Style Icon and music presenter Lauren Laverne is soon to be helping to find some of the country's best unsigned acts. She talks to FemaleFirst about her new projects, why she thinks of fashion being like food and the day she learnt how to pronounce Moet correctly! Hi Lauren, How are you doing today? I'm great thanks, how are you?
I'm good, just falling apart at the end of the day you know!
Ahh, I see!
Anyway, what have you been up to recently?
Working as hard as ever and you know managing to have a life too, and yes I've been working on my radio show and I've been working on Orange Unsigned Acts for Channel 4 and some other projects on BBC too. This really cool thing for BBC 4 which will be on in January called Style ion Trial and it's about finding out which is the ultimate decade is ever for fashion.
Ooo, that's a toughie!
Yeah, it's a real toughie. I mean the 50s and 30s were awesome, but luckily we've narrowed it down to the 1940s to the 1990s so it will be easier for us.
So how was the Scottish Style Awards?
It was tremendous fun, ridiculous and obviously very stylish and the place it was in was just incredible and it was in jaw-dropping surroundings. It was just really good fun, I loved it, you know. Got to wear a bit of Christopher Kane, the catwalk show was amazing, all the models all looked fantastic. They were all swigging Moet (says it very poshly) yes, Moet! (I continue to giggle) Do you know what, I actually found out that is the correct pronunciation, because they sponsored the event and you can't call it Moet, you have to call it... (posh voice again) Moet. So I've learned how to pronounce it properly and how to drink it quite fast.
Who were the style winners and losers of the night, in your opinion?
Shirley Manson was on my table and she looked incredibly glamorous and everyone just looked good. I've got to say most people looked very very stylish, I didn't really see anyone looking bad. They were all quite well turned out.
You've been referred to as a bit of a style icon, what do you think about that?
Oh my goodness, extremely flattering. I'm not entirely sure whether it's appropriate, but yeah I'm not going to complain!
What's your natural style?
I think for work I like to dress up, it's a very Northern thing. Growing up in the North East it's all about partying and getting dressed accordingly. There's something about dressing up clothes that I really love, I think fashion should be fun and that you should be able to play with it and express yourself in what you wear. So, it's always going to be more fun for me than putting on a pair of trainers. Having said that though I don't have a problem with it, you know a good pair of converse when you've got a baby is extremely useful.
Whose celeb style do you rate?
Erm... well there are loads of people. To be honest I kind of like looking at what my friends are wearing more, because I find that more inspirational than looking in magazines, but there are loads of well-styled celebrities. My favourite would probably be someone like Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is classic and cool. I like someone to have some quirkiness about them, I don't like anyone to be too polished or buffed. Well, I don't dislike it, but you know!
Do you like to follow the trends or just do your own thing?
I think it's exciting and fun to see what the latest thing is but I think you've got to be able to know your own mind and know what suits you. So I think it should be a combination, fashion should be this massive, ridiculous, multi-coloured sort of birthday buffet, but you don't want to eat everything on the table, you just want to fill your plate up with the bits that you want to have.
How did you get involved in Twiggy's show, Frock Exchange and did you enjoy it?
I loved it so much, it was like the best job- can you imagine, 'do you want to do a fashion show with Twiggy?' er, yeah!!!! so I know, clearly we all would love to do it. It was Twiggy who had seen me interview her mate on telly, I interviewed Paul McCartney for Culture show and she just really liked me, and very luckily said to the production team when they were making the show, 'I want her' and of course as soon as they rang I absolutely just said, 'I'll be there, no matter what!' So I was really lucky to work with such wonderful people.
Did you bag any gems yourself or did you let the women fight it out amongst themselves?
Erm, I didn't take anything away in the end, although I did get some fab stuff to wear for the show. So that was great, but I donated a few things, which was really nice, getting to see someone leaving in your things. So yeah I gave this really cool Marc Jacobs puffball dress which was pale blue, which i gave to a girl and it never really looked quite right on me, because I'm so pale, but on this girl it looked gorgeous. she had like dark skin, dark hair and eyes and just looked stunning, so much better than me! And it did actually make me just want to give all my clothes away. I think it's the ultimate karma, and that's the bit which nobody expects because everybody is just like 'We'll get free clothes' but nobody actually realises how nice it is to give things away and it really genuinely is.
Tell me about your involvement in Fashion Strikes
I'm so excited about this it's going to be really cool and obviously having been to the frock swap, I think they thought I was the logical person. It's just really exciting, we're going to have cool bands and people donating clothes and hopefully it's going to be a really fun event.
How did you get involved with Orange's Unsigned Acts?
Well, my husband worked on that show last year, so I was an avid fan and thought it was fantastic. And this year Jo Whiley is having her baby, so she normally judges and couldn't do it this year, because she's on maternity leave. She's still part of the show though doing a bit on it and they needed somebody to step into her shoes in the judging world, so as soon as they asked me I just said 'yes absolutely, because I loved the show last year. So that was it really.
