Girls on top
The women behind FrostFrench have got their mojo back with the launch of a new London boutique
WORDS | ROBINA DAM
WITH THEIR SPANKING NEW COLLECTION FOR SPRING/SUMMER GETTING FASHION PUNDITS HOT UNDER THE COLLAR, the FrostFrench label has returned with a bang. London design duo Sadie Frost and Jemima French have just opened their flagship store right in the heart of Soho.
It’s an appropriate location, since it feels like showtime when you go downstairs to the boutique’s boudoir-like dressing area. “It’s about a personalised service but also everyone will feel like a VIP here,” Jemima French, wearing a cinched-in tea-dress to show off her wasp-waist, tells me at their second shop launch in November (the first is in Islington) amid cupcakes and cocktails.
This is partly due to the old school glamour of the big draped changing rooms but also because of the air of privacy that you get from having to descend from the first-floor glass-fronted store. “It’s the sort of place that we would have wanted to shop in and couldn’t see anything similar,” Sadie Frost adds, wearing a navy military jacket over a black shift from the current collection (see their style tips overleaf). “We travel a lot so get tons of ideas for things that we want to get in but it’s also about doing something that is very ‘us’, which people seem to like.”
The pair have recently regained control of the business and this has clearly been a fillip to their inspiration. “We know what our customers like because they are like us,” French says simply. It’s why the new collection reflects the founders’ own change of image; they went from being London’s party girls to embodying the term ‘yummy mummy’. With eight children between them, a successful business and the kudos of being on the right scene at the right time, Frost and French have kept their popularity by being open about their ups and downs.
FrostFrench started off well – launching in 1999 with a lingerie range and capsule collection of separates. It gained an instant following among their celebrity friends at the time, such as Kate Moss, Davinia Taylor and Meg Mathews.
But then there was Frost’s very public split from her actor husband Jude Law and the financial upheavals which meant Frost and French lost control of the brand which bore their name.
Despite these problems, the clothes themselves managed to win plaudits from the fashion establishment: in 2004 they won Elle magazine’s Designer of the Year Award and have remained firmly on the lists of fashion editors thanks to their flattering and wearable collections which took classics and gave them a girly twist. Come next month’s London Fashion Week, Sadie Frost and Jemima French will once again be holding court. And how.
Soho: 22 Noel Street, W1 Islington: 22-26 Camden Passage, N1 +44 (0)20 7354 0053, www.frostfrench.com
Girl Talk
Here Sadie Frost and Jemima French give their insider style recommendations for London
What’s your favourite piece in your autumn/winter collection?
The navy military jacket because of its length and detail. Even though it’s a coat, you actually feel dressed up.
It has to be the knitted argyle shorts as they are great for layering and wearing with thick woollen tights. Plus the velvet jacket as it’s perfect to throw on in a hurry and never gets creased.
What about in your spring/summer collection?
I love all the playsuits – and the checked boxer shorts are both cool and sexy.
It is the black beaded jumpsuit. It’s elegant and you won’t accidentally flash your knickers.
For hair and colouring…
At the moment it’s Nicola Clarke and Luther at John Frieda [4 Aldford Street, W1, +44 (0)20 7491 0840].
I go to Hari’s Salon in Knightsbridge to see stylist Zoe Irwin – though she’s become a friend and will sometimes come to my house to do it [305 Brompton Road, SW3, +44 (0)20 7581 5211, www.harissalon.com].
For the best facial…
It’s Linda Meredith at her Knightsbridge salon [36 Beauchamp Place, SW3, +44 (0)20 7225 2755; www.lindameredith.com].
I’d recommend Anastasia Achilleos.
For natural beauty and healthcare…
Jo Wood Organic at Harvey Nichols and Neal’s Yard rose products.
I would say Wholefoods as health and beauty starts from within. But also the Elemis day spa.
I always travel with…
A cashmere blanket and Lucas Papaw ointment which is great for lips and moisturising.
A good book which I start reading a week before I fly so that I’m really into it by the time I get on the plane.
What’s the cool hangout of the moment?
Smash and Grab at Proud Galleries [www.myspace.com/smashandgrab].
Gay Bingo at Quo Vadis in Soho.
Insider beauty tip…
Emma from Spoilt [07958 638108] who comes to your home to do a full MOT.
Plenty of sleep.
Quirky finds when shopping…
Start is good for men’s clothes [59 Rivington Street, EC2, +44 (0)20 7739 3636] and I love Liberty [www.liberty.co.uk]
Judith Michael & Daughter is an antique shop in Primrose Hill [73 Regent’s Park Road, NW1; +44 (0)20 7722 9000] where you will always find a special something.
