If there's one style star we can't get enough of during the circus of fashion weeks, it's Ella Catliff. The delightful Brit has become known for her street-style-worthy wardrobe and pithy blog, La Petite Anglaise. Now she's teamed up with lingerie giant Triumph to help ladies find 'The One'. We sat down with the lady herself to talk all things undies...** **
Grazia Daily: Hi Ella! Tell us how this collaboration came about…
Ella Catliff: I’ve always been aware of Triumph because it’s been around for 129 years so the underwear is iconic. Their Stand Up for Fit campaign last year was really strong and I helped them with exposure, so then they got in touch through [model agency] Storm to invite me to be part of the new campaign.
Grazia Daily: And what can we expect from this campaign?
Ella Catliff: It’s six bloggers including Liberty London Girl and Sali Hughes. It was a really great shoot and I brought in a rail of my clothes to style the lingerie with. Triumph were looking for different aesthetics and body types that can bring different things to the images.
Grazia Daily: So what makes you a Triumph woman?
Ella Catliff: There is definitely no one Triumph woman, which is the point of the campaign and a really important part of the brand. We all have different body types and different styles so we can each bring our own uniqueness, which was a very clever idea.
Grazia Daily: Do you struggle to find the right underwear?
Ella Catliff: Yes! I practically have no boobs, but it is still really important to find the right bra. It’s worth putting the time in to find the one for you and recognising it’s important for everyone, whatever your shape or size. Everyone has a different problem, whether you have big boobs or no boobs.
Grazia Daily: Have you had any underwear disasters in the past?
Ella Catliff: Endlessly as a teenager I would wear bras with the big plastic straps, which were clear but glittery. I used to wear them with strapless tops, but I wasn’t fooling anyone with those.
Grazia Daily: Those days are long gone now you’re working with Triumph! Do you have a favourite bra?
Ella Catliff: Yes, the Amourette. It’s the holy grail of bras and is so beautiful. It’s not overly padded or fussy and it’s great if you want to expose a strap because it comes in fun colours.
**Grazia Daily: Is underwear an important element to your outfits?
**Ella Catliff: Definitely. It took me a while to realise quite how important it can be. If you are wearing a sheer blouse and you have a pop of pink or blue or black showing, it can look really great. A little slip top can also be really nice with a thicker lace strap. It’s also really important for your silhouette because if you are wearing a badly fitting bra with a fitted dress, it looks terrible. You don't want lumps everywhere!
Grazia Daily: And do you colour co-ordinate?
Ella Catliff: In theory. I’d love to be tell you that I wear matching underwear every single day but obviously I don’t! I do try to where possible.
**Grazia Daily: Do you have any tips for wearing **underwear as outerwear?
Ella Catliff: The most important thing is to feel confident if you’re going for that look because there’s no point otherwise. You need to be comfortable with the amount of skin that you are showing because otherwise you are going to feel rubbish and it is very easy to tell when someone doesn’t feel confident with their outfit. So have fun with it and go as far as you like, because why the hell not?
Grazia Daily: You're excellent at selfies - would you ever do a Kardashian and take one in your underwear?
Ella Catliff: I would never say never, but I’m not about to go home and do one right now!
Grazia Daily: Can you give us your advice for what to wear for…
…a first date?
Ella Catliff: Wear something that makes you feel confident and sexy and you will project that. For me, I would wear either a skirt or a dress. In theory, it might not matter what underwear you are wearing on a first date but just in case, it’s nice to wear a nice matching set.
…a job interview?
Ella Catliff: Make sure your bra fits really well - you shouldn’t be fidgeting with your bra strap in an interview because that’s not going to come across well. It’s also not the best time to wear spaghetti straps with a neon bra! So I would personally stay covered up, but it really depends where you are being interviewed…
…a swanky fashion week party?
Ella Catliff: I love the dressing up part of fashion week - it’s a time to have fun with clothes and push the boat out and wear crazy, clashing prints. It’s a good time to wear a black lace bra that you can see just a touch of under a beautiful dress . Or you could wear a bra top with a high-waisted skirt. I really like the chic French girls who wear a shirt where you can see the bra.
…a girly holiday?
Ella Catliff: That’s a chance to really have fun and wear whatever you want. A tan looks brilliant with a luminous bra.
**Want to find the One? Check out Triumph's hub here: findtheone.triumph.com