Karen Binns: always an inspiration, if they could bottle her vibrancy, I’d buy it by the gallon!..

Karen Binns has been a close friend for nearly a decade: I wore sequins and deco to her wedding, she was the only person crying at mine (and i thought i was the hopeless romantic!)…

Whenever I might need feedback on an idea I am working on, Karen’s advice always pushes me further: she seems to talk in big, inspiring visual metaphors, they are colorful, filled with hope and potential.  I have never had a bad night out with Karen, she is so much more fun than me: from Paris parties, to London clubs, via tea on Brick Lane, or hot chocolate at Angelina’s (our Paris Fashion Week office), we can talk for hours about Jack Cardiff or Edith Head, I always come away from meeting Karen feeling great – and that is a real and rare talent.

Her work in the music industry is well-known: over a decade working with Tori Amos, she put Estelle in silver and makes her shine, while Mr Hudson is hot now thanks to her and various pairs of slim fit slinky trousers.  Meanwhile she is creative consultant for Bernard Chandran, who’s international view of glamour i always enjoy at LFW and has launched her own magazine What? which gives a forum for the new and a place to see Karen’s world on paper.