Atelier Lauren Jane

Tag: aesthetic

  • Medieval Revival: Featuring Interview With Designer Samantha Pleet 

    Medieval Revival: Featuring Interview With Designer Samantha Pleet 

    The air is thick with the scent of damp stone and burning tallow, the flickering light of candelabras casting long shadows across the marble halls. Somewhere beyond the towering arches, a lute strums a melancholic tune, each note carrying the melody of a forgotten age. And in the hush of nightfall, a figure emerges, draped in velvet so dark it seems to drink in the moonlight. The swish of fabric against the cold floor, the glint of metal filigree catching the firelight—this is not the past, but the present, resurrected in silk and steel.

    The medieval revival sweeping through fashion is no fleeting fancy, no mere dalliance with nostalgia. It is a grand reclamation of magic and romance, a yearning for the beauty of an era when garments bore weight, both in fabric and in meaning. The modern world, weary of its own transience, turns its gaze to an age where craftsmanship reigned, where every embroidery thread spun a tale and every jewel held the weight of centuries.

    Designers, like alchemists of old, have transmuted history into haute couture, conjuring forth gowns that hint at courtly love and adventure. Billowing sleeves catch the wind like the sails of a ship bound for unknown lands. “Stays” (the precursor to corsets), recall the sculpted grace of statues in dimly lit chapels. Chainmail gleams in the candlelight, evoking the silent ardency of knights sworn to their cause. Each piece is an incantation infused in wool and linen. 

    The artistry of the Middle Ages unfurls anew, its gilded details and celestial motifs finding their way onto rich brocades and flowing cloaks. Like the sacred relics enshrined in gothic cathedrals, these garments demand reverence. Pearls drip like dewdrops from delicate veils, while precious stones nestle in as if plucked from the crown of a long-beloved queen. Even the architecture of the time—a symphony of pointed arches and soaring spires—finds its place in the structured silhouettes and dramatic drapery of this revived aesthetic.

    Medieval art, painted in gold leaf and deepest azurite, offers another wellspring of inspiration. The intricate illuminations of manuscripts, their swirling vines and delicate figures, appear once more. Triptychs depicting saints with sorrowful eyes and robes of scarlet and sapphire relay their mystery through the intricate folds of modern pattern design. The glow of stained glass windows lend their color palettes to jewel-toned velvets and rich fabrics. Each piece of this revival mirrors the past, not merely in style, but in spirit—honoring an age where every prayer to beauty was hand-spun.

    And what of the stories? The great tales of honor and heartbreak, of knights who ride into the night never to return, of love letters penned on parchment and doused in ink from quill feathers? They, too, live again. The very essence of medieval literature—its devotion to enchantment, its obsession with fate—seeps into the folds of these garments, turning them into wearable poetry. To don them is to step into folklore, to hear the distant clamor of a joust, to feel the hush of a moonlit garden where lovers meet in secret. 

    Why now? When the fashion industry has long replaced its looms for factories? Perhaps it is because we seek the permanence that the Middle Ages promised. In an age of haste, we long for the patience of hand-stitched garments, for the weight of a gown heavy with history. Fashion, ever the mirror of desire, has answered with an invitation: step through the cordiform book, into a time when every piece was a story. 

    In a moment of yearning to keep the Medieval aesthetic from becoming “too online” I posted to my instagram “Medieval revival trending in 2025! This era literally courses through my veins but yea..” coupled with imagery of a chainmail pouch, a middle ages costume design sketch, and the unicorn rests in a garden tapestry. Though with all intentions of being a gatekeeper. Here is where I met Samantha Pleet. 

    Samantha Pleet has created a world where fashion feels like a fairy tale, where traces of magic are interlaced into the seams of everyday wear. Her designs are a portal between past and present—melding medieval romance, mythological grandeur, and historical silhouettes with a modern sensibility. Whether drawing inspiration from Joan of Arc’s fearless spirit or reimagining the unicorn tapestries in her textiles, Pleet’s work is a witness to the power of clothing as both armor and narrative. In this conversation, she shares the inspirations behind her collections, the role of storytelling in her creative process, and the enduring enchantment of fashion. 

    Interview With Samantha Pleet 

    Lauren Jane: With medieval-inspired fashion trending in the fast-paced world of micro-trends, how do you feel about this medieval resurgence aligning with your long-standing aesthetic, particularly as a designer committed to slow, intentional production? Does the trend’s fleeting nature challenge or complement your vision?

