestyle collection. For everyday, Gentlewoman Style Rhonda has chosen a corduroy suit from & Other Stories and Teva-style sandals, perfect for cycling in. We had a good chat about trousers you can ride a bike in and getting around town on two wheels.

Rhonda from the Darkroom
More London Design Festival inspiration:
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Wow, this post has so much to take in at once! What an amazing bunch of stylish and talented women under one roof. So lovely to put a face to a respondent – Ms Knight looks very chic and and stylish. Jacqui Ma looks so at ease in her boiler suit and I cannot help but smile at the ebullience emanating from Kate Watson-Smyth. ps Can’t beat a Clarks desert boot – my son had a part time job at Clarks during uni and we all got staff discounted desert boots. Now that was a happy day!