Wardrobe Stories: Venetia La Manna
Power dressing with a purpose? Suits you, ma’am
Venetia La Manna
Chances are you’re already obsessed with Venetia La Manna. A broadcaster, activist and self-identified “recovering hypocrite”, she’s one of the most influential – and honest – voices in slow fashion today. Whether calling out greenwashing, coining the #OOOTD hashtag (that’s Old Outfit Of The Day, kids) or co-founding podcast and campaign collective Remember Who Made Them to amplify the fight for garment worker rights, La Manna’s approach to sustainable dressing goes way beyond her own wardrobe.
Still, it’s a pretty great wardrobe. From sweeping 70s frocks to sharp tailoring, slouchy knits and statement shirts, Venetia’s personal style is, she says, “a real mish-mash.” Having spent her teens in “tight dresses and ridiculous Jefferey Campbell heels”, her number one priority these days is comfort – and beyond that, anything goes. “I would love to be one of those people who is really specific about what they wear. I would love to be, like, ‘pure New Wave Anna Karina’ or something,” she says. “But the truth is because I’ve been very trend-focused in the past and bought a lot of fast fashion, my style is all over the shop.”
“[Ethical dressing] always starts with celebrating the clothes you already own”
Plenty of us have internalised the ‘shame’ of outfit-repeating thanks to social media, but as a former MTV and 4Music presenter, the pressure on La Manna to showcase an endless parade of new looks was intense. “I did a live show four days a week, probably about 40 weeks of the year, and I never wore the same thing twice,” she admits. “I just didn’t think that I could.”
Shockingly, her male co-presenters didn’t feel the same way. “They had, like, five outfits on rotation.”
These days she’s atoning for her old habits by getting the most out of her archive; fast fashion and all. “[Ethical dressing] always starts with celebrating the clothes you already own,” she says. “Start by organising your wardrobe, see what you actually have, celebrate those clothes, wear them, love them, style them up... and then if you need something new, swap clothes with friends if you can, and buy secondhand in whatever way suits you.”
‘The one that got away’ - Venetia in the bright pink cord trouser suit by Mara Hoffman
While she loves a vintage treasure hunt and has a lengthy Vestiaire wishlist, Venetia is the queen of delayed gratification, limiting herself to just a couple of carefully-pondered purchases a year. Because, as she’s keen to get across whenever her 126,000 Instagram followers ask for tips, it’s about shopping less, not just shopping ‘better’. “Buying your way to sustainability is never the answer,” she says.
And while the bodycon days might be long gone, she’s rediscovered another adolescent stalwart: the dress-up session. “If I’m feeling low and really anxious, an activity I find really helpful is going through my wardrobe and coming up with new outfits,” she says. “It’s such a mood-lifter! You find combinations you never would have thought of. This week I put a sheer Molly Goddard-style dress over a pair of jeans with a white lacy cropped top over the top. And it worked. It’s the same kick I used to get out of going to Urban Outfitters on my lunch break.”
Think we just found our new lockdown hobby.
Venetia’s Wardrobe Stories...
What's the oldest thing in your wardrobe?
My wedding dress. It makes me emotional even thinking about it! It’s made from two pieces of ivory antique Battenberg lace, sewn together into a dress by an incredible woman called Jane Bourvis who specialises in antique wedding dresses. She’s honestly a wizard. The lace is over 100 years old and has the most unbelievably intricate, delicate design – you just don’t see fabric like that anymore. I loved the weight and the history behind those pieces, and the idea that someone could have got married in them before me. I was so nervous about accidentally wrecking it on the day that I rented a bright yellow strappy party dress to change into afterwards, so I could really let loose. My wedding dress is in a box just now, but I love the idea of one day living somewhere with enough space that I can frame it and hang it on the wall.
“with any big purchase, I never buy it immediately – I ask them to hold it, leave the shop, sit with how I’m feeling”
What's your most recent acquisition?