    Samantha Pleet: I love seeing people embrace medieval-inspired looks because dressing up should always be fun.  As a designer, I’m happy to see people experiment with fashion and don’t take trends too seriously. I also hope that some of this inspiration lingers beyond the trend cycle, even if it just becomes a small part of someone’s personal style. Fairy tales and magic should always have a place in the wardrobe.

    For me, this aesthetic isn’t a passing phase, it’s intrinsic to who I am. My love for fairy tales, films, and legends has shaped my work from the very beginning. When I was little, I had a magical old Victorian trunk filled with family heirlooms that I completely tore apart to create my own costumes and stories. I was obsessed with Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre and would weave my own narratives from those inspirations. Later, at Pratt, I studied the history of costume and spent hours in the archives at The Met. Traveling to places like Venice and Paris deepened my passion for historical fashion, and those influences became the foundation of my first collection in 2007, where we dressed models in coats and hardies, tricorn hats, and harlequin tights.  That inspiration has never left me, and it continues to inform everything I do.  

    Lauren Jane: Your designs feel like a bridge between the past and present, with medieval, mythological, and art historical references merged into contemporary silhouettes. What draws you most to historical narratives, and how do you reimagine them for modern wearers?

    Samantha Pleet: You can see my love of history in the way I name my pieces, they are inspired by legends, myths, and historical figures. For my Fall 14 collection, I drew inspiration from Joan of Arc, even creating a short film to bring the story to life. The silhouettes in that collection echoed armor, and we incorporated Joan of Arc embroidery as a nod to her legacy. But beyond the historical references, I want people to feel like they’re stepping into a story when they wear my designs. Fashion should make you feel like the heroine, or hero of your own adventure. That was also the season I first introduced our beloved Illuminated Print.

    Lauren Jane: Fashion often serves as armor for self-expression. What is one piece in your collection that feels most like armor to you?

    Samantha Pleet: The Shield Corset, not only does it have the silhouette of armor, but it also feels powerful when worn, it accentuates and protects the form. I love pairing it with matching pants as my interpretation of a suit, or sometimes with long gloves for an even more dramatic effect. There’s something magical about the way it all comes together. It makes you feel ready to step into the world even if your fairy tale for the night is a gallery opening instead of a duel.

    Lauren Jane: There’s an undeniable sense of storytelling in your collections—from Persephone’s journey through the underworld to Arcadian dreamscapes. How do literature, folklore, and mythology shape your creative process?

    Samantha Pleet: Storytelling is at the heart of everything I create. I need a reason and a passion behind each piece. My Persephone collection felt particularly epic, it embodied the balance of light and darkness that I think makes any design compelling. Right now, I’m preparing to re-release my Elizabeth collection, inspired by Queen Elizabeth ! who is such a fascinating, complex character. The embroidery in that collection is something I imagine she might have worn herself! I love thinking about what these historical figures would wear in a parallel, modern day universe.

    Lauren Jane: If you could step into any painting or literary world and design garments for its characters, where would you find yourself, and what would you create?

    Samantha Pleet: An obvious one for me is Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. I can just imagine all the magical clothing I could design for the characters to run around an enchanted forest and fall in love in,  I have always wanted to do a short film inspired by this.

    Lauren Jane: From rosettes to ribbons, texture plays such a role in your designs. Are there any historical garment techniques, silhouettes, or forgotten crafts you dream of reviving that you haven’t already?

    Samantha Pleet: There are so many techniques I’d love to explore further! I’d like to try beading and the idea of creating custom jacquards has intrigued me.  

    One of my favorite explorations of historical craft is my Unicorn Tapestry print, that’s what I’d like to do in a jacquard.  I designed the print based on the famous medieval tapestries but removed the people so the unicorns could be truly free. I loved the idea of taking something so iconic and slightly altering the narrative letting the unicorns exist in their own world. It’s this kind of storytelling through fabric that excites me.

    Lauren Jane: Magic is at the heart of your brand. What does magic mean to you in the context of fashion, and how do you spin it into every collection?

    Samantha Pleet: I get a visual image that appears in my mind, and it takes me on a magical journey, becoming something you never imagined. What you have in the end, that is magic. what takes shape after playing around with color, silhouette, technique, and fabric and how it all comes together on the form.  It’s an emergent quality where the process leads to the magical result.

