I think this was the first bodice pattern I ever drafted to my own measurements. I must have been about 17. It’s a simple little top with princess seams over the bust and a zip up the centre back. I found the pattern the other day whilst searching for an entirely different one, and thought hey, lets see if it still fits?! It did, just, but there was no room for breathing or eating which are two things I really enjoy doing, so I added what I think might become my trade mark; the gold side stripe. This special stripe basically appears when I fuck up on sizing or run out of fabric (as in the navy cashmere trousers from January). It is sort of my equivalent of Kintsugi. You know the ancient Japanese tradition of repairing broken ceramics with gold leaf? It highlights the cracks rather than trying to hide them, and makes the piece all the more valuable and beautiful in the process.

First rule of sewing: do not fear mistakes.

Second rule of sewing: always have a stash of emergency gold silk close to hand.

Third rule of sewing: if in doubt add some embroidery for good measure.

I remember after one particularly frustrating day during my tailoring apprenticeship, calling my brother three finger Pete for a pep talk. He is a bespoke carpenter and wooden boat builder whose apprenticeship years made mine look like a pyjama party. He told me this, ‘you never stop making mistakes, you just get better at fixing them.’ He’s a wise dude. I owe my gold stripes to him.

The Pink Silk Top by Made My Wardrobe