We chat with author Jade Beer about The Memory Dress, which follows a missing husband and a dress once owned by Princess Diana and sets two very different women on paths of discovery that will change both their lives forever.
Hi, Jade! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Five quick facts about me.
1. I have worked as a journalist my whole career and still write and edit for newspapers in the UK. It’s the best character research there is.
2. I have two daughters, one ten and one sixteen – imagine the fun!
3. I live in a Georgian townhouse that is over 200 years old and quite possibly haunted.
4. For nearly ten years I was the editor of Conde Nast Brides in London and spent too much time eating wedding cake.
5. You will never find me in bed after 6am. My internal body clock never recovered from having small children. Once my eyes are open, I’m up and cracking on with the day.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My first novel wasn’t published until 2017 so the passion for writing fiction came much later in life for me. I was working my way up the career ladder in journalism and only had time for more creative writing when I moved out of London. Despite living in the countryside, I was still working in the capital and that’s when I suddenly had three hours on a train each day to put to good use.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: It would have been a Beatrix Potter. I was obsessed with them as a child and loved the intricate illustrations of the animals’ homes.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris. She was a colleague on the magazine I was working on at the time. I loved this first book of hers and it made me wonder, could I do that too?
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Twenty years after reading it, it still comes up in conversation.
Your latest novel, The Memory Dress, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Royalty + romance + family + fashion + friendship
What can readers expect?
The Memory Dress tells the story of Meredith Chalis, a gifted Palace dressmaker who made gowns for Diana, the Princess of Wales. When we meet her at the beginning of the story, her home is chaotic and neglected, her husband and daughter are both missing, and she has no idea why there is an incredible evening gown thrown over the back of a chair in her bedroom. It transpires that the dress was once owned by Diana and gifted to Meredith. With the help of a neighbour, Meredith retraces her steps to various locations across London and the UK where Diana’s dresses were worn – and in doing so is finally able to piece together what has happened to her loved ones. All ten dresses featured in the book were made by the late Catherine Walker and sold at the famous Christie’s auction in New York in 1997.
Where did the inspiration for The Memory Dress come from?
A key jumping off point for me was a copy of the original Christie’s catalogue that accompanied that auction. I ordered it online and when it arrived I was initially puzzled about why 80 dresses were listed for sale but news reports from the time confirmed only 79 had sold. That got me thinking. Could there be a reason a dress was pulled from the auction? Where might it be now? And could it have had a very important influence on someone else’s life? It was the starting point of my story.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
It’s clear from the beginning that Meredith is not well and is living with dementia. For me, that made her a very interesting character to explore as my own grandmother had lived with dementia too. I was aware of the many ways in which is can effect someone beyond the more obvious crumbling of memory. Having that very real element to the story is balanced with the glamorous jouney that we see Meredith go on as she relives her time working on Diana’s dresses. We follow her to Kensington Palace, the Royal Albert Hall, Spencer House and Althorp, Diana’s family estate – all locations I personally visited during my research.
Can you tell us about some of the challenges you faced whilst writing The Memory Dress?
Writing is dual timeline is never easy and that requires a very careful balancing of the chapters and their pacing so the reveals are timed perfectly and the breadcrumb of clues delicately placed. Having Diana’s wardrobe central to the story is also tricky since there is so much contradictionary information about her in circulation. Something as simple as dating when a particular dress was first worn by her, especially when you consider not all were worn in public, sometimes took more time than you can imagine!
What’s next for you?
There are two possible novel outlines I am considering at the moment. One is partially set in London in the 80s and the other is more contemporary. But anything I write will be cross-generational, have a fashion theme, celebrate strong female relationships and mix high glamour with reality. I like it when the ordinary and extraordinary collide in a story.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on in 2025?
My current read is The Birdcage by Eve Chase. I think I have read every one of her novels. They are typically set on the Cornish coast in England, in grand old family homes where shocking secrets are deeply buried. Her writing is so lyrical and descriptive, I get completely lost in her storytelling. This year I have also loved: You Are Here by David Nichols; A Pocketful of Happiness by Richard E Grant and next up is The Kellerby Code by Jonny Sweet because it has the kind of glamorous premise I love.
