In just over 10 years, Tamara Mellon has established herself as a titan of the fashion world. The former accessories editor turned CEO of Jimmy Choo built the label from the ground up, making it one of the most recognized names in luxury footwear and accessories (and worth upwards of $100 million to boot). After leaving the company in 2012 and penning an ultra-revealing autobiography In My Shoes, Mellon went back to the drawing board, launching a namesake label of her own last fall. Consisting of slick and sexy ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories for the ball-buster inside all of us, the label was an instant sell-out when it launched on Net-A-Porter. This season, the label launches at Holt Renfrew, which the 46-year-old OBE toasted last week in Toronto. While in town, we took a peek inside one of her new bags for a reveal of what a champion accessories designer carries along for a 24-hour jaunt.
Photography by David Pike
Photography by David Pike
Photography by David Pike
Photography by David Pike
Photography by David Pike
1/5
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“This is the Attraction bag. I was really looking for something that had a more clean, modern look but also had my signature identity. We worked really hard on the hardware. It’s very streamlined.
I’m always vintage hunting at things like the Rose Bowl flea market in L.A, I saw an old dress with a pinking on the side and I thought that would be great on the edge of a bag. That’s really where it came from.”
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“I always carry both my iPad and iPhone. The iPad is so small now and I do a lot of work on it. I take a lot of pictures; I store a lot of albums on it for work.”
“The sunglasses are prescription. My inspiration for glasses is Gloria Steinem. I’m obsessed with the way she used to wear her prescription glasses, so it’s a bit of a throwback to her.”
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“The fragrance is created by Inez and Vinoodh and when I smelled it, I immediately switched from what I had worn for about ten years to this one. I don’t know what it is; I just can’t get enough of it. It smells so good.”
Lipstick (from left)
“It’s called Lipstick Queen it’s a new brand and they do really fabulous modern colours. I love the Almay lipstick because it’s super moisturizing and gives you a great glossy natural colour. When I want to wear a red lip I always wear Nars, they have three reds but my favourite is Dragon Girl.”
“People always ask me why I chew so many mints, but they are actually Nicorette”
4/5
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“The travel wallet, I always have it ready to go. It’s always got currency; I carry dollars, pounds, and euros. I always have my own stationary in case I need to write someone note, and my passport. All my travel essentials I keep in one place.”
