Esme was seven when she made her first garment at school, a hand-sewn red gathered skirt, and she&apos;s had an extraordinary career in sewing and fashion design ever since. In this episode Esme joins me to talk about her career highlights - from launching Swanky Modes in the early 80&apos;s which was beloved by celebrities such as Cher and Julie Christie, to creating iconic costumes for films such as The Beach and Bridget Jone&apos;s Diary. We talk about how she felt moving into a TV career in her sixties and what&apos;s it like to work alongside the hilarious Joe Lycett and TNMA favourite Patrick Grant on The Great British Sewing Bee.Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Esme YoungMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson 

That's Not My Age

Esme Young

Imagine my surprise when I switched over to Sky Art’s Portrait Artist of the Year (2020) and there was friend-of-a-friend, Curtis Holder. With only one male guest so far on the That’s Not My Age podcast roster, I instantly knew who had to be next. And it was no surprise to see Curtis sketching away on TV, consistently wowing the judges and charming his sitters – he’s a lovely, warm, incredibly talented man. And of course, he went on to win the competition (loud screech of approval from TNMA Mansions) with his stunningly original pencil drawings. Part of the prize included a commission from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to create a portrait of the 47-year-old ballet dancer and director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carlos Acosta. Having grown up on a housing estate in Leicester, to Curtis this felt like the opportunity of a lifetime.After many years working in education as a primary school teacher, the 52-year-old has recently reduced his days in order to devote more time to becoming a professional artist. We talk about his creative journey, from early childhood scribbles to latest commissions, race, diversity and the challenges of breaking into the art world. Of course, I wanted to know all about Curtis’ experience on Portrait Artist of The Year, get a male perspective on changing career in your 50s and find out what it was like to meet Carlos Acosta and share a precious, self-affirming moment together.Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Curtis HolderMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson 

Curtis Holder

Orsola de Castro is the global creative director of Fashion Revolution a not-for-profit organisation formed in response to the Rana Plaza factory disaster in 2013. We first met at London Fashion Week a year earlier, when Orsola was managing Esthetica the showcase for sustainable designers - and I (very superficially) stopped to ask her about the fabulous gold trousers she was wearing. A leading pioneer in the sustainable fashion world, 54-year-old Orsola created the label From Somewhere in the late 1990s, making upcycled clothes and items from off-cuts and end-of-roll fabric from factories in Italy. Now, a fully fledged fashion revolutionary, together with Carrie Somers, she leads a global movement calling for change in the fashion industry. Orsola de Castro is a leading speaker on sustainability and an author. Her first book Loved Clothes Last (How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act) has just been published by Penguin. Full of practical tips on how to lengthen the lifespan of your clothing and reveal your inner craftivist, it also contains staggering facts and figures on the impact fast fashion has on the workforce and the planet.Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Orsola De CastroMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson 

Orsola De Castro

My guest on today&apos;s podcast is the wonderful garden designer, writer and TV presenter, Arit Anderson. Who I&apos;m sure you recognise from BBC Gardener&apos;s World and Garden Rescue. The 52-year-old grew up in North London and worked in fashion for 25 years before discovering horticulture in her mid-40s. It was moving into a new house that, er, sowed the seeds of a new gardening career and while continuing as a freelance consultant, she studied for a diploma in garden design at Capel Manor a specialist environmental college. Swiftly going on to win several awards, including one at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2013, and a Gold Medal for her conceptual garden highlighting the impact of climate change and the need for renewable energies, at RHS Hampton Court in 2016. Today, as well as broadcasting, writing and investigating ways to make landscaping more eco-friendly, she runs her own successful garden design practice.In this podcast, Arit Anderson explains her career trajectory from fashion retail and events, to finding happiness in horticulture. We talk about how being in nature can restore our mental health, what makes a good garden and what she&apos;s doing to stay positive during the pandemic (clue: it&apos;s much more adventurous than sourdough). I&apos;m sure you&apos;re going to love this episode. Now that we&apos;re recording the podcast using an app, I don&apos;t actually meet (or even see) the guests - which can feel a bit awkward at times - but it has to be said that Arit was warm and friendly and an absolute dream to chat to. I&apos;m hoping that when all this is over, we&apos;ll be able to meet up IRL and I can pick her brains about my balcony. In the meantime, I&apos;ve offered to email her a photo...Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Arit AndersonMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson 

