What Women Wear

Hannah wears Guess Top and Collar

Hannah Nepil 

Hannah is a  freelance classical music journalist which means that on any given day she is likely to be found either reviewing something at an opera house or concert hall, interviewing musicians or writing about them. She also plays the violin - "increasingly dodgily" - and she has recently set up an orchestra which is about to give its first performance.

Hannah wears Zara dress and Collar

2. What do you wear to work?

It depends where I'm going - for the more formal music magazines,

something more conservative, like a longish velvet skirt for example.For more relaxed journalistic offices - jeans, or short dresses. Atthe opera house - anything from ripped jeans to a full-on ball gown,

depending on my mood, ability to plan ahead, and whatever happens to

be hanging in my wardrobe that day.

Hannah wears cos leotard & Collar

3. Is fashion important to you?

Not really - I tend to just wear the things I like and think look good. Having said that, I probably subconsciously follow trends even though I don't realise I'm doing it.

4. When buying an item what are your main considerations?

The way it hangs is the most important thing, then the material,

colour, pattern and whether it's likely to fall apart in three weeks.

Hannah wears Jennifer Sturrock necklace & Prada heels

5. What is your favourite item of clothing and why?

A blue-green chiffony mini-dress with a rounded collar and pleating

down the front that I bought from Joy last year, probably because it's

quite an unusual style, the colour is very vibrant and really stands

out, and the fit is perfect. If - for whatever reason - I really wantto look like the best version of myself - I will probably wear that

dress.

6. Who is the woman you admire most from the past or present?

Probably Jane Austen.

Hannah wearing Topshop tea dress

What Women Wear

What Women Wear: Deborah Blausten

Deborah Blausten works for the Movement for Reform Judaism as a Jeneration Fieldworker (Jeneration is their student and young adult department). She is currently on a Sabbatical from Med School but she has rabbinic aspirations. She loves teaching and does a lot of freelance education. In her spare time she tweets (@DebzyBee), sleeps and shops!

What do you wear to work?

I work in a place where I can express myself through my clothing, which I love! No-one bats an eyelid when I turn up in a maxi skirt and lots of necklaces one day and a mini skirt the next day.My most recent fashion stress was whether my tallit and dress matched for a service I was leading on Rosh Hashannah (Jewish New Year). 

Is fashion important to you?

Very. More like playing with fabrics and prints and the self expression of it – rather than the

what everyone is wearing which is why I prefer catwalk and young designers over high street trends. The way I dress is big part of who I am. People now only laugh a bit when they see I have a Talmud and a Vogue on my desk.

When buying an item of clothing what are your main considerations?

Print, then Fabric, then Cut.

What is your favourite item of clothing and why?

I have a failsafe dress – I got it in Urban Outfitters a few years ago in New York. I wore it to New York Fashion Week last year, I can wear it to Synagogue and I can wear it to the pub.

Who is the woman you admire most from past or present?

I am one of those feminists who always gets told off for having lots of male role models. I grew up with a lot of inspiring women around me so I never felt like I needed to idolise Britney Spears. I do think Caitlin Moran is the best thing ever – she is a modern woman and she's laugh-out-loud funny, gloriously (but somehow stilishly) vulgar and so down to earth. She started conversations between me and my friends about things that we would never have properly talked about otherwise.

Otherwise, I guess my Grandma – she is in her late 80s and still a GP! Her, or Ruth Bader-Ginsburg!

What women wear: Sarah Sleeter

What Women Wear

Sarah Sleeter

FX/SWAPS/CDS Analyst at where Bloomberg LP (Finance for those who don’t know!) Sarah is a lover of all things fashion – not just the everyday clothes but the artwork, the couture.

Ralph Lauren ruffle shirt and Shirin guild skirt

What do you wear to work?

Smart wear – not usually suits though except for an important meeting.

We are the only department not to get casual Friday’s because my boss hates jeans. I like being smart and getting dressed up though.

Orlando's poem precious stone necklace
and Boutique turquoise wrap dress

Is fashion important to you?

