Issue 34 Romance

I LOVE THE ENERGY, OPTIMISM and ‘can do attitude’ of new graduates - so much so that 60% of the Selvedge team is drawn from our intern programme. We receive many CV's from applicants and, although some of them have been carefully put together by students keen to present the perfect image, over the years we have paid less and less attention to resumés in favour of personal qualities such as persistence, a strong work ethic and a helpful attitude. At a recent conference Stefan G Bucher, writer, graphic designer, illustrator, and creator of the popular online animation series Daily Monster, gave some pithy advice "Be useful, don't be boring. You will never be hungry or lonely." A lot can be said for this approach. It's not easy to make your way in the world but knowing that the best route is from the bottom up makes for an attractive and employable graduate. See what other advice industry figures have to offer, in our feature illustrated by Naomi Avsec.

In a recent conversation with Nora Abousteit, co-founder of the social media sewing website Burdastyle, she mentioned that she believes she owes her job to the dress she made herself for the interview. This revelation speaks volumes about our belief in the power of the perfect dress. From the now famous dress that Grace Kelly wore to meet Prince Rainier for the first time during the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, part of the current exhibition at the V&A (which was described as 'Dior-inspired' but was actually an "easy to sew" dress from the McCall Patterns magazine) to the fairy tale wedding dresses, which seem to have an unbreakable hold on otherwise rational women.

Relationships romantic, platonic and creative are explored in this issue. Putting our qualms to one side, we indulge our romantic side with vintage veils and hand-crafted confections by Basia-Zarzycka in our Wedding Feast shoot, and the enchanting illusions of Isabelle De Borchgrave's paper dresses. We include the intriguing installation by Nina Saunders and Tracey Neuls commissioned to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Sanderson, and the more challenging collaboration in Cultex. The complexities of relationships are explored in Jane Campion's Bright Star, which charts the relationship between Fanny Brawne and John Keats but also touches on the value of professional relationships, on the pride and independence that women can draw from their own abilities and skills. Romance is all well and good but few of us can afford a completely rose-tinted view point!

Polly Leonard, Founder