CLARE SHERWEN talks to Celine Litra who is creating designs from the heady world of the Paris scene in her Cockermouth home

Last updated 19:48, Thursday, 21 August 2008

MANY young girls dream of strutting along the catwalk. They pore over photographs of top models and can only fantasise about how it must feel to wear some of those fantastic creations.

But for Cockermouth woman Céline Litra, supermodels and catwalks have always been part of her working life; she is an haute couture dressmaker whose job it is to turn designers’ dreams into reality.

Since landing a place at a Paris fashion school at the age of 16, Céline has worked for many leading fashion houses, including Chloe, Christian Lacroix, Louis Vuitton and, the ultimate in haute couture, Chanel.

She was only 23 when taken on by Chanel.

“I had always really wanted to join Chanel, because of their work, their reputation, the haute couture.

‘It was the ultimate stage of my journey in Paris. I had the opportunity to work with highly qualified, talented people inside this legendary house,” says Céline, 32.

She worked at Chanel for four years, until 2003, when her husband, Jocelyn, a rally car engineer, was offered work in England.

The couple moved to Berkshire and two years later, in 2005, to Cumbria, where Jocelyn is in charge of the transmissions department for M-Sport at Dovenby.

Although Céline had to give up her Chanel job, she continued to go to Paris to work on the twice yearly fashion shows, for Louis Vuitton.

Until last year that is, when she decided to launch her own company, Corsets and Creations Couture, and work from her Cockermouth home.

Jocelyn has converted the couple’s garage into a bright, immaculate studio.

Here Céline can welcome clients for fittings, show them the many samples she has - of silks, embroidery and lace - and carry out all her work.

She designs and makes wedding dresses, evening wear and corsets.

She says: “Corsets can reduce a woman’s waistline by 5cm and really alter her shape. They make you stand, move and feel better and are so versatile.

“They can be internal, as part of a dress, and draped with fabric or perhaps embroidery.

“Or they can simply be worn on their own with jeans.

“I make mine with steel bone and they are comfortable. I wore one I made to a party recently and had drinks, dinner and danced ’til 5am!”

A wedding dress can take up to 120 hours to make.

She says: “I have to understand what the client wants and likes to wear. She does not want to look completely different on her wedding day. I want her to look like herself but even prettier.

“I listen to her ideas, do drawings and, once we have agreed on something, I take measurements and start to work on a pattern for the next fitting. I create a calico pattern, which I can then alter on her.

“When the client tries on the silk dress for the first time it is a great moment.

“I spend the final few hours finishing the dress by hand, maybe sewing on some beautiful embroidery or lace with Swarovski crystals. Everything is possible.”

Céline has created wonderful dresses for royalty - including Queen Rania of Jordan, Lebanese billionaire and socialite Mouna Ayoub, and many other famous people whose names she prefers to keep to herself.

She has been passionate about fashion since she was a young child growing up on her parents’ farm in Burgundy.

She explains: “My great-great-grandmother was a milliner in Paris in the 1920s.

“She was always at her sewing machine, which had a foot pump, and made dresses for us. I loved hearing about her work in Paris and, through her, I became passionate about hats.

“I trained for two years as a milliner but then found out I could work in the haute couture houses.

“I specialised in haute couture at fashion school for a further four years and was working in companies all along, which was the best training.”

For a fashion show Céline makes each dress in its entirety, from start to finish.

She says: “It’s a creative and rewarding job. When the Paris shows are on it can be stressful.

“In a few weeks we prepare all the dresses and outfits to go on the catwalk.

“But I love the atmosphere, the amazing environment, the laces and feathers, the embroideries made by hand - the magic of shows.

“We go backstage and see all the girls getting their hair and make-up done, all waiting in a line to go on the catwalk.”

Céline has seen supermodels Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer and Gisele Bundchen in action.

She adds: “Gisele is always smiling and laughing with everyone. The models are all cool and normal. They know each other well.”

When working for Chanel, she made haute couture items for many clients and admires designer Karl Lagerfeld.

“I adored shaping his creations, using sumptuous materials, high quality original embroideries combined with precise techniques, to create a refined product,” she says.

“Chanel is classical and Karl Lagerfeld keeps the spirit of Coco Chanel so well. Every year it’s wonderful to see his new collections. He is great to work with.”

He designed the most expensive dress Céline ever made, back in 1998.

A simple, long dress, fully embroidered with little black and gold pearls, it cost about £100,000 then.

Cumbria seems a far cry from the catwalks but she says: “We love the mountains and lakes, the changing seasons. We walk or cycle most weekends and have learned that bad weather must not put us off.

“When I think of Paris now, my friends live in tiny flats and have to go on the tube to collect their children from a childminder; it’s a crazy, crazy life.

“We have had to make some sacrifices and we miss our family but we have such a good quality of life here for us and our daughter, Anais, who is five.

“She is so settled here and at a great school. When we see Anais so happy, and to hear her speaking such good English, that is our reward.”

This article first appeared in the August/September issue of Cumbria Life, on sale now.