Presenting: Miss Aim’ee

Meet Miss Aim’ee Louise Richards - my bee-you-tiful, totally talented gal-pal.

She’s a glamazon, she’s a fashionista and she has a huge passion for old movies. She’s living in Hong Kong right now, where she sometimes gets poked in the chest by umbrellas because she’s so fabulously tall. She dances in clubs that no one knows exist and she designs pretty, pretty underwear.

For tips and advice on choosing the right bra and why, Miss Aim’ee is your gal.

Introducing….Miss Aim’ee!

Describe Miss Aim’ee in 5 words..
Cheeky, eclectic, imaginative, scatty, excitable

So, what is it you do exactly?
I am a lingerie designer for a company in Hong Kong that designs and supplies for literally everyone in the world, from Victoria’s Secrets to M&S. I also have my own bespoke collection, although it isn’t available in shops.

Why is wearing good underwear so important?
Ohhh, for lots of reasons. For a start, your boobs are always changing, no matter how old you are, due to hormones, age, diet and childbirth, so they need the right support to make sure that as you age, both your bust and posture stay in good shape. It will also help you to avoid pain and discomfort. You should try and get measured at least twice a year to make sure you’re wearing the right size.

Basic tips are: the centrefront (the little bit between the cups) is flat on your chest, the back of the bra is even with the front and that your breast is encased in the wire. You can tell it doesn’t fit so well if there is wrinklage in the cup, or a bulge over, the bra has rode up at the back and if it leaves red marks when you take it off!

It will also makes outfits look better if you have a good fitting bra because they provide a good silhouette and this will make you feel better about yourself! There is a bra out there for everyone, it just takes trial and error to find shapes that suit you, just make sure you wear the right size!

When did you discover your passion for fashion?
When I was a kid, I had Madonna’s Immaculate Collection on video and I used to watch it every Saturday after ballet and dance around to it in my nanny’s living room, with my auntie’s jewellery on pretending to be a flamenco dancer in ‘La Isla Bonita’ or a beatbox graffiti girl in ‘Borderline’. I also had a toy called a Fashion Wheel where you spin this wheel with skirts, tops etc on it, and mix and match costumes together, so I have always been very aware of costume as a whole. But the deal was sealed when I bought my first edition of ELLE (which I still have), when I was 14. It had Sophie Dahl on the cover in a red swimsuit and reading it made me hungry for more, and the next year I did my work experience at Selfridges&Co in London as a press officer assistant and I found this crazy mad world called fashion and I can still do the VOGUE rap!

Who are your style icons and why?
Wowza, tough question. I love pin-up girls from the 40’s and 50’s, and I love the film ‘The Land Girls’ because they look so feminine in war uniforms and tea dresses with lashings of red lippie.

Old Hollywood stars like Marilyn Monroe, Bridgitte Bardot, Jayne Mansfield, and Rita Hayworth generally because Glamour always makes a girl feel good. Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday”, Grace Kelly in “To catch a thief”, Rizzo in “Grease”, Barbra Streisand in “The Way We Were”, Diane Keaton in “Annie Hall”, just because they are all epitomes of style.

Modern girls like Chloe Sevigny, Kelly Brook, Vanessa Paradis, Kelly Osbourne, Scarlett Johansson, Lily Allen (I so want that GILES pink BAMBI dress!), Sophie Ellis Bextor also really appeal to me because they always experiment. I love Peaches and Pixie Geldof, but their mother Paula Yates is an all time favourite. Of course, Carrie in SATC with a little Samantha thrown in for the boldness.

My friends Kate A and Charlotte B also because they have very different, but amazing styles. Random ones include Miss Piggy and Pat Butcher in Eastenders; I just can’t not love big earrings and leopard print!

I heart your style mostest - tell us how you put it together - what are your favourite shops? Who or what inspires your look?
Ahh thanks! What I wear depends on my mood. I don’t sit about and plan outfits for hours on end, but I can usually match it to wherever I am going that day, for example if I was off for a chillout in the park I’d wear my floral maxi, gladiator sandals and big sunnies. It sounds crazy, but in my head I can sort of tell what goes together and what doesn’t and then I just accessorize it right down to my make-up and underwear. I usually chuck in something random as I collect hats, sunglasses and costume jewellery, and this doesn’t always look ‘right’ to other people but to me it is effortless.

My absolute favourite shop for lingerie is Agent Provocateur because it’s like a boudoir inside. However for clothes, I LOVE and miss the British high street, car boots, charity shops, online shopping, vintage shops and markets. I adore some labels like Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson and Vivienne Westwood but I would only buy something if it was really special (and if I could afford it!). I cant choose really! I get inspired by films, art, photography, music, even home ware and beauty…
What are your style bibles?
I don’t restrict myself to certain magazines-but I do love ELLE. I like Vogue but I cant afford most of what’s in there, however, French and Italian VOGUE are amazing. Citizen K is hard to find but it’s really kooky. I like old picture books most of all though-my favourites are ones of Old Hollywood movie stars.

What do you love most about being a girl in the world?
I love that we can get away with being ourselves more than boys can. I also really love my boobs!

We’ve never been to Hong Kong before, what’s it like? If we were gonna come visit - where would you take us and what would be the cool things to do and places to visit?
Hong Kong is a city where east meets west, so it has a mish-mash of everything and there is lots to do. It is hot most of the year but at the moment it is rainy season.

I’d take you for English high tea at the Peninsula hotel, where famous Hollywood stars have stayed and an orchestra plays and you get to eat posh little cakes and sandwiches. I’d take you along the Avenue of Stars to look at the light show, and the skyline is better than New York. We could go to the beach, sunbathe and learn to surf . The shopping is fabulous if you have lots of money as every designer has stores here, but Id take you to the malls which sell lots of cool things (you can design your own shoes and clothes and get them made). The nightlife is pretty good too - my favourite bar is called Feather Boa and it’s a secret bar because it has no sign, just a black velvet curtain so no-one ordinary knows where it is, and inside its like being in Paris; we could have a chocolate smoothie.

What’s your motto for life?
I don’t have a motto for life as such but I believe in good manners, and treating people how I would like to be treated myself. Most of all I believe in “love”, whether it is the people you know, yourself, your job, your things. If you are true to your heart then you can never have regrets, even if things you do seem like mistakes to other people.

Quick fire round: What’s your favourite…
Food: Cadburys chocolate and oven chips
Place: J’adore Paris but I also love Southsea seafront!
Hangout: Anywhere my friends are
Shop: Selfridges&Co (and it has an Agent Provocateur inside!)
Website: I’m a shameful facebook lover, but only because it means I can keep in touch with my friends, otherwise its elleuk.com and ‘The Sun’ online because its trashy!

What advice would you give wannabe fashionistas?
Be yourself. Try not to care about what other people think. Don’t be afraid to experiment, the best icons in the world like Madonna and Kylie have always gone against the ‘norm’ and they constantly change their looks. Accept your body for what it is and dress it in a way you love, but make sure your clothes fit properly so they flatter you. Just have fun and don’t take it too seriously, however flashing your knickers is never a good look (a peek of a coloured bra strap can be cute though!) Oh, and drink lots of water!

The colour pink. Discuss.
Pink flamingoes, pink lemonade, pink Cadillac, pink lips, pink chiffon. Pretty in Pink-‘Nuff said!