Jane & Marilyn

Even in the early days the pair adored glamour, in particular the polished glamour of Hollywood’s glory days. They were avid fans of old movies and loved the clothes of the 30s, 40s and 50s. Jane would sketch the costumes she saw on the screen.

 In their late teens and early twenties they, and a group of friends, would design and make their own clothes. There was great local fabric shops selling silk and cotton jersey in gorgeous colours and on a Saturday they would all buy our fabric and spend the afternoons at their sewing machines furiously running up our creations (usually complete with sequins) to wear to our local pub that night. They all had something of a Marilyn Monroe fixation, Marilyn was actually named after the superstar, and they would get glammed up with full make up, big hair and lots of red lipstick.

Over the years, trips to ‘season’ events like Royal Ascot, Henley and Glyndebourne along with the usual round of weddings and parties probed challenging as far as finding stylish flattering clothes which met the required dress codes – not too strappy for Ascot, not too short for Henley – while allowing for the unpredictability of the British summer.

So their desire to create their own label grew, driven not just by a love of clothes but also of a necessity, and the frustration of trying to find the right thing to wear. We wanted to produce wearable, versatile clothes that could satisfy the needs of real women. Flattering clothes that look, and feel, great.

 Marilyn Monroe had a brilliant partnership with Jane Russell, which was the inspiration for name of the brand, and it fitted perfectly. It would be grown up glamour for real women.

 Their first collection features ten versatile dresses in a choice of colours designed to take you from boardroom to cocktail bar; lunch with the girls or the Royal Enclosure; holiday on the Riviera or a summer party.

 This is not fast, disposable fashion, its forever fashion, designed to be kept, loved and worn in a variety of ways and occasions.

 Supporting UK businesses is important to Jane and Marilyn so all their gorgeous dresses are made in the UK and 80% of the fabric we have used is produced here too; quality cloths made by on of the finest weavers in england – Wool, cotton and silk in beautiful colours; all their dresses are lined in pure silk too.

 I’m sure their collection is one you will love.