Nigella Lawson was such a devotee that she once hit the headlines when she bought 12 dresses in the same design, but that has not been enough to save Bombshell London, which has gone bust after 17 years.
I can disclose that the 1950s-inspired brand, beloved by other famous women including Anjelica Huston, Jerry Hall, Ruth Jones, Deborah Meaden, Angela Rippon and former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, has gone into liquidation after suffering financial difficulties. Its owner and designer Katya Wildman says she’s been left ‘heartbroken’.
Bombshell specialised in glamorous retro hand-made special occasion dresses designed to flatter women with curves and traded both online and in person, having its own London showroom and factory.
However, the decline in demand for ‘dressed up’ clothes since the Covid lockdowns is thought to have contributed to the independent company’s demise. Dresses cost on average of £250 each.
Nigella Lawson was such a devotee that she once hit the headlines when she bought 12 dresses in the same design, but that has not been enough to save Bombshell London
Bombshell specialised in glamorous retro hand-made special occasion dresses designed to flatter women with curves and traded both online and in person
The decline in demand for ‘dressed up’ clothes since the Covid lockdowns is thought to have contributed to the independent company’s demise
Founded in 2007, when Katya was inspired to start the company as she could not find dresses that flattered her own curvaceous figure, the company came to prominence when Nigella splashed out £2,000 on 12 dresses in the same design for a holiday in the Hamptons, New York.
‘It’s heartbreaking to tell you that my journey with Bombshell Ltd has come to an end,’ confirms Katya, a former television costume designer. ‘It’s been the greatest honour and privilege to dress so many women for the most important moments in their lives, and together, as a community, we created Bombshell magic.
‘I want to take this opportunity to say a big thank-you to our loyal Bombshell customers for your incredible support over the years – you made my dreams come true and I hope that your dresses continue to make you feel amazing every time you wear them.’
An official message from the company says: ‘We regret to inform you that as a result of recent financial difficulties, Bombshell Ltd (trading as Bombshell), has ceased to trade and will no longer be accepting any further orders.’
Sheer bravado or another fine mesh for Oscar winner Jared …
Hollywood women’s fondness for transparent outfits appears to be spreading to the men.
Jared Leto, 52, who won an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club and has also starred in Suicide Squad and House Of Gucci, was spotted leaving the 1 Hotel Mayfair, in London, wearing a sheer mesh Salt Murphy Logan red glove top, which costs £80.
Jared Leto, 52, was spotted leaving the 1 Hotel Mayfair, in London, wearing a sheer mesh Salt Murphy Logan red glove top, which costs £80
‘I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what I will wear — I tend to just throw things on,’ the actor and musician has explained.
Last month, he showed no fear when he abseiled down New York’s Empire State Building for charity in front of Princess Beatrice.
Is Alice expecting a skater boy?
Alice Dellal, whose grandfather ‘Black Jack’ Dellal once blew £1.7million in a Monte Carlo casino in a single night in 2006, is placing a bet on motherhood.
The model and photographer, 36, has revealed that she’s expecting her first child.
Alice, who is the younger sister of shoe designer Charlotte Olympia Dellal, shared online a photograph of her cradling her bump in a leopard-print dress.
Earlier this year, I disclosed that Alice was going out with Charlie Birch, 25, a professional skateboarder from Liverpool, whom she calls her ‘hero’.
Dellal made waves in 2008 when she replaced Kate Moss, who is 14 years her senior, as the face of luxe lingerie label Agent Provocateur.
She later enjoyed a blossoming friendship with Moss’s ex-husband, the rock musician Jamie Hince, 55.
Alice Dellal, whose grandfather ‘Black Jack’ Dellal once blew £1.7million in a Monte Carlo casino in a single night in 2006, is placing a bet on motherhood
Alice, who is the younger sister of shoe designer Charlotte Olympia Dellal, shared online a photograph of her cradling her bump in a leopard-print dress
Novelist Santa Montefiore has found an ingenious way of encouraging her favourite film star to appear in a screen adaptation of her book. She’s named a character after him.
‘Cavill, the hero in Shadows In The Moonlight, is very chivalrous, because men were probably more so in the Victorian era,’ says Santa, a friend of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
‘I do hope a man would open a door for my daughter, or offer her his coat. I hope those instincts haven’t died completely. Cavill’s based on [Man Of Steel star] Henry Cavill, who I really fancy.
‘If it ever gets made into a film, I’d want him to play the part — and I’d definitely be on set.’
Scot star Tunstall’s pop at politicians
It’s not just D:Ream banning Labour from playing Things Can Only Get Better.
Scots singer KT Tunstall, a favourite of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, has asked party leaders not to use her music at rallies during the British campaign.
‘The political thing is a nightmare because they don’t need to get permission. And once they’ve used it, it’s too late, it’s associated with them,’ says Tunstall, whose hit Suddenly I See was adopted by Clinton as her 2008 presidential campaign theme.
Scots singer KT Tunstall, a favourite of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, has asked party leaders not to use her music at rallies during the British campaign
‘With Hillary Clinton, I thought, ‘Use it after you’re elected, after you’ve been a really good president for four years. Not at the beginning when you haven’t done anything.’
Veteran panto dame Christopher Biggins says it’s wrong to ban straight actors from taking gay roles.
‘I played a sex-crazed vicar in Poldark,’ he says. ‘It was fabulous!’
Biggins, 75, adds: ‘I get so angry about this, because if you’re a good enough actor, you could play anything. I sometimes play a woman, and I’m rather good at it. I’ve played quite a few straight men and I’ve played gay people, too.’
