The Gold Edition Meets… Pearl Lowe
@PEARLLOWE
I grew up with my mum, dad and two older brothers. It was a very fun childhood – my brothers and I had lots of friends, and my parents were very chill. Our house was very open; people would just always be around. My brothers were really into music, so that's how I got into it, and it was just a very nice environment. Weirdly, I now feel I’ve created a similar sort of life for my kids.
As a child, I was a bit naughty and my mum kept having to change my school. About 18 months ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD, so now it all makes so much more sense. Women are very underdiagnosed when it comes to ADHD, but it explains why I never excelled at things like maths or science, but was very engaged with English or anything historical or arty.
My interest in music started when I discovered Stevie Nicks. She'd done a solo album, and I remember listening to her voice and thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ My parents thought I’d go into fashion – my dad always told me I had a great eye for trends – but I didn’t really follow their advice. I answered some ads in NME and that's how I got into singing. I also did a drama post-grad course, then formed a band and that's how it all started.
I’d had my daughter Daisy by the time my band Powder was on tour. That was tough because I had to keep leaving her with my mum. We supported so many incredible people like Elastica, Blur and Pulp, but we were out on tour constantly and there were parties every night. It was fun but it wasn't great as a mum because I felt guilty. I wanted to be with my daughter. She would come to certain gigs, but it wasn't easy. Apart from that, it was an amazing time for music. There wasn't the internet, there wasn't Instagram or anything like that, so it was very free.
That said, the tabloid attention all through the 90s was horrible. It was after my band days, but it was brutal. They were nasty. As a woman in music, I felt like I got a lot of stick. A lot of it wouldn’t be allowed now. They’d talk about my looks in a very derogatory way – I remember one woman saying that I looked like I smelled, and you wouldn't be able to do that now.
Of course, the drugs were such a big thing back then. It was so normal in the music industry. I wrote about it in my memoir in 2006, which felt important to me – I was newly clean and wanted to help other people – but I didn’t realise what suffering I would cause. Not to my family – they knew everything already – but for years afterwards the press only referred to me as an ex-junkie. I obviously wrote the book so, in a way, I have to own it but I did start to hope they might drop it. I’m many other things and I got so many amazing letters and emails, texts and Instagram messages from people saying thank you.
I'm sober now and it's been an amazing gift. Plus, now that I have my ADHD diagnosis, I've realised that I was actually self-medicating with drugs. So maybe I'm not an addict – maybe I just had ADHD and didn’t know how to treat it. I also used food as a coping mechanism when I was a teenager, and then I got into drugs, so that's what I'm exploring at the moment. I'm hoping to do some sort of follow up memoir. It's a long time since the first book but I didn't realise that 80 per cent of addicts have ADHD, so I think that’s worth talking about.
@JUST_BELLE
It wasn’t a huge surprise that I eventually got tired of band life and music in general. It’s very male dominated and I'm actually quite a girl's girl – I actually enjoy female company, so I often felt that I didn't have much support around me. Touring for me was very lonely and it was tough. A week after I met Danny in 1995 his career exploded. It was so weird because his career went stratospheric – it was just a nuts situation. He was away a lot, so I had to choose between staying in some grotty B&B up north while he was in some swanky hotel in Brazil or LA or whatever. I just thought, I'm going to stop.
I just wanted to be with him. I wanted to set up a life with him and we eventually moved in together in London in Primrose Hill. I just knew he was the one and, by the following January, I was pregnant with my son Alfie. It was very quick, but it was very organic and natural. He also wanted to take on Daisy and be her stepdad and that's how we all lived for quite a while.
We tried to get married a couple of times. First in 1998 in Saint Lucia but I forgot that I was already married. You know, ADHD… Anyway, it took a couple of years to get the divorce through and we tried to get married in Hampshire in about 2007, but I panicked about the English weather and cancelled it. Turned out it was the hottest day of the year! We then waited another year – we’d moved to Somerset, so we got married at Babington House in the winter, so we didn’t have to worry about the weather.
Having my three other children was very different to having Daisy. Obviously, I had Danny’s support and by that time we really were a family. We had the two boys quite close together, only two years apart, and then Betty came six years later. Danny was the one who was really pushing for us to leave London and raise the kids in the country. But our kids are either grown up or off to uni, so we’re now at that stage where we don’t have a school run. So, we're thinking about possibly moving back to London in the week and then just keeping a smaller place out here. At the moment our house is this big rambling monster, but it seems ridiculous when there aren’t as many kids around.
@JUST_BELLE
@PEARLLOWE
My switch to interior design was kind of pre-destined. My mum's an interior designer – I think she said she's done up about 80 houses. It's quite nuts, isn't it? She's just got a really good eye. I remember when we were growing up, she would always have Ossie Clark and Missoni dresses and our houses were always beautiful, so I guess it runs in the family. When I was pursuing solo music in 2001, I was doing up our Camden house and found a bit of lace that I thought would look really nice in hot pink. I dyed it, put it in the window and then suddenly all my friends started asking if they could have one. Then it became a business and it was just what I needed at that time, because it took my focus away from music, which wasn't going very well. It also meant I could be home with the kids and that’s how that whole side of my life started to happen.
I love creating things I can’t find myself. For example, I started my dress collection after I’d had Betty. I’d put on a stone and couldn’t find flattering dresses. I used to go into changing rooms and cry because both designers and high street brands just didn't produce clothes for people with busts and bums. So, I started finding vintage dresses online and making patterns from them. Then I produced a range of dresses that was sold in Harrods and Liberty, and various other shops and then on my own website. I also made a range for Peacocks which is still heavily searched on eBay. Betty also loved wearing costumes when she was little, so I ended up making some for her that weren’t as scratchy as the ones sold in the shops and that became another business. The fun sort of faded when she became too old to model them, but I love that she’s been up for modelling some of the more grown-up dresses for me.
Business is something that continues to be an evolving thing for me. Right now, we’re working with Unique Homestays. When we moved into this house, we had absolutely no money. It has 11 bedrooms and we didn't realise how much it was going to cost to run. The lady who owned it before us had separated it into two and rented out one side of the house to cover costs. So, I just approached Unique Homestays and suggested renting it out. It meant we got out of the house during the kids’ school holidays, so it started off like that. Then lockdown came, so we bought this place at the beach and when we were renting out this place, we just went down there. In lockdown, I think we were there for a whole year. My interiors style is definitely maximalist. I love lots of Persian rugs and different fabrics, and mad colours. It’s not for everybody, but if you like that high/low mix and vintage appeal, you’ll enjoy it.
Danny and I are moving into a different chapter now. Betty’s about to go to Bristol uni, Daisy has her own daughter... we’re going to be empty nesters soon. We just went to Barcelona for four nights on our own and we had so much fun because normally we’ve got all the kids with us. And as for business, my new approach is to think if it brings me joy, then I'm going to do it. The dresses still bring me joy, the antiques still bring me joy and this follow-up book is something I feel passionate about. Danny and I are going to split our time between London and Somerset, which will mean I’m closer to my mother and Daisy. At this stage, it’s really about pursuing the things that make you happy: travelling, watching the kids thrive, being grandparents.
Finally, if there was anything I’d tell my 25-year-old self, it would be don’t be in such a hurry. I think that's part of having ADHD as well – that need for things to happen now. But really, I wish I could have just chilled out a bit more and trusted in the universe. Everything happens for a reason.
Pearl’s Place & Pearl’s on Sea can both be rented via UniqueHomestays.com
DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@sheerluxe.com.