John Lewis’ hot new designer? It’s you! Thanks to fashion trailblazer determined to create clothes women want to wear
- Gemma Champ explains that the high street fails to consider how women actually wear the clothes that they are sold
- Fashion designer turned blogger Erica Davies tackled this problem head on
- Her inclusive clothing and boots for women are now available from John Lewis
Most women have experienced that crushing disappointment when a pair of fabulous boots won’t zip up beyond the calf, or the sleeves of a delicious winter coat won’t slide over a jumper without cutting off circulation in the arms.
This is not just a matter of fashion brands remembering to design beyond a size 14. It’s not even about the way ‘plus-size’ fashion so often gets plastered with fussy details in order to ‘disguise’ the figure, when all most women want is a beautiful, chic silhouette.
Coat, £200, and boots, £159, johnlewis. com
Fashion designer turned blogger Erica Davies (pictured) launched her own brand to create clothing that fits women how they wear it
This is a failure on the part of the High Street to consider how women actually wear the clothes we are sold. How we use them. How we like to put things in real pockets rather than putting up with fake pocket flaps as a style feature. How, in winter, it’s likely we’ll be wearing a sweater underneath our coats. And how normal women who exercise, go to work, feed the family and generally get on with our busy days, don’t necessarily have calves as svelte as a 6ft 1in catwalk model, and might need a heel with some heft, if it — and we — are to get through the day.
It was exactly this problem that led Erica Davies, fashion editor turned blogger and author, to share her exasperation with her 191,000 Instagram followers.
Coat, £220, and boots, £129, johnlewis. com
‘I was trying to find some kneelength boots — I saw all these beautiful Jimmy Choo and Victoria Beckham ones, but I couldn’t find anything I liked on the High Street. And when I did find some, they wouldn’t zip up. If I’m a size 14 and I’m struggling, what does that mean for a woman who’s a 16 or 18 or 20?’
Erica asked her followers: ‘Is it just me?’ And the floodgates opened. Reader after reader told stories of sobbing over the trauma of having to be cut out of a pair of too-tight boots in a shop; or hating the humiliation of going shopping with friends and having to be sent next door to the ‘plus-size shop’. The comments just kept on coming.
It was the start of a journey that would see Erica creating boots and coats for real women, with the help of John Lewis — which is the reason she’s talking to me from her home in Essex, where she lives with her husband and children aged 12 and ten.
Erica’s designs continue to be informed directly by that first ‘Is it just me?’ conversation with her online community — what they all wanted to talk about was the chasm between what the High Street churns out and what many women want to buy.
So, armed with anecdotes and research, Erica put together a presentation and, bit between her teeth, approached John Lewis to tell them: This is what your customers want.
Coat, £220, and boots, £109, john lewis.com; trousers, £38, riverisland. com
To her amazement, they agreed to give it a go. The result was last autumn’s first collection of knee-length boots for John Lewis, which swiftly sold out.
‘I had one woman who messaged me to say she had bought five pairs because she was so thrilled that finally she could wear the stylish long boots she’d been waiting years for,’ recalls Erica.
Such was its success that this year there are 16 boot styles as well as a new collection of 12 Erica Davies coats inspired by the same source: real women whose bodies have been fashion’s afterthought for too long.
Coat, £280, and boots, £169, johnlewis.com; dress, £247.50, meandem.com
Erica considered her favourite coats over the years — from vintage cocktail coats to chic wraps — and put a modern twist on them. The result is a collection that isn’t in the ‘plus-size’ category — they’re cut so that you can wear them fitted or loose and style them in your own way.
‘We don’t want to dictate sizes — some of them are oversized, and some are a slimmer fit, so it really is a case of trying them on and seeing what works for you,’ says Erica. ‘It’s about giving people choice and being aware of the practicalities as well.’
That explains the defining silhouette of this collection — a raglan sleeve that curves over the shoulder into a wide ‘bracelet’ above the wrist. Chic, structured, but roomy, the cut allows the wearer plenty of space for layers — or can be elegantly shrugged over a posh frock without risk of crushing it.
Coat, £200, dress, £65, and boots, £169, johnlewis. com
‘I love the bracelet sleeve, because it gives you extra styling options — you can wear it with a contrast colour jumper or longer coloured gloves,’ says Erica.
‘I love that Carrie Bradshaw thing of making a beautiful coat part of the outfit for evenings. But it’s also a coat that a mum on a school run can chuck over her pyjamas if she wants to feel a bit more pulled together.’
Of course, in a cost-of-living crisis, it’s fair to ask whether a cocktail coat is going to be the top shopping priority, and Erica does acknowledge these are investment coats, rather than fast fashion, with price tags to match — they cost from £180 to £280, with boots from a more accessible £69 — although they look pricier, particularly the tuxedo coat with satin lapels.
Coat, £220, dress, £65, and boots, £129, johnlewis. com
‘The idea was that you can cherish and pass down these coats, but they will also be available to hire from John Lewis’s rental site (rental.johnlewis.com), so if you’ve got a party or wedding, you can enjoy them.’
Social media has allowed designers to speak directly to their customers — or at least, those who are willing to admit that the customer might know best (Scamp & Dude and Heist are among the labels to be congratulated for cottoning on to this rich stream of inspiration). And for Erica that’s what makes her work worth doing.
‘If I can be the middle person to find the gaps in the market, that’s an incredible place to be,’ she says. ‘People judge fashion for being flippant, but it’s so important for women’s selfesteem. And if a reader can influence the creation of something they’ve never been able to find before and she feels great in it, that’s all I can ask for.’
- The Erica Davies X John Lewis collection will be available from tomorrow.
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