Alexandria’s Origin Story: Listen to What Lights You Up
It all started with fancy ladies.
Fancy ladies and classic English literature. One of my favourite childhood memories is my Mom reading aloud to me in the evenings. We powered through Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James and the complete works of Jane Austen and I happily drew my “fancy ladies”—whimsical creations I conjured from the pages of those books. I was well on my way to becoming a little Anglophile who would grow up, leave sunny Los Angeles for London and the variable British climate and not look back.
I’ve now lived in London for more than 20 years and can confirm it’s absolutely nothing like a Jane Austen novel. Not in my experience at least. But it remains the country where I feel most at home.
Illustration: Alexandria's Signature Style
These fancy ladies quickly became my signature style: fanciful black & white illustrations with a splash of colour.
Sure, you could see my drawings as a bit retro, or at least of another era. Are they a little 1940s inspired? Do they conjure some mid-20th century Hollywood glamour?Maybe.
After all, I’m an LA girl at heart and saw a lot of films when I was growing up. All the screwball comedies, loads of film noir, all the Hitchcock movies—anything with Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Jean Arthur, Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn…
I share a birthday with Jimmy Stewart and remember ringing a little bell for him when he died, in honour of It’s a Wonderful Life.
And my favourite movie was always You Can’t Take It With You (1938), which, strangely enough, resonates quite strongly with the unconventional path my work life has taken!
Looking at the Evolution of the “Fancy Lady”, I’m amazed at how early on I established my illustration style. It has certainly developed over the years and become more refined, but in all its forms remains surprisingly recognisable.
I have always loved drawing fancy ladies. It's probably the most unique thing about me. It's who I am.
Fashion Illustrator in the Making
How strange it has taken me over twenty years to realise it, but I clearly trained from an early age to be a fashion illustrator! And I do love fashion. From the first moment I saw the costumes in the 1964 film version of My Fair Lady (after I was already well into my repertoire of fancy ladies), I was entranced.
A secret to living well is being open to change. Keep in touch with who you are now, who you want to be and how you want to live.
Ask yourself 3 questions:
Who are you now? Who do you want to be? How do you want to live?
When I was growing up I didn’t fully appreciate my fancy lady illustrations. It was just something I doodled, an unconscious activity to occupy my free time. It was such a natural part of life that it never occurred to me to go on to study art or illustration.
Instead, I pursued life as a classical musician—not a choice I would particularly recommend or make now, but, like many decisions you make in life, it seemed the right thing to do at the time. And I’ve met some wonderful people through the music world, including my husband, Ben.
It’s easy to fall into a line of work, or a pattern in life, that no longer serves who you are, who you want to be or how you want to live. The secret to living well, I believe, is listening to those clues—to listen and take action.
The first time I heard those famous two lines of poetry from The Summer Day, I was in the Atrium of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was 2019 and I had travelled to New York to train to be a KonMari consultant with Marie Kondo and her team. About 80 of us from all over the world were gathered in that airy, glass event space, and there’s one moment I’ll never forget. A particularly charismatic member of Marie’s team was speaking and asked us to imagine how we want to live and work (as KonMari consultants). She spoke those famous two lines of poetry, and I felt an overwhelming surge of emotion…
I remember glancing round the room and thinking, “Wow, is everyone welling up like I am right now?” Ah no, just me.
To this day, those words get me every time.
There is something infinitely powerful about acknowledging your mortality. Sure, that can feel scary. But there’s also beauty in impermanence, as there is in nature and the changing seasons. Our time here is limited.
All the more reason, I’d say, to make your time count. Make a positive contribution. Take time to prioritise your wellbeing, surround yourself with beauty, and live the life you really want to live… every day.
Alexandria's Style Journey
Becoming a personal stylist
My love of fashion took an unexpected turn in 2019 (yes, the year I also trained to be a KonMari consultant), when I trained as a personal stylist and seasonal colour specialist at London College of Style. This was part of my segue into lifestyle design and awakened in me a new appreciation for style and, most importantly, colour.
