Dawn Collinson talks to fashion designer and style icon Coleen Rooney, about her look and her love of clothes
SINCE being thrust into the limelight as a teenager, Coleen Rooney has graduated to fully fledged style icon. Millions of women admire her particular brand of WAG sophistication and she’s enhanced her accessible fashion credentials as an ambassador for Liverpool-based home shopping giants Littlewoods.
Now Coleen has launched her first collection for Littlewoods.com, a 25-piece spring/summer range including maxi dresses, shifts, sharp tailoring and prom styles.
The 24-year-old is passionate about her venture into design and keen to have a hands-on involvement. So, when the company ran a makeover competition to tie in with its Nice Boots Camp campaign, she was the obvious choice to lend a styling hand.
Aurora Davies was the lucky winner of the contest, attracting more than 6,000 online votes, and the 29-year-old was thrilled to have a little celebrity guidance in choosing her prize.
The mum-of-one picked up £5,000 cash and was able to take two outfits away from her photoshoot day.
Coleen was clearly delighted to see how her collection looked on a real-life model and share a few tips with Aurora.
And she was happy to reveal a few of her style secrets too, as Real put the number one Scouse WAG in the fashion hotseat.
Q: What was the first designer piece you bought?
A: It was a Marc Jacobs dress from Justine at Cricket to wear to Wayne’s dad’s 40th. It was when they only used to stock a tiny bit of ladieswear, even before the Cricket leopard or zebra print bags, it was still the old black and white menswear bags. I know because the first picture of me walking to school I actually had the bag in my hand!
I was 16 so it was quite a grown-up choice but I don’t know what made me choose that particular dress. I hadn’t seen it in a magazine, although if I see something I like it doesn’t matter what label it is or whether it’s high street or designer. So I really just liked it and obviously when I tried it on it fitted me nicely.
When I look back I think I’ve always dressed in mature labels for my age but then made them a bit younger with the accessories I’ve teamed with them.
Later on I bought a Juicy tracksuit, it was at the time when Jennifer Lopez had made them massive, and then I just got familiar with what was there. I used to go to Wade Smith a lot as well because they had totally different labels to Cricket.
I’ve still got the Marc Jacobs dress and I have worn it since. It’s a bit like a prom-style and it’s candy stripes which is quite bold. I loved it, though, so it’s in my wardrobe still.
Q: If you could only save one piece from your wardrobe, what would it be?
A: Probably my Chanel handbag.
I remember buying my first one when I was on holiday, it was brown and I just wore it all the time. Since then I’ve got a couple more but I’ll have that forever, it’ll always look good and I’ll always appreciate it.
As I’ve got older I’ve become wiser with fashion, I think I did used to buy more on impulse.
I remember I bought a blue Balenciaga handbag which I loved at the time, but which I wouldn’t use now because the colour just hasn’t dated well. Now I’d stick to one which I know is going to be more timeless, like a black or neutral shade.
Q: You’re now a style icon to lots of women, but whose style do you admire?
A: It is nice for me when people say ‘oh I like what you wore’ and now what I really love is when girls come up and tell me that they’ve just ordered something from my collection.
I haven’t seen anyone wearing it yet, but it’s still early so I think maybe I’ll start to see more and more and when I do I’ll just have a little smile to myself.
I don’t really have one style icon, I tend to take bits and bobs from looks and then try and put my own mark on them. I think if I had to choose one it would be Audrey Hepburn, because her style was just so elegant and classic, the simple black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s was really beautiful. I try to choose things that I know, when I look at them in a few years’ time, I’ll still think ‘oh I really like that.’ Someone now I like is Blake Lively from Gossip Girl, I like the fashion choices she makes.
Q: Has your style changed since you had Kai?
A: Not particularly although my choice of footwear has!
I can’t wear heels all the time if I’m out with him so I’ve got a lot more flats now than I used to have.
The last thing I want when I’m trying to get the buggy in the car, especially if there’s lots of photographers around, is to be worrying about whether I’m going to fall over in my heels!
Q: Because you’re photographed everywhere you go, are you high maintenance when it comes to your look?
A: No, I’m really not. If you give me an hour, I’ll take an hour. If you give me four hours, I’ll take four hours! But if I have to I can get ready in 15 minutes, it really does just depend on what I’m given. In the daytime, I’d sooner just be comfortable, but at night-time I love the whole process of getting ready, like every girl in Liverpool. Getting my hair and nails done and spending time on choosing an outfit and just getting glammed up.
I love that whole feeling and I think if I did that every time I went out, it just wouldn’t be special any more, so I like to separate the two.
