Esme Young wearing Ashish

Could this be the best series of The Great British Sewing Bee, ever? I’ve been besotted by this season’s super-talented contestants  – it’s reassuring to know that some of them can actually hem a pair of trousers and sew on a pocket. And, the effortlessly charming judges, Esme Young and just-turned-50-year-old Patrick Grant are both on excellent form. I find watching the creativity of the contestants and the kindness they all show each other, incredibly soothing. As it’s the final episode tonight, I’ll need to find another heart-warming programme to take my mind off the more sinister goings-on in the world…

The Great British Sewing Bee. Love Productions.

Style queen and TNMA favourite, 73-year-old Esme Young, has released a memoir detailing her extraordinary life in fashion; Behind the Seams: My Life in Creativity, Friendship and Adventure. Spanning an illustrious career, from sewing her first garment at the age of seven to studying at Central Saint Martins (CSM), launching a fashion brand Swanky Modes (worn by Cher and Siouxsie Sioux, alike) to her current portfolio career as a lecturer at CSM, designer and TV judge. My favourite sections detail her life launching a fashion label with three friends and £50 each. Watching Notting Hill Carnival with David Bowie and partying with the Sex Pistols. Esme rocks.

A big thank you to Esme’s publisher Bonner Books for allowing us to share this book extract with you:

Esme Young (right) in the Swanky Modes days

Like many teenagers, my interest in clothes became an obsession and I began to experiment with ‘looks’. As a child, my clothes were often handmade – I know how that sounds in today’s world but back then it was very common. Having dresses made for you was not the bespoke luxury it is today. It was what most families did and there was always at least one person who was nifty with the sewing machine. I would also get lots of hand-me-downs from my older sister Fiona, so to have something brand new was a treat.

After a work trip to America, Dad returned with a gift for me. It was a reversible pinafore dress: on one side it was plain pink and on the other pink check. Oh, the excitement of something so foreign and sophisticated! I also remember my mum buying me two outfits – one was a Black Watch tartan wool dress with a bow around the waist and the other was a pink jumper with a matching pink and grey check skirt. I loved them both, but I think I was more excited by the pink and grey colour combination – I have always been fixated on colour.

Mum adored clothes and followed trends. She was a big fan of Jaeger. She always looked stylish, something she was keen for me and my sister to emulate as teenagers. She introduced us to Biba, Mary Quant, Celia Birtwell and Ossie Clark, the boutique forerunners to high street fashion, and the moment I crossed their thresholds, I could see how powerful fashion was and how it encouraged self- expression through what you wore. It was the Swinging Sixties and more accessible fashion was arriving on the high street, which gave many the freedom to dress for themselves. I was influenced by these cool designers who opened their own boutiques and it planted a subconscious seed for the future.

For me, while fashion was a positive influence, what I really sought were pieces of clothing that I could adapt and transform into something unique. I did a lot of rummaging in Mum’s wardrobe and would steal things from the older clothes she no longer wore in the hope that I wouldn’t get found out. As soon as I started altering things she knew exactly what I was up to and put a lock on her wardrobe door. I was particularly upset at this because I had my eye on a stunning Edwardian lace dress with a high neck and little buttons down the front that I would have cut up in an instant. Instead I turned to jumble sale trawls for my weekly fashion fix. It was such a thrill to find a vintage blouse or a pair of beautifully kept 1920s shoes and it was an affordable way to dress myself. I had a strong sense of my own style and I was not afraid to use it.

Behind the Seams: My Life in Creativity, Friendship and Adventure by Esme Young and published by Bonner Books is available at all good book shops including Bookshop.org.

If you haven’t already listened to the TNMA podcasts, there’s an episode with Esme Young HERE – and Patrick Grant HERE. And we are always inspired by Esme Young’s singular dress sense:

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