Maddy Evans | Amanda Wakeley Style DNA

In this week’s episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with Maddy Evans, the visionary who has presided over the transformation of M&S womenswear, she is the Director of M&S Woman, overseeing the womenswear and lingerie categories…no small job.   I ask Maddy what has been her secret weapon? She tells me that she went through the revamping of Topshop with Jane Shepherdson and it was that experience that gave her the knowledge of how to create change.    We talk about working with people to help change the style perception, hence the Sienna Miller collaboration. As Maddy says Sienna is a woman who has matured in front of the cameras and has had an evolution of style and that resonated with the M&S business and customer. They wanted to work with a woman who understands her style…no better person really.   We talk about the importance of first impressions and how they really count. I ask her whether she ever gets snow blinded by being exposed to so much fashion… perhaps being overwhelmed by choice? She says she has really stuck to her style, especially as she’s got older, realising that trends don’t work for her…she doesn’t let fashion wear her… such a great lesson!   Stylistically she says she is inspired by the designer Phoebe Philo, a woman who is totally confident and comfortable in her own skin. But also by Kim Bassinger in 91/2 weeks…just totally fabulous, and the uber stylist, the French woman Emanuelle Alt, who as she says, manages with a few product types to “make i