Yes – I think even as a kid I would experiment with different things though not always successfully (still not always successfully!). I think presentation is important. I like a mix of trends and my own style – not every trend looks nice on every person. I do read fashion magazines but not religiously.

Vintage gold shirt and Whistles skirt

When buying an item of clothing what are your main considerations?

Price and Quality. I like labels – because usually they are better quality. I don’t mind paying a little bit more because it lasts longer.

Catwalk Collection skirt, D&G top, Swarvski and pearl necklace

What is your favourite item of clothing and why?

My knee length cashmere sweater/jumper/cardigan. It is like wearing a blanket around you. I cant wait till it gets cold out so I can wear it out! I bought it in a shop in Manhatten called Olive and Bette.

I prefer London shopping to Manhatten – I think the quality is nicer and I like the European influence.  I love jewellery but I am too afraid to have any wild jewellery so it is all a bit delicate.

Who is the woman you admire most from past or present?

Armani scarf and Armani dress

I admire bits of different women. In the past it has been important for women to be successful in family life, then with feminism women became career focused, but now we want to be successful in both which puts a tremendous amount of pressure on women. So when answering this question do I choose a woman who has succeeded in family life? Or is it important to choose one who has achieved academically, or politically? Or is it a woman who has been able to juggle both successfully?

What Women Wear

Octavia Hirst

Tavi wear Malene Birger dress

Octavia (Tavi) is the Operations Manager Assistant at the School of Communication Arts; the Chief Charity Researcher at Makerble; the
Founder of Skill Lab http://signup.skillab.co.uk/ and a passionate Social Entrepreneur.
Tavi is a passionate cycler and has a general love all things sporty.  Other true loves include drawing, painting and sculpting.

What do you wear to work?

I am on the casual end of the spectrum which I prefer - Jeans and a t-shirt.  When the mentors come into the school I need to be a little bit more smart though. 

Tavi wears Jennifer Sturrock necklace
pre-loved topshop vest

Is fashion important to you?

Yes and no. When I was younger I didn’t really care.  I am not an avid follower of fashion but now I’m interested in what’s out there to wear and developing my own style. It is not something I prioritise financially but one day! I don’t really follow trends either – I prefer role models to magazine looks.

Tavi wears Sandro t-shirt,  Emesha trousers
& Justine Silverstone necklace

When buying an item of clothing what are your main considerations?

It used to be about how much could I get for my money.
I still buy things that are cheap and convenient but now I make a concerted effort to buy clothes that are going to last. Clothes that will suit me and fit properly so that I don’t have to keep buying new things.
I don’t like constantly throwing things away – it is part of a really wasteful culture. 

Tavi wears vintage lace top 

What is your favourite item of clothing and why?

I have a lot of hand me downs from family members.
I have this interesting and strange dress – it was my Mum’s from the 70s. It’s a tribal looking, dark Maroon, ankle length dress with blocks of patterns and a Kimono style hood. It fits me perfectly but I can’t wear it in any situation because it is just so weird.
I prefer wearing clothes from this era – in so many previous eras we have been restricted by gender or other issues and now we can wear whatever we like.  

I love delicate jewellery. I have lots of lovely family heirloom miniature items, which I put on chains and I love.


Who is the woman you admire most from past or present?

I prefer the word respect but my Grandma. She has lived through complicated and difficult times and she has come out fighting. If I were to choose someone I aspire to be like – My Grandma is a good person to choose.

What Women Wear: Cllr. Susette Palmer MA

What Women Wear 

Cllr. Susette Palmer MA

Lesley George skirt  Silky Kaftan and Justine Silverstone necklace

Susette is the Liberal Democrat councillor for the Childs Hill ward on the London Borough of Barnet Council. She teaches knitting classes and studies glass bead making which she puts into practice through her beautiful bead and silver jewellery creations as well as being an occasional lecturer on cruise ships on the subject of Ancient Civilizations. Susette is also the political wife of the Councillor Lord Monroe Palmer, mother of 3 and  grandmother of seven. 

