I am ten minutes into my chat with Lorraine Kelly and Rosie Kelly Smith when I stumble across a family landmine. I ask Rosie, 28, about the first piece of clothing she fell in love with. She turns to her mother, 62: ‘My jeans that you threw out – I was fuming,’ she says. ‘They were S Club 7 flares from Woolworths, with blue glittery flames up the legs. One day I wanted to wear them and they were gone.’
Lorraine looks mortified. ‘That was bad of me,’ she says. ‘It’s like what I did with your dad.’ She turns back to me: ‘When I started going out with Steve, Rosie’s dad, the first thing I did was clear out his wardrobe.’
‘He had a jumper with sailing boats on it,’ chimes in Rosie, and Lorraine shudders at the memory. The S Club 7 awkwardness forgotten, the Kelly women are united once again.
This is the double act made up of the nation’s much-loved TV host and her daughter, a journalist and podcaster. While they’re excited to be showcasing some of autumn’s biggest trends, they prefer to be more relaxed in everyday life. ‘If I didn’t do my job, I’d only have one pair of heels. I tend to be really casual,’ says Lorraine. ‘Rosie spent four years in Singapore and I loved the style: flip-flops with a dress. They look elegant but comfortable. You don’t often get both together. It’s like Uniglo.’
TIMELESS TAILORING: Rosie wears waistcoat, £350, thedecklondon.com. Trousers, £205, Weekend Max Mara, from Fenwick. Sandals, £168, reiss.com. Lorraine wears dress, £169, massimodutti.com. Shoes, £178, reiss.com
I’m not about to tell one of our national treasures she’s getting the name of the Japanese retailer wrong. ‘It’s Uniqlo, Mum,’ says Rosie. ‘It’s a Q – not a G.’
‘Is it?’ asks Lorraine, amazed. ‘See, that’s how much I know. I know nothing.’
She hasn’t always had such low-key taste, recalling a jacket she wore in the 80s: ‘One sleeve was lime green, the other yellow and there were squares of pink. I wore it to interview Liam Neeson, thinking I was the bee’s knees. It was eye-watering.’ The evidence is not lost, ‘We’ve got a cupboard we call the museum for all the things we don’t want to throw away,’ explains Lorraine. ‘Usually lurid, terrible things.’
Other treasures in there include a red Mary Quant dress Lorraine’s mother Anne wore in the 1960s, and some Betsey Johnson shoes Lorraine talked Rosie into buying: ‘They’re very cool wooden platforms with a massive sparkly silver strap,’ says Rosie.
GLAMOROUS GATHERING: Rosie wears dress, £36, riverisland.com. Sandals, £850, jimmychoo.com. Lorraine wears dress, £1,487, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, from yoox.com. Sandals, £188, reiss.com
Some of the items sound like they should come out later this year when Lorraine hosts the new Saturday night extravaganza Queens for the Night on ITV. Drag acts will pair up with celebrities to teach them the craft and an audience will vote for the winning performance.
Having put on weight during the pandemic, Lorraine is back in a size 10 but some of her social-media followers expressed disappointment that she’s talked about her efforts to lose weight. She’s unfazed: ‘When I’m healthy, I’m happy. It’s really about that. And being able to tuck your shirt into your trousers is incredibly underrated!’
Lorraine’s viewers don’t hold back on her outfits. ‘You don’t remember all the nice things people say but you remember the awful ones,’ she says, laughing. ‘I put what I’m wearing on Instagram every day and people say, “That’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen.” One time, somebody said, “That dress is too young for you,” then underneath someone else wrote, “It’s a bit frumpy!” So you can’t pay attention.’
As for Steve, Lorraine’s husband of 30 years, he no longer wears those novelty jumpers but still won’t throw things away. ‘We should do an S AS raid when he’s not in,’ says Lorraine. ‘No, because you did that to me when I was seven,’ says Rosie. ‘I’m still scarred.’ Lorraine laughs. ‘She’s still not over the S Club jeans!’
TIMELESS TAILORING
Lorraine ‘This is my favourite outfit on Rosie. She looks stunning. It says, “I’m in charge.”’
Rosie ‘This one is my favourite too – I feel like I’m on the way to a boardroom to make some very important decisions. I love Mum’s dress – she likes anything floaty with a pattern.’
Lorraine ‘My dress is perfect for wafting in. I feel very feminine without being in any way “girly”.
GLAMOROUS GATHERING
Lorraine ‘That ruched dress is just gorgeous on you. It’s very elegant yet you could easily dress it down.’
Rosie ‘It’s perfect for a wedding I’m going to, as I can ruche it up for dancing later. Your dress is amazing too – you never really wear high-neck clothes, but they suit you.’
Lorraine ‘It’s so flattering – perfect for any figure or age. I feel very grown-up.
THE EASY JACKET
THE EASY JACKET: Lorraine wears jacket, £350, meandem.com. Top, £45, whistles.com. Trousers, £29.99, hm.com. Sandals, £188, reiss.com. Rosie wears jacket, £775, Sacai, from mytheresa.com. Top, £17.99, mango.com. Trousers, £39.50, marksandspencer.com
Rosie ‘Mum looks perfect. She’s not really a jacket person, as she’s normally either in work clothes or at home in pyjamas.’
Lorraine ‘Being smart but casual is something I have never managed to get quite right. I feel relaxed but just dressy enough in this. Rosie looks fresh, young and really stylish.’
Rosie ‘As soon as I put this jacket on, I was in love. It’s lightweight and easy.’
LUXE LEATHER
LUXE LEATHER: Lorraine wears bodysuit, £920, Khaite, and faux leather skirt, £850, Stella McCartney, both from mytheresa.com. Sandals, £35, schuh.co.uk. Rosie wears T-shirt, £8.50, marksandspencer.com. Trousers, £249, karenmillen.com. Sandals, £35, schuh.co.uk
Rosie ‘One of Mum’s staples on her show is a pencil skirt and I love this switch to leather – it looks so elegant.’
Lorraine ‘I could see myself wearing it at a business meeting, when I need to feel confident but sassy. Rosie looks fantastic.’
Rosie ‘I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect black leather trousers. I never would have thought about green, but I love them.’
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