Arit Anderson

Serendipity on the cycle path last week. Out for my daily exercise when someone behind me in the bike lane called my name. It was the multi-talented actor and writer Amelia Bullmore. We met several years ago at a local Pilates class and even though Amelia has appeared in some of my favourite TV programmes: Coronation Street (Steph Barnes),  I’m Alan Partridge (girlfriend Sonja) and Twenty Twelve (Kay Hope)  - I didn’t recognise her. Sharp, brilliant and funny, she's also very low-key and modest. We always had a good chat and discovered that we were both students in Manchester at the same time, but while I was propping up the bar at the Hacienda, Amelia was touring the country with playwright Helen Edmunson and the women’s theatre group Red Stockings...But that was then. Now she's busier than ever, filming the second series of Gentleman Jack and writing the script for the second series of her crime drama Traces. Set in Dundee, Traces focuses on the work of three female forensic scientists and is enjoyable to watch ( Mondays at 9pm on BBC1, all episodes are available on iPlayer). Amelia very generously found the time to record a That's Not My Age podcast. Together we discuss writing, the pressures on women actors as they age, costume - if you're interested in design and styling Amelia recommends the YouTube channel Costume CO which has a couple of films on Gentleman Jack. And of course we talked about style. Eulogising over the French actor Camille Cottin who stars in Call My Agent (new series coming soon), whose name we couldn't remember. That IS Our Age.Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Jan De VilleneuveMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson 

Amelia Bullmore

In the 1960s, model Jan de Villeneuve regularly appeared on the cover of Vogue and was photographed by all the greats, including, David Bailey and Norman Parkinson. An architecture and design graduate from Ohio, she was discovered in her early twenties while visiting a friend in New York. This super-cool fan of vintage fashion was refused entry to a restaurant in San Francisco in 1971 for ‘being too mod’. In a feature called ‘What we really wore in the 70s’ she described her outfit to the Telegraph, ‘I had on a long Liberty-print skirt, a white peasant blouse and a cardigan. Strangely enough, a lady wearing a skimpy two-piece leopard-print outfit with midriff showing was allowed in – I had to borrow a trench coat.’ Over 50 years later, Jan&apos;s modelling career is going through something of a renaissance and she&apos;s back on the cover of magazines. Jan still loves vintage fashion and spending time with her family - her daughters are the illustrator Daisy and model-turned-photographer Poppy de Villeneuve – she lives in Kent with her partner the rock and roll drummer Andy Newark and her dog Charlie.Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Jan De VilleneuveMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson 

Jan De Villeneuve

An award-winning author, columnist, journalist, activist and a pioneering voice on immigration, diversity, and multiculturalism, Yamin Alibhai-Brown is arguably one of the most influential women in Britain. A self described 'leftie liberal, anti-racist, feminist, Muslim' she is a familiar face on our TV screens and on the newsstands, and is well known for her quick-wit and articulate commentary on gender identity and creating social change. Alibhai-Brown came to the UK in 1972 from Uganda after completing her undergraduate degree in English at Makerere University. As a journalist she has written for The Guardian, Observer, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Evening Standard, The Mail and other newspapers and was a weekly columnist on The Independent for eighteen years. She was the first regular columnist of colour on a national newspaper in the UK, the first female Muslim too. For over twenty five years she has been consulted by various institutions and businesses on race and gender equality, and has met and advised politicians, peers and ministers on diversity and inclusion policies in Britain’s complex democracy.  She is, it has to be said, a total powerhouse.In this in-depth podcast I chat to Alibhai-Brown about her background, views and career. We talk at length about confronting sexism, racism, ageism and lookism. We cover the immense pressure on women over 45 in the media to look good, and chat about how she feels about getting older. We also speak in detail about Alibhai-Brown's latest book: 'Ladies Who Punch: Fifty Trailblazing Women Whose Stories You Should Know' which celebrates fifty daring and indomitable women who have punched their way through life and challenged the world order to fight for their human rights. Both famous and lesser known, the line-up includes Sophia Singh, the forgotten suffragette; detective superintendent Shabnam Chaudhri, the first Asian/Muslim to hold that role in the Met; and Harriet Wistrich, the inimitable human rights lawyer. Then there's Reni Eddo-Lodge, Caroline Criado Perez, Laura Bates and more (even women Alibhai-Brown doesn't like, but recognises for their extraordinary actions). Featuring interviews with the women themselves and cheering on those who are fighting for equality, this brilliant book of fearless ladies is a tonic during what is turning out to be an exceedingly crappy year.Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Yasmin Alibhai-BrownMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