Exploring seasonal colour analysis ("getting your colours done")
At first, I was skeptical about seasonal colour analysis (as I mention in my podcast interviews with art director/curator Martin Clark and bestselling novelist Tracy Chevalier). Does colour analysis actually work? Is there such a thing as wearing your best colours? Does it really have an impact? It wasn’t until I really began to explore my own personal style—and practice “doing the colours” of everyone who came to visit my SW London flat—that I saw the true value of discovering (and wearing!) your best colours. It is properly transformative, even life-changing.
Developing my personal style
Personal style is something that naturally evolves over time. A bit like decorating your home.
I’ve enjoyed more intentionally exploring my personal style in recent years. And for someone who (ahem) used to wear a lot of black, I’ve really embraced colour in my wardrobe and (I have to say) feel better for it!
Alexandria's Interior Design Journey
There's no place like home.
Even as a child, I remember standing in my bedroom at home and just looking at the space. Was there anything I could rearrange? Was it tidy? Or sometimes I’d just stand and appreciate it. Not as any form of conscious gratitude practice. I just liked what I saw. And I liked to make little adjustments.
I grew up in a tiny one bedroom house in West Hollywood, California with my parents and an Abyssinian cat called Lester. Yes, that’s one bedroom for three people and, remarkably (especially as I reflect on it now), my parents gave me the bedroom, and they slept for more than a decade on a futon in the living room.
In the early ’90s, when I was about eleven, the tiny house I grew up in was featured in L.A. Inside Out. This book captures 50 unique homes in Los Angeles at the time.
From an artist's "tattooed house" in town [yes, that's where I grew up!] to a pyramid nestled in the mountains above Malibu, L.A. Inside Out reveals the startling beauty and irreverent wit that have made this city the place to watch in the coming millennium.
Fast forward many years...
It wasn’t until Ben and I took our first step on the property ladder in 2018—and moved into a shared-ownership flat, with floor-to-ceiling windows and stunning views across SW London—that I really became obsessed with my living space.
A sheepskin beanbag changed my life.
Not long after we moved into our flat, I remember sitting on that sheepskin beanbag in the living room…
Our space was spare. White walls with nothing on them. No sofa. No plants. Just an oak dining table and bookcase we’d found on eBay, plus this fluffy sheepskin beanbag.
I had recently joined my first entrepreneurial community and was brainstorming business ideas. I was going to make and sell sustainable laser-cut jewellery! And I was trying to write my first media bio. Trying being the key word. Ugh… I was struggling. It didn’t feel quite right. Sure, I loved designing jewellery but something was somehow missing… perhaps a deeper sense of purpose?
I checked my email.
A newsletter popped into my inbox. Something about interior design. And it struck me. What if you could combine interior design, style and decluttering? The seed was planted for my lifestyle design business.
Surround yourself with things you love.
My career change now had a clear focus. I started to re-train in three different fields (KonMari tidying, personal styling and interior design) and slowly but surely over the past few years, the pieces of the puzzle have been coming together.
I’m now preparing to launch Club PINK™, my lifestyle design membership.
I wholeheartedly believe Club PINK™ is the BIG idea of my life. It’s the contribution I want to make in this world. It’s my ikigai, my reason for being, my sense of purpose. It’s the community I most want to be part of.
Meanwhile, at home… That sheepskin beanbag is now at the centre of my living room plant throne. If you’re looking for a DIY project to elevate your space, I’d highly recommend starting with a plant throne. It’s cosy. It’s hygge. It’s refreshingly jungly. It’s all the lovely things.
Explore Your Personal Style
Have you been wanting to elevate your style?
Are you keen to express your personality (and creativity) through the clothes you wear? And would you love, love, love some support along the way?
Well, I have just the thing for you. I’ve created Club PINK™ with the power of community at its core. This lifestyle design membership is a fun way to explore your style and enhance your life, with a supportive community behind you all the way. Check it out!
Dare to dream. Yes, create an inspiring vision for how you (really) want to live—that's essential. But then you need to take action. Live your best life now. That's what Club PINK™ is all about.
About Blog
The ALSO in PINK™ lifestyle design blog is here to help you create a home and life you love.
Author
Alexandria Lawrence is passionate about helping you dare to dream big and intentionally live your best life every day.