To anyone who hasn't heard of it, what's it all about?
It's basically like a talent show, but with actual talent so it's kind of musicians, band and singer/songwriters. It's also for people who write their own stuff, not just people who like singing and are like 'I'm loud' etc... No warblers allowed, it's for people who are genuinely creative and who want to get a big fat record deal off Simon Gavin, who is an extremely important record bloke and he's also got flawless business sense, he knows if something will go or not, he happens to have great taste too and more than that he knows what's going to sell and what isn't. Obviously you've also got other people on the panel like Alex James from Blur, who is pretty cool and his some pretty good pop star pedigree and will dispense opinion and advice as required and then you've got me! I'm just there with a lot of eyeliner on, going 'oh, that was nice!'
Have you had to make any tough decisions yet?
Definitely, that's the really hard bit too. Saying to someone 'I don't get it' or 'I don't really like what you're trying to do' so the dream crushing aspect is not something any of us relish. You've got to give enough credit to people by being honest with them instead of just saying how fantastic it is all the time, because you know it's a competition at the end of the day.
What's the level of talent been like?
It's been great, yeah because people go through such a rigorous process before they reach us, so we have some weird people still, but not on the same level.
So who are you listening to at the moment?
Well, erm that's a toughie. I really want to listen to the new AC/DC album. (ooh we've had that in this week!) what's it like? (I've not heard it yet, but the reaction has been good) Ahh well, it got 5 stars in NME last week So I'm going to have to give that a listen
Is there anyone you think is being overlooked at the moment?
Ahh the tough questions! Erm... well I think there is such a lot of acts out there, and they are readily available on the Internet for people to dissect and discuss. There is no filter as such any more, so all the music that could be out there is ready for people to have a look at. And you have all these social networking sites like MySpace who play such a big role in the music industry now. It's the people who are the sifters now, they look through all the music, get people talking and create a buzz about someone they think is good. That's how it works now.
We ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview and Sheree Murphy asked you if you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you?
Well Sheree (laughing) I'd take my baby, my husband and my laptop. Providing they have Internet on a desert island. (I'm sure they do) oh well, that's ok then.
Lauren is a judge on Orange unsignedAct with Sony Ericsson, Sundays on T4, 12:40pm and is also an ambassador for Warchild. www.orangeunsignedact.co.uk
FemaleFirst-Laura Terry
Style Icon and music presenter Lauren Laverne is soon to be helping to find some of the country's best unsigned acts. She talks to FemaleFirst about her new projects, why she thinks of fashion being like food and the day she learnt how to pronounce Moet correctly! Hi Lauren, How are you doing today? I'm great thanks, how are you?I'm good, just falling apart at the end of the day you know!
Ahh, I see!
Anyway, what have you been up to recently?
Working as hard as ever and you know managing to have a life too, and yes I've been working on my radio show and I've been working on Orange Unsigned Acts for Channel 4 and some other projects on BBC too. This really cool thing for BBC 4 which will be on in January called Style ion Trial and it's about finding out which is the ultimate decade is ever for fashion.
Ooo, that's a toughie!
Yeah, it's a real toughie. I mean the 50s and 30s were awesome, but luckily we've narrowed it down to the 1940s to the 1990s so it will be easier for us.
So how was the Scottish Style Awards?
It was tremendous fun, ridiculous and obviously very stylish and the place it was in was just incredible and it was in jaw-dropping surroundings. It was just really good fun, I loved it, you know. Got to wear a bit of Christopher Kane, the catwalk show was amazing, all the models all looked fantastic. They were all swigging Moet (says it very poshly) yes, Moet! (I continue to giggle) Do you know what, I actually found out that is the correct pronunciation, because they sponsored the event and you can't call it Moet, you have to call it... (posh voice again) Moet. So I've learned how to pronounce it properly and how to drink it quite fast.
Who were the style winners and losers of the night, in your opinion?
Shirley Manson was on my table and she looked incredibly glamorous and everyone just looked good. I've got to say most people looked very very stylish, I didn't really see anyone looking bad. They were all quite well turned out.
You've been referred to as a bit of a style icon, what do you think about that?
Oh my goodness, extremely flattering. I'm not entirely sure whether it's appropriate, but yeah I'm not going to complain!
What's your natural style?
I think for work I like to dress up, it's a very Northern thing. Growing up in the North East it's all about partying and getting dressed accordingly. There's something about dressing up clothes that I really love, I think fashion should be fun and that you should be able to play with it and express yourself in what you wear. So, it's always going to be more fun for me than putting on a pair of trainers. Having said that though I don't have a problem with it, you know a good pair of converse when you've got a baby is extremely useful.
Whose celeb style do you rate?
