Penelope Chilvers | Amanda Wakeley Style DNA Podcast

In this week's episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with the British luxury footwear designer, the wonderful Penelope Chilvers. Penelope grew up in Britain but as a child she spent every school holiday in the province of Girona and her love affair with Spain and local craftsmanship began. For a few years, Penelope lived in the city of Barcelona, working as a painter and designer, she enjoyed riding in her lunch break  in the hills above the city wearing traditional Spanish riding boots. She pursued the idea of bringing the Spanish riding boot to England and commissioned a small number of traditional artisans in Spain to make the perfect equestrian boot to her own specifications. The Long Tassel boot remains a firm favourite in the collection, most famously worn back in 2004 by Prince William’s then girlfriend, Kate Middleton and the photo of her wearing these boots went viral the day they announced their engagement.   We chat about her memories of being allowed to tidy her mother’s silk scarf drawer as a young girl and how that ignited her passion for colour, pattern and luxury.   I ask her about how she feels about being the face of her brand and her response is charming and endearingly humble …she says she feels lucky that she is still relevant. She has clearly enjoyed creating and building her brand…saying it’s like a work of art to her. Both of her daughters are now involved, one working with her on design and the other in marketing and as the company stylist. It is a true family business and Penelope clearly enjoys the cross generational aspect.   I question whether she feels that her style changes when she spends time working in Spain, and she admits that it does actually… she admires the fact that Spanish women have a confidence and a femininity and that it’s probably a little more formal.    In full disclosure I own several pairs of Penelope Chilvers shoes and boots…sublime embroidered velvet slippers, Spanish leather boots and beautiful suede cowboy boots … all timeless classics … I hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks to our sponsor Simple App – use code Amanda for 70% off: https://simple.life/survey?utm_source...