She’s releasing a simple, modern fashion line and telling all in her memoir – but the entrepreneur is taking it all in her stride. By EVE CLAXTON.
Tamara Mellon, OBE, has spent the past month in a state of perpetual motion. The fashion entrepreneur, best known for co-founding Jimmy Choo, is finishing up a promotional tour for her tell-all memoir, In My Shoes, while also launching her new clothing and accessories line, Tamara Mellon, of modern closet staples. "I’ve come through the eye of the storm," she says, sitting on a purple couch in the otherwise all-white living room of her Upper East Side apartment. Barefoot in sweatpants and a tank, she seems poised, despite her manic month.
Both the memoir and her line have come to fruition since she left Jimmy Choo in 2011. “I thought, I can either stay put for five more years," she says of her decision to leave the brand she spearheaded since 1996, "or risk starting again.”
Leave she did, from London to New York. “My daughter’s father [Mellon’s ex-husband, American scion Matthew Mellon, with whom she remains good friends] had moved to Manhattan, so that was a big motivation," she says of her decision to relocate. "I wanted Minty [her daughter, now 11] to grow up around her dad. I think that’s so important for girls.”
It was in New York she hunkered down during a year-long, non-compete agreement (part of her exit deal with Jimmy Choo.) It wasn’t long before Mellon was dreaming up her next venture. The Tamara Mellon capsule collection comprises the easy, sexy pieces Mellon herself favors: cashmere tees, pencil skirts, leopard-print trenches and sleek accessories.
"It was good to take a break because it gave me time to really think," she says. "That’s when it hit me: I wanted to do a seasonless collection." Rather than showing at fashion week, the line operates on a "buy now, wear now" basis, adding new items each month. "I don’t know any woman who wants to buy a coat in July," she observes. "I took a poll of 50 women I respect and asked them if they would rather buy a coat in October. The answer was a resounding, ‘Yes, please!’"
Mellon lights up when talking about her collection; it’s clear that fashion and business are her twin passions. They’re also in her blood: her mother, Ann Yeardye, was a Chanel model, and her father, Tom Yeardye, co-founded the Vidal Sassoon chain of salons. Mellon started out selling T-shirts in London’s Portobello market, before graduating to accessories editor at British Vogue.Soon, she collaborated with a Malaysian-born shoe designer called Jimmy Choo, transforming the company into the multimillion-dollar cultural touchstone it is today.
Young, red-carpet friendly, and one of the few female fashion entrepreneurs, Mellon became the face of Jimmy Choo. But, she writes in her memoir, secretly she was struggling with a dysfunctional relationship with her mother (whom she sued for return of shares in Jimmy Choo and is now estranged from), her tempestuous love life, and an equally stormy professional life (she fended off a hostile takeover attempt by her own CEO in 2007). “The toughest moment was when my father died [in 2004], because he was my rock,” she admits. “To lose that one person you really trust, who has no agenda with you… That was very, very difficult.”
Despite the book’s often painful content, Mellon says it has been cathartic: “Like putting a lid on the past and moving on.” Since moving to NYC, she says, she is finally finding her voice. “I’ve been able to create my own team – I incorporate a culture that supports women,” she adds. She is in a new relationship with Hollywood talent agent Michael Ovitz, and can turn to her fellow female entrepreneurs for support: “Diane von Furstenberg gave me unbelievable advice,” says Mellon. “I was going through some issues, and she just looked at me, and told me everything I needed to do without me even opening my mouth.” Tory Burch has been equally supportive. “She’s been through her own ups and downs,” says Mellon. “She’s amazing.” She also speaks of her admiration for Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, whom she met recently: “I love her honesty. If more women in leadership roles speak up about their experiences, other women will realize they’re not alone.”
As Mellon is the daughter of an entrepreneur, I wonder if Minty is thinking of going into the family business. “She’s certainly interested in what I do,” she says. “Whatever she decides, I hope she can find that inner resilience to do what she loves. When you find your passion, everything else follows.” In My Shoes (Penguin) is out now.
Tamara! Shame most of the images in this thread are now red Xs.
