Lisa Carter – The hubbub of the Fashion Shows

Lisa: I mean there was a real hubbub about them, and all the Staff would get … you could see they were really excited and nervous and everything had to be perfect and you know, Elizabeth Pack would walk in the room and everyone would kind of scuttle or stand up straight or you know, and everything had to be just so. And if she pointed anything out, you could see almost sweat, you know going, “I’ll get it sorted, don’t worry” (laughs) and I remember meeting her sister as well. I think they were both kind of similar in that sense. I have a feeling her sister may have been even more stern, but yeah I remember the Tea Room as well.

People just … lots of clattering and making sure everything was perfect and then the place would be packed full and you’d have to pick you way through the crowd doing your walk down the stairs, around … like there was a little pathway that you had which was a loop, and then you’d go back up I think through a Kitchen or something to get back to the top to change again. But yeah, it was absolutely rammed every time, it was so full.

Simon: And they gave over the whole shop to it.

Lisa: Yes, the whole shop.

I remember some bits were quite narrow. You had to try not to trip on handbags and things of people sat there.