    After all, we all wish to feel like the free unicorn from the tapestry—untethered, ethereal, and part of a story larger than ourselves. Samantha Pleet’s designs offer just that: a way to step into a world where history, myth, and fashion intertwine. Her work proves that clothing is more than fabric; it’s a form of magic, a means of storytelling, and a way to embody the spirit of the past while moving boldly into the future.

    Shop Samantha Pleet Here!

  • Understanding Heroin Chic: The Aesthetic of the 90s

    Understanding Heroin Chic: The Aesthetic of the 90s

    Ah, Heroin Chic. Even the name drips with controversy, conjuring images of hollowed-out cheekbones, smudged eyeliner, and a willowy frailty that could snap in a stiff breeze. If the ’80s were cocaine-dusted, champagne-fueled opulence, the ’90s dragged the party into the bathroom stall and turned on the flickering fluorescent light. This wasn’t just fashion; it was a full-blown aesthetic manifesto: decay, addiction, and rebellion served up as sexy, gritty art.

    Kate Moss—our poster child for the movement—was the face of this revolution. Waifish and wide-eyed, she became synonymous with the look. Who could forget the first time you stumbled across the infamous quote on Tumblr, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,” paired with Kate’s haunting gaze? It’s an image seared into the collective memory of anyone who’s ever searched “edgy thinspo” at 2 a.m. Designers like Calvin Klein lapped it up, splashing this aesthetic across runways and ad campaigns. It was androgyny, fragility, and just rolled out of a bar fight with my rockstar boyfriend chic—a sharp pivot from the ’80s supermodel era, where big hair, big smiles, and big egos reigned supreme.

    Behind the scenes, photographers like Corinne Day and David Sims doubled down on the rawness. Their work didn’t just flirt with the spirit of this aesthetic—it French-kissed it in a back alley. Unapologetically romanticizing the messy, tragic seduction of addiction and alienation. The aesthetic bled into pop culture, turning up everywhere from Vogue to MTV. It was grunge for your closet, nihilism in a mascara ad.

    But not everyone was clapping. Critics—and there were plenty—called the whole thing out for what it was: a thinly veiled glorification of addiction and an unhealthy body image. The timing couldn’t have been worse. While Heroin Chic’s hollow-eyed muses smoldered on magazine covers, the heroin epidemic was wrecking communities across the world. Addiction, suffering, and death weren’t chic—they were devastating.

    And let’s not forget the body image disaster. This era did a number on how we define beauty. Models looked less “fashionably thin” and more “haven’t eaten since the Clinton administration.” For anyone struggling with body image, this was gasoline on an already raging fire. Eating disorders spiked, and young people everywhere were left chasing an unattainable ideal.

    By the late ’90s, the pendulum started to swing back. Fashion had its oops, maybe we went too far moment. Healthier bodies began to appear on runways, and Heroin Chic was quietly shuffled into the “bad idea” file of fashion history. But the damage was done. The ripple effects—on both the modeling industry and society at large—are still felt today.

    And speaking of the modeling industry, sure, we’ve made progress. Runways now host a kaleidoscope of body types, and “body positivity” is more than just a trending keyword. But the shadow of Heroin Chic still looms, a cautionary tale wrapped in chiffon and eyeliner.

    So let’s call Heroin Chic what it was: a moment of rebellion that danced with danger but left us with scars. It challenged beauty standards, but at a cost we’re still paying. The toll? Hormonal wreckage, mental health crises, and a generation of young people who think happiness comes in size 0. While we might be tempted to romanticize it in the warmth of nostalgia, let’s not forget the cold, hard truth: some trends should stay buried in the archives. 

  • Romanticise Your Life: Find Beauty in Everyday Moments

    Romanticise Your Life: Find Beauty in Everyday Moments

    My Motto for Life: “Romanticise the World”

    If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my lust for life is that it’s all about making it feel more like an indie film and a little less like a laundry list of tasks. Life is infinitely better when you romanticise the world. To me, it’s not about ignoring reality but dressing it up a little—finding beauty in the mundane. I’ve always been drawn to the experience of everyday moments—those fleeting, seemingly insignificant instances that hold a quiet magic. A cup of tea steaming on a windowsill, the sunlight on cobblestones, the sound of your favourite song or a sweet scent that somehow makes you think of an old love. Call me sentimental, but I’d rather live as if I’m starring in my own heartfelt montage.

