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Sara Brett
is the Design Director at the family owned eveningwear design company,
Bernshaw. Founded in 1945 by
Sara's late grandparents, Phyllis and Edward Bernstein, Bernshaw remains
a family business and is now one of the UK's leading eveningwear design
companies.
Whilst Sara designs
three collections a year, she has never been to Fashion College - having
a natural gift for design, she learnt the ropes from the bottom upwards
(not unlike French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier).
As a young child,
Sara often visited the Bernshaw studio and was captivated by the design
business. During the school holidays she worked in the studio, helping
out with all the odd jobs and, after leaving school at 16, Sara went to
work for her family professionally, doing "everything and anything".
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However it was
not until ten years ago that Sara began designing for Bernshaw.
Previous customers had regarded Bernshaw as having an older image,
but over the last eight years, Sara has diversified the collection
to encompass a wider and younger audience. Sara believes there
should be "something for everyone". The Bernshaw collection has a
designer look at an affordable price.
Sara has
often looked to the glamour of Hollywood for inspiration. In 1993
Bernshaw interpreted Demi Moore's Indecent Proposal dress. In 1994 THAT
dress of the year with the "safety pins" - as worn by Liz Hurley. Summer
2000, the collection was influenced by the glamorous gowns worn at the
Oscars…such as the pink gown worn by the teary Gwyneth Paltrow or the
red dress worn by Lucy Liu. And who could forget the Julia Roberts
vintage gown worn at the Oscars 2001, recreated by Sara.
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Celebrities including
Natasha Kaplinsky,
Sophie Anderton, Claire Sweeney, Jodie Kidd, Caprice,
Davina McCall, and Jennifer Ellison, amongst numerous other TV personalities,
have worn Bernshaw in the past.
"My clothes are always designed to obtain a
reaction. I spend a lot of time buying fabrics and choosing trimmings, but
what I am really attempting to do is accentuate the confidence and poise
of the women who wear them."
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