Amidst the fury of ideas that has been my torment and my excitement thus far, I think we are finally beginning to tame my ideals into a fertile base that is both sensible and fun. My branding has been admittedly turbulent since launching but we have found calm after the storm! Being so concept driven in the direction of personal indulgence and what would be desserts at the moment, I wanted to put an extra sprinkle of uniqueness on top. From that we have decided that in order to deliver that freshly baked feel we will be doing made to order. This not only allows me to get the personal touch across I want, it allows for you to really feel it. Lots of changes will be apparent over the coming months from our website to our collections, everything is getting a make over.
To follow with ‘ The Custard Creams’ I wanted to offer a more accessible range without skimping on quality, so the idea of ‘Pick ‘a’ Mix’ is born. Fine chiffons and tulle will be my canvas, whisked in with inspirations of liquorice and bonbon’s. The fabric gathering is one of the most exciting parts for me. Though I love nothing more than trailing through mounds of samples and swatches, it is valuable to have a reliable source that can be consistent with your needs. My Custard Creams have taken longer to finalise than I thought. It is all in a days work and there will be hiccups. The silks that arrived were not the silks that I was expecting, and along with the shudder in my solar plexus came that dreadful feeling of delay. We moved like wildfire and the panic paid off! I have managed to source an exact match for my crazy colour palettes with absolutely no compromise at all. Sarah and me have argued endlessly about lace but have come to an agreement thanks to a source given to us by Kelly over at The Modern Courtesan. The cooking is underway and though delayed, worth the wait. I can now move on with imagery and model madness that actually was not as painful as I thought. I have found a muse who is key inspiration to my designs. Gone are the days of pinning my artwork on torn out editorials of Monica Bellucci! I have a real life mannequin now. The force is strong!
Michelle Patrick – Patrick & Skinner
Designer of the scrumptious Patrick & Skinner label, director and extrovert lingerie-fanatic. Her homepage is located at patrickandskinner.co.uk.