    Sometimes, even sadness has a strange kind of beauty. Melancholy is poetic—it’s the deep breath before you write a tear-stained journal entry or the rain against your window as you watch the world blur. Romanticising these moments doesn’t mean glorifying pain; it’s about finding the thread of beauty in them. It’s turning the gray clouds of your mood into a mood board for something meaningful. Think about the songs you listen to when you’re sad—aren’t they somehow the most beautiful? There’s a reason heartbreak inspires art. Melancholy teaches us to sit with our emotions, to feel deeply, and to reflect. There’s a quiet intimacy in sadness, a rawness that makes us human. It’s in these moments that we often understand ourselves better, that we tap into creativity, and that we can connect with others on a deeply empathetic level. If happiness is the sunlight, then melancholy is the moonlight—subtle, softer, but no less enchanting.

    Whether it’s a perfectly curated Pinterest board or the way you drape a scarf over your shoulder just so, aesthetics matter. They’re not frivolous; they’re how we make the ordinary extraordinary. You’d be amazed at how putting fresh flowers on your desk or lighting a candle can transform the day. Dress up—even if it’s just for yourself. Buy the fancy notebook. Life’s too short to wait for special occasions to make things lovely. The secret? When everything feels like an occasion, the world begins to sparkle.

    What’s a leading lady without her ensemble cast? Friends and love bring color to the grayscale moments of life, and they deserve their own cinematic close-ups. Romanticising your relationships means treasuring the traditions you share—like going to your favourite places together every week or sending secrets at midnight. Love, whether it’s a partner or platonic, is a story worth cherishing. It’s finding poetry in the way someone knows your coffee order or sends you photos of something that made them think of you. 

    Advice: How to Find Beauty in the Mundane

    1. Slow Down: Sometimes beauty hides in plain sight, but you have to stop rushing to notice it. Look up at the trees, watch the clouds, or just admire the way your tea steams in the morning light.
    2. Set the Scene:Create a little theater of beauty in your everyday life. Decorate your bedroom with soft lighting and cozy textures, and surround yourself with curated trinkets that tell your story—a seashell from a past trip, a framed photo, or a little statue that makes you smile. Turn even the most mundane routines into rituals that feel intentional and special.
    3. Look for Small Joys:Notice the quiet wonders around you—a stranger’s unexpected kindness, the satisfying crunch of leaves beneath your feet, chirping of birds in the morning, savoring how soft fabric feels warm and comforting against your skin. Seek out moments that make you pause, breathe, and feel grateful.
    4. Document It: Take photos, keep a journal, or make playlists that capture how a moment feels. Memory fades, but art keeps the beauty alive.

    Life won’t always hand you grand, sweeping gestures, but it will give you endless small moments of wonder if you know how to look for them. Immerse yourself in a story that changes the way you see the world. Devour a book that opens your eyes to new truths and shakes the foundations of everything you thought you knew. Watch a film that lights a fire in your soul, reminding you of the beauty, power, and fragility of the human experience. Here’s to romanticising the world—may your days feel like poetry and your nights like dreams. Now go light that candle.

  • Frazzled English Woman: The Aesthetic of Embracing Chaos

    Frazzled English Woman: The Aesthetic of Embracing Chaos

    The “Frazzled English woman” aesthetic is an illustrious mess, a balancing act between nearly having it all together and complete chaos. Imagine this: a woman speed-walking through London in a trench coat she definitely didn’t iron, holding a half-spilled latte in one hand and a cracked iPhone 16 frantically pressed to her ear with the other. Her hair is in a bun that might have started as a slick, neat updo but has since evolved into a Picasso of flyaways. She’s got a leather bag that looks too small to hold anything useful but is somehow bursting at the seams. And yet—she looks effortlessly chic, as if this entire state of disarray was curated by a team of stylists.

    The wardrobe essentials of the frazzled English woman? Think a half-buttoned silk blouse, trousers that are somehow both too short and too long, and either ballet flats or boots that scream “I swear these were comfortable when I bought them.” Accessories? the unsung heroes of this aesthetic. A scarf that started as a chic accent but is now slowly strangling her? Check. Oversized sunglasses on a rainy day because she forgot her umbrella and mascara is running down her face? Absolutely. There’s a certain art to appearing as though you’ve just run for the train, missed it, but still managed to land on the cover of Vogue. It’s about looking rushed but still slightly put-together—like you could book a last-minute flight to Paris if you weren’t currently lost in Sainsbury’s trying to remember if you’ve run out of oat milk.

