Plum Sykes
Encyclopedia
Victoria "Plum" Sykes is an English-born fashion-writer, novelist and New York
socialite
. "Plum" was a childhood nickname (the Victoria plum being a variety of that fruit).
, Kent
. Among her friends at Ide Hill
Church of England primary school was Rowan Pelling
(b.1968), who became the editor (or "editrice") of the Erotic Review. From there she went to Sevenoaks School
, an independent school founded in the 15th century, and then to Worcester College, Oxford
in 1988, where she graduated in modern history.
Sykes' mother, Valerie Goad, a dress designer, separated from Sykes' father Mark while Plum was at Oxford. Her grandfather, Christopher Sykes (1907–1986), was a friend and official biographer (1975) of the novelist Evelyn Waugh
and son of the diplomat Sir Mark Sykes, sixth baronet (1869–1919), associated with the so-called Sykes-Picot Agreement
of 1916, by which Britain and France provided for the partition of the Ottoman empire after the end of the First World War. An 18th century forebear, the second baronet, Sir Christopher Sykes (1749–1801), was a major figure in the enclosure
movement that transformed the appearance and management of the English countryside.
at British Vogue
. She was featured that year, with, among others, designer Bella Freud
and model Stella Tennant in Babes in London, in a photographic shoot by the American Steven Meisel
(responsible in 1992 for the singer Madonna
's controversial collection, Sex
), which was produced by the rising fashion guru Isabella Blow
(1958–2007).
In 1997 Sykes became a contributing editor on fashion
for American Vogue, of which Anna Wintour
, also British, had been editor-in-chief since 1988. (It was this period at Vogue that inspired Lauren Weisberger
's 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada.) Sykes soon became a familiar figure on the New York social scene, being frequently described as an "It girl
".
A decade later, at the age of 38, Sykes reflected that "when you hit 30 you lose your edge": invited by the Times to comment on the late-nineties trend for ultra-high heeled shoes, she observed that "these weird space-age shoes look cool and trendy and are a way of getting back to some degree", but that "this type of trend is not a classic version of beauty. Men want women to be sexy. They'd be happy if we were all [the model] Gisele Bündchen
, but that's just not fashion".
(2004), which was one of the most successful examples of "chick lit
" (or "chic
lit" as some dubbed Sykes' writing) and sold a quarter of a million copies worldwide. It took its title from the Bergdorf Goodman
store in Upper Manhattan
, founded at the end of the 19th century.
A second novel, The Debutante Divorcée, was published in 2006. Sykes publicised it with an array of personal appearances at stores in New York (Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Frederic Fekkai, Ferragamo, Neiman Marcus and Oscar de la Renta). The Debutante Divorcée appeared in paperback in 2007.
Some have seen Sykes' books as lying in natural succession to Sex and the City
, Candace Bushnell
's column in the New York Observer, which was the inspiration for a highly successful television series (HBO 1998–2004). However, despite their satire, others have regarded them as too rooted in Sykes' own Park Avenue
"set" to be reflective more generally of women's lives in post-9/11
Manhattan. Anita Loos
' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925) is perhaps a closer, if incomparable, antecedent.
Toby Rowland, son of businessman "Tiny" Rowland
, at Sledmere House
, her family's ancestral home (1751) in the East Riding of Yorkshire
. Her dress, with an eight foot train and hand-sewn roses, was designed by Sykes' friend and protégé of Isabella Blow, Alexander McQueen
. Sykes was sometimes described as a muse
of McQueen; she modelled for some of his earliest catwalk shows, as well as for photoshoots of his designs. Prior to her nuptials she wrote in Vogue about shopping for suitable lingerie
for her wedding night, an article that included reference to a "$900 bra
" Six years later some fashion journalists (anticipating correctly the chosen designer) claimed that Catherine Middleton had been inspired by Sykes' wedding dress to choose Burton to design hers
for her marriage to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge., although others suggested that the inspiration was that (also in 2005) of Sara Buys to William’s step-brother, Tom Parker Bowles
.
Sykes and Rowland had their first child, Ursula, in October 2006 and their second child, Tess, in June 2010.
Sykes' twin sister Lucy, who moved to New York in 1996, became fashion director of Marie Claire
, and later a designer of children's clothes. In the late 1990s the Sykes sisters were sometimes described as the "twin set", Plum later joking, with reference to the heiresses Paris
and Nicky Hilton
, that "Lucy and I were Paris and Nicky without the sextape" (an allusion to a video recording of Paris Hilton and a former boyfriend that had been posted on the Internet
in 2003). Lucy Sykes married Euan Rellie, a New York-based investment banker, in 2002.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
. "Plum" was a childhood nickname (the Victoria plum being a variety of that fruit).
