Showroom manager Ricci Matthews tells us about her passion for local fashion.
Fashion showroom managers work closely with designers, so it's a given that their pieces creep into their wardrobes. Ricci Matthews manages the showroom at Ciel PR, working with a range of established and emerging designers including Cybele, Blak, Pardon My French, Maaike and Jimmy D - labels she wears frequently (for winter she bought almost 15 dresses from her clients). Matthews, who previously lived in Sydney for nine years, where she also worked in fashion PR, tells us more about her style, passion for supporting local fashion, and some of her favourite stylish places.
I love New Zealand fashion because Kiwis are so aware of it and not just young ones. Kiwi woman in their 40s, 50s and upwards are so fashionable and are really switched on with how to age and still look stylish. We don't necessarily follow trends here, we just know what looks great and what suits our shape best.
The most treasured item in my wardrobe is my Chloe "Saskia" tote. I got it for my 30th birthday and it was my first "grown-up" hand bag. It took me three months to decide which one I wanted. I trawled Net-a-Porter daily as I really wanted a bag that wasn't common, and wasn't too safe in black or brown. I call the colour "elephant". It's big with lots of great pockets and has Perspex handles. The best thing about it is, the more it wears, the better it looks.
The designer that I respect the most is Karl Lagerfeld. Well, I don't know if I respect him, but I am completely fascinated by him. He's famously quoted in the Valentino documentary as saying, to Valentino, "compared to us, the rest are making rags". I love his arrogance!