    Makeup is optional, of course. Most days, it’s a quick swipe of mascara applied while power-walking to the tube. But looks like her personal masterpiece? That red lipstick she puts on sat on the second floor back seat of the bus just before a 4 p.m. meeting—bold, slightly wonky, and completely incongruent with her morning look. Smudged, sure, but that’s part of the charm. It says, “Yes, I’ve been through three existential crises today but in a cool way.”

    The frazzled woman doesn’t have time for proper outerwear, so her coat game is always one of two extremes. Either it’s an oversized, vintage trench that billows behind her dramatically as she runs for the train, or it’s a blazer she grabbed in a panic that’s definitely wrinkled from being shoved in her bag. Either way, she’ll look like she’s about to star in a BBC miniseries about a woman on the edge—but in a fabulous way.

    What makes this aesthetic so iconic is that she’s relatable. She’s not trying to be perfect. Her hair’s always got a mind of its own, her clothes are always seconds away from disaster, and her phone’s always on 1% battery. The Smiths are blasting through tangled wired headphones. But she keeps going, charging through her day like a chaotic tornado of fashion, responsibility, and unresolved personal dilemmas. In a world obsessed with polished Instagram perfection, she’s a breath of fresh, messy air.

  • Embracing Literary Luxe: The Convergence of Style and Knowledge

    Embracing Literary Luxe: The Convergence of Style and Knowledge

    Summoning a sense of romantic nostalgia, Libraries will always encapsulate a tranquil reverence for knowledge and storytelling that withstands lifetimes. I picture myself as a child wide-eyed and soaking up the rows of worn hardcover books, the smell of aged pages, the hushed whispers and the soft echo of footsteps emanating from those browsing. In contrast, the particular energy flowing from the books, which countless souls have found solace and escape from the adventures between the bindings. 

    For what was believed to be a timeless space, the library lost its footing to the rise of technology; however, due to a blend  of sentimentality and vintage charm, stepping into a library has never been more fashionable. For many, dressing up and going to the library is a way to channel the intellectual elegance of another era, like stepping into a scene from The Secret History.

    Think tailored tweed jackets with oversized wool sweaters underneath, a mini skirt and tights, a tortoiseshell headband and a leather-bound journal set against a backdrop of bookshelves and wooden tables, a celebration of classic academic style illuminated by natural light streaming through old windows. I consider this to be the “literary lux” aesthetic unique in its commitment to creating a visual narrative where intellect and opulence coexist. 

    But would it be unproductive to cement this practice into a two-word aesthetic? A hashtag online? This trend speaks to a louder cultural shift towards slowing down, disconnecting, putting down the blue light, and picking up the pages. After all, the idea of escaping modernity is what conjures up a trending aesthetic anyway. But this is special; it comes from the deliberate choice to opt for a place of knowledge over distraction to pick up a book instead of scrolling on social media. It’s about reading, learning, and the pursuit of knowledge being aspirational again. 

    That is not to say we cannot romanticise; there is already a plethora of perfectly curated snapshots of people reading in beautifully designed spaces—plush armchairs, stacks of novels, showing off a book collection; it’s about capturing the atmosphere of being immersed in literature and learning, making the library a trendy place to be. The content creation does not stop there. Here, high fashion meets literary culture with a curated aesthetic that’s as much about personal expression as it is about the love of books.

    Books are the ultimate accessory that adds a layer of personalisation to the Literary Luxe look. Just as a particular designer bag says something about the wearer’s taste, so does a carefully chosen novel. A tattered copy of Wuthering Heights suggests a brooding romanticism, while a sleek, modern edition of The Metamorphosis hints at a more intellectual, dystopian vibe. In this way, books allow individuals to communicate their personality and style preferences without saying a word. In the realm of Literary Luxe, the book you carry is as important as the bag on your arm or the shoes on your feet. 


    One of the most notable examples of this trend is Olympia Le-Tan’s iconic book clutch bags, which have become a favourite of style icons like Natalie Portman and Emma Watson. These embroidered clutches are designed to resemble the covers of classic novels, such as when Natalie Portman carried the Lolita clutch on the red carpet at the 2010 premiere of Black Swan. This aesthetic also manifests through influencers on Instagram who often style outfits to match the books they read. These posts feature beautifully composed shots of clothes paired with hardcover books, frequently set in picturesque locations such as vintage libraries or luxurious cafes. The books become an extension of their style, creating an intersection between fashion and reading culture.