What a tremendous experience it has been to take part in this special event the-miumiu-london. Overheard this week was “So many restaurants and hotels try so hard to create this vibe and here it is at the-miumiu-london in just three days.” And it was an incredible vibe. There was a one of kind, decadent backdrop at Cafe Royal, with lovely fashion, cuisine and speakers, but what stayed with each of us was a sense of momentary greatness for women. The coming together we shared in was so affirming to us all, in terms of continuing creative work and thinking on our own. I know I have so much more to explore after all the inspirations from our guest speakers and guests. My own personal “girl in” takeaway?
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After yesterday’s conversation with the filmmakers, I was so inspired by the notion of women telling their stories in beautiful ways. Today, I have been fully charged by Penny Martin and Shala Monroque on the topic of female role models. So many ideas were raised by our group, from the importance of imagination, to the courage needed to be a woman and the responsibility of being in the media. Importantly, we found that a role model is not necessarily someone you want to be, and an example for good or for bad. Yet admiring these female ideals can make it hard for us, if not impossible to live up to. I thought of one of my own impossible role models, St. Teresa, who said, “Let nothing startle you.” In our hectic, mobile world, with the constant change of fashion it is difficult to retain composure, though both Penny and Shala set a fine example of it tonight, among a group of incredibly thoughtful women.
Yesterday, I had a moment to sit down for an interview with tonight’s roundtable speaker Shala Monroque to get her thoughts on fashion and culture. Afterward, we ended up moving on to the lounge for drinks to continue on this fantastic idea of London and the ideas expressed by clothing.
How do you feel about the-miumiu-london, this coming together of women, creativity, and ideas?
I think it’s a brilliant idea. So often in fashion we’re always on the run, we’re always chasing the next thing, and we never really get a chance to stop and have conversations…
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Here is the full interview from lunch yesterday at George with Caroline Harvey, Felicity Jones and Bonnie Wright:
the–miumiu–london is a very collaborative event, as is film. What have you learned through collaborating?
Caroline Harvey: Film is so collaborative. Working with Felicity so closely has given me a new perspective on how I would write a character in terms of what she would need and the muscle of how you write one. Her questions have really guided me as I continue to write. We’re quite like-minded so we’re heading toward the same goals.
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