This is your first collection with MAC, a cosmetics brand. What are your feelings about it?

CO: I generally love including beauty accessories into everything. That’s how I call them I guess - because beauty isn’t just about the products, it’s about the accessories. And this all is being inspired by the old Hollywood glamour. I think I see the essence of my brand in it, it’s not necessarily a playful collection, it’s about the foundation that inspires me in fashion in the first place – I just love glamour.
It’s also that I love the ritual of dressing up - the idea of the rich girl dressing up, and having a rich dressing table with all your products and accessories. So it was really important to put these bits and pieces together and I loved collaborating with MAC and being able to design all the packaging as well - designing something that was beautiful on it's own. Because for me makeup is an accessory whether it’s being worn or not. 

Where does the spiderweb on the packaging actually come from?

CO: There’s a book, children's book - which I think is well known in the UK and in America - called Charlotte's web. It’s a lovely book actually, it’s something that I’ve loved when I was younger, because of my name. My sister is Alice, so she had everything Alice in Wonderland, but I liked Charlotte’s web.
When you’re younger and something got your name on it, it’s always your favorite character, right? So it came from that.

Apart from that, what do you read now, what are your favorite books?

CO: In general, I am a big Agatha Christie fan, so I have read her books twice over, probably since I was twelve, and all the movies, and the re-runs…  Agatha Christie is generally one of my favorite authors and what I am currently reading right now… I just read a book from the 40s or 50s "I Married adventure" by Osa Johnson which is the title of my spring-summer collection. It’s a book about her travels, she travelled around the world with her husband and they used to fly themselves around the world, so it’s old-fashioned and emotional. And I kind of always bring that sensibility into all aspects of my life, so it’s even the books that I read, are old fashion or inspiring from that era. I’m quite themed I guess, even in my personal life. It inspires me on all levels, I guess.

You do look absolutely glamorous - so elegant! If I’m not a high heel kind of girl, would you have a recommendation for me? How to pick a pair I’d actually wear - what’s the trick?
 

CO: I think it’s to stop saying “I don’t wear high heels”. I mean, have you tried? It’s like with a red lipstick. Try, and the let me know how it felt. Then try again and find your shade. Maybe it’s about finding your heel. A heel height you’re comfortable with. Just because I make super high heels doesn’t mean I am a high heel girl, or that I think everyone should wear them.
I think the thing is to never say never and try first and work your way around it. There’s not a chance there’s a high heel you can’t wear.

Is it true, that when you get ready in the morning, you put on shoes first?

CO: Oh well, I like to say I dress from the feet up, but I might not literally do so. But I do pick shoes first, there something truly romantic about that. I like to think that the shoes you choose to wear in the morning can absolutely determine your day or might change your day ahead. If I know I’ll have a super busy day or go on a walk with my three boys in the park, I am not going to reach for my high heels, even though some people do.
I like to wear fun shoes. If I really feel like I’ll conquer the world today, I’d definitely reach for my highest, most flamboyant pair. It really can determine my day.
Even if it might not be the most practical, running around in my high heels makes me feel great. I like wearing flamboyant shoes on a daily basis. That’s why I love dressing up anyway, because life is short and why not enjoy it a bit more, why not dress up, wear that dress, why save things? I like the ritual of dressing up. It might make your mood better. If you’re feeling down, put on that red lipstick. Put on those shoes. It might be superficial but sometimes it’s those little things that help an attitude.
It can be uplifting in every sense of the word – even literally. And lipstick can brighten your day literally too, so why not.

Considering all this glamour and the “old Hollywood classy attitude” of yours, where does the edginess in your collection come from? It seems rebellious to me in some way.

CO: Really? That has never been presented to me in that way. Do you mean t