Behind the Seams: The perfect gift for fans of The Great British Sewing Bee

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Esme has had such a fantastic and varied life, so interesting such a very clever lady with skills you could only dream of having! I found that the need for sewing tips should have been put at the back of the book instead of in between the chapters.

She teaches fashion at Central St Martin's, and declares that she learns just as much from her students as they do from her. There are occasional delicious moments of name dropping - she dated and moved in rockstar circles, and has designed costumes for all sorts of films - but she never cashes in on these, and is unwaveringly lovely about everyone she's met. Ik hou niet zo van het ruwe papier dat gebruikt werd maar voor deze prijs kan je niet alles verlangen en het doet natuurlijk niets af aan de inhoud. I loved the tales of being young in London in the 60s/70s and how she’s would rock up to events in these outfits she had made.

It documents key times, and it documents the highlights of those, all the positive things for example, about four women working together, managing families and other commitments, doing it for the love of clothes and not for the money. I’d highly recommend if you’re a fan of Sewing Bee and just want to find out more about Esme, it was a really lovely read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ’90s saw a career move into costumes for films, where she designed outfits for Trainspotting, Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Beach, before she moved onto the small screen herself. Lots of name dropping of who she had met, partied with etc, I was not impressed, don't feel I got to know her at all.

In the last series in particular, there have been some tantalising hints about her previous life as a designer for the avant garde Swanky Modes, so I was really looking forward to learning more.But this generosity has come back to her too, as she gleefully tells of being taken on incredible trips overseas, and huge parties with friends to celebrate significant birthdays.

I read most of this Sunday and finished it bank holiday Monday in bed with a tea, and it was like I’d spent time sitting with Esme listening to her chat about her interesting and packed life! I love how Esme talks about Swanky Modes, a London collective in the '70s, and the key times when these four women worked together for the love of fashion and clothes, managing families and other commitments. She is not only innovative, courageous and radical, but she's also kind, generous and gives credit where credit is due.From adventures at Central Saint Martins to The Great British Sewing Bee , go behind the scenes of Esme Young's amazing life. Esme and the gang were at the heart of the 70s when people were looking for “out there”, and when punk was around the corner. Their clothes were out there, just at a time in the early 70s when people were looking for out there, and when punk was just around the corner (Esme and the gang were at the heart of this, and it's the bit of the book that I hoovered up, it brought so many evocative memories of myself in those days and my early attempts to create something a bit out there to wear . Her life is astonishing, from the radical fashions she created with Swanky Modes, to the daring decisions she made as a young girl living in London and enjoying the swinging 60s. As a result this book was an amazing insight into a life that I would have loved to have lived had I the flare or basic artistic skill.