But this generosity has come back to her too, as she gleefully tells of being taken on incredible trips overseas, and huge parties with friends to celebrate significant birthdays. Initially when I saw her on the TV she seemed rather 'strict' but you read about her life story and, although she is honest with people which, I guess, can come across as brusk she sounds like the most amazing, kind, loyal woman. She is not only innovative, courageous and radical, but she's also kind, generous and gives credit where credit is due. I remember reading about her 70’s/80’s label Swanky Modes back in the day and being so influenced by the London punk, New Romantic and new wave scenes. Esme has had such a fantastic and varied life, so interesting such a very clever lady with skills you could only dream of having!

She's good at recognising the contribution of others to her success - not always the case in autobiographies - and it's a book I'd enjoy reading again. I had no idea who Esme Young was, I got the book as I enjoy crochet, crafting and occasional sewing, and I thought there might be some good tips on sewing/clothing repairs.She makes friendship with people she meets at different stages of her career and seems to have completely balanced relationships with them irrespective of age and they value one another's experience and expertise. I loved the tales of being young in London in the 60s/70s and how she’s would rock up to events in these outfits she had made. She has one of those lives that just seems to natural and brilliant, she met the right people in fun places and is very humble and gorgeous. She's honest and warm-hearted, she's highly individual - has been all her life, has stuck to it too - and as such my admiration for her rocketed. A celebration of a creative life lived differently, Behind the Seams is a reminder that it’s never too early, or too late to pick up a needle and start stitching in a new direction.

From Swanky Modes and its place in fashion history to Sewing Bee and its place in our hearts, this is wonderful.There are occasional delicious moments of name dropping - she dated and moved in rockstar circles, and has designed costumes for all sorts of films - but she never cashes in on these, and is unwaveringly lovely about everyone she's met. While watching the last series of Sewing Bee I said to my parents “I wish Esme would bring a book out, she’s had an amazing life by the sounds of it! I am quite nosey about people and it interests me to find out how people have arrived where they are and that's how I decided to read this book. Born into the very early era of punk, and then raised in the difficulty of the early 1980s, I always saw fashion as a huge important element of society - a reflection of what the masses wanted to be, and in many cases what could be afforded and imagined as a result of the restriction.

Personally, I find her interesting because she's a woman who's never married, doesn't have children yet has created and is part of an enormous extended family she has met through her career.The writing is so good in the sense that you do feel she is sat right opposite you telling you her stories, and her cheeky humour really comes alive too which I love! You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.