Ever the dynamic duo, Pearl and Daisy Lowe rarely pass on an opportunity to collaborate. Whether it’s on the colour scheme for Daisy’s June nuptials to Jordan Saul or styling a shoot for the upcoming Fat Face and V&A collection, they are at their best when they’re side by side – so much so that they now live 10 minutes down the road from each other.
The mother and daughter chat to Grazia about stealing each other’s clothes, styling the Fat Face shoot and working together on the finer details of Daisy's star-studded Somerset wedding.
What was it like shooting the Fat Face and V&A campaign together?
Daisy Lowe: ‘It was so cool to work with Fat Face on this really beautiful collaboration and then to see it come alive at the V&A when it was closed and no one was in there was really cool. It was so quiet and there was a waterfall – it was such magic.’
Have you always been fans of Fat Face?
Daisy: ‘This was my first introduction to the brand, but I was really blown away by the mastery and the craftmanship of it. My mum got to wear this beautiful yellow jumper and the way they used a pattern from an old V&A watercolour piece was so interesting. I didn’t realise how much was put into it.
'It’s such a brilliant, heritage brand, so I was so grateful they asked us to be part of it.’
Pearl Lowe: ‘We actually have a Fat Face in Frome [Somerset] and I used to buy all the kids’ clothes there because it’s really good quality, like Daisy said. And it’s a really good price point too, which is really important.’
What are your favourite pieces from the collection?
Daisy: ‘I did love that yellow jumper… I also got to wear this really beautiful burgundy shirt that had all this beautiful embroidery, which was reworked from a paisley print from the V&A, I think it was 19th century. That was really gorgeous. And I love all the accessories. Mum and I were fighting over some scarves.’
Pearl: ‘Yeah, I like the dresses. They’re kind of Bohemian, but in quite a cool way. I’m so into midi dresses at the moment and they’ve got lots of those in the collection. They’re great in between seasons because they’re lightweight.’
Would you say you have the same fashion sense?
Pearl: ‘We definitely cross over, but I’d say Daisy wears more tracksuits and I wear more suits.’
Daisy: ‘I knew you were going to say that! That’s only when I’m running around after my messy toddler. That would never be a fashion choice that would be more of an ease thing. When I want to get dressed up, I’d say we have more crossover for sure. But I also really like dressing a bit more androgynous so that’s where we differ. Whenever I go and meet mum for dinner, it’s like, okay I’ve got to put a nice dress on.’
Pearl: ‘The weird thing is Daisy has introduced me to quite a lot of brands that I don’t know about. So in a way, I definitely get inspiration from Daisy, but just because I’m very set in my ways I’ve been dressing the same for the past 20 years and it can be quite boring so I love to mix and match and find new things.’
Daisy: ‘The way I’ve dressed has always been a huge inspiration from my mum because she has brilliant taste. Growing up around that really shaped my aesthetic.’
Do you ever share clothes?
Daisy: ‘I used to always steal mum’s clothes as a teenager.’
Pearl: ‘I’m a hoarder so both the girls get great use out of my old wardrobe, which is filled with things from the ‘90s and 2000s so it’s quite fun.’
What about your interior tastes, is there overlap there too?
Pearl: ‘Daisy comes over and takes lots of pieces from my house and I forget she’s got them and then I sell them on the website and I’m like, “have you got this? Oh my god, you’ve got something else too!”’
Daisy: ‘Yeah, that happens. My interior tastes have been very inspired by my mum, but then I also go for Kitschier stuff and sometimes a bit industrial as well to kind of mix. I like the balance between traditional and form and function and mum just loves her faded glamour.’
Pearl: ‘Well, I just love the ‘20s. I’m just obsessed with interiors from the ‘20s and ‘30s and some with fashion as well. Those are my go to with style and ‘40s for dresses, but not so much for interiors. But I love the way Daisy decorates, it’s great.’
How do you both feel about the recent Boho revival?
Daisy: ‘Do you know what? I don’t think it ever left. I’m a bit of a hoarder too and I don’t really buy into trends. I think it’s about investing. Mum always told me it was very important to invest in pieces and dress for my shape. So I never stopped wearing Bohemian things, but I’m delighted that it means I’m in fashion again!’
Pearl: ‘That’s what happens to me. I go out of fashion and then I come back in and go back out again. I’m not so keen on the Boho look. I think you have to be a little bit careful as you get older, but it’s all down to the person.’
Do you enjoy getting to work together?
Daisy: ‘It’s been so lovely to spend more time together and we end up having such a laugh. We shot the campaign a month before my wedding, so it was really nice to get that time together. I think Mum went straight from there to an usher’s suit fitting.’
Pearl: ‘It was a really fun day and it’s always nice to go to work with family. It’s much better than working on your own!’
Daisy, congratulations on your wedding. It looked amazing. What was that like to style?
Daisy: ‘Thank you! I had a really clear vision in my head, just of the colours I wanted to use and the way I wanted it to look, but I couldn’t have done it without my mum. She was a huge kind of anchor in all of it, because everyone I wanted to be part of it I’d seen her work with before. The place we got married was because of you, the florist we used was because of you, mum and I designed the bridesmaids dresses and the ushers suits.’
Pearl: ‘That’s very sweet. I don’t know if I should take any credit. I asked my local seamstress to make all the bridesmaid dresses. I did so many trips back and forth to the seamstress. It was literally my job for three months!’
It sounds like good teamwork…
Daisy: ‘I thought I’ve got it all in my brain, but we also moved house and I’ve been full time with my toddler, so it was trying to plan a wedding and working – it was a lot. Then mum would message and say, “have you thought about napkins?”’
Pearl: ‘There was one point when I though Betty and I were going to cut up rolls of fabric and do it ourselves.’
Daisy: ‘Thank goodness shabby chic saved the day.’
And what about your dress. Did you always have a vision for what you wanted to wear?
Daisy: ‘I always knew I wanted to be in some form of Westwood creation. Thanks to mum, Vivienne Westwood was the first designer I fell in love with. That idea of feeling quite powerful and yet sensual and seductive and kind of punky as well. I had a fitting with the amazing stylist there and asked if there were any others from the next collection and she said there was one that I should try when it came in. That ended up being the dress I wore. Mum was Face Timing me and I put that one and she was like, “That’s it.”’