What inspired you to take on Anna Beck at The Dressing Room?
The first Anna Beck piece that I saw and fell in love with was the Elephant pendant. This piece alone made me feel that I absolutely had to add Anna Beck to my edit at The Dressing Room.
You were the first UK stockist for Anna Beck and have had the brand going on 7 years now. What about the brand do you think draws your customer to the brand time and time again? What do you think makes the brand unique and stand out from others ?
The Anna Beck brand is very well loved by The Dressing Room customers and team alike. The pieces are timeless, yet have a unique modern edge to them which is perfect for The Dressing Room. The quality and craftmanship that goes into each piece is wonderful and is clear to see when you pick up an item from the Anna Beck collection that love and care has gone into crafting each piece. Every season Becky and her team bring a gorgeous new collection to add to the range which always has a few 'must-have' pieces which instantly update your look and can be added to your existing Anna Beck collection.
You’re always one of the first UK boutiques to stock the new limited edition seasonal styles. Do you have any favourite pieces from the SS24 Oasis collection or showstopper pieces you’ve been loving?
I absolutely love the seasonal ranges and when I was presented with the Oasis collection I was very, very excited! The green quartz and pink opal stones are absolutely beautiful and I love the Evil eye necklace in green quartz and the faux stacking ring which combines the two stones.
I do also love the scalloped saddle ring which is my latest and most coveted piece from the Anna Beck Collection.
You and Becky finally got to meet last November (2023) when Becky was on her UK roadshow. How was the experience and do you have any stand out memories from this time?
It was so lovely to finally meet Becky in person after being part of the Anna Beck journey over the last 7 years. Becky's vision and creativity is clear to see and is even more infectious in person. We had a great catch up and talked all things Anna Beck, The Dressing Room and our individual business and life journeys to date. The team and customers loved having the opportunity to meet the woman behind the brand and hear Becky's stories about how she designs and gets inspiration for her collections. It was a real highlight!
How would you describe your Anna Beck customer and who is the brand appealing to at The Dressing Room ? E.g. are the customer buying for themselves, for gifts etc
The majority of our Anna Beck customers start by having a piece gifted to them for a special occasion or self gifting and then build their collection from there. We have ladies that have created the most amazing jewellery collection of Anna Beck over the years and it is lovely to see them layering new with older pieces and seeing how their Anna Beck collection evolves.
You’ve even had Anna Beck exclusive styles at The Dressing Room ! How do you know what your customer is going to love?
We have indeed, we introduced the Exclusive Mixed metal Horn necklace a few years ago to The Dressing Room. The horn necklace had been a longstanding favourite at The Dressing Room, so we introduced it for our customers in a mixed metal option which they loved. As a buyer I instinctively know what my customer will love and what is the right fit for my edit, created exclusives with brand like Anna Beck is a way to make my edit even more individual and unique.
When looking to stock new jewellery collections do you look to collaborate this with clothing trends, and how do you visualise it looking for your customer in line with new fashion styles ?
It is important that the jewellery compliments the clothing trends, but will also stand alone as a wonderful piece in its own right that you will love and treasure for years to come. The Anna Beck collections sit back incredibly well with our collections from brands such as Dea Kudibal and Essentiel for a dressed up, luxe look and then work back perfectly to enhance a more casual, bohemian look from Ba&sh Paris, Rails and Paige Denim.
As a boutique owner where do you source your inspiration and creativity from?
I'm always looking at what is going on within the industry and looking for inspiration from my buying trips - Copenhagen is particularly good for fashion inspo. Alongside that is instinct and my vision for who the Dressing Room is and ensuring that I always stay true to my core values for The Dressing Room. Knowing my customer inside out means that I tend to know what she will love and what my be lovely but won't work. I'm always on the look out for newness and inspiration and bring that to life in our online inspiration hub with styling videos, lookbooks and my weekly picks.
Tell us a little bit about The Dressing Room and where you’re situated in St Albans (UK), what makes it such a desirable place to shop and to live ?
The Dressing was born 19 years ago back in 2005 following a successful career in fashion retail. I wanted to create an environment with a unique edit of brands within a luxurious, yet laid back environment with an exceptional shopping experience. Fast forward 19 years and the business has grown and developed hugely but my initial concept remains true to this day. I now employ a team of 20 women all hand-picked by myself for their friendly and knowledgeable approach to fashion and style. The team are all trained to help you bring out your very best style and you can access as much or as little help and advice as you need, simply let us know and we will do the rest.
The Dressing Room boutique is located in the heart of the vibrant, picturesque Cathedral city of St Albans. The City is full of great Independent retailers, restaurants and places to visit so it is a real destination for people to visit for a long weekend, if you are in the area please make sure you come and say hello, we'd love to see you.
Deryane xx