I was Trinny & Susannah's assistant – here's what they taught m
Back in 1996 when I was an intern at ELLE, I met Trinny Woodhall and Susannah Constantine.
They were working on a special project at the mag and filled the office with their infectious energy. Yasmin Le Bon was also in and out guest editing and her husband Simon would pick her up (swoon) on his motorbike.
Meanwhile, designer Helmut Lang called on the daily and Gucci and Prada clothes flew in and out of fashion cupboard (where we would try them on). All very exciting for a girl from Birmingham.
Something about my tea-making skills or eagerness to please must have stuck with the duo because a few months later, they called me and asked me to assist them with their new Telegraph fashion page.
For the daily sum of £50, I called in clothes, walked their rescue dogs and fielded phone calls from PRs whose brands they had been ruthlessly honest about.
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After that newspaper fashion column, they went on to have major success with stints on This Morning and their smash hit TV show, What Not To Wear. They were flying high.
And then they weren't. The TV show ran its course and after that, there were some years in the abyss. Even though their lives looked glossy from the outside, they both faced considerable hardship.
Trinny struggled to conceive and then, years later, her husband Johnny took his own life. Susannah seemingly had it all, but was battling an alcohol addiction.
Then, in a truly inspiring midlife comeback, Trinny created her eponymous makeup brand and Susannah is having a career revival as a successful author and podcaster.
READ: Meet Susannah Constantine's lookalike daughter following in mum's 'It girl' footsteps
My time with them taught me so much. They might have come from privilege, but they were not snobs. They worked very hard, were open to new ideas, and were unfailingly honest - about themselves and others.
Whilst I have lots of funny stories (when it was hot we would work in our underwear to the surprise of the postman!) they were seriously committed to making women feel more visible and valuable.
Some of the language and attitudes on What Not To Wear might feel outdated now (Trinny's daughter, Lyla, who appears in this month's Tatler with Susannah's daughter Esme, says the pair would be cancelled today) but they were pioneers in empowering midlifers who felt overlooked and sidelined.
EXCLUSIVE: Trinny Woodall on her 'best decade' yet and finding beauty in menopause
What Trinny and Susannah taught me
1. Clothes matter more than you think
"Darling, you need a good bra." This was early advice to me from Trinny. And though I baulked at spending money on something few people were going to see, she was right. Well-fitting underwear makes everything that goes on top look better.
READ: How investing in new underwear gave me a confidence boost in my 40s
They spotted that for so many women, shopping feels scary, so they gave practical advice (big boobs work best with a V-shaped neckline, boyish hips are made curvy with a horizontal stripe or lighter colour on the bottom half).
They knew that if women felt pulled together then that would increase their confidence tenfold.
2. It's never too late to start again
Trinny started her makeup brand in her fifties. She's often talked about the ageism she faced when trying to raise funds for it, but she's shown us all that with determination, you can achieve success whatever the number of candles on your cake.
3. Recognise your flaws
I always remember both Susannah and Trinny being unfailingly honest. Honest about their own failings and about any of mine. I remember complaining about my 'dry' scalp and Trinny saying matter of factly, "Darling that's dandruff, get some Nizoral."
It's so important to get to the crux of the problem and then talk about it - even if you are embarrassed - because that’s how you get help and change things.
