SHE has been hailed as one of fashion's great visionaries, and can count Ugly Betty and The Devil Wears Prada among her screen credits – as well as half of Hollywood. But it was her individual signature styling, her love of quirky accessories, Manolo Blahniks and glamorous fashion that propelled New York stylist Patricia Field to fame as the creative genius behind those iconic Sex And The City outfits. Now she's sexing up the high street – and Marks & Spencer – with an exclusive coll
"It's just amazing to be working with such an iconic brand as M&S," says Patricia of her one-off, limited edition design collaboration, which launched this week. "I have conceptualised the line as 'Destination Style New York' and it consists of iconi
c womenswear, including matching accessories. I like to see it as expression of my philosophy of 'the democratisation of luxury'"
The 35-piece range which "reflects Patricia Field's individual signature styling combined with Marks & Spencer's exceptionally high standards in quality, precision cutting and finish" embodies the splashy and exuberant lifestyle that she has consistently created in her work with stars such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Lucy Liu or Meryl Streep.
"The collection has a luxury appeal with a wink to on-trend, high-octane glamour and focuses primarily on dresses as well as a capsule collection of tops, trousers and accessories," adds Patricia.
"I see fashion as an artistic expression of how you adorn yourself. There's no lie in it. Costume is separate. Fashion is a self-expression and costume is an application.
Colour is extremely important to me (too]. Colour is part of our real existence. I don't understand when people don't respond to colour. It's like not responding to music. Like when people surround themselves with 'neutrals', and make their houses beige. I find that unnatural. And that love of neutrals? It's definitely about something not good - I don't know whether it's fear, or what, but to me colour is organic, so to deny colour is not natural."
It's safe to say, therefore, that the Marks and Spencer's collection is far from understated. Prints feature significantly from polka dots, stars, stripes, animal print and traditional florals. Highlights include a statement floral print dress in champagne and black with puff ball skirt, an on-trend tailored jumpsuit, a sophisticated shift dress in deep turquoise with wide flowing chiffon sleeves and a black stretch satin corseted halter neck dress. No wonder Marks and Spencer is delighted with its new collection.
"We are thrilled to have pulled off this deal with Patricia Field – as soon as we heard about the collection I knew we had to have it," admits Kate Bostock, M&S executive director of clothing. "We were determined to have exclusivity on it, not only in the UK but also in our international markets, as it is such an amazing collection and a big 'first' for us."
And as Kim Cattrall says of her designs: "There is no-one like Patricia Field, she creates trends by herself."
