1. Relaxing in the couture showroom at his
wedding boutique in London, Bruce
Oldfield looks very much the sophisticated man
about town. But with a twist. He may be 60 this
month, but he’s lost none of his youthful vigour
and is sporting bright red Converse trainers
beneath his immaculately cut suit.
“Sixty sounds rather scary,” explains the
acclaimed British fashion designer with a smile.
“I read about my age in papers and the number
still surprises me. I feel about 45 and often
much younger.”
Bruce is planning to celebrate the occasion
with friends at San Lorenzo restaurant in
Knightsbridge, which has been one of his
favourite haunts ever since he came to London.
“I’ve never been one for big bashes,” he says.
“Many of the people who will be there I have
known for years so there are sure to be lots of
stories about the old days and plenty of laughter.
That’s very much a perfect evening for me.”
Whittling down the guest list will be no mean
feat for Bruce, who is renowned as much for his
charismatic personality as for his classically cut
gowns. Credited with transforming Diana,
Princess of Wales into a style sensation, today the
designer boasts some of the most beautiful
women in the world as his clients, everyone from
princesses and politicians to popstars.
CUT OUT FOR FAME
Bruce’s story is a classic rags-to-riches tale. Born
in 1950 in London to a half-Irish mother and
West Indian father, he was abandoned as a baby
and spent his childhood in the care of children’s
charity Barnardo’s. When he was 18 months old
he was sent to Durham where he was fostered by
Violet Masters, whose dressmaking skills inspired
him in his future career.
“Violet taught me how to hem, sew on buttons
and do embroidery, which were pretty unusual
activities for a boy at the time,” he says. “I was soon
designing and making clothes for my foster sister’s
dolls and at school age I loved nothing more than
drawing designs for fabulous outfits.
“Violet was very strict and passionate about
good manners and she instilled in me the
conviction that if I worked hard enough I could
achieve anything.
“It’s something I still believe in,” Bruce says.
“I grew up in relative poverty in a home where
there was no money for luxuries and, much as
Violet loved me, I was also reminded from time
to time that if I misbehaved I would be sent back
to Barnardo’s, which made me all the more
determined to forge my own path.”
Gritty determination saw him accepted as a
fashion student at the prestigious Central Saint
Martin’s school of art in London and by the time
he graduated in 1973 he had already won critical
acclaim. That year he staged his first one-man
show for Henri Bendel in New York, later
returning to London to show his first collection.
“I was doing very simple, close-fitting clothes at
a time when the great designers of the day –
people like Bill Gibb and Zandra Rhodes – were
still doing extravagant fashion, so that made me
stand out from the crowd,” he says.
“I’ve always felt that a woman’s silhouette
needs to be seen and accentuated rather than
hidden away, so my designs have always been very
classic and sensual. They’re elegant without being
demure, but also allow the woman who’s wearing
them to feel very much a woman.”
In 1975 the Bruce Oldfield label was born with
thelaunchofready-to-wearcollectionsforEurope
and the US. But the designer’s big break
came in 1976 when actress Charlotte
AS THE ACCLAIMED DESIGNER REACHES HIS 60AS THE ACCLAIMED DESIGNER REACHES HIS 60THTH BIRTHDAYBIRTHDAY
BRUCE OLDFIELDBRUCE OLDFIELD
REFLECTS ON THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL BRIDESREFLECTS ON THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL BRIDES
▲
88
HELLO1133p088-091.indd 88HELLO1133p088-091.indd 88 17/7/10 02:44:0017/7/10 02:44:00

2. ‘I’ve never been very
impressed with fame. It’s
people with personality
I love working with’
Even as he celebrates his landmark birthday,
Bruce is still very much hands-on with all
aspects of the creation of his couture and
custom-made designs. He has just launched a
bridalwear collection – and admits he would
love to design a wedding gown for Kate
Middleton. “She carries everything she wears
with style,” he says
89
HELLO1133p088-091.indd 89HELLO1133p088-091.indd 89 17/7/10 02:44:1517/7/10 02:44:15

