Italy Falls For Some Scottish Romance

A SCOTTISH designer, and former intern to Alexander McQueen, has been tipped by Italian Vogue as one to watch. Following a recent visit to Judy Clark's Edinburgh studio, the magazine's culture and travel editor, Federico Chiara, called her collection "romantic art".

"Every market has its own particular character and the Italian one is no exception. We're a bit conservative, maybe," Chiara told us. "That said, sometimes we need and love a touch of the British eccentricity that fuels Judy's imagery. Her clothes are not for everyday life, and they don't try to be simple, but her theatrical twists - combined with a taste for tailoring, and the use of Scottish fabrics and lace - makes her fashion appealing to me."

Decreed the Scottish Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Scottish Style Awards, Clark revealed her first ready-to-wear collection at a fashion show in Edinburgh last week - and plans to take her designs to Milan Fashion Week next month for the Pitti Imaginne Fashion Fair in a bid to attract Italian buyers.

"I was delighted to welcome Italian Vogue into the studio," Clark said. "They were particularly impressed by the Scottish textiles that I used throughout my collections and studied the textured linings and hand stitched embellishments in my bespoke ranges. They liked that the handwriting I've established as a bespoke designer could be carefully documented through an innovative ready-to-wear line."

Judy Clark's new collection will be available to buy from February 15 from her website www.judyrclark.com.