Early years and antecedents
Sykes was born in London, one of six children, and grew up in SevenoaksSevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Among her friends at Ide Hill
Ide Hill
Ide Hill is a village within the civil parish of Sundridge with Ide Hill, in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It stands on one of the highest points of the sandstone ridge about five miles south-west of Sevenoaks. Its name first appears on record in 1250 as Edythehelle. It is an eponymic...
Church of England primary school was Rowan Pelling
Rowan Pelling
Rowan Dorothy Pelling is a British journalist and broadcaster, who first achieved note as the editor of a monthly literary/erotic magazine, entitled the Erotic Review....
(b.1968), who became the editor (or "editrice") of the Erotic Review. From there she went to Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of...
, an independent school founded in the 15th century, and then to Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
in 1988, where she graduated in modern history.
Sykes' mother, Valerie Goad, a dress designer, separated from Sykes' father Mark while Plum was at Oxford. Her grandfather, Christopher Sykes (1907–1986), was a friend and official biographer (1975) of the novelist Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
and son of the diplomat Sir Mark Sykes, sixth baronet (1869–1919), associated with the so-called Sykes-Picot Agreement
Sykes-Picot Agreement
The Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916 was a secret agreement between the governments of the United Kingdom and France, with the assent of Imperial Russia, defining their respective spheres of influence and control in Western Asia after the expected downfall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I...
of 1916, by which Britain and France provided for the partition of the Ottoman empire after the end of the First World War. An 18th century forebear, the second baronet, Sir Christopher Sykes (1749–1801), was a major figure in the enclosure
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
movement that transformed the appearance and management of the English countryside.
Vogue
In 1993 Plum Sykes became a fashion assistantFashion journalism
Fashion journalism is an umbrella term used to describe all aspects of published fashion media. It includes fashion writers, fashion critics or fashion reporters...
at British Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
. She was featured that year, with, among others, designer Bella Freud
Bella Freud
Bella Freud is a London-based fashion designer with a number of celebrity clients.-Life and career:Freud was born in London, England. She is the daughter of Bernardine Coverley and artist Lucian Freud and great granddaughter of the inventor of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Her father Lucian Freud...
and model Stella Tennant in Babes in London, in a photographic shoot by the American Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel is an American photographer, who obtained popular acclaim with his work in US and Italian Vogue and his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book Sex...
(responsible in 1992 for the singer Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's controversial collection, Sex
Sex (book)
Sex is a coffee table book written by Madonna with photographs by Steven Meisel Studio and film frames taken from film shot by Fabien Baron. The book was edited by Glenn O'Brien. Sex was released on October 21, 1992 by Warner Books...
), which was produced by the rising fashion guru Isabella Blow
Isabella Blow
Isabella Blow was an English magazine editor. The muse of hat designer Philip Treacy, she is credited with discovering the models Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl as well as the fashion designer Alexander McQueen....
(1958–2007).
In 1997 Sykes became a contributing editor on fashion
Fashion journalism
Fashion journalism is an umbrella term used to describe all aspects of published fashion media. It includes fashion writers, fashion critics or fashion reporters...
for American Vogue, of which Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour, OBE is the British-born editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held since 1988. With her trademark pageboy bob haircut and sunglasses, Wintour has become an institution throughout the fashion world, widely praised for her eye for fashion trends and her support for...
, also British, had been editor-in-chief since 1988. (It was this period at Vogue that inspired Lauren Weisberger
Lauren Weisberger
Lauren Weisberger is an American novelist and author of the 2003 bestseller The Devil Wears Prada, a speculated roman à clef of her real life experience as a put-upon assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour....
's 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada.) Sykes soon became a familiar figure on the New York social scene, being frequently described as an "It girl
It girl
"It girl" is a term for a young woman who possess the quality "It", absolute attraction.The early usage of the concept "it" in this meaning may be seen in a story by Rudyard Kipling: "It isn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just 'It'."...
".
A decade later, at the age of 38, Sykes reflected that "when you hit 30 you lose your edge": invited by the Times to comment on the late-nineties trend for ultra-high heeled shoes, she observed that "these weird space-age shoes look cool and trendy and are a way of getting back to some degree", but that "this type of trend is not a classic version of beauty. Men want women to be sexy. They'd be happy if we were all [the model] Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
, but that's just not fashion".
Novelist
The world of New York fashion was the setting for Sykes' first novel, Bergdorf BlondesBergdorf Blondes
Bergdorf Blondes was the début novel of Plum Sykes, an English-born fashion writer and New York “it girl”. It was first published in the USA by Miramax Books, and in Britain by Viking, in 2004. Penguin published a paperback edition in 2005....
