The wait is over: style icon and ELLE UK contributor Camille Charrière's party season collection for Mango has finally dropped online – and it's every bit as sheer, crystal-covered and downright fabulous as we could have hoped.
Ahead of the collection's release, we sat down with Charrière to find out her inspiration for the designs, all about her 'naked' wedding dress and whether she thinks the French really do it best.
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What was the inspiration behind the Camille X Mango collection?
'It was really important for the collection to capture the essence of my personal style, so about half [of the looks] are designs that are loosely based on pieces I already have and wear regularly. The other half is based on pieces I wish I owned – all with a big dose of Nineties and Noughties party vibes. I found inspiration in some of my biggest style icons too: Kate Moss, Carla Bruni, the Olsen twins, Jane Birkin... I love how they dress for themselves rather than for the camera, keeping it simple and to the point, but still ultra-feminine and sexy. My main goal was for the collection to feel timeless. Trends come and go – party trends in particular – so I wanted to design pieces that didn't feel like they had a timestamp or expiry date on them, and can be easily slotted into your existing wardrobe and worn for years without having to be replaced with something else new.'
How do you incorporate vintage into your wardrobe alongside high street pieces?
'I have always mixed vintage and high street in my wardrobe – I always will. I absolutely love vintage clothes, and there's nothing quite like that love-at-first-sight moment when you discover an exceptional piece. But you really can't build outfits relying solely on vintage – unless you make sourcing the perfect pieces your full-time job! Vintage also isn't the most inclusive of shopping methods: there's a real scarcity of bigger sizes, so it's hard to find the right piece if you're not the average sample size.
'I tend to turn to the high street to build out my wardrobe with all the staples – things I'm going to wear again and again, from the everyday basics to those reliable going-out pieces like a spaghetti-strap dress or cute little cardigan. Then I mix and match with my standout vintage pieces, to balance them out. My Mango collection acts as the perfect mix of the two, with vintage designs and a timeless aesthetic, as well as both more basic and standout looks. The idea was to provide those additional pieces that you've been looking for that will never go out of style – like a leopard-print dress, for example, that all different kinds of women have been wearing for decades and works in pretty much every circumstance. It's the kind of thing you'll wear forever and will make your wardrobe complete – so that there isn't the "need" to buy hundreds of new things every year.'
Tell us about your favourite piece in the collection...
'The little lace dress is particularly close to my heart because it was inspired by a dress that I was going to wear to my wedding. My original plan was to get married in Sicily, and I was determined to wear a mini white lace dress very similar to the one we've made for the collection – but then our wedding got moved twice and ended up being in winter, so it didn't feel right to wear it anymore. People shy away from lace because they think it can look a little bit like lingerie, but now that people are more comfortable with showing off skin and dressing for themselves I think it's going to have a comeback in a big way.'
Shop Camille X Mango Now
£199.99
CAMILLE X MANGO Animal print heel sandal
£59.99
CAMILLE X MANGO Crystal gown
£229.99
CAMILLE X MANGO High heel leather boot
£229.99
CAMILLE X MANGO Sequined dress
£59.99
£59.99
CAMILLE X MANGO Heeled sandal with strass strap
£59.99
CAMILLE X MANGO Animal print satin skirt
£49.99
CAMILLE X MANGO Asymmetric hem dress
£79.99
CAMILLE X MANGO Faceted crystal hoop earrings
£17.99
CAMILLE X MANGO Wool coat with detachable fur details
£229.99
£29.99
Which party season trends are you most excited about?
'I am still very into the "naked" dress trend – I don't think it's going anywhere and I'm very happy about that. I was getting a lot of pushback about it when I first endorsed it, and now suddenly it's everywhere! So I feel validated. I also love a bit of sparkle, especially when it's the holiday season. Living in London, the weather can be a bit murky – it gets dark really early and things can get a little depressing – so putting on a really fun sparkly dress is a great mood lifter. One of the best things about living in London is that even if you're going to the pub, you can always get away with wearing something a little bit over the top. I'm also really into the corset trend – we actually made a leather corset mini-dress for the collection that's one of my favourites.'
Do you have any tips for how to do 'naked dressing'?
'When I got married in my see-through lace dress, there was a lot of pushback on the fact that you could see my lingerie. Perhaps naively, I really didn't expect it. Some people were ruder than I thought was necessary. But it did make me realise that not everyone is comfortable with baring their skin – and that's totally fine. Each to their own. But I did want to offer something for those who would be, like me, excited to incorporate "naked" dressing into their wardrobes.
'We made some beautiful sparkly underwear that goes perfectly underneath and makes sheer dresses a little more wearable while still feeling like a part of the outfit. There's also always the option of wearing a slip dress underneath – most vintage dresses actually come with them. Slip dresses are super easy to find and go with everything, and a great option for those who don't want to go full "naked".'
You've said that when you go out you 'get to become a totally different person'. What do you mean by that?
'I grew up in France, so all my formative years where I really built my personal style were spent over there. I never really dressed up when I lived in France, even when I was at university and going out more – it was very much about creating a pristine French girl look, wearing wardrobe of pieces I would wear over and over again. But now, I've lived in London for almost a decade, and I've slowly but surely embraced what it is that makes London style so electrifying. The Brits really like to embrace clothes as a means of expression – and there is a complete judgement-free attitude of "wear whatever you want" and "anything goes". Which is something unheard of in France. As I've got a bit older, I've developed this "going out persona" where I allow the Britishness around me to seep into my style, and started to explore clothes more and wear whatever I want. And I absolutely love it.'
Do you think the 'French girl' aesthetic we all pine for is a myth or reality?
'It's definitely not a myth, and there is actually a formula to having that French girl aesthetic. Unfortunately, though, it's not something that can be replicated for a day or an outfit. It's a way of life. To their credit, the French don't shop very much and they tend to dress the same way whether they're in their twenties, thirties, fourties or fifties – which means it's perhaps a little boring in their twenties and a bit sexier in their fifties. I think it's pretty amazing: French women don't start trying to hide their bodies under giant tent dresses as they get older.
'The problem now, though, is that because the French girl aesthetic is so desirable it's become a bit manufactured – and therefore less interesting. If you go to Paris, you'll still be able to spot the actual French girls. They are all pretty much dressed the same and looking very chic. But that does come at a price as it means people don't really dare to explore other sides of their personality. Now that I'm living on this side of the Channel, I've been able to detach myself from that and I can see it for what it is.'
Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.
