Island Connoisseur: Eugenie Nuttall

In the spirit of September – a month when Vogue’s largest issue is on newsstands and the runways of New York are heating up for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week – I proudly introduce Bahamian born and raised ready-to-wear designer, Eugenie Nuttall. Lady Nuttall is the founder and creative director of Jeannie McQueeny, a jewelry turned resort-wear line that has made waves in Palm Beach, London, St. Barths, Gstaad – just to name a few. Worn by the likes of Oprah and Diana Ross the line which is carried in more than 25 stores around the world, most notably Harrods, is hand-crafted with only the finest most luxurious natural fabrics. Made in Nepal, each piece is fabricated by Himalayan Master Craftsmen using traditional methods that have been handed down from generation to generation. The intricate beading typically incorporates gemstones and the source of inspiration is apparent with each and every piece .In 2008, the collection which features kaftans, dresses, tops, and knitwear broadened to include swimwear and needless to say if the pool were a runway there wouldn’t be an empty lounge-chair. Leading me to say, like a true Island Connoisseur Eugenie has established a trade that is typically most successfully nurtured in the fashion-foward cities of London, New York and Milan. However she has effortlessly made it work on an island no bigger than 21 by 7 miles long. This alone deems her an Island Connoisseur in every way.

VP – What type of woman do you design for?
EN: I design the Jeannie McQueeny line for the modern woman, who’s comfortable in her own skin. She knows what she wants out of life, and a part of that is creating a glamourous and elegant look, with the minumum of time and fuss. She knows which way is up. She has a full and engaging life – she’s committed to making the world a better place; she’s passionate – about her family, her friends, her home and the world at large – she knows how interconnected we all are today; she’s fascinated by other cultures, and by the arts; she travels a lot and has friends in far flung corners of the world; she understands beauty and how to find it both on an inner level and in nature; she loves to entertain and to be entertained…

I want her to feel totally relaxed in my clothing, and also to know that when she puts them on, she’ll be able to look in the mirror and see an elegant, glamourous reflection smiling back at her – Jeannie McQueeny clothes drape and float around women’s bodies in a way that seems to imbue them with a self assured feminity, which in turn, carries with it a lovely quality of elusive sensuality. In a sense, the softness of many of the silks that I use, reminds me of the swimming in the summer sea – which is a warm, silken, and an utterly sensual experience.

VP: How are your designs inspired by The Bahamas?
GM: The islands of The Bahamas are home. I carry them in my heart where ever I go and so they remain a constant source of inspiration. I grew up on a beach, and absorbed the sense of colour and light that touches every part of island life. What I like best are our bright crisp days when the colour blue displays itself in all of its variety.

Clarity of colour is very important to me. As dramatic as a dull grey sky with scudding silver clouds and a churning milky sea can be, it will never move me as much as the clarity of the day after the storm has passed…I like the clean, clear, striated aquas of the settled sea, which ends in a thin demarkation of ultramarine, juxtaposed against the limpid blue of a mid morning sky with its brilliant, climbing, crayon-yellow sun. This scene has inspired the degrade dyeing process (gradation of colour) in many of my katans, with very happy results. One has only to witness the explosion of expression that is Junkanoo to realise that we Bahamians absorb colour from the moment that we set our tiny feet out of doors… the way that the early sunlight exposes the pale pink in our sand entrances me, as does the fresh brightness of new guinep leaves and the magical opalescent green flash at sunset… some of my most enduring childhood memories are of sitting in our old almond tree, gazing for hours on end of the changing colours around me – the green of the leaves, the pale grey of the bark, the small dark hollows of wood pecker’s holes; the light bouncing off the sea in the distance, the startling splash of reds and pinks hibiscus, and royal poicianas, and crepe myrtle below…

And of course, when I remember the bliss of those early summer days, I remember the pleasure of stealing down to watch my grandmother’s and my parent’s parties. There was an element of excitement around those evenings – the sound of music floating through the house, and the chatter of their friends arriving – i suppose that seeing my grandmother and my mother looking gorgeous and having such fun must have imprinted my mind at an early age – music, laughter, glamour, elegance and beautiful clothes seemed to me to go together in the most natural way. Yes, there was a lot to do to make everything look marvelous, but when the time came for their guests to arrive, it all seemed so effortlessly delightful.

VP: If you had to describe your Island Personality which island would it be?
EN: Which island? What a question! I love them all. If pressed, i suppose that right now, i’d choose the Exumas – life is so often about relaxed exploration – there’s no one way to do anything, which is an exciting prospect – and the Exumas have a way of representing that – there are so many islands and cays – so many avenues to take – the creeks, or the open water? To skim along the surface of the water and admire the views, or to dive beneath it and explore a different, magical world? Each has its own attractions and each is entrancing…

My great-grandparents are buried in Georgetown – my great grandfather was commissioner there and died from injuries sustained in the ’29 hurricane – some years ago, i visited there with my grandmother, to see the library that he had built for her – it’s still in use – so the place tugs at my heart for a number of reasons. Besides all that, the beauty of the surrounding water is simply breathtaking!

I’ve also have a great fondness for Harbour Island – off season! I’ve always been charmed by it and was particularly so when my husband and I spent our honeymoon there. For some reason, I find it very restorative. When my batteries need recharging, i head for the welcoming embrace of the ocean view club, sleep to the sound of the waves, wake to the cry of sea birds, walk the soft pink sand beach, marvel at the luminescence of the pale emerald sea, have delicious meals, chat with friends and go home feeling rereshed and restored.