‘Women want to be the best version of themselves’

Bespoke fashion designer, Catherine Walker & Co has dressed everyone from the Duchess of Cambridge to Jerry Hall, but its creative director, Said Cyrus Ismael, has never lost sight of the ‘professional woman who appreciates modern luxury’

Something a little magical has been going on behind the scenes at the Catherine Walker & Co London atelier. From the mannequins to the dress rails at the Sydney Street boutique, many of the 26 pieces now in Catherine Walker’s autumn/winter collection have a playful, illusory quality to them – whether it’s the gathered bow detail on a crêpe dress that resembles an artfully pulled hemline; the perfectly cut lapel that in reality is lace filling a gap in the garment, or even the A-line dress that only appears to have a separate bolero-style jacket that can be whisked off at a moment’s notice. Someone clearly has been having fun.

That person is Said Cyrus Ismael, a former lecturer in design at the Chelsea School of Art and creative director of Catherine Walker & Co, who, for the latest collection, has injected clever, quirky touches in a way that can’t help but make the wearer smile and marvel in equal measure. “There is a strong sense of illusion in the new collection,” he says, holding up a military-style dress, complete with a trompe l’oeil jacket and brass buttons that could easily fool the casual observer.

Catherine Walker & Co is where the discerning dresser comes for timeless classics, where mothers-of-the-bride are delivered faultless tailoring (Carole Middleton is counted among them), where brides-to-be are guaranteed a show-stopping creation to walk down the aisle. While as Cyrus points out, “We can’t avoid trends, we take them in on a subliminal level”, the emphasis at Catherine Walker & Co is very much on “easy to wear, rather than the avant-garde”.

And nothing illustrates the couture House’s timeless appeal better than the 26-year-old woman who recently walked through the door carrying her mother’s vintage Catherine Walker coat, asking for it to be altered to suit her. “It was a wool flannel with velvet collar in grey,” says Cyrus, with photographic recall. “It had a nipped-in waist and was perfectly timeless. That was a coat that was made to last.”

Started in 1977 by Cyrus and his late wife Catherine Walker, who died four years ago, this iconic British brand has been a stalwart of the luxury fashion market for almost four decades, and was a firm favourite of Princess Diana, who wore hundreds of their designs. The House has always been very discrete about its patrons in the public eye but other devotees of Catherine Walker & Co include Darcey Bussell, Jerry Hall and Natalie Imbruglia. The Duchess of Cambridge also wore the House on her Royal tour to New Zealand and Australia, which resulted in the accolade “notable ensemble of 2014” in Vanity Fair‘s international best-dressed poll.

But for all the celebrity credentials, it is the “professional woman who appreciates modern luxury and craftsmanship” who Cyrus keeps in mind while designing. “Catherine Walker & Co is for women who want the very best versions of themselves, whether it’s a wedding gown, cocktail dress or a City suit. They come here for the personal service, the 30-odd measurements, the fittings, the whole experience. From the calico to the final fitting, we can create a piece in six weeks. If you want dignified and elegant, you come here.”

Something tells me the 26-year-old customer with the grey flannel coat might could well be paying a visit with her own daughter when the time comes.