A Chat With Bella of Daydreamer London

And some favourite things

• ⭐️ Hamilton dance workshop. My dance school organised an amazing set of classes yesterday, to learn some of Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography from Hamilton, from Christopher Tendai, who was part of the original West End cast and is now choreographer-in-residence on the Jesus Christ Superstar tour, which was just wrapping up its run in Bristol. I don’t know what was more of a treat, getting to learn how the choreography of Hamilton is just as full of meaningful detail as the lyrics are, or watching an incredibly skilled artist break it down for us. Check out the videos on Instagram!

• 🥣 Lakeland Soup Maker. This is not news, but I continue to adore my soup maker. I had a couple of wrinkly red peppers in the fridge, which I added to the not-so-new new potatoes in the cupboard, an onion, a can of tomatoes (plus some sun-dried ones from a jar), and some stock, and then let the soup maker do its thing. Half an hour later, I had a pot of glorious goodness which I can’t wait to dig into (with a cheese sandwich, yum!).

• 📕 Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst. This is an incredible piece of narrative non-fiction describing what happened when Maurice and Maralyn Bailey’s yacht was sunk by a whale in the middle of the Pacific and they survived for 117 days between a tiny dinghy and survival raft. I passed my copy on to my parents and even my dad - who isn’t a quick reader - got through it in half a day. Wonderfully matter-of-fact writing that pulls you through the story. (Amazon - ad, affiliate link)

It’s been a while since I included one of these interviews on the newsletter - the last one was with the lovely Louise Tilbrook, but as one of my favourite independent fashion designers has just taken the super exciting stage of taking over a pop up shop in Shoreditch (!!!!) I wanted you all to have the chance to get to know her too.

I’m really excited to introduce you to Bella - I have a few of her pieces in my wardrobe, and they are just about my favourite things. What’s more, we’re a similar size, even though we’re shaped differently, so I love seeing how she models and styles all her designs; she encourages me to be a bit braver with how I dress. She’s just launched the Dream dress, which I ordered so quickly. Can’t wait to wear it with a sweater vest now and sandals in the summer!

Bella is a sustainable fashion designer from London. Her brand, The Daydreamer London, specialises in statement pieces aimed at becoming your wardrobe heroes, all made from sustainable fabrics in inclusive sizes. As well as everyday and party clothes, she now has a bridal line too. 

Where are you, right now?

I’m sitting on a little folding chair in the corner of my pop up shop in Shoreditch, sipping peach iced tea and generally feeling all the good vibes as spring feels like it’s finally starting. 

What’s your ideal weekend day?

I’m going to cheat and describe my ideal weekend, because it’s been so long since I had a weekend off I’m absolutely dreaming about it. On Saturday I’d wake up super early and go rock climbing, then come home and have a nice big lunch and then a long nap. Then in the evening I’d either get dressed up and go to a lovely dinner in town, or to a gig. On Sunday I’d sleep in and then go for a little “walk and consume”: getting into a nice outfit and getting a nice cold drink and pottering around somewhere with lots of cute shops (Lily: I love that Bella has given this practice a name - I love to put on a cute outfit and go to a coffee shop on a Sunday to write this newsletter and then go for a mooch around). Then I’d have a cosy dinner and a classic movie to top it off. 

What’s your favourite underrated food?

This is a super weird one that will probably put everyone off me, but M&S does this really weird 90s style salad called the cheese layered salad and I’m absolutely obsessed with it. It’s like pasta, cheese, mayo, carrot, and lettuce and it’s gross but in a good way. They stopped doing it for a while and I was worried it was gone forever but now it’s back and I’m eating it for lunch about once a week again. 

What is the book or film that made you you?

Generation X by Douglas Coupland. It’s so rare that you read a book that feels like it gets you so much when you’re 15, and when you reread it when you’re 32 it hits exactly the same. I’m considering getting the line “either our lives become stories or there’s no way to get through them” tattooed on me somewhere. 

What’s the last book that you read and can’t stop talking about? 

It’s got to be Yellowface by R F Kuang. I haven’t read much for the last four years but that one really got me back into it. I also screamed out loud at the ending of How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie. I always guess the twists but I didn’t see that one coming at all. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention my younger sibling Finn Longman’s book, The Hummingbird Killer, which ended on such a stressful cliffhanger I’m beside myself waiting for the next one! 

What’s the under £15 luxury item you’d recommend to everyone?

Le Bon Shoppe girlfriend socks. They’re the best socks imaginable and come in the most amazing range of shades. I’m also obsessed with Cou Cou Suzette claw clips but they’re a cheeky £16! 

Do you have an album or a podcast you’d like to recommend?

My all time favourite podcast is Maintenance Phase. Listening to that has been so healing for me, and helps me cope with medical fatphobia. I also really like If Books Could Kill, by one of the same hosts, and 99% Invisible. 

You've heard of a 'fantasy dinner party'; now what's your fantasy biscuit barrel/ cookie jar? Six biscuits/cookies, for the rest of your life, in unlimited quantities.

I’m going to alienate even more people when I admit this… but I can take or leave biscuits! So would it be legitimate to say I’d trade every biscuit for an unlimited quantity of Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream? Because ice cream is my favourite food forever. (Lily: it’s marginal… but with cookies as the link I’ll let you have it….!)

What is something that everyone else has done but you?

Seen classic 90s movies. I’ve still never seen Titanic or ET! Most of my childhood we didn’t have a TV so I’m still catching up on the back catalogue. 

Do you have a favourite Dad Joke?

Well well well - three holes in the ground!

My dad used to make us wet ourselves laughing with that one when we were kids. 

Inspired by Kendra Adachi/ The Lazy Genius, what’s saving your life right now?

Is it bad to say M&S Formula Ultimate Sleep Cream? Because I’ve worked 56 out of the last 60 days and that’s the only thing that’s making me look fresh on the outside. That or the peach iced tea, which is helping me to feel fresh on the inside. 

I love getting to know a bit more about what makes creative people tick, and even more when they give me recommendations of things I hadn’t previously heard of. The Douglas Coupland book looks so up my street, for a start! Thanks so much for your time, Bella -

Speak soon,

Lily

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If you liked this, you might like a previous ‘back pages interview’ with Coree:

Distracting myself from doomscrolling

Or you might like to read what happened when I put myself in the hot seat: