Designer Interview – Barbara Casasola
Instyle UK|November 2016

There’s every chance you won’t even know her name. But this Brazilian designer has made more of an impact on what you buy from the high street than you might realise

Hannah Rochell
Designer Interview – Barbara Casasola

Those pleated silky trousers and metallic skirts you wore all summer? Superfine knitwear? That urge to wear your woollen dressing gown coat slightly off the shoulder? Yep, they’re all down to Barbara Casasola.

And when the Duchess of Cambridge decided to give her look a slightly vampish refresh this year at an Art Fund event, it was one of Casasola’s mesh-panelled, off-the-shoulder midi dresses that she chose to stride out in, causing the designer’s name to go into Google meltdown.

When I meet the woman discreetly responsible for large swathes of our fashion landscape at the moment, it’s in the restaurant of her favourite hotel in west London. She’s in chic all-black, with her hair swept back from her face. Just as I’m feeling totally in awe of her look, she compliments me on my own hair. Because this is a woman who really knows how to make other women feel good. Being on the receiving end of her warm, thoughtful manner makes you realise why so many of her clients have become friends. Backstage at her London Fashion Week show a few weeks earlier, I’d watched her personally unstitch the shoes so they fitted the models more comfortably before steering them with a maternal hand towards the fire to keep warm (it was a freezing day in February).

Trained first as a child by her seamstress grandmother, then at Central Saint Martins in London, and later at Roberto Cavalli in Florence, the 32-year-old Brazilian is now London’s go-to for pared-back chic of the highest quality. I caught up with her to chat winter, people watching and the wonder of dressing women from all walks of life.

So, can you sum up the Barbara Casasola woman? 

This story is from the November 2016 edition of Instyle UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 2016 edition of Instyle UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM INSTYLE UKView All
Seriously Selena
Instyle UK

Seriously Selena

Icon. Multi-million-dollar brand. Single and happy about it. Selena Gomez just grew up pretty fast. Justin who?

time-read
7 mins  |
January 2016
Rose Leslie - Gypsy Heart
Instyle UK

Rose Leslie - Gypsy Heart

Be brave and embrace the eclectic. Game Of Thrones warrior woman Rose Leslie wears it her way.

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2016
Abbey Clancy On Fashion, Football And Mrs Beckham
Instyle UK

Abbey Clancy On Fashion, Football And Mrs Beckham

With a Premier League footballer husband, Abbey Clancy could happily never work again. But then that's just not her style. Over a bacon sandwich (white bread) she talks money, motherhood and her new role as a judge on Britain's Next Top Model. 

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2016
Pure French Perfection with Clémence Poésy
Instyle UK

Pure French Perfection with Clémence Poésy

Sporty separates give floral prints a cool, masculine edge. Clémence Poésy works a modern twist on spring’s perennial favourite.

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2016
Meet the UK's Coolest Rising Stars
Instyle UK

Meet the UK's Coolest Rising Stars

They’re starring in the movies, dramas and shows we’re all talking about. Meet the newest, hottest, most exciting names on the Brit acting block.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2016
The 90's are Making a Comeback!
Instyle UK

The 90's are Making a Comeback!

At which stage are you in your sexual relationship: tri-weekly, try weekly or try weakly? Anupama Bijur lists the highs and lows your sex life will course through, starting from the wedding night

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2016
Reese...Her Most Funny and Real Q&A Yet
Instyle UK

Reese...Her Most Funny and Real Q&A Yet

That flash of blonde locks - that's Reese Witherspoon, the Southern belle turned impresario, movie star, mother of three, and budding lifestyle guru. Catch her if you can.

time-read
8 mins  |
August 2015
Emily Ratajkowski - 'I've Never Been Shy Of My Body'
Instyle UK

Emily Ratajkowski - 'I've Never Been Shy Of My Body'

Actress, art aficionado and music lover: theres way more to Emily Ratajkowski than that music video.

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2015
American Woman - Zoë Kravitz
Instyle UK

American Woman - Zoë Kravitz

Mum and Dad are hot, stylish and uber-talented, so does it go without saying that Zoë Kravitz will be off-the-scale gorgeous, too? (Spoiler alert: totally)

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2015
Chloë Grace Moretz: Why We All Want to Be in Her Gang
Instyle UK

Chloë Grace Moretz: Why We All Want to Be in Her Gang

Chloë Grace Moretz has gone from child star to fierce, feminist fashionista. She tells Monica Corcoran Harel how she did it.

time-read
8 mins  |
June 2016