Over the past 20 years, Lalage Beaumont has built a reputation as the ‘go-to’ brand for Mother of the Bride collections. With an exquisitely designed range of contemporary classics including handbags and ready to wear occasion wear.
After training in fashion, Lalage began her career at Aquascutum and consequently went on to work with several other celebrated English brands, including Burberry and Mulberry. Her pieces embody timeless elegance, with a nod to the classic designs of the 1960s.
How would you sum up your style ethos?
Elegant simplicity.
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere. For colours and colour combinations, it might be anything from a bird’s plumage to stained glass, for styling – I love to rework retro shapes and details and for ideas for patterns, I have a lot of photos of floors in my phone. There are some amazing marble floor designs in many historic buildings.
Mother of the Bride (or Groom) is such a key role and can also be quite daunting in terms of choosing the right outfit. How do you advise prospective clients?
It really depends on the style of the wedding, and whether the bride and groom want a more formal event (perhaps a church followed by a country house) or are planning a more relaxed celebration (maybe in a garden or abroad). When you have an idea what type of look you want to go for, it’s a good idea to try on many different outfits to see which you feel happiest in.
The most important thing is to find something that you feel really happy in, so that you are confident you look wonderful, and your personality will shine through. Yes, your choice of outfit will be different according to your age, however small tweaks can completely change an outfit, such as length and the way you accessorise it. Putting a dress coat over narrow trousers, will give a completely different look from wearing it over a matching dress.
If you had to pick a favourite piece from the new collection which would it be?
I love the paisley print velvet Cleo dress – it just seems to be what winter weddings are all about.
What trends do you see emerging in occasion wear?
I think as weddings are becoming almost more about the evening party than the afternoon’s events, we may see brides and grooms opting for later ceremonies and evening wear, as worn in the US and Europe.
Prior to launching your own label you worked for very celebrated English brands. What did you learn from this?
I learned a lot about superb quality and the importance of cut and fit.
Can you tell us about your bag collection?
The handbag range was launched in 2015, and we aim to offer the very best quality (made in Italy and Spain) at prices that are still affordable. Focusing on the elegant trapeze shape, most of the bags have a top handle as well as a shoulder strap, meaning you can wear them in three different ways, and they therefore work with anything from jeans to really smart outfits.
Who are your style icons…
Oh – I’m afraid fairly typical: Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy
…and if you could dress anyone, who would it be?
Maybe Queen Letizia of Spain
Finally, our theme for this issue is Autumn’s Opulence. What does that conjure for you?
Texture and embellishment, more is more!
Find out more at lalagebeaumont.com
