A good section of Denise Van Outen’s wardrobe at home is a homage to 90s fashion, with vintage designer clothes, sentimental pieces and a very special tiara. As the Chicago actress approaches her 50th birthday and is now a mum to a teenager, she talks to OK! about how her fashion style has changed, what her daughter Betsy “steals” from her wardrobe and why she’ll never airbrush her selfies.
“I think it’s nice to keep certain clothes because they evoke certain memories, so I’ve got loads,” she says, laughing. “I always thought, ‘I’ll keep these in case I have a girl’. I’ve got a little shift dress I bought from Vivienne Westwood that I wore on TFI Friday in around 1997.
“I’ve kept it and I really wanted my daughter to get into it because it would fit her perfectly now, but she’s like, ‘it’s not really my thing!’. But there are some other things she takes out of my wardrobe. I’ve got a really old vintage Vivienne Westwood necklace from the 90s and she keeps stealing it to wear! I’m like, ‘please don’t wear it to the school disco in case you lose it!’.”
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Alongside her vintage Vivienne Westwood piece is another of Denise’s most treasured pieces – a tiara she wore on The Big Breakfast, which she presented from 1997 alongside Johnny Vaughan. While not as valuable in monetary terms, it’s hugely sentimental to Denise. “When I used to do The Big Breakfast I always used to wear a tiara and Johnny would call me Princess Denise of Basildon,” she grins. “I’ve had it since 1997. I love the fact that I’ve still got it!”
Denise’s major break into television came just at the end of the so-called “heroin chic” era of fashion. The emaciated style had started around the time of Kate Moss’s Calvin Klein Obsession perfume campaign in 1993, but ended in 1997 as campaigns began against the glamorising of heroin – and in turn, heroin chic – in fashion. Then, came the likes of Denise, Melanie Sykes and Kelly Brook, all with very different looks and styles, but all injecting some much-needed fun back into the celebrity fashion scene.
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“We weren’t really airbrushed in the 90s”, muses Denise. “I’ve looked back at lots of stuff and you can see it wasn’t a thing then. I got into fashion quite early, as a young teenager, and I’ve always loved playing around with it and having a bit of fun with it.”
Inevitably, as she became more prolific on television, she became hot property for the tabloids and her pictures splashed across many a front page. We wonder if she has any regrets about that time? And what about her sometimes “skimpy” fashion choices?
“I don’t really have any regrets actually, I just look back and think, how lovely it was just to be able to not care. I think you care less when you’re young, then that changes,” she says. “Sometimes, now, I’ll take a picture of myself and send it to a friend and say ‘do you think this is alright to wear?’ But back then, we never had phones that you could do that with! You would just pick something to put on and wear it. I do think certain things have changed in the way that I dress. They’re less skimpy and more comfortable but still fashionable, and I love making an effort.”
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Denise, who has just launched an edit of occasion wear with JD Williams to “redefine midlife fashion”, is turning 50 this week and has no intention of changing her fun, vibrant style. “When you get to my age, middle age, you realise it’s still OK to have fun with fashion,” she says. “I don’t think you need to be a fuddy-duddy dresser just because you’ve reached middle age.
“I remember when I was younger, seeing my mum and her friends in really sensible shoes, it was like you got to an age where you kind of... gave up on fashion. But I guess my mum’s youthful years were the 60s and 70s and everything was outrageous in terms of clothing, like the micro mini. So maybe, as they got older, they couldn’t really replicate that look, whereas now a lot of the 90s fashions have crossed over and they’re acceptable, like the waistcoat has made a massive comeback!”
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Denise’s 12-piece edit includes dresses and co-ords in a plethora of colours and patterns, as well as some gorgeous matching accessories. Her partnership with the brand, she tells us, came to be via her friendship with Davina McCall who was also a JD Williams ambassador.
“I’m friends with Davina and I was DJ-ing at one of their launches that she was hosting. I was there and just loved everything Davina wore! I think they’re a really solid brand and really understand what women want, and also everything feels sort of age-appropriate but with a really fun element to it.
“Obviously, everybody knows I love going out. I’m very sociable, so I’ve got loads of things lined up in my diary. I’m DJ-ing at a lot of the racecourses this summer and I’ve got a couple of garden parties and events, there’s loads going on. So we decided it would be really good to do occasion wear, and for me to do an edit for them.”
Denise, who shares daughter Betsy, 14, with ex-husband Lee Mead, has done her fair share of photoshoots in her time and she knows exactly what does – and doesn’t – suit her. Top of her ‘no-go’ list is a “moody face”, she laughs. “I look much better when I’m smiling, I can’t really do that moody, sultry face, I just look like I’ve got ‘resting bitch face!’”
She adds, “I’ve done photoshoots where they’ve tried to strip me back and put me in really muted colours but it just doesn’t suit me, it’s not who I am. As part of the JD Williams shoot, I selected a range of pieces in standout colours, beautiful fabrics, and versatile silhouettes that are suitable for different occasions such as weddings, races, and delightful summer events. Each item is available in sizes 8 to 32.”
As a mum to a 14-year-old growing up in an age when children’s wellbeing is at a 10-year low, according to children’s mental health charities, Denise is acutely aware that she has a responsibility to set a good example when it comes to body positivity.
While she says she doesn’t impart a “message”, she’s always been a huge advocate for her own body confidence and she hopes that trickles down to Betsy. “I would just rather be happy,” she says. “I think you realise there’s only a very small amount of people will look at your flaws and pick up on them. Alright, I have to read about it and see pictures of it, which is really annoying, but that’s why I don’t ever airbrush anything.
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“I don’t use any of these apps to make me look like a Hollywood movie star. I want people to meet me in real life and say, ‘you look exactly like your picture’. But I think, particularly for women, they feel there’s pressure to look a certain way. I’ve always maintained a relatively healthy lifestyle, my weight has never really fluctuated too much. I just think ‘go with it’.”
Denise is also careful what she discusses in front of – and with – Betsy, keen to make sure she raises a healthy and confident young woman, much like herself. “I don’t talk about diets at all, I never mention them,” she says emphatically. “I always sit down to eat in front of her and I don’t skip meals – my mum was the same with me.
“Fortunately, in an industry where I could’ve really been quite mentally messed up. I mean, I went to dance school where I was around leotards and mirrors most of the time but I haven’t got any issues with food! I just love and enjoy it”.
Denise Van Outen has partnered with JD Williams to rewrite the rules of midlife fashion and launch an occasionwear edit suitable for special summer occasions such as weddings, races, and birthday celebrations. Each item is available in sizes 8 to 32 and available on www.jdwilliams.co.uk
