Interview + Photography by Luke Alland.
"Like most things, there's a fine line between looking stylish and looking like a cartoon, which could be great but you just have to know where the line between a costume and an outfit is. It's a tough one to get right!"
If there is one word to describe Maddie Close, it’s colour. A pure, unadulterated, sheer barrage of bliss can be found in the outfits she puts together. Maddie has been in the modelling industry from a young age and has now started her journey into acting. Film has had a massive impact on her style, especially the films her grandmother used to show her growing up. As we sat down to discuss her 5 things, our conversation meanders around style and influences to the possibilities of colour. We cover the dangers of looking like Professor Plum to Dennis the Menace.
A recurring theme in the lives of many of the best dressed, is the pedigree and education passed on to them by grandmother/fathers and then the parents themselves. Maddie is no different in receiving her education from her mum and her nan, who would provide not only the opinions and inspiration at the start of her fashion journey, but also for the first of Maddie’s 5 things.
Thing 1: Baby Pink '50s Dress
Luke Alland: As with most things you wear, this is an explosion of colour. Run me through the story behind this dress...
Maddie Close: "I was on a trip to Los Angeles, and we'd always go out hunting for vintage bits. I'd been on the lookout for something similar to the dresses my Nan would always talk about and show me pictures of, and on seeing this for the first time, I just knew it was her summed up in a single piece. I had struggled for a while to find something from the '50s that fit me at my height, so as soon as I saw it I had to have it.
"When I came back from LA, my Nan burst into tears seeing the dress for the first time. She was like, 'oh my God, I used to have a dress exactly like that!' Whenever I wear it, I always think about her. Whenever I wore it, it made her happy and at her funeral, it was forbidden to wear black, so I decided to wear this, which makes it even more special."
LA: Was she the first person to get you into fashion?
MC: "I would probably say my mum was. I would sit and flip through magazines with my mum when I was little. She would always encourage me if we ever went shopping, she would pick out something for me and I, you know, at such a young age, probably wouldn't have picked that out
because I didn't have the confidence. She always encouraged me to never conform to what everyone else was wearing. So I really owe that to my mum. But my grandma as well, though.
"I just think it's nice to have this piece and then also on top of that have the memories of LA. To me that's my LA dress, but it's also my grandma's. I feel very lucky to have found it because it's just so perfect."
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