From one simple navy dress to an awards night in a Blackpool ballroom!
If Day 1 of the 90-Day Wool Habit was about introducing the dress, Day 2 was about discovering just how far I could push it. Twenty-four hours after wearing the navy British wool dress to SheChain Live, it had its first major transformation for the Enterprise Vision Awards at Blackpool Winter Gardens.
Out came the hot pink tulle, red accessories and one gloriously colourful piece of textile jewellery: the Stella Necklace in Fuchsia and Red by Handmade by Tinni.
Same dress. Very different outfit.
And exactly the sort of thing I hoped would happen during these 90 days.
Building an outfit around the dress
The dress was deliberately designed to be a relatively simple foundation — something that could change according to what I put around it.
For stylist Anna Mewes, the EVAS outfit demonstrates just how much freedom that gives us:
“This outfit is such a great example of how, with a great foundation (‘the dress’), you really have endless opportunities. Navy lends itself as the perfect neutral to complement any other colour, but I particularly love it with hot pink; it feels bold and fresh and we’ve woven it through the whole look here to ensure that whilst the final effect is dramatic, it still feels intentional and cohesive.”
And dramatic it certainly was!
But what I particularly love is that none of the individual elements needs to be confined to an awards night. That’s where the Stella Necklace becomes especially interesting.
Meet Handmade by Tinni
Handmade by Tinni is the work of London-based maker Paulomi, who describes herself as the “maker, colour-lover, storyteller and hands and heart” behind the brand.
She creates colourful statement jewellery from organic cotton using traditional textile techniques including macramé, rope knotting and crochet. The results sit somewhere between jewellery, craft and wearable art: bold, tactile pieces designed to be expressive and full of personality.
Paulomi calls them “Joyful Conversation Jewellery” because something you wear can make you smile, start a conversation or say something about you without you having to say a word.
I’d say Stella managed all three rather well in Blackpool.
From India to London
Paulomi’s story actually began long before Handmade by Tinni.
At 14, her older sister came home with a bag of wooden and ceramic beads. Paulomi began experimenting with them, knotting and threading before making some earrings she thought other people might like. She took them to a local book fair in India, sat cross-legged waiting nervously to see whether anyone would notice them — and sold out within hours. She never forgot the feeling.
Life subsequently took her through education, careers, family and a move from India to London, but the creative spark remained. At 40, she decided to follow it properly and Handmade by Tinni was born in 2020.
Today, every piece is still handmade by Paulomi in the UK in small batches.
How Stella is made
Paulomi works with organic cotton rope and wire, using traditional techniques including rope knotting, macramé and crochet. Over time, she’s developed her own way of working with tension, structure, colour and form to create pieces that feel both wearable and sculptural.
And there’s something you might not guess from looking at Stella: it’s surprisingly lightweight. That is quite deliberate. Paulomi wanted to make statement jewellery that could comfortably be worn for hours, rather than something beautiful that you’re desperate to take off by the end of the evening. Having put that to a fairly thorough test at the EVAS, I can confirm that was a very useful design decision!
Natural fibres, different stories
Unlike many of the businesses you’ll meet during the 90-Day Wool Habit, wool isn’t central to Paulomi’s work and I rather liked the fact that she was very straightforward about that. Her material is organic cotton. What connects Handmade by Tinni to this project is something broader: natural, tactile textiles, traditional craft and making things that people genuinely want to keep and wear.
The Collective was never intended to mean that every single thing I put on must be made from wool. The wool dress is the constant. What happens around it gives us the opportunity to explore colour, styling, craftsmanship and how much use we can get from the things we choose to own.
Wear it, and then wear it again
Paulomi’s interpretation of “buy less, buy better” is wonderfully simple:
“Buy something because you genuinely love it — and then actually wear it.”
We can easily fall into the trap of thinking we need something new for every occasion. But a different accessory or a completely different way of styling something can make clothes we already own feel new again. That’s particularly relevant to Stella.
Paulomi chose the fuchsia and red necklace because it worked with the pink tulle I’d planned for the EVAS and I already had red velvet shoes. But she specifically didn’t want it to become an “occasion-only” necklace.
Her suggestion? Wear it with a red cardigan next.
So that’s exactly what I’m going to do. At some point during the remaining days of the Habit, Stella will make another appearance – no tulle, no awards ceremony and an entirely different outfit built around the same navy dress.
Because perhaps the real test of a great statement piece isn’t whether it can transform an outfit once. It’s how many different ways you can find to enjoy wearing it again.
