THE morning after showing his most recent collection during London Fashion Week, Ben de Lisi found his name in every British newspaper. Gratifying though it would have been to find this attention was paid because of his clothes, de Lisi is enough of a pragmatist to know there were other reasons. Specifically, he had invited actress Patsy Kensit to model in the show and her boyfriend, Liam Gallagher of Oasis, bad turned up to take a front-row seat.
The frenzy among photographers that resulted made the feeding habits of a shoal of piranha fish look positively genteel and guaranteed the generous coverage Ben de Lisi - and indirectly his collection - received the following day.
The American born designer came to Dublin yesterday to show his spring/summer range as part of the Brown Thomas Gentlemen's Lunch in aid of Brainwave. He would not expect to garner the same amount of press coverage here, if only because professional models alone were invited to wear his clothes. But in any case, de Lisi is that rare creature in fashion, a designer who does not suffer from delusions of grandeur when it comes to his work.
"I don't profess to be a cutting edge designer and I never will be," he says with what must be, in his field, shockingly frank candour. While insisting "these are not revolutionary clothes," he does allow himself to acknowledge "they're very well cut," but that's about as far as boastfulness will go.
Asked to explain his philosophy of fashion - the point where most designers permit themselves to move into an intoxicating blend of metaphor and hyperbole - he is equally understated. His summary: "Basically, I think women want to wear beautiful clothes." It's not that de Lisi is absurdly self deprecating. He knows his abilities as well as his limitations. "My talent lies in flattering women," he explains. "But it's not about poetry; I'm creative in quite a scientific little way.
As his autumn/winter show last month demonstrated, Ben de Lisi knows that when it comes to flattery, most women opt for eveningwear. He does produce some pieces for day, but after dark is when his science comes to the fore, as evinced by his having been voted British Glamour Designer of the Year twice this decade.
Although he uses many fabrics and forms, the bias cut slip dress in crepe de chine seems a natural for this designer. His inspiration comes from close friend and business partner Debbie Lovejoy. "I design all my clothes around her. It's great to have that little set up already at my fingertips." The danger with such a convenient set up is that he begins to create only for one woman, but he argues that this has not happened.
"It would be suicide for me to design just for Debbie or the girls on the catwalk. Women who wear my clothes have certain characteristics' in common; they're all quite strong and don't need to shop with their husbands or partners. My customer has a kind of blase chic - the kind who'll wear kid gloves - she'll mix something dressed up and something dressed down."
She will also approve of clothes which have been pared back to their absolute essentials because de Lisi eschews all fuss in his designs. "There's no superfluous detail, it's all really quite clean. I think it's more difficult to go simple than layered."
The stripped back quality of his work points to the designer's American roots; the essence of strong fashion in the United States has long lain in its understanding and interpretation of minimalism's value. Although a London resident for the past 15 years, Ben de Lisi feels "my sensibility is unquestionably American. As I get older, I try harder and harder not to lose sight of my roots and go back about four times a year.
And he has the kind of enthusiasm and commitment for his work which is indisputably American. Like another trans Atlantic designer Donna Karan, he loves to meet customers and help them pick suitable clothes. Stories abound of Ben de Lisi rolling up his sleeves to dash around department stores with a client in tow, pulling out pieces from not just his own collection but those of others too. "It's always been very important for me to go onto the shopfloor and see what's happening with my clothes. Once I'm in the atmosphere of selling, I get a rush. It's thrilling to see a customer take out her Amex card." Of course, his clothes manage to find buyers even when he is not on hand to act as a temporary sales assistant. So even if yesterday's lunch may not have provided an opportunity for guests to take out their credit cards, it will certainly have led them to go back later to the collection for a second look. The presence of Patsy Kensit has never been necessary to achieve that aim.
Ben de Lisi's spring/summer collection is now available from Brown Thomas, Grafton Street, Dublin.