Candice Lake, Australian born, is a model who then decided to pursue her love of photography and take her chances behind the camera. When she moved to London in 2009 Candice worked for Vogue UK capturing the best of street style during fashion weeks. She now spends her time as a photographer and contributing style editor at Vogue Australia, flitting between two loves London and Australia. As we restored some of her everyday favourites, we couldn’t wait to catch up with her to talk all things transitional style and how to treasure those all time favourites.
What is your go-to Autumn/Winter outfit? Knee high flat boots, a little dress and a big overcoat. How do you transition so seamlessly from an Aussie summer to winter in Europe? By continuing to wear said summer dresses just under huge overcoats! Coming home to London after a long gorgeous summer in Australia is HARD, but then Winter in London is also quite magical. How would you describe your personal style and what influences you? Clothes have the power to change the way you feel about yourself and how perceive you. I think of my clothes as armour. A bit like, ‘who do I feel like being today?’. If I am in the office and dropping my kids off to school I am in my country boots and walking coat and then if I’m in meetings I love a good suit and then in the evenings I have a ‘more is more’ approach with lots of colour and texture. I really base it on how I am feeling and where I will be going. In light of the 30 wears movement, what’s something you will always pick to re-wear? I do not follow fads or trends and only buy things that I can see myself wearing over and over again. I have always invested in good coats that I know I will will be able to continue to wear for many years to come. My favourite coat in my closet is a Lanvin coat that I have had for 13 years when Alber Elbaz was there. It is still so incredibly chic and I wear it all the time. What’s something you would never wear? Platform shoes. I am 6ft tall so I don’t really need the height, although more than anything I am too uncoordinated to walk essentially on stilts! What are your tips and simple things we can do to be more conscious consumers? DO NOT BUY FAST FASHION. Save your money and buy one beautiful cashmere jumper and then really look after it. Don’t buy a cheap jumper each season and then thrown them out once they start to pill after a while. If you buy quality items and really take care of them, they will last a lifetime. Buy a beautiful pair of boots and then polish them and resole them when needed to get them in good condition. Look after your pieces so that you don’t have to buy something new each season. What’s your most treasured item in your wardrobe and how do you look after it? I really respect everything in my wardrobe and I know it sounds weird but I think of everything in my closet as using up lucrative real estate. If I am not using or wearing an item enough, or I look at something and don’t feel immediate love for it, it goes. I think this comes from being on the road for so many years as a model and now photographer and living out of a suitcase. You can only pack pieces that you really love, simply for the fact that you don’t have the space – I have always thought of my closet in these terms -if I don’t love you, you can’t stay. This really impacts my purchasing habits. I don’t buy something unless I LOVE it and want to wear it for many years to come. |
