In this episode of my Style DNA podcast I go on a style journey with the international interior designer Sophie Paterson who is known for creating luxury residential projects across the UK and globally.

To my delight, Sophie arrived for the recording wearing a vintage Wakeley cream scuba jersey two piece given to her by her mother in law which she clearly loves and wears on repeat. It was from a collection that I did about 15 years ago and I can honestly say it looks as current today as it did back then.

I had never met Sophie before but she came across as humble, approachable and wonderfully focused. She is understated and states that it is “all about the client”. I asked her whether she adapts her style to the client she is visiting… she absolutely does, going so far as saying that she will pick out the most controversial colour in the presentation and wear that. If she is filming one of the properties for YouTube she will dress to match each room so that all the focus is on the interior. If she is meeting a client for the first time she will underplay her look saying that the star of the show is the client, it is all about customer service and she doesn’t want to steal their thunder in any way …clever and refreshing…

Sophie talks about how “everyone has an age to shine in”…hers being her 40’s, however, she understood her silhouette from way before and even going so far as wearing glasses that she didn’t need when she was young in business as she wanted to come across as older.

I loved the advice she was given by her “very stylish mother in law – don’t go smart with everything - if you are going to wear a diamond necklace wear it with a T shirt” … I could not agree more.

Sophie is polished and very considered in everything she does be it interiors, beauty or fashion… I really enjoyed our conversation and hope you do too.

Thank you @sophiepatersoninteriors for sharing your style journey with me xx

In this episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with the celebrated author, entrepreneur and television personality Jo Wood. Her life has been steeped in rock n roll having spent 24 years married to Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.

Jo left home at 16 to become a model, was married for the first time at 17 and had her first child at 18.

Jo hilariously recounts meeting Ronnie at a party having “never been a Rolling Stones fan” …he followed her around the party and asked her where she worked. Having a laugh, she told him she worked on the broken biscuit counter at Woolworths on Oxford Street. When she arrived home the following day she was greeted by a slightly confused Ronnie who had been waiting outside Woolworths for her… the rest is history.

She spent years on the road with Ronnie and the Stones, often travelling with no fewer than 12 suitcases when they toured for a year at a time She clearly loved styling him and doing his wardrobing on stage, whilst respecting the Mick hierarchy in terms of looks…

She has always had a passion for vintage fashion…and over the years she has clearly collected some amazing pieces that are obviously a diary of her life that she will probably never part with. For our interview she is sporting an 80’s Saint Laurent tiger printed velvet jacket that looks as cool today as it must have done when designed…

She laughs at herself when she recounts going on a pilgrimage to Tibet with Sadhguru. Meeting him the morning of their departure he told her that she would be carrying everything she needed on her back. She had to edit her suitcase down in the hotel lobby to just enough clothes to fit in her backpack and how liberating that was…she didn’t miss any of her extra “stuff”…there is probably a lesson there?

Never one to take herself too seriously, Jo tells me that her worst fashion moment was probably post-divorce and being caught on camera in a see through top that was seemingly opaque at home but under the power of flashlights completely see through.

Thank you Jo Wood for being such an entertaining guest xx