Penelope Chilvers - Style DNA - Season 8⁠⁠

In this week episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with the British luxury footwear designer, the wonderful Penelope Chilvers. Penelope grew up in Britain but as a child she spent every school holiday in the province of Girona and her love affair with Spain and local craftsmanship began. For a few years, Penelope lived in the city of Barcelona, working as a painter and designer where she collaborated with artists and artisans. While living in Barcelona, she enjoyed riding in her lunch break in the national park of Collserola in the hills above the city wearing traditional Spanish riding boots. She pursued the idea of bringing the Spanish riding boot to England and commissioned a small number of traditional artisans in the hills of Spain to make the perfect equestrian boot to her own specifications.  The Long Tassel boot remains a firm favourite in the collection, most famously worn back in 2004 by Prince William’s then girlfriend, Kate Middleton and the photo of her wearing these boots went viral the day they announced their engagement. HRH Catherine, Princess of Wales continues to wear her boots to this day. We chat about her memories of being allowed to tidy her mother’s silk scarf drawer as a young girl and how that ignited her passion for colour, pattern and luxury. She has a dedication to timeless style, designing boots and shoes that will stand the test of time…she really believes in the power of longevity.  She tells me that she loves the process of taking care of her shoes and boots… how footwear can get better with age and wear…  and her desire to teach her customers how to care for their shoes…lovely.   I ask her about how she feels about being the face of her brand and her response is charming and endearingly humble …she says she feels lucky that she is still relevant. She has clearly enjoyed creating and building her brand…saying it’s like a work of art to her. Both of her daughters are now involved, one working with her on design and the other in marketing and as the company stylist. It is a true family business and Penelope clearly enjoys the cross generational aspect.   I question whether she feels that her style changes when she spends time working in Spain, and she admits that it does actually… she admires the fact that Spanish women have a confidence and a femininity and that it’s probably a little more formal.     The Penelope Chilvers brand has gone from strength to strength and has recently added a store in Stow on the Wold in the Cotswolds to its collection. In full disclosure I own several pairs of Penelope Chilvers shoes and boots…sublime embroidered velvet slippers, Spanish leather boots and beautiful suede cowboy boots … all timeless classics … I hope you enjoy this episode. Thank you @penelopecheilvers for being such a lovely guest. xx --- A message from our season sponsor: Join the millions of people hitting their weight loss goals with Simple. To start your personalized plan complete the quiz at simple.life/amanda and use code AMANDA for 70% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices