Jasmine Guinness may be an heiress to the Guinness brewing fortune, but it is fashion that is in her blood. The model and self-taught designer’s new label is proving successful for Very, the new online department store launched in July. She was lucky to have a somewhat unorthodox and eccentric fashion “education”. Jasmine’s ancestors and extended family include the beautiful Mitford sisters (Diana Mitford, Lady Mosley, was her great-grandmother); the handbag designer, Lulu Guinness; and Daphne Guinness, haute couture collector and armorial fanatic. Her mother, Liz – “a mix of 1970s wild-child and mod-punk” – made a lasting impression. Jasmine remembers her shocking-pink, satin sprayed-on jeans and purple kaftan, and she inherited from her an abiding love of thrift-shops. She is influenced, she says, by the women whose style inspired her as she was growing up. “There’s a mix of 1920s, ’30s, ’40s, ’60s and ’70s in what I do. My prints might be inspired by paintings, a dress might be based upon a silhouette in a drawing of one of my great-aunts. It’s about clothes I know that work for a cross-section of women – girls I see in the street, my friends. I’m not 24 any more and I’m inspired by real women, not size-zero models.” Jasmine has completed her spring/summer 2010 collection, which is on sale from January, and is working on next autumn/winter’s designs. She hopes to introduce swimwear for 2011. “It’s all about fit and flatter. A woman wants something that holds her tummy in and her bosom up.” All clothes, sizes 8-18, by Jasmine Guinness for Very, available now unless otherwise stated, www.very.co.uk; 08448 222321
Polyester gown with Chinese appliqué, No.GZ9671E, £89, from the Very.co.uk autumn/winter collection. Snakeskin, lips-clutch, £225, Lulu Guinness, Ellis Street, London, SW1; 020 7823 4828. Swarovski-pearl/crystal bracelet, £630; clip-on earrings, £630, Erickson Beamon, Elizabeth Street, SW1; 020 7259 0202. Suede high-heels, £85; www.dune.co.uk
All clothes, sizes 8-18, by Jasmine Guinness for Very, www.very.co.uk; 08448 222321
Picture: JOHN SWANNELL
Left: belted, shirt-dress, No.LE8581B, £49, Very spring/summer 2010, (available from January 2nd). Wolford tights, £18, Fenwick, New Bond Street, London, W1; 020 7629 9161. (Bracelet, Jasmine’s own).
Right: floral polyester tea-dress, No. GB8381E, £49, from Very autumn/winter collection. Patent shoes, by Insolia, £39.50, Marks & Spencer; 0845 302 1234 (necklace Jasmine’s own)
All clothes, sizes 8-18, by Jasmine Guinness for Very, www.very.co.uk; 08448 222321
Picture: JOHN SWANNELL
Polyester-satin, ‘prom frock’, No. GI39013, £59, from Very spring/summer 2010 collection (available from January 2nd). Swarovski-pearl necklace £597, Erickson Beamon, Elizabeth Street, London, SW1; 020 7259 0202. Slingbacks, by Autograph, £45, nude tights, £4; both Marks & Spencer; 0845 302 1234
All clothes, sizes 8-18, by Jasmine Guinness for Very, www.very.co.uk; 08448 222321
Picture: JOHN SWANNELL
Left: pure silk, floral tea-dress, No.GP2071A, £49; peep-toe mules, LG0081B, £27; both Very spring/summer 2010 (available from January 2nd). (Necklace and bracelet, Jasmine’s own)
Right: Chinese, silk/mix, padded jacket with appliqué details, GX8481D, £41; long-sleeve, stretch-cotton T-shirt, No.GB79117, £19; ‘matelot’, button-front, stretch-cotton shorts, No.GO00718, £25; all Very autumn/winter collection. Dotted tights, £19.95, www.mytights.com; 020 7819 0530. Patent booties, £215, Russell & Bromley; 020 7 629 6903. (Ring, Jasmine’s own)
All clothes, sizes 8-18, by Jasmine Guinness for Very, available now unless otherwise stated, www.very.co.uk; 08448 222321
Picture: JOHN SWANNELL
Hair + Make-up: Carl Stanley using Christian Dior Cosmetics/ Paul Mitchell Haircare
Stylist: Hilary Alexander
Fashion assistant: Natasha Cowan
Photographed at Leixlip Castle, open 60 days a year or by appointment; 00353 1624 4430
Picture: JOHN SWANNELL
