Sorry, The Great British Sewing Bee, but this season it is not about the tacking or the darning. Instead, it’s all about new judge Esme Young. Combining the holy trinity of Mary Berry, Iris Apfel and Anna Wintour, Young’s unique aesthetic sense has set a new dictate for the stylish older woman on telly.
Episode after episode see her combining an assured bob, post-NHS glasses and confident flats with Cos-like outfitting. Episode two saw an olive-green sheath dress pinched in the middle, with the merest hint of a pale-pink, long-sleeved top worn underneath, accessorised with a necklace adorned with crustacean-like tiger-orange objects, while episode five featured a distressed Rothko-style-pattern dress of blues and marmalades. Young, who says she makes “a quarter of her clothes”, gives the show a soupçon of edge and a much-needed de-tweeing. Her look is seamless (sorry).
