This photo was taken in my father's office. I love this picture as it captures the awe I felt as a child when I got to see him at work. I loved touching the things on his desk - his German fountain pen, a cast brass paperweight and prototypes from the factory; the ephemera of this other world he inhabited when I was at school. He worked for a company located in an old Victorian cotton mill in Lancashire and as a special treat he would take me onto the shop floor to see the textiles being spun on incredibly complicated, noisy looms. In 2 weeks my father will be 80 and we are having a surprise family weekend - maybe I just blew that! Intensely practical (he just built an areoplane) and a big softie underneath, my father is without a doubt, my pivot.
- Liz Thody, Fashion Director