A maroon Celine suit from the vintage store Rellik in Notting Hill, where I’ve been going since I was 16. I love wearing trouser suits, I always feel super comfy in them, and I just died when I saw this and it was my size. But with any big purchase, I never buy it immediately – I ask them to hold it, leave the shop, sit with how I’m feeling. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I knew this was going to be a good purchase. I only bought it two weeks ago and I’ve already worn it twice; I’m wearing it with vintage band tees and Converse, but I’m also eyeing up a little black silk cami that I think it would go really well with. I’m very happy.
What's the item of clothing closest to your heart, and why?
Is it lame to say my wedding shoes? I knew my dress was pretty traditional so I wanted to make a statement with my shoes. They’re maroon (again, I love maroon) velvet Prada platforms. I was obsessed with them for so long but didn’t want to buy them new, so I went on a hunt and finally found them on Vestiaire Collective about a month before we got married. I’ve actually worn them loads since, they’re surprisingly comfortable – on the day I danced non-stop and they didn’t come off until I went to bed! They definitely hold a special memory, and I know I’ll have them in my wardrobe for a really long time.
What’s the piece you’ve worn again and again and again?
This amazing tweed blazer, which I found about a year ago in a Fara charity shop (they’re such good charity shops). At first I was like... am I going to be a bit horsey in this? Is it, er, hunting vibes? But then my friend sent me a picture of either Mary-Kate or Ashley in the noughties wearing a tweed jacket with a hoodie underneath – and that’s literally how I’d been wearing it, not realising it was because of that photo and how much we used to obsess over the Olsen twins. It’s super comfy and I’m surprised at how much I’ve worn it. Thankfully I’ve been able to style it away from the British countryside...
“I love feeling like an ice cream”
Which garment has the best origin story?
I really love this question! It’s made me realise I want more cool origin stories in my wardrobe. Like so many people, I’ve been obsessed with vintage Laura Ashley dresses in the past few years. I’d been trawling through loads on eBay and in different vintage stores, and even my Mum was sending me photos from secondhand shops she was going into – like, “this one? This one?” Then finally, last year, I found this one in a vintage store on Portobello Road. I feel conflicted about the store itself – it’s veeery f***ing expensive, it doesn’t have the friendliest vibe... but their stock is amazing. The dress fits like a glove, and I’m obsessed with the print, the cornflower blue colour, the ruffle at the bottom, the little sash that goes round the waist, the way you can either wear it buttoned all the way up to the neck or have it open. It’s my Laura Ashley dream come true.
Is there anything in your wardrobe that you LOVE but other people... um, don't?
Yes! I have this swirly shirt which I’m obsessed with, because the print reminds me of my favourite lolly from the 90s, a Zzapp. It literally looks like a Zzapp has vomited on you. It’s not for everyone, but I’ve had it for probably eight years and it just makes me feel happy. I love feeling like an ice cream.
Be honest – which garment do you wish you wore more?
My cousin Atalanta Weller used to be a shoe designer and it’s a pair of her designs, which I’ve had for a really long time. They’re shiny cherry-red brogues, serious Dorothy vibes, and they’re incredibly well-crafted. I have worn them but I feel I could get more wear out of them, so that’s my mission over the next couple of months – to give them the outings they deserve.
They're making a waxwork of you for Madame Tussauds. What is she wearing?
It would be an outfit I fell desperately in love with when I wore it on a shoot a few years ago, but can’t find anywhere for love nor money. It was a bright pink cord trouser suit by [sustainable luxury designer] Mara Hoffman. It was unbelievable, just the best thing ever. Really bright, super comfortable, beautifully cut, the works – and I felt so, so good in it. Obviously it was way too expensive and back then I didn’t have the mentality I have now, of only buying one or two things a year. But not buying it is my biggest regret. I am constantly on secondhand sites trying to find it, but I’ve had no luck. So my waxwork would be wearing that, probably with a pair of Prada platforms, maybe my wedding shoes, lots of gold jewellery... just something that makes me feel really powerful, and is a bit of a statement. But also: comfortable! Perfect.
Follow Venetia @venetialamanna and listen to Remember Who Made Them wherever you get your podcasts