Pinks Mag 003

Wit h
Christ ina St am bolian
Fashion designer, m ost not ably know n for t he "Revenge Dress" fam ously w orn
by HRH Princess Diana.
So Christ ina, t ell us a bit about yourself,
w here did you grow up?
I was born in Greece by Armenian parents so
Greek is my first language. I went to Greek
school from 6 till 12 years of age and then to a
Greek-French school from 12 till 18. After that
an Art College for 4 years in Athens, where I
finished a degree course in Art, Theatre
costume, Architecture, and fashion design.
What m ade you decide t o follow a career in
fashion? w hen did it st art ?
I loved fashion since I was a small child. The first
dresses I designed were for my only doll I had
at that time. Cinema and film stars inspired me
a lot those days. I collected photographs of
them, and I knew that one day that's what I was
going to be: A designer to glamorous women.
When w as your first professional job in t he
fashion indust ry? I came to London in 1970
and work as a fashion designer for four
deferent fashion houses until 1978. I was based
in London and in 1978 I was employed by D.P.
Designs, where I started designing under
my name ?Christina Stambolian? , producing
collection of approx. 80 samples of Day,
Cocktail, Evening and Wedding dresses each
season worn by High Society, TV and Film
personalities. I designed and produced 15 full
scale Cat Walk Shows at prestigious venues
such as Park Lane, Intercontinental, and
Claridges hotels. I was interviewed by various
TV Networks in UK, USA, and Greece. Having
extensively travelled the Far East, I have given
the opportunity to produce and supervise the
manufacture of Silk Separates, Lace,
embroidery and textile printing in Hong Kong
and Korea. My designs were sold under my
label in my Paris boutique 2 Rue de Tournon,
and in my London Kensington boutique 12
Beauchamp Place.
Do you have a favourit e design you have
creat ed?
I loved many of my creations. Of course Diana?s
?Revenge dress? was a success designed and
made skilfully with lots of hand pleating and
love, and that statuesque Diana in mind. So yes
is a piece that I am particularly proud of.
Talking about Diana, how did you com e
about designing t hat fam ous dress for her?
How did it st art ?
One day out of the blue Diana and her brother
Earl Spencer paid me a visit in my then
boutique in Beauchamp Place, Kensington.
Diana wonted me to design a dress for her for a
special occasion. I knew that as she was a very
beautiful woman she should wear a dress that
would do her beauty justice. Something
exquisite. Several weeks and two fittings
later the outcome of her visit was delivered to
her, cut to reveal her body quite unlike any style
she had worn before. She wore my dress two
years later to the Serpentine Gallery in June
1994, on the night Prince Charles admitted to
his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles in his
interview with Jonathan Dimbleby. Diana' s
dressing style changed over the years. She
started with conservative young outfits some of
them very busy and overpowering. As she got
older she became more aware of her beauty so
her fashion style improved remarkably,
definitely more feminine and glamorous. She
could also be stylish in casual sports wear.
Did Diana buy anyt hing else from your st ore
or ask you t o design anym ore?
When she came to my boutique she also
bought a woollen dress and two little silk tops.
Almost just after she got married I have seen
her on TV news wearing a long jersey forest
green dress of mine , she must of purchased it
from a shop we supplied dresses to that time. I
never designed anything else for her. But she
did write to me that she will definitely visit me
again soon, but unfortunately that did not
happen? . as she left us for ever soon after
that? .. So that was the end of the ?Diana belle
époque?? ? .
Do you have any advice for any young
persons w ishing t o follow in t he sam e
career?
My advice to young designers is that they
should find their personal characteristic style. It
is so important to be yourself as a designer
and stick to your own signature. Follow the
trend but keep your own identity, and always
think than ?the woman should wear the dress,
the dress should not wear the woman".
When you design for an individual make sure to
hide her imperfections and show clearly her
good points. That makes a successful designer.
A student designer should get a dressmaker' s
dummy and a sewing machine at home, and
make patterns on the dummy. Moulding and
draping fabrics of different texture on her. That
way you learn the feel of fabrics.Every fabric
needs different treatment.
Could you recom m end any schools for young
designers?
Because I studied art and fashion in Greece I
could not recommend best training and
education places for fashion studies. I guess St.
Martin' s has a very strong name for fashion.
Is t here anyt hing else you w ould like t o add?
I would like to point out that the famous
?Revenge dress? that started out as a daring
idea in my then boutique in Kensington is been
used for several worthy charitable causes so
far. That really makes me proud and happy.