British Vogue - 08.2019

O

n the morning of my wedding,

as the final button was

fastened on my dress and I

steadied myself to leave my

hotel room to marry the man of my

dreams, I imagined what my father might

have said to me. I knew how exhilarated

he would have been to see me begin the

next chapter of my life; how thrilled he’d

have been that I was wearing the beautiful

dress he’d designed. For weeks, I had

anticipated the bittersweetness of this

day, so I attempted to channel the

stoicism and poise he’d always possessed.

Yet it still felt impossible that, on my

wedding day, I was wearing the last

creation my beloved dad had designed.

It’s a blessed, if unusual, fate to be the

daughter of a fashion designer. My

father, Joe Casely-Hayford, who set up

his eponymous brand with my mother,

Maria, in 1984, was known to most as

a groundbreaking British creative.

Despite his mens- and womenswear

collections selling all over the world, his

work being housed in the permanent

collections of museums such as the

V&A and featuring on the cover of

Vogue, he remained incredibly humble.

Though I was always a little in awe of

him myself. Growing up in my parents’

studio in east London, I would sit

entranced by his creative magic, whether

he was excitedly sketching his designs

late at night, or calmly commanding his

team backstage at his runway shows.

It was, happily, a rather unorthodox

childhood, surrounded by the most

dynamic stylists, musicians, make-up

artists and models, such as Yasmin Le

from a child to a teenager to a woman

• would listen patiently to my
  friendship, work and relationship woes.
  He was my best friend.
  Then, four years ago, aged 59, he was
  diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
  I was 26, living back at home, and hadn’t
  yet met my husband-to-be. The evening
  my parents told my brother and me about
  the gravity of Dad’s illness, I felt my
  entire world collapse. I cried myself to
  sleep every night for those first months
  because I knew the illness would one
  day rob us of our beloved head of the
  family, and I cried for the unimaginable
  pain my father would have to endure. I
  also cried from fear that my dad would
  never meet my soulmate, or be there for
  all the key moments of my life. >

Bon and Alek Wek, who worked with

my parents as the Joe Casely-Hayford

brand grew through the 1980s and ’90s.

Though he was wholly committed

to his craft, the role my dad was most

devoted to was that of husband and

father. I remember climbing on to his

lap as a child to hear stories about the

two heroines he’d invented for me: Zelda

and Belda. He and I would disappear

into this fantasy world for hours, and

his wit, imagination and storytelling

made me want to be a writer from an

early age. He was also the person who

accompanied me on shopping trips and

to concerts, who taught me everything

about music, literature and myself, who

constantly encouraged me to be curious

and ambitious, and who – as I grew

Above: Alice’s

Grace Kelly-

inspired gown was

designed by her

father, Joe Casely-

Hayford, who died

just two months

before her

wedding. Hair:

Josh Knight.

Make-up: Bea

Sweet. Nails:

Michelle Class

VIEWPOINT

A symbol

of love

When Alice Casely-

Hayford married in a

dress designed by her

beloved father, there

was one thing missing:

him. Portraits by

Jonathan Daniel Pryce

08-19-View-AliceWeddingDress.indd 79 29/05/2019 15:09

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