14 / 07 / 2010

Julia Thompson | Wardrobe Visit

Her nickname is Lil’ Grey. I call her that because of the copious amounts of Lady Grey and Earl Grey tea we have consumed in the past together. So many of my best conversations have been with this lady. She is open, intelligent, bloody witty, and sincere. Not only that, but she has an innate sense of style that I am completely envious of. She knows what she likes, she is not persuaded by fads or trends, she sticks to her guns. Much like her work. A graduate in Fashion Design, Julia has worked as a shoe repairer, a university tutor, a brand manager and more currently, a shop girl by day / shoe designer by night.

So for the first crack at our new Wardrobe Visits posts, I sat down with Julia and asked her some questions and got an insight into her wardrobe, her most precious pieces and, of course, her lovely self xx

AnyOneGirl: What does the word ‘style’ mean to you?

Julia: I think style is your handwriting and your signature, it’s the personality you convey in your outfit and your presence.

AnyOneGirl: How would you describe your personal style?

Julia: Dark, classic, simple with a bit of layering, tipping towards androgynous.

AnyOneGirl: How do you go about choosing what you buy for your wardrobe?

Julia: I have to fall in love. i’m all about quality well made pieces, and they have to last. I’m a bit of a uniform dresser, the capsule wardrobe of simple and wearable pieces with a little signature accessorizing. Good shoes, good bag, good coat.

AnyOneGirl: What happens when you get ready/dressed in the morning?

Julia: It can be a bit hap hazard, i usually start with what shoes i feel like wearing and go from there, build the rest from the ground up. More often than not i just want to rock my high tops or my boots,but if i’m feeling a bit playful i opt for heels. Then it’s just a case of working the proportions from there and deciding which piece of black to wear.

AnyOneGirl: what is your favorite item in your wardrobe and why?

Julia: I would probably have to say my Ann Demuelemeester riding boots. They were my biggest purchase to date, but they truly make any outfit look good. You could wear them with your jamies and look good. An old colleague of mine got me hooked, i thought she was mad because she has 4 pairs, but once i got them i understood, i truly couldn’t loose them from my wardrobe. ! So much so i have already order my next pair!

AnyOneGirl: What item are you currently saving for or thinking about buying?

Julia: I have a huge thing for leather pieces. Bags, purses, wallets, clutches. My current lust is a Margiela double frame purse, It’s so beautiful! and classic Maison Martin Margiela conceptual.

AnyOneGirl: Designers you love and admire….

Julia: I like the Belgians, Demeulemeester, Margiela, Haider Ackerman there is just something about their aesthetic that gets me. And New Zelanad designers Zambesi and Nom* d, i guess in a way it’s the sensibility they both share , dark, intellectual, but ultimately wearable. I love Yohji Yamamoto for the classic lines and conceptual tailoring, and Complex Geometries for the thought that goes into wearing it. I am all about the conceptual and intellectual designers, i love clothes but i love the thinking behind clothes, and these are the designers who work in that way that i admire

AnyOneGirl: You love listening to…

Julia: I’ve had The Roots new album on my playlist for the past week, and a bit of Fleet Foxes and Broken Bells (my favorite to work to)

AnyOneGirl: Thoughts on accessories/accessorizing ?

Julia: LOVE accessories, they can transform an outfit and i think they also show your personal style best. plus you can be so quirky with your accessories, i like throwing in a bit of quirk to my black foundation.

AnyOneGirl: What is it about color that you tend to steer away from?

Julia: Colour in general actually. I have a wardrobe that is mostly made up of black. The occasional block colour here and there, but only really in cardigans or shoes. i have an array of cardi’s, i just love them. My 2 faves would be my Red Margiela and my Comme cardi with the Pom Poms, quite different to my usual style, but i just love it. and my green Comme shoes, they are the most usual leather pigment i have ever seen, and the perfect Derby style. Exceptional!

AnyOneGirl: What do you think your handbag says about you? What is currently inside it?

Julia: My current handbag is a Comme des Garcons shopper. it’s MASSIVE, things would get lost in it’s vortex if i didn’t have my Russian Doll system, everything is compartmentalised in smaller coloured purses. Red= make up, Blue=sunnies, ipod, keys Black=tissues, pens, note pad. And more often than not my umbrella and a hat stashed in the bottom.

AnyOneGirl: What fashion advice did your grandmother give you?

Julia: Never leave the house without lipstick. She is so cute, even when she gets up at 6am for her morning walk, she is never without lipstick

AnyOneGirl: What fashion advice did your mother give you?

Julia: Presentation is everything. My mum is the queen of garment care. She still does my hand washing whenever i see her, it’s kind of a ritual now. I load my suitcase up with all my cardigans and she almost looks forward to doing it. She takes so much care over it and everything is so perfectly pressed.

AnyOneGirl: Favorite fabrics to wear?

Julia: Cashmere, so soft and light, yet so warm.

AnyOneGirl: … favorite store?

Julia: Zambesi, it has a commanding presence and houses some of the most beautiful clothes in the world.
And i love Assin in Melbourne, it’s so gracious.