After a longer than intended hiatus (it was meant to be a &apos;slow&apos; podcast, but not this slow...), the That&apos;s Not My Age podcast is back with a magnificent guest. One of my Style Heroines, the Academy-Award-Winning costume designer Sandy Powell. With three Oscars on her South London mantlepiece, for: Shakespeare in Love (1999), The Aviator (2005) and The Young Victoria (2010), Powell&apos;s creative talent is undoubtable. Beginning in 1992 with a nomination for Orlando, directed by Sally Potter and starring Tilda Swinton, she has been nominated for 15 Academy Awards and 16 Baftas. The 60-year-old costume designer has worked on over 40 films including five Martin Scorsese flicks, probably because, ‘Scorsese is a shoe man. He always gets in a good shot of the shoes.’ As well as behind the scenes on iconic fashion movies such as Todd Haynes&apos;  Far From Heaven, Velvet Goldmine and Carol; and The Favourite by Yorgos Latimos (Olivia Coleman won an Oscar for her performance as Queen Anne).In this special episode we chat about her philanthropic work, her exciting career, sustainability and how Sandy feels about ageing. Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Sandy PowellMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiCoordinator: Helen Johnson

Sandy Powell

This is not my usual podcast but as it's Christmas, I thought it would be good to talk about peace and calm. Meredith introduced me to meditation at the BlandBadger creative retreat in Italy and I've been making a cack-handed attempt to chill out ever since. As Meredith says, 'Meditation is the best place to get centred and reconnect to ourselves.' And she knows, having changed career, set up a business and moved home five times in six years....'I had overcome a range of challenges,' she admits, 'from depression and anxiety, to battling with self-doubt and perfectionism, making peace with the voice that cries, “not good enough.” It was yoga, meditation and mindfulness that helped her hit the reset button, and now she teaches others how to reconnect to their inner wisdom and find peace and happiness.In this episode we talk about chilling out, feeling happy and how to stay calm this festive season.PODCAST CREDITSProducer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Meredith GundersonMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiCoordinator: Helen Johnson

Meredith Gunderson

Caryn Franklin, 61, is a brilliant woman. One of fashion&apos;s tribal elders, the professor, journalist, stylist, producer, author, campaigner and activist has worked in the industry for nearly 35 years. Starting her career as fashion editor on i-D magazine in the 1980s, Franklin went on to spend 15 years presenting and directing The Clothes Show for the BBC, working in education and as a business ambassador before co-founding All Walks Beyond the Catwalk with Debra Bourne and Erin O&apos;Connor. She has travelled all over the world, from war zones to workshops, and remains a pioneering voice for diversity, equality, inclusion and sustainable practices. We met briefly when I was a fashion editor and then got to know each other properly when collaborating on a number of research projects through the Diversity Network (I was lecturing part-time in Fashion Journalism at the time).Believing that confidence and authenticity come with age, in this outstanding podcast episode Caryn Franklin talks about the power of grey, the representation of older models and the joy of ageing. We also discuss sustainability in the fashion industry, the power of social change and how we can made more considered choices about the clothes we wear. PODCAST CREDITSProducer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Patrick GrantMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson

Caryn Franklin

I've known my next podcast guest, Debbie Bliss, for many years. We met last century when I was a fashion assistant stepping in for the fashion editor to style one of Debbie's knitting pattern books. The most published knitwear designer in the world has over 35 books, 20 booklets, her own range of yarns and her own knitting magazine. If you want to know anything about knitting, Debbie Bliss is your woman. After working together, we initially kept in touch but living at opposite ends of the Victoria Line came between us, so I am thrilled to have made contact with her again. She cares deeply about democratic design, carefully develops collections to complement the qualities of each yarn - and is very, very funny.In this That's Not My Age podcast episode, Debbie talks movingly about having breast cancer, which has seen her undergo a mastectomy, lymph node removal and over six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. 'Anyone who has ever had cancer will understand, you're never quite removed from the fear that it will come back, and you'll have to go through it all again,' she says. 'People tell people who have been diagnosed to be positive; but I think that bring realistic works better for me.'PODCAST CREDITSProducer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Patrick GrantMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson

Debbie Bliss

For our first male podcast guest I am chuffed to bits to introduce award-winning Savile Row tailor, champion of British manufacturing and judge on the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee (new series out February 2020) Mr Patrick Grant. Seriously, I could not have asked for a finer man of style and substance. Grant is enterprising, engaging and down-to-earth (though known for his dapper dress sense, he answered the door in his slippers). And despite his hectic schedule - the 47-year-old runs five clothing businesses, consults for top fashion labels and is on a mission to restore the manufacturing industry in the UK - he didn't mind when our interview was interrupted by a neighbour's noisy leaf blower. Well, he shrugged off the extra time required to finish recording and slagged off the environmentally-unfriendly gardening tool. Good man.In this episode, Patrick Grant joins me to talk about men's style, facial hair, the Great British Sewing Bee, big pants and implementing social change. Along the way, we discuss why we should care where our clothes comes from and the importance of restoring the UK manufacturing industry. I loved this interview, it moved me and made me think about the enormous social changes that losing our factories has caused. I hope it does the same to you.PODCAST CREDITSProducer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Patrick GrantMusic: David SchweitzerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson

