Here’s two fun facts you probably don’t know about Beyoncé: 1) her mum used to be her stylist; and 2) she has a taste for jerk chicken. But don’t take our word for it – our intel comes direct from Australian fashion designer Alice McCall, who has dressed Queen Bey since her Destiny’s Child days and recalls sitting on the floor cross-legged with the mega-star, eating jerk chicken and hanging out with Mama Bey.
At the time, McCall was dressing Beyoncé in a corseted Dolce & Gabbana dress, but flash forward two decades and she’s now the proud owner of her own eponymous fashion label – and surprise, surprise, Beyoncé is regularly spotted wearing it. “We’ve been dressing her in Alice McCall for the last couple of years, ever since her stylist – not her mum anymore! – got in touch,” McCall explains to style influencer Jasmin Howell in our FIAT 500 Fashion Files (watch their interview above).
Beyoncé isn’t the only major celebrity with Alice McCall hanging in her wardrobe – right before our interview, none other than Katy Perry strides into the brand’s Paddington store, the paparazzi hot on her heels. “It makes me very proud to be dressing both those women,” McCall tells Howell after Perry leaves the building. “I think they’re brilliant role models for women.”
Like the stars who clamour to wear her clothes, McCall’s success shows no signs of slowing. This year, the brand showed at New York Fashion Week for the first time, presenting their Portrait of a Lady collection to a global audience.
Complete with flounces, frills and bows, chocolate wrapper metallics and lolly-pop brights, the collection is quintessential Alice McCall. “We have lots of bold colour, opulence, dusty pastels but a bright pop in there as well,” McCall says.
The show’s undeniable ‘wow’ moment came care of thigh-high jacquard boots encasing models’ legs, matched to their outfits above. “We debuted our shoe collection at New York Fashion Week and I’m really, really proud of it,” McCall says. “I wanted a totally bespoke look down the runway, right down to the shoes made in the same jacquard as the outfits.”
The jacquard was designed by McCall herself, before it was shipped off to Lake Como to their shoe manufacturer’s warehouse. “They do all of Manolo Blahnik’s shoes as well, so the quality is very, very good,” McCall reveals.
Although she admits the price point of her new accessories is “pretty high”, she’s adamant it’s worth it when you’re paying for quality. “It’s like owning a fast car – you need a hot pair of heels!” she exclaims. “I spend money on shoes and bags, because they need to be the crème de la crème, they need to be bespoke and they need to be comfortable – and that all comes down to the make.”
She doesn’t need to convince us – one look at those boots and we were hooked. Expect to see a pair lighting up Beyoncé’s (or maybe Katy Perry’s?) Instagram feed any day now.
