By Chrissy Iley
Tanya Sarne’s clothes have literally come with me all over the world. My vast wardrobe is made up of 80% of Tanya’s clothes. It has been an addiction for a long time. Handwritten clothes are beautifully made and not a dry clean label in sight. They are clever clothes and sometimes quirky. Always exciting.
The other day I was on an aeroplane (it was BA) and was reading (in HighLife magazine – yes bored) that Richard E Grant likes to travel hand luggage around the world with two pairs of jeans, six T shirts and two shirts. If it weren’t for shoes I could do that very easily but with Handwritten clothes it would be six dresses, seven tops, two camisoles, one full length party dress, two wraps, two skirts, two jeans. Still room for strappy sandals or flats.
Richard E Grant said his wife and daughter could never travel with hand luggage only (he said it was his dream), on the grounds that all the clothes roll up small and that two weeks isn’t necessarily any different from one week, with a wardrobe of Handwritten I have travelled coast to coast LA to New York and across the continent of Africa. During the Africa trip, which was about rediscovering diamonds as a non blood sport, I met uber stylist Phillip Bloch who always travels hand luggage only. This increased my paranoia and sharpened my drive that all my clothes would co ordinate and travel well, thus my life with Handwritten expanded.
On one unfortunate occasion where I had packed at 3 am for a Caribbean destination, I had packed all tops, no bottoms, all black, in what became known as Helen Keller packing. I have improved since then and sometimes wear grey, (can find it easier among a sea of all black). And on the odd occasion I’m seduced into another shade because Handwritten does have a marvellous eye for colour.
By saying something is easy it often condemns it to be style free and that would be unfair on Handwritten clothes. Sometimes they are unusual, sometimes they are classic. They use wonderful fabric – this seasons tuille is gorgeous and the georgette is super sexy and versatile. There are four collections a year. And within these everyone’s body shape is looked after. There will always be several pieces that are incredibly flattering. Clothes that strip ten pounds from a frame, obliterate thighs, create waists. It’s clever stuff. Some of it is very directional, some of it more timeless. It’s catering to a wide age group yet it caters very specifically. Nothing is diluted and it all fits in a carry on sized roll on.
This summer’s collection is in shops now and will be at the Handwritten warehouse sale July 6, 7, 8. Address: 1-3 Middle Row, London W10 5AT. www.handwrittenuk.com