Tailor Kate Starkey thought it was high time a bespoke tailoring service was on offer for women. marmaLADYa.com finds out all about her gorgeous cottons and silk-satins

How did you get into tailoring?
Actually I fell into it by accident. I started up a tailoring company for someone else, four year’s ago, and he offered me a job. So I trained as a men’s tailor. I learnt from tailors who make suits for Savile Row. Originally I studied interior architecture, which is about incorporating modern aspects into buildings but respecting how they were built in the first place. All the fun of architecture but without the law and plumbing! You learn the process of design and construction. It’s a very visual art. There’s definitely a link between architecture and fashion. I’ve just got back from an exhibition in LA called Skin and Bones, which explores exactly this link.

Why did you decide to set up Kate Starkey Couture and move into womenswear?
I love clothes and fashion. On a practical level I wanted to do something about what’s out there at the moment. Fit for women is a big problem. How many times have you gone into a shop, found a nice pair of trousers, your card is at the ready and they don’t fit properly. That has always bugged me. The whole of Savile Row is dedicated to mens’ suits, and Jermyn Street is dedicated to mens’ shirts. What about women? At the moment as a woman you have two options. You can go to a shirt-makers or buy on the highstreet. At the shirt-makers you will be given a man’s take, very corporate and masculine, probably in two styles and three colours if you’re lucky! It doesn’t celebrate women’s femininity. Why shouldn’t a woman be able to get a good suit or shirt fitted to them? What I want to do is offer bespoke clothes for women with elegant style, interesting details and all the options that men get – like the monogram on your cuff, which is a lovely detail and which isn’t available on fashion shirts.

How do you find working for yourself?
What’s great about working for myself is that I get to make all the decisions! I can design my website just the way I want it. I have strong ideas about how I think brand should be presented which I can follow through.

Do women want bespoke tailoring?
Yes! The cry from the City is that there’s nothing out there. Going high fashion is not an option. And there are women who don’t work in an office but who want a perfect-fitting shirt. No one really offers women’s tailoring on my level. I think women are coming round to idea of investing more in their work wardrobe. You reap the rewards, from the garment lasting longer to having fantastic personal style. People in the workplace are very visual and appearance is very important. Wearing something that is a little special and different, that has been made for you and fits well, gives off a certain message. You look like you mean business.

How do you go about fitting a shirt?
I go to people’s offices and homes to make up a shirt pattern. It usually takes an hour. I go all over London – I’m hoping to get a Smart Car to help me with my whizzing around! I bring all my cloth samples, beautiful cottons and my lovely silk satins, which are my best sellers. They are gorgeous! You decide you how long you want the cut, so it will tuck in well to your jeans or trousers, how waisted you want it, and where you want the second button – which is key to deciding how much or how little cleavage you want to reveal. There’s enormous attention to detail. It’s all hand cut and handmade. It’s completely different from going in to a shop and thinking: “That’ll have to do.”

And what about the price?
Shirts in The White Collection are £145, which are made out of cottons. Then I have my Purple Collection, the silk satins, which are £175. I source my cloths from specific mills in the UK, Italy and Switzerland. There’s a one-off £25 fee for the shirt pattern. I do have people saying £175 for a shirt is very expensive. But then one of my clients, a director for Gucci Group, has seen off-the-peg shirts for £1000 in Bottega Veneta!

Do you do suits?
I have finally found a tailor for my ladies suits; it’s taken me three years! I have the most amazing selection of cloths for the suits, which will be coming on board at the end of March.

Any shirt-wearing bugbears?
I hate shirt tails hanging out, and constantly tucking in your shirt is a bad look. All my shirts are tailored quite long so they can tuck into your jeans or trousers. Also there are certain highstreet shirts that shrink at different levels, so you never know which size to buy, which is really annoying. A too-tight shirt is not a good look.

Do you wear your shirts?
Yes! All of the shirts look great with jeans, but the silk satins especially. All you need is a silk shirt, pair of jeans, heels and you’re done! The Rita design is a little bit more relaxed – white shirts and jeans always go down well with the guys! The Veronica, with the tie, gets the most stares. I wear the tie slightly loose like a necklace. It’s quite fun and sexy. All my shirts are named after old movie stars.

For more information on Kate Starkey’s bespoke tailoring womenswear service visit Kate Starkey Couture, email kate@katestarkeycouture.com or ring 020 7100 1330.