LB Chapter 1

Daddy, Who were the Clash

A/W 2000

sugar sweet so is she

In an unexpected move, the then-Vogue Editor packed it all in to run away with her first love: fashion design. Luella's passion fast-conceived Daddy, I want a pony, her slightly illegitimate first-born showcased at a mate's (Pulp Bassist Steve Mackay) apartment to a very 'people' crowd. Sweetness followed and Miss Bartley debuted her first official collection by the following season. Daddy, who were The Clash gave the masses their first glimpse of Luella-shaped magic. It was girly and heart-shaped but with some seriously spiky edges.

Skirts were pencil thin, exposing fish-net legs, boots were knee-high and leather and the tailoring was razor-sharp crafting an uber spindly silhouette. Grey, black and luke-warm pink dominated the palette. As we learnt rather quickly post-first collection, Luella was head over heels for prints, in true Vespa spirit mono-checks and public-school stripes fell in dribs and drabs throughout.

Essentially, Bartley had created a Moddish collection that was simultaneously sugar-sweet and rebellious; the Luella girl rode on the back of a Vespa but was also prone to taking a little joyride of her own. More loosely, the collection raised English-subcultural style onto the broad shoulders of fashion chanting cool Brittania rules YEAH. London had found it's girl in Luella and we were cooly keen for her to stick around, even if we were too shy to tell her to her face.