Laura Jackson

Her vibe is Parisian, but she hails from Huddersfield. She’s a classic beauty, but her personality speaks louder than her looks. Vogue call her ‘the new genre of It girl' - but she’s just as at home in the kitchen as she is on the front row.

This is Laura Jackson.  TV presenter,  trendsetter,  and - our Miss February. We sat down with her to talk growing up in the North, swapping short skirts for cashmere and why her ‘super trendy’ grandma is the best dressed woman she knows…

Hi Laura. What are you up to at the moment?

Writing a cookbook with my foodie partner Alice Levine, and in the next week 'Take Me Out The Gossip' filming starts.

Sounds exciting. Has being in the public eye like this changed changed your style at all? 

I don’t think being in the public eye has evolved my style but I think adulthood has evolved my style. I am a lot more aware of what suits my body shape and what I enjoy wearing, I think probably when I was younger I liked to wear really skimpy clothes that showed off lots of flesh. Now I’m older I prefer to dress a bit more demure and a bit more chicer. I wear trousers more than skirts and I’m more interested in buying jumpers and jackets than shoes and handbags.

So you’re more conservative in your wardrobe choices now you’ve got a bit older and wiser?

I think I’ve got into adulthood, and you know living in London any outfit is socially acceptable. It doesn’t matter how crazy or not crazy it is. That’s kind of quite nice, you’re not judged on your outfit in London.

Agreed. So do you think you have more fun with fashion now?

Definitely. I think that I’ve always really liked clothes - I remember my mum always used to make me and my sister outfits. When I was at college we used to go to the market and buy things and personalise them and sew buttons and things onto them. I think I’ve always taken an interest, but now I’ll buy more expensive cashmere jumpers and have things that are going to last me, rather than fast fashion.

Sounds like fashion was a big part of your younger years. Are your family interested in fashion?

My whole family is. My grandma is super trendy; she always has matching shoes and handbags to her dress. My Mum’s really cool, and my sisters, both of them are really into it. I think it’s something that we’ve all grown up being aware of. My mum would always make us dress up quite smart if we went anywhere – that was always quite nice actually.

You’ve mentioned to me before that you’re a fan of tracksuits. How else has growing up in the north influenced your style?
Growing up in the north, you’re influenced by music really. Music is really big, like the Stone Roses and Oasis. And dance music. And that influenced what you would wear when you go out. Like if you went out dancing you would wear a pair of trainers and a little dress. But when you went to town up north you would have to dress up – no one ever wore coats; you’d wear really high heels and loads of makeup. Loads of stuff in your hair, more is more!