Giles Deacon is the loveable Brit designer who mixes dreamy couture-esque gowns with playful pieces like dinosaur bags and googly eye bag charms. His natural charm has helped him along the way, with pals that include legendary stylist Katie Grand - who styles his catwalk shows - and footballer's wife and model Abbey Clancy who has walked at a number of his shows. More used to designing eye-popping dresses, Giles Deacon is taking his grand aesthetic to a micro scale with a range of undies for lingerie retailer Ann Summers, which launched this week.
It's no wonder that they tapped up the playful yet high-end label for their first ever collaboration. It's an haute collection which is more aspirational than just ass but still has the trademark Summers sexy vibe. The range is a mix of super saucy rose-gold cuffs and eye masks as well as more everyday hot stuff, like beautiful print bras and ruffly knickers.
Looking surprisingly fresh and awake after a late night DJ-ing, we sat down with Giles among the vibes and candy cock rings to chat about this latest collaboration - and whether he's ever worn women's underwear.
The Debrief: What was the inspiration for the collection?
**Giles Deacon: **I wanted to make an absolutely fantastic lingerie range. I had chats with eight of my different girlfriends, who aren't fashion industry types. One's a lawyer, one a bookshelf maker, and what they were looking for in a more aspirational lingerie collection. The eight women all had very different opinions and very different visuals. They didn't just want one thing, they wanted different looks and characters, so there's pieces you can wear underneath something to go to work, then there's something playful, then something much more dominant, something erotic.
DB: Do you think of a specific woman when you design then?
GD: I often get asked if I have a muse and I find oddly dated. It's really not me. I like women, I like different types of women, all the personalities one has within themselves, you're not one-dimension. That's what I don't like about the image of a muse! Like when we do the same castings on the catwalk, opened by Agyness, with Veruschka and then Abbey Clancy and Kelly Brooke. I like characters, strong women who are all sorts of different things.
DB: Going into the specifics of the collection, where did your ideas come from?
GD: From an aesthetic level, I looked at things like - I'm a huge old Bettie Page fan, there's a wonderful book that Richard Prince did on her and I had no idea till I got this book, but Yves Klein the painter shared a studio with Bettie Paige, which is so interesting, it's phenomenal. There's some fantastic pictures of her, she was sexy but actually quite demure. We did the clasps and fitting and designed all the prints, the flying cock lace, which I think people expect from us.
DB: It does seem like the more whimsical styling elements of your catwalk shows really found their way into this collection
GD: Exactly, that's a really lovely way of putting it - it's whimsical with a really good quality. There's a certain side of sex clothes that can be a bit joyless and bit depressing. I take that into whatever I'm working is to make something beautiful and pleasurable. The quality is super, the suppliers we worked with got it right from the start.
DB: Have you ever seen any underwear disasters?
GD: When we're doing the fitting for the girls the agents have briefed them on suitable attire, so I've been very lucky. I think most girls really take pride in their knick-knacks! It's the underpinnings of things that make you feel super.
DB: Have you ever worn women's underwear, for fun?
GD: Not for fun, only for serious! I think I actually did wear some kind of, I can't even remember what it was to go to Kinky Gerlinky [old club night in london] a million years ago, which was fun! But no, not on a regular basis, I leave it to the women who look much better than me.
DB: What do you think the basics of a lingerie drawer are?
GD: That mix of proper practical pieces that you sling in the washing machine and then some really gorgeous pieces that you can wear.
DB: What's the biggest misconception that women have when they wear lingerie?
GD: Some people I've spoken to think that some pieces are going to be uncomfortable. I think that's because not so much conversations go on about getting the right cup size or the size. That they're supposed to be trussed up, even though we've got pieces that lace up at the back so you have the aesthetic of it but with the comfort.
DB: Hold-ups vs suspenders?
GD: It's down to whatever you like, horses for courses with those sort of things. You can have as many different options as you like.
DB: So what's next?
GD: We've got some super stuff for Christmas with gorgeous leather pieces. Next March we're doing something with Fifty Shades, which my dear friend Sam Taylor Wood is directing.
**Ooh, raunchy! **
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.