Behind the Seams: The perfect gift for fans of The Great British Sewing Bee

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a b "Births". Bedfordshire Times and Independent. 25 February 1949. p.8. On 19 February 1949, at the Nursing Home, 34 Kimbolton Road, Bedford, to Patricia (née Cole), wife of Wing-Commander B. P. Young, a daughter Then, as he recovered in hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex, Brian fell in love with Esme’s mother Patricia, a “glamorous and full of life” nurse. His suit and his shoes,” she says, seeming amazed that I’d had to ask. “The tailoring was Italian.” Of course, one way to be more sustainable is to try making your own clothes. Find a sewing community – there are hundreds now, even online – and start with something simple. There are lots of brilliant online tutorials and practice makes perfect. It’s also really good for your mental health to create things and have something to focus on and learn. It’s a different – and much better – kind of high, if you ask me. Since 2016, Young has been a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee. [4] One of Young's most famous designs was the 'Amorphous Dress' worn by Linda Kozlowski in the 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee; a dress that is now in the V&A Collection. [15]

Hubby bought me Esme Young’s autobiography for my birthday as she always has such interesting snippets of stories dropped in the TV show (like sitting in a window with David Bowie) and I was keen to learn more about her career. Stephenson, Hannah (23 April 2022). "The Great British Sewing Bee's Esme Young on partying with David Bowie". The Herald Scotland . Retrieved 22 September 2022. It was around this time that Esme met David Bowie, chatting to him on a ­windowsill at a party as they watched Notting Hill Carnival parade go past. What did they talk about? Her standards are exacting, but Esme is much respected by her colleagues and the contestants – and she looks set to be a big hit with viewers. How will she cope with being recognised in the street?Camden was so full of life and creativity at that time and, at Swanky Modes, we wanted to make and sell clothes we wanted to wear – in fact, a lot of Willie’s final collection ended up on the rails. Mel, another member of Swanky Modes, and I used to get tarted up and tour the magazines to try and meet the fashion editors. We had no idea about PR, but we’d take our clothes along and see if they were interested in using them on photoshoots.

After Swanky Modes closed in the early Nineties, Young transitioned into costume design. As well as Bridget Jones, she has made clothes for The Beach, 28 Days Later and Never Let Me Go. She now teaches at Central Saint Martins and works with one of her former students, the designer Ashish, on his collections. She was nearly 70 when she was approached to be a judge on the Sewing Bee. As well as running her successful clothing line, Esme lectures at her old fashion college - the prestigious St Martin's College in London. Esme Young on The Great British Sewing Bee

I could have taken it easy, and continued to teach at college part time, and make costumes for the rest of the time… but where would be the jeopardy in that. I like to try new things and different things, and I think it’s wonderful that I had the opportunity to start a new career when I was nearly 70”