Question: What do you wear to meet a billionaire heiress?
Answer: Who cares, it’s not like you can ever match up to her fabulousness anyway.
Such thoughts are not uncommon when you meet a seriously rich woman as Tamara Ecclestone. She can blow millions of dollars in a day and still never run out of fuel, because her F1 supremo dad Bernie has amassed a gigantic fortune.
Ecclestone’s extravagant exploits are legendary. The 28-year-old reportedly didn’t bat her perfectly curled eyelashes when she coughed up millions on a bathtub made from a single piece of rock crystal found in the Amazon rainforest, or when her French Riviera wedding entertainment bill this week exceeded £3.5 million (Dh20 million) with gigs from the likes of Elton John and Lionel Richie.
She doesn’t need to work for a living and she knows it. So when such a rich girl launches a luxury hair-care range — in her case Show Beauty at Harvey Nichols — forgive us for thinking it’s all just a whim.
But the British billionaire heiress, dressed in a white Alaia frock, golden Christian Louboutin pumps, rose-gold accessories and perfectly tousled hair, begs to differ.
“I take it very seriously and I want it to be a huge success,” Ecclestone tells The weekend tabloid!. “I am doing this more for me than to prove a point to anyone else.” As she speaks, her shiny hair cascading in loose waves bounces off her shoulders.
“My dad has personally used it and he loves it. He told me how proud he is of me and that means a lot to me,” said Ecclestone, displaying a streak of vulnerability. It was gone in a flash but instantly the Milan-born, London-raised royalty who boasts a Birkin-arium (insiders claim that this revered space stocks 20 of those rare coveted bags) in her posh Kensington mansion seemed more real. Like any Jumeirah Jane in Dubai, she too has bad hair days.
“Yes, this morning in fact,” said Ecclestone, a former Armani model and sports TV presenter with a laugh.
“Everyone has bad hair days. The weather and all that travelling affects your hair. When your hair looks good you feel good. Being able to fix your hair changes your mood. So even if you are wearing a track suit, you kind of look put together and amazing,” said Ecclestone. Enter the gleaming black and rose-gold glass bottles that promise hair-fix miracles. Just like its model founder, the packaging of her 11 styling and finishing products are rich and classy.
“This is something I wanted to do two years ago. I am the most impatient person in the world. But I am glad that I took all the time in the world, because it’s perfect now. I chose everything — from the fragrance, to the packaging and to going to Paris to sample the fragrance. It took a long time and it looks amazing. I walked past the in-store display today and I am so happy,” said Ecclestone.
Like every girl, she too dreams of a world free of tangles and frizz. Her idea to launch Show Beauty took root when she realised that there was no luxury hair-care range in the markets and there was a gap to be filled. Her products will set you back by at least Dh175.
“I wanted the packaging to be exciting and my product to do what it’s meant to do. It’s disappointing if it doesn’t do what it says it does on the tin. It is healthy hair that I am after,” said Ecclestone. She even channelled her dislike towards traditional perfumes for creating a fragrance to be sprayed on hair. The result? A gleaming bottle of The Show Beauty Decadence (Dh320) that smells like a blend of rose, coconut and caramel.
“I don’t wear a perfume so I think it is nice to have a scent for your hair that is not overpowering. Something that you can smell,” said Ecclestone. Her personal tastes in scents are also an indication of her personality. She wasn’t cloying in a sickly sweet way and doesn’t try too hard to sell her products. Her top tip? Be comfortable in your own skin.
“The same rule applies to clothes, make-up and hair. If you don’t feel good then you won’t look good. You will always tug at your hair and wish that you had worn it differently. Also, drink lots of water and try not to have too many late nights,” said Ecclestone, who loves to live it up in yachts and tanning beds.
But she wasn’t always this pragmatic. Just like every twentysomething out there, she too grappled with her own set up goof-ups.
“I wear what I like and sometimes people are quick to criticise it. I have made my fashion faux pas in public, whereas some people get to make it privately. But I think you should wear something that you feel comfortable in and not what’s on the pages of Vogue. You should learn how to dress for your body and be comfortable in what you are wearing,” said Ecclestone, whose net worth is reportedly £300 million. This care-free, confident attitude is on display as she takes a quick tour of her black and gold counter at the store. In fact, if you weren’t familiar with the world of socialites, Ecclestone (who admires Jennifer Lopez’ shiny hair) could easily pass off as an avid Middle Eastern shopper who loves gigantic sunglasses and gleaming Swarovski-encrusted golden I-phone cases