HELLO BRIDGET!_

 Bridget Stanford: 
   I had an amazing opportunity to be able to meet Bridget and discuss her eccentric and eclectic vintage collection. She was a wonderful woman, and fully welcomed us to talk about her clothing and passion for all things vintage. She has fully immersed herself into this passion- everything in her life revolves around vintage, from interior design to her social life.

Can you tell us where your passion for fashion and textiles came from.
    My mother was a textiles designer before and during the war, and my father was a textile agent (a middle man between the mill and high street retailers)' which is where they met. So we always had a house full of fabric, and grew up in a world of patchwork and print.

Can you tell us about your design background?
   My mother went to Glasgow school of art, so I was always immersed in drawings and art, and gave me the confidence to start drawing. Because we didn't have television or computers, we just to draw and write. And the more you draw, the better you become.
   I've always enjoyed drawing and fashion, and thought I wanted to become a fashion illustrator, but I dint think I was very good. I went to colchester school of art, and feel the drawing side of textiles is very important. 
   My mother worked for a company in Hanover square, which contained a huge archive of rose drawings.the idea there was reinventing something new each time, especially as a commercial textile designer. I then ended up working in the same studio as my mother. I used to be told 'I want you to create a little brother or sister of this magazine cut out' , not to rip off the print, but to design something with the same qualities.

What do you think print can bring to a garment?
   Print tells a story about a person, it reveals little bits about you, and stamps your style. It gives people clues to your personalities.

Have you got a favorite style of print?
   I love novelty, ridiculous prints that are quirky and fun. My mother used to say 'don't wear that, it's a Manchester print'. She used to dislike this style of print because it was made in the factories in Manchester, it was one colour, Victorian print on cotton. It was often a repeat pattern on a roller meaning it was cheap and easy to produce. 

What do you think of prints on the high street?
   I'm a bit out of the loop as I wear a lot of vintage prints, but I often go with my daughter. I recently bought a dress from sainsburys as it had a print of a pin up girl and umbrellas, it was really sweet. I didn't like the style of the dress nor the fabric, but I bought it to add to my collection.

Do you have a favorite designer who uses print well?
   Horockses are a British company that produced beautiful good quality prints. Most of them are floral, but they are so lovely. Biba have quirky fun prints. At the time the brand was fun, affordable and badly made, but now garments are highly sought after as it didn't last. My first school dance dress was a biba, very retro. My sister dressed me in it.

Is there a favorite piece in your collection? 
  One of my favorite pieces is a jacket I bought from a jumble sale. It has a beautiful, layered, vibrant print, and really depicts my personality. Unfortunately it never fitted, so many a time it was on my throw out pile, but I couldn't get rid of it! 
   I also love this dress as it has a jewellery print on the fabric, as if a string of pearls have been thrown onto it. It's very surrealist and flamboyant. Versace use a lot of jewellery in their prints,so it's interesting to see how things come around and what brands are inspired by.

How do you describe your personal style?
   That's a hard thing to describe, as I don't want to be put into a pigeon hole. My collection of garments are usually 40s or 50s. I really love the vintage Vivienne Westwood, cartoon and pop art prints. I think it's important to ask 'why do you like it?' If you feel confident in it, wear it. Everyone has a personal style, which is important, it defines you. Everyone puts outfits together, there is always a thought process. Design identity evolves, everything is from your view point.

Who inspired/ inspires you?
   From an early age I guess I was cutting pictures from magazines of Marilyn Monroe, and Hollywood starlets. I love old films as the colours and garments are incredible. I wanted to believe there was this glamorous world, but I thought it might as well be this one. Nowadays people such as Lady Gaga and Vivienne Westwood inspire me, and Dita Von Teese because of her vast vintage collection.

Vintage has inspired everything everything I do/ have. It has inspired my home, the music I listen to, the films I watch and the social circles I immerse myself in. One thing I'm not shy about is mixing my eras- I'll have a little bit of everything from every era dotted around.