Erm... well there are loads of people. To be honest I kind of like looking at what my friends are wearing more, because I find that more inspirational than looking in magazines, but there are loads of well-styled celebrities. My favourite would probably be someone like Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is classic and cool. I like someone to have some quirkiness about them, I don't like anyone to be too polished or buffed. Well, I don't dislike it, but you know!
Do you like to follow the trends or just do your own thing?
I think it's exciting and fun to see what the latest thing is but I think you've got to be able to know your own mind and know what suits you. So I think it should be a combination, fashion should be this massive, ridiculous, multi-coloured sort of birthday buffet, but you don't want to eat everything on the table, you just want to fill your plate up with the bits that you want to have.
How did you get involved in Twiggy's show, Frock Exchange and did you enjoy it?
I loved it so much, it was like the best job- can you imagine, 'do you want to do a fashion show with Twiggy?' er, yeah!!!! so I know, clearly we all would love to do it. It was Twiggy who had seen me interview her mate on telly, I interviewed Paul McCartney for Culture show and she just really liked me, and very luckily said to the production team when they were making the show, 'I want her' and of course as soon as they rang I absolutely just said, 'I'll be there, no matter what!' So I was really lucky to work with such wonderful people.
Did you bag any gems yourself or did you let the women fight it out amongst themselves?
Erm, I didn't take anything away in the end, although I did get some fab stuff to wear for the show. So that was great, but I donated a few things, which was really nice, getting to see someone leaving in your things. So yeah I gave this really cool Marc Jacobs puffball dress which was pale blue, which i gave to a girl and it never really looked quite right on me, because I'm so pale, but on this girl it looked gorgeous. she had like dark skin, dark hair and eyes and just looked stunning, so much better than me! And it did actually make me just want to give all my clothes away. I think it's the ultimate karma, and that's the bit which nobody expects because everybody is just like 'We'll get free clothes' but nobody actually realises how nice it is to give things away and it really genuinely is.
Tell me about your involvement in Fashion Strikes
I'm so excited about this it's going to be really cool and obviously having been to the frock swap, I think they thought I was the logical person. It's just really exciting, we're going to have cool bands and people donating clothes and hopefully it's going to be a really fun event.
How did you get involved with Orange's Unsigned Acts?
Well, my husband worked on that show last year, so I was an avid fan and thought it was fantastic. And this year Jo Whiley is having her baby, so she normally judges and couldn't do it this year, because she's on maternity leave. She's still part of the show though doing a bit on it and they needed somebody to step into her shoes in the judging world, so as soon as they asked me I just said 'yes absolutely, because I loved the show last year. So that was it really.
To anyone who hasn't heard of it, what's it all about?
It's basically like a talent show, but with actual talent so it's kind of musicians, band and singer/songwriters. It's also for people who write their own stuff, not just people who like singing and are like 'I'm loud' etc... No warblers allowed, it's for people who are genuinely creative and who want to get a big fat record deal off Simon Gavin, who is an extremely important record bloke and he's also got flawless business sense, he knows if something will go or not, he happens to have great taste too and more than that he knows what's going to sell and what isn't. Obviously you've also got other people on the panel like Alex James from Blur, who is pretty cool and his some pretty good pop star pedigree and will dispense opinion and advice as required and then you've got me! I'm just there with a lot of eyeliner on, going 'oh, that was nice!'
Have you had to make any tough decisions yet?
Definitely, that's the really hard bit too. Saying to someone 'I don't get it' or 'I don't really like what you're trying to do' so the dream crushing aspect is not something any of us relish. You've got to give enough credit to people by being honest with them instead of just saying how fantastic it is all the time, because you know it's a competition at the end of the day.
What's the level of talent been like?
It's been great, yeah because people go through such a rigorous process before they reach us, so we have some weird people still, but not on the same level.
So who are you listening to at the moment?
Well, erm that's a toughie. I really want to listen to the new AC/DC album. (ooh we've had that in this week!) what's it like? (I've not heard it yet, but the reaction has been good) Ahh well, it got 5 stars in NME last week So I'm going to have to give that a listen
Is there anyone you think is being overlooked at the moment?
Ahh the tough questions! Erm... well I think there is such a lot of acts out there, and they are readily available on the Internet for people to dissect and discuss. There is no filter as such any more, so all the music that could be out there is ready for people to have a look at. And you have all these social networking sites like MySpace who play such a big role in the music industry now. It's the people who are the sifters now, they look through all the music, get people talking and create a buzz about someone they think is good. That's how it works now.
We ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview and Sheree Murphy asked you if you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you?
Well Sheree (laughing) I'd take my baby, my husband and my laptop. Providing they have Internet on a desert island. (I'm sure they do) oh well, that's ok then.
Lauren is a judge on Orange unsignedAct with Sony Ericsson, Sundays on T4, 12:40pm and is also an ambassador for Warchild. www.orangeunsignedact.co.uk
FemaleFirst-Laura Terry
Tagged in Lauren Laverne