Patrick Grant

With a career in the beauty industry spanning nearly 30-years, Ruby Hammer is one of the most respected make-up artists in the business. As well as working with high-profile women such as: Meghan Markle, Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford, she also co-founded the cosmetics company Ruby and Millie - a brand that those of us who bought our make-up from Boots in the late 1990s may well remember. As we're a similar age, our paths have crossed numerous times and it's always a joy to catch-up with Ruby. In this That's Not My Age podcast episode, we chat about the role of make-up in her life, how she ended up going from studying economics to becoming a make-up artist for Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar - and obviously I took the opportunity to ask her advice on what to do about my own beauty regime. Rude not to. Ruby Hammer also speaks to us about the launch of her new capsule collection of beauty essentials, including a stackable brush set currently receiving rave reviews (she's launching a small make-up line soon).Please, please rate, review and subscribe, to help more listeners to find the podcast.PODCAST CREDITSProducer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Ruby HammerArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiMusic: David SchweitzerDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson

Ruby Hammer

We are busy recording series two of That's Not My Age: The Podcast, and as a small but delicious taster of what's to come, I am delighted to introduce the legendary fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes. Legendary is an overused word but Zandra is a true legend, so what better way to describe her? In celebration of an impressive, five-decade career, the Fashion and Textile Museum has just opened Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous. A brilliant retrospective of the designer's work, highlighting more than 50 key looks, original textiles and never-seen-before garments and accessories. We meet in the library of Zandra's wonderful penthouse, piled high with beautiful books, photographs and mementoes. With her unmissable fuchsia bob, bold blue eyeshadow and super-sized jewellery, her singular style is even better in real life. With no plans to retire, and more plans to keep on creating, we discuss what Zandra Rhodes has been up to - curating her exhibition, appearing on Celebrity Masterchef, and collaborating with Ikea, for starters. Oh, and her fondness for throwing dinner parties and making bread and butter pudding. Stay tuned, because Zandra's best advice comes right at the very end...Thank you for listening. It's great to be back, sort of (more podcasts coming towards the end of October).Producer and audio engineer: Linda Ara-TebaldiHost: Alyson WalshGuest: Dame Zandra RhodesArtwork: Ayumi TakahashiMusic: David SchweitzerDigital technician: Tom Hole at StirtingaleCoordinator: Helen Johnson

Dame Zandra Rhodes

That’s Not My Age: the podcast launched in May and I'm so appreciative of all your supportive comments, reviews and feedback from Series 1. To be honest, it was a bit of an experiment, and one I entered into with some trepidation because I knew it was a big undertaking, not dissimilar to writing another book. The aim was for it to be a ‘slow’ podcast, there isn’t a big production team behind it- and I'm chuffed to bits with the five guests I've already spoken to. The aim was to bring my interviews with extraordinary women (and the occasional man) to life, to delve a little deeper into the regular subjects of life and style and age.We're now taking a break for the summer holidays, the out of office is going on, and we'll be reviewing all the feedback we've received and will be back with series two at the end of September, with more fantastic guests. In the meantime all episodes are still available to listen to, download, rate and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Amazon Alexa amongst others. You can also find details of every episode on our new Podcast channel at the top of the site, and I've added players to each post so if you'd like to listen to it right here on TNMA you can.Thanks again for tuning in, see you in September!

Back in a bit

That's Not My Age has gained a global following for it's honest, in-depth interviews with extraordinary women of style and substance. Now we're letting you listen in to the conversations with a new podcast series. With special guests, we'll chat honestly about getting older, changing careers, finding success and why we wear what we wear. Expect lively conversations, inspiring stories and practical advice for midlife and beyond. The series is hosted by acclaimed fashion editor, author and founder of That’s Not My Age, Alyson Walsh, who strongly believes that it’s not about age, it’s about style. • Producer and sound engineer: Linda Ara-Tebaldi • Host: Alyson Walsh • Artwork: Ayumi Takahashi • Music: David Schweitzer • Digital assistant: Helen Johnson

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That's Not My Age

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