As a businesswoman, stylist and mother, Lisa Burgess knows a thing or two about how to juggle her commitments in style. Her vision has seen popular Irish shopping website iClothing.ie become a huge success, due to its ample selection of on-trend clothes and accessories at affordable prices.
A high-street girl at heart, Lisa believes ‘designer’ doesn’t always necessarily define style. Here she shares her style secrets with us, and explains why mother always knows best!
How would you describe your style?
My style would be very simple, elegant and classic with a twist.
Your online shopping site iClothing.ie offers designer-inspired clothing at affordable prices. Do you believe that style is attainable no matter what the price tag?
I believe one million per cent that you can look stylish on a budget. I love it when famous people like Kate Middleton and Victoria Beckham mix and match designer with high street. Even more so, I love every woman looking fabulous and iClothing.ie has a wide range of styles from €20 to €70. The site offers dresses, bags, jeans, trousers, tops, coats, knits, shoes and jewellery. Basically you can attain a whole outfit for under €100.
What is your favourite item of clothing that you have ever owned?
I have the most gorgeous long red dress that I have had since I was in my twenties. I have been wearing it for two decades and I always have a great night out in it. It's a spaghetti strap sweetheart dress in stretch material with a slit up one side. That dress could tell a story or two!
What are your three wardrobe staples?
I definitely could not live without my black stretch leggings, which are so comfortable and versatile. Every woman has to have a simple, well-cut, black, warm coat to hide a multitude, and a pair of killer heels that you can walk in properly.
Being glamorous is part of your job description as a stylist. Do you always make an effort to look your best no matter where you are going or what you are doing?
I have never seen my mother go out a day in her life without looking glamorous and gorgeous, so when I step out the door I try very hard to do the same. Some days it just isn't possible as a working mum, so I have to admit to a slovenly day or two without make up and an old tracksuit.
Which female celebrity do you think is always on-trend with her sense of style?
I absolutely adore Helen Mirren. I believe she always gets it right for her shape and age. When the Oscars roll around, I am always waiting with bated breath to see what she is wearing.
If you could give any male or female celeb a makeover, who would it be?
I think Jordan could do with a complete makeover. She is a great-looking girl but she hides her natural beauty under fake everything! She would look much more appealing if she didn't expose every piece of flesh. I wish I had realised when I was younger that it's better to leave it to the imagination.
Do you always carefully plan your new season wardrobe ahead of time?
Oh my goodness I wish I had the time to do that. iclothing.ie has so many different styles coming in every week that I usually pick out the day before what I am wearing on TV3 the next day.
What items would be in your make up survival kit?
Foundation, powder, lip gloss, bronzer, blush, liquid eyeliner, mascara and cover up.
Who are your style icons?
Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and my mum Ann Cox.
Do you ever experience any insecurity when it comes to your body or your image?
Definitely. I wish I was taller, had a nicer bum and my ears didn't stick out, but as I grow older, I have become much less concerned. Love me, love my wrinkles...
Does your personal style have a large impact on what pieces appear on iclothing.ie?
At iClothing.ie we are very much a team. Everyone's opinion is listened to and valued. Our styling team consists of staff of all ages and sizes and we usually make group decisions. Experience does definitely count though, so it helps that the founder of iclothing.ie, Abbas Bari, has grown up in the business and his family's fashion dynasty stretches back generations.
What is your routine when getting ready for a big night on the town?
Face mask, long hot shower, great music on, plenty of lotions and potions, blow dry, make up. My outfit usually goes on last, as without fail I always manage to get make up on what I am wearing.
Are you a designer diva or a high-street honey?
I am a high-street honey. Why spend more when you don't have to?
What has been your biggest fashion faux pas?
Turning up dressed as a duck to a party that wasn't fancy dress!
If you had a chance to live anywhere in the world other than Ireland, where would it be and why?
It would be London. Mainly because my family lives there, but I love the vibrancy of London and walking down the King's Road is a lesson in fashion itself. As the saying goes, "If you are tired ofLondon, you are tired of life."
If you could choose any designer to dress you for a red carpet event, who would it be?
It would be Giorgio Armani. His creations are so glamorous and feminine. He is consistently fabulous.
What is the one accessory you can’t do without?
I cannot imagine life without my faux fur jacket. It really helps in our changeable weather.
How do you think Irish men and women fare against the rest of the world in the style stakes?
I think Irish women are really coming in to their own in the style stakes. They are a lot more confident about the colours and shapes that suit them. There are some fantastic well-known Irish women who could give the A-List a run for their money, including Celia Holman-Lee, Andrea Roche, Colette Fitzpatrick, Sinead Desmond, Maura Derrane and Lisa Cannon to name a few.
Describe your ideal day?
My ideal day would be doing a really good fashion slot on TV3 for iClothing.ie with orders pouring in by the minute. Then I’d rush home to call my mum and watch a good romcom with my daughter.
What would be your idea of a perfect evening?
I’d have champagne at Claridges, dinner in Paris and go dancing in Rome. Alternatively, I would settle for a hamburger at Eddie Rocket's as long as I was laughing!
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone who is trying to reinvent their image?
Make sure you get a good haircut and colour. Use professionals to assist you with your make up and outfit, and let them allow you to see yourself in a new and unique way. I learn something new every day and hope to keep doing so ‘til I drop.
What the best style advice you ever got?
Enhance your best assets and hide everything else. My mum always told me not to look like mutton dressed as lamb.