What do you wear to work?

I wear dark trousers and a contrasting jacket usually Pink, Royal Blue or Aubergine to council meetings.  I occasionally take out the Jean Muir suits (which I bought from the closing down sale).

Vintage Blu Charme shirt and Jennifer Sturrock necklace

Is fashion important to you?

Yes – I have an eye for it and you can’t teach knitting without knowing the trends and the colours.  I find black and grey is extremely boring and I enjoy colours and patterns.

Joyce Ridings cardigan and Indian Silk dress

When buying an item of clothing what are your main considerations?

I generally start with “this is what I need to complete my wardrobe” and I end with something I spot in the corner of a shop. I recently went to buy a blue t-shirt and ended up with a red jacket with butterflies (and the blue T shirt!).

What is your favourite item of clothing and why?

My beautifully embroidered Anokhi jacket from Liberty. I bought it probably in 1970 and it was extortionately expensive for me even in the Liberty sale but I am still wearing it today.

Gerard Darel maxi dress and Justine Silverstone necklace

Who is the woman you admire most from past or present?

Eleanor of Aquitaine – very political, very interesting woman who travelled far and achieved much in an era when male dominance was the norm.

Styled and Interviewed by House of Beth

The Head Piece and the Headdress

Friday afternoon, and I am fighting the temptation to leap into the outdoors and perform some sort of pagan sun dance, celebratating the hot sun that we are ephemerally blessed with. If I were to discard the co-ordination of House of Beth’s wardrobe for my blazingly beautiful sun mistress however, I would need a head-piece (as well as rather good excuse to give to Talia.)

Yes, a head-piece or a headdress is a historical necessity for any form of worship. From the tribal to the Pope today, they all don their hair in preparation for celebration and worship with feathers, jewels and gold.

And as we, the secular masses, prepare to celebrate the summer and worship the sun, do we too don ourselves with a head-pieces? Well, I suppose we wear sun-hats, but as glamorous as they can be, they lack a sparkle that speaks to the sunshine, for they are far too practical to be considered true crowns. For the head-piece, the perfect head-piece, should act as pure adornment, for our own personal jubilee.

Recently flower crowns have been a massive festival must, a wave to the flower power of the ’60s and your inner fairy-princess. You can purchase them from £3 to £75, from Spitalfield stalls to tiny vintage boutiques. New in for the festival look, are the Native-American inspired feather warrior crowns, which is a fun alternative to flowers, albeit a heavy one.

If you don’t fancy the ‘Hiawatha meets the 21^st century look’, House of Beth has provided you with it’s own range of affordable head-dresses, that differ from both the flower power 60s’ and the feather fun. These headdresses are mirrored with our collection of clothes we are releasing this summer that draw upon the cultural event of the year – the Olympics. To me, Olympics says ancient Greece, rather than panting around in sweats, and as Talia’s all time favourite poet was an ancient Greek poet who sang bravely and magnificently on love, we decided to base our ‘look’ and thus head-pieces this season on Sappho.

Wile Weaving Daughter

Sappho embodies the sensual woman, who is beautiful because she expresses her love and vulnerability, fearlessly. She is renowned poetically by sages, through out the ages, for this. And today we too, pay tribute to her love poetry by our collection’s headdresses that celebrate this poetic beauty. When wearing these headdresses, they will transform an ordinary outfit of a simple white dress and sandals into the Sappho goddess, celebrating your own beauty and worshiping life, love and death. They make you feel at once beautiful and strong, like the ancient Greek poetess herself, with gold and pearls.

On this note, I will put on my own headdress and give my skin to the sunlight so I may cleanse the winter away.

Love

S x

N: B Our Ancient Greece inspired head dresses are made for us by the endlessly talented Justine Silverstone, who takes a few jewels and creates the personality of the woman who inspires our collection. Luckily for you, although they look far from high street, they are high street prices, for House of Beth pledges to always offer high range apparel at mid-range prices.