3. ‘What we do, we do
beautifully — and I’m
very proud of that’
Rampling asked him to design a dress for her.
Her celebrity endorsement was to be the first of
many. “I’ve always had the gift of the gab and
because of that I find it easy to talk to people,”
Bruce says. “Early in my career I was at a party in
Los Angeles and was introduced to the singer
Joni Mitchell, who had been my idol for years.
That was one of the few times I was starstruck for
a few minutes, but we were soon talking away like
old friends. Celebrities are just ordinary people,
albeit famous ordinary people. I’ve never been
particularly impressed by fame. It’s people with
personality that I love working with.”
In 1981, with the announcement of the
engagement of Lady Diana Spencer to the Prince
of Wales, the naïve young Diana was catapulted
into the public eye and the Palace decided that
dressing her appropriately for her new role was
of paramount importance.
“Diana was initially unsure of herself and quite
unsophisticated – very much a girl who had
stepped into a huge role,” Bruce says. “My job,
along with other designers, was to give her
sophistication and help her develop her style.”
It was a relationship that was to span a decade,
with Bruce credited in part with Diana’s
transformation into the fashion icon of her time.
DRESSING DIANA
“Dressing Diana was very much a baptism of fire,”
Bruce says. “Yes, of course every designer wants to
be working with the most high-profile woman in
Britain, but with that came mass media criticism
of everything from the length of a hemline to
whether a gown was too revealing.
“Diana was always concerned about adhering
to royal protocol. Commenting on a backless
dress we made for her, she raised concerns about
how it would look if people guiding her touched
bare flesh – something that today’s celebrities
would never even consider.”
Bruce has since dressed many other members
of the royal family. “One of my fondest memories
is of a prominent royal client who decided to do
some stretches in the showroom while she was
waiting for a fitting. While she was in mid-stretch,
an open-top London tour bus stopped outside
the window. I don’t know whether the tourists or
the lady in question were more surprised!”
With a potential future Queen of England in
waiting, Bruce makes it no secret that he would
love to dress Kate Middleton. “She has a natural
elegance about her and carries everything she
wears with style,” he says. “She also has a freshness
and youthfulness which hasn’t been overpowered
by formal dressing. Creating her wedding dress
would be every designer’s dream.”
Royalty or not, all Bruce’s clients receive the
same personal service and he remains very much
at the helm of his two boutiques in London. With
his assistant, he personally oversees his collections
of couture and custom-made designs. “It’s still a
small business and that’s the way I like it,” he says.
“I have never wanted to lose that personal
involvement. What we do, we do beautifully – and
I am very proud of that.”
Last year saw Bruce further develop his
collectiontoincludebridalwear.Elegantsimplicity
is key to these gowns, with stunning detail, hand
embroidery and the softest silks creating a
collection that has won international interest.
“I have designed couture wedding dresses for
some time,” he says. “One of the most
photographed was for Jemima Goldsmith’s
wedding to Imran Khan in 1995. Jemima wanted
something restrained but elegant that would be
right for a Muslim bride. I designed a tailored
cream suit with a long skirt and she looked
stunning. I also designed Queen Rania of Jordan’s
weddinggownin1993.Theweddingwasprobably
the most lavish I have attended. As she was getting
DRESSING
THE RICH
AND FAMOUS
Bruce Oldfield, who
was made OBE in
1990, is credited with
helping to transform
a young, gauche Lady
Diana Spencer into
the fashion icon she
became as Princess
of Wales, daringly
stylingherinbackless
numbers (left) as
well as shimmering,
showstopping style
(right). For Jemima
Goldsmith’s wedding
to cricketer Imran
Khan in 1995, Bruce
created the bride’s
vision of modest
elegance (top right).
The London-based
designer also created
Q u e e n R a n i a o f
Jordan’s sumptuous
bridal gown. Her
wedding to the future
King Abdullah in 1993
(above left) was, says
Bruce, who turns 60
this month, “the most
lavish wedding I have
ever attended”
BRUCEOLDFIELD,27BEAUCHAMPPLACE,LONDON.BRUCEOLDFIELDWEDDING,34BEAUCHAMPPLACE,LONDON.TEL:020-75841363;BRUCEOLDFIELD.COM.
ADDITIONALPHOTOS:AFP/GETTYIMAGES.TIMGRAHAM/GETTYIMAGES
HELLO1133p088-091.indd 90HELLO1133p088-091.indd 90 17/7/10 02:44:2317/7/10 02:44:23

4. Rags to riches: Bruce was born in London but sadly abandoned as a baby and taken in by children’s
charity Barnardo’s. At 18 months, he was sent to live with a family in Durham and it was his foster
mother, Violet, who taught him how to sew. “She instilled in me the conviction that if I worked hard
enough I could achieve anything.” Pictured at his office and wedding couture room in London, with
pet dogs Babe and Baz (above and below), the designer has gone on to dress royalty
ready for her evening reception, King Hussein
presented her with a necklace encrusted with
diamonds based on the embroidery on her
evening gown.
“Samantha Cameron’s wedding gown was
anotherspecialcommission.I’veknownSamantha
since she was a little girl, as I designed a lot of her
mother Lady Astor’s wardrobe. Samantha wanted
a gown that was both modest enough for church
and statement-making for the evening, so I
designed a gown with a long-sleeved “body” that
could be removed for the party in the evening.”
He still takes an active interest in the wardrobe
of “Sam Cam”, as he affectionately calls the Prime
Minister’s wife. “She’s naturally elegant,” he says,
“and is just as capable of carrying off high street
labels as she is designer clothes.”
STILL CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH
He may have an OBE to his name as well as
honorary fellowships and doctorates, but Bruce
has lost none of the human touch. “What I do is
all about putting people at their ease and selling
them beautiful clothes and I think I do that pretty
well,” he says.
Asked which woman he’d most like to dress,
he names Nicole Kidman, who has, he says, a way
of carrying clothes that makes everything she
wears look fabulous. “There are some women
who effortlessly have grace. It’s almost regarded
as an old-fashioned quality these days, but it is the
magic ingredient that, along with elegance and
simplicity, carries a woman more than
anything else.”
BRUCEOLDFIELD,27BEAUCHAMPPLACE,LONDON.BRUCEOLDFIELDWEDDING,34BEAUCHAMPPLACE,LONDON.TEL:020-75841363;BRUCEOLDFIELD.COM.
H
INTERVIEW: LIZ KAVANAGH
PHOTOS: IAN JONES
91
HELLO1133p091.indd 91HELLO1133p091.indd 91 17/7/10 03:04:0717/7/10 03:04:07