(2004), which was one of the most successful examples of "chick lit
Chick lit
Chick lit is genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly. The genre sold well during the 1990s and 2000s, with chick lit titles topping bestseller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick lit...
" (or "chic
Chic (style)
Chic , meaning 'stylish' or 'smart', is an element of fashion.-Etymology:Chic is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s...
lit" as some dubbed Sykes' writing) and sold a quarter of a million copies worldwide. It took its title from the Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman is a luxury goods department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son Andrew Goodman....
store in Upper Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, founded at the end of the 19th century.
A second novel, The Debutante Divorcée, was published in 2006. Sykes publicised it with an array of personal appearances at stores in New York (Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Frederic Fekkai, Ferragamo, Neiman Marcus and Oscar de la Renta). The Debutante Divorcée appeared in paperback in 2007.
Some have seen Sykes' books as lying in natural succession to Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
, Candace Bushnell
Candace Bushnell
Candace Bushnell is an American author and columnist based in New York City. She is best known for writing a column that was anthologized in a book, Sex and the City, which in turn became the basis for a popular television series and its subsequent film adaptations.-Personal life:Bushnell was born...
's column in the New York Observer, which was the inspiration for a highly successful television series (HBO 1998–2004). However, despite their satire, others have regarded them as too rooted in Sykes' own Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
"set" to be reflective more generally of women's lives in post-9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
Manhattan. Anita Loos
Anita Loos
Anita Loos was an American screenwriter, playwright and author.-Early life:Born Corinne Anita Loos in Sisson, California , where her father, R. Beers Loos, had opened a tabloid newspaper for which her mother, Minerva "Minnie" Smith did most of the work of a newspaper publisher...
' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925) is perhaps a closer, if incomparable, antecedent.
Wedding and family
In 2005 Plum Sykes married British entrepreneurEntrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
Toby Rowland, son of businessman "Tiny" Rowland
Tiny Rowland
Roland "Tiny" Rowland was a British businessman and chairman of the Lonrho conglomerate from 1962 to 1994...
, at Sledmere House
Sledmere House
Sledmere House is a Grade I listed Georgian country house, containing Chippendale, Sheraton and French furnishings and many fine pictures, set within a park designed by Capability Brown. It is located in the village of Sledmere, between Driffield and Malton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, her family's ancestral home (1751) in the East Riding of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Her dress, with an eight foot train and hand-sewn roses, was designed by Sykes' friend and protégé of Isabella Blow, Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
. Sykes was sometimes described as a muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of McQueen; she modelled for some of his earliest catwalk shows, as well as for photoshoots of his designs. Prior to her nuptials she wrote in Vogue about shopping for suitable lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
for her wedding night, an article that included reference to a "$900 bra
Brassiere
A brassiere is an undergarment that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting breasts....
" Six years later some fashion journalists (anticipating correctly the chosen designer) claimed that Catherine Middleton had been inspired by Sykes' wedding dress to choose Burton to design hers
Wedding dress of Kate Middleton
The wedding dress of Kate Middleton was the bridal gown worn by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, at her wedding to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, on 29 April 2011. The dress was designed by English designer Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen....
for her marriage to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge., although others suggested that the inspiration was that (also in 2005) of Sara Buys to William’s step-brother, Tom Parker Bowles
Tom Parker Bowles
Thomas Henry Parker Bowles is the son of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Andrew Parker Bowles. His stepfather and godfather is Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. His younger sister is Laura Lopes....
.
Sykes and Rowland had their first child, Ursula, in October 2006 and their second child, Tess, in June 2010.
Sykes' twin sister Lucy, who moved to New York in 1996, became fashion director of Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
, and later a designer of children's clothes. In the late 1990s the Sykes sisters were sometimes described as the "twin set", Plum later joking, with reference to the heiresses Paris
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
and Nicky Hilton
Nicky Hilton
Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Hilton is an American businesswoman, fashion model, socialite, celebutante, heiress and fashion designer. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton and younger sister of Paris Hilton....
, that "Lucy and I were Paris and Nicky without the sextape" (an allusion to a video recording of Paris Hilton and a former boyfriend that had been posted on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
in 2003). Lucy Sykes married Euan Rellie, a New York-based investment banker, in 2002.
External links
- "The Debutante Divorcée" in the New York Times Sunday Book Review
- Girl on the Avenue
- Plum Sykes' unveiled advice
- My big fat Yorkshire wedding
- "Victoria's secret" — Hedley Freeman in the Guardian, 17 April 2004
- "My best friends, the ultimate It girls" — Rowan Pelling in the Daily Telegraph, 21 April 2005
- "Victoria's secrets" — Gaby Wood in the Observer, 14 May 2006