Nicole Smallwood, is the stylist of the moment. A career spanning 16 years of working within the fashion media, dabbling in everything from writing to TV, Nicole has recently designed a footwear collection. On the day of my interview with Nicole, I head to Wolf and Badger to see where her shoe collection is being displayed.
My first impression upon meeting Nicole Smallwood, is that not only is she beautiful and stylish (of course) but also very down to earth too. She wears a sheer black dress and heels, with her hair down. She shows me her footwear collection (it’s beautiful!) and explains how she can’t quite believe she’s designed her own shoes- and had such a fantastic response.
“The idea was a bit of fun at first” She explains, “It came about from spotting a niche for stylish shoes for women with larger feet, after my struggles to find something nice to fit me. Not everyone with larger feet wants to wear huge wedges all the time, so I wanted to design something to make women feel glamorous and beautiful.”
Once I have finished lusting after the beautiful colours of the S/S Collection (which is based on Miami- the A/W was classics with a twist) we settle down for the interview.
I ask Nicole a little about her and her business, and she explains how although she always wanted to be in fashion, she wasn’t always so certain on which area she wanted to work in.
Her flourishing career began with a year long internship with Marie Claire doing bookings, which led to her working her way up through the ranks until she was eventually working in styling, somewhere she has stayed working for ten years. Within that she launched Marie Claire TV and ended up meeting a plethora of interesting people and figures, as well as truly crafting her career.
After a decade at this prestigious title, Nicole decided it was time to branch out on her own to truly find herself. “When you’re working for someone else, you’re constructing your ideas to their vision. It is part of you, but in their way. I wanted to be able to go completely creative, and when I left I went a little crazy with my creativity. In fact if you look at my Marie Claire shoots and my ones now, they’re so different!”
Nicole has worked with a vast range of clients expanding from everyday people to a high end celebrity clientele. Just recently she styled the pre fall show at Chanel, and also worked on Matalan’s new campaign. She explains how interesting it is to work within both spectrum’s and how both brands do the job just as well but in a totally different way. “It shows what the consumer wants and what we aspire to buy.”
At the moment Nicole is involved in a variety of different projects, including being fashion editor of phoenix, content editor of Wild Magazine and Country Townhouse Magazine. She recently did a huge shoot with Country Townhouse magazine in a Middlesex Country Home and said it was absolutely beautiful. She is also currently working on a campaign with Gallo wine working to pitch a must-have wardrobe with your must have wine – Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato.
Have you always had an interest in fashion?
I have. When I was younger my Mum used to make a lot of clothes so the sewing machine was always whirring! I think it’s what made me get into all of that at the start.
Who are some of the people you’ve styled, and who are you proudest of?
Celebrity wise, I have styled people such as Simon Cowell, Elle Macphearson, Natalie Umbruglia, Ricky Gervais, Vernon Kay and Tess Daley, but some of the normal women I have helped have been hugely rewarding. Helping someone who has so little confidence they don’t want to leave their house, and then seeing them totally transform is the most rewarding thing.
When you were a child what did you want to be?
At school I wanted to be a graphic designer to start with, then I was heavily into sports and nearly went to a sporting University. However at the last minute I swapped to do fashion as it’s where my heart really lay.
Who is your style inspiration?
I don’t really take inspiration from a particular person, however I do admire Celebrity women such as Miranda Kerr and Blake Lively who have that classic with a twist down to a tee. No fake make up and hair, just natural beauty.
What is your staple item of clothing?
My black leather jacket or a pair of over the knee high boots.
Any Style advice?
Always dress to your body shape and not what’s on trend.
Who would you most like to meet?
Kate and Will. They jusy look like such good fun! I think you could have a good night out with them. She’s so normal and just effortlessly cool!
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I wouldn’t want to live anywhere apart from London, but I love going on holidays all round the world!
What do you do in your spare time?
I’m still very sports so I enjoy going to the gym, I also love socialising with friends as I don’t see them as often nowadays. I also love clubbing and going on holidays with friends.
One piece of advice for breaking into the industry?
It’s not easy. You have to work extremely hard, and remember that you make your own luck in this industry- you get out what you put in.
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Well each day is so varied and different, you never know who you are going to meet or what you are going to do, so I don’t really know. My career is nervewracking but so exciting. I feel so fortunate to be in the position that I am.
Visit Nicole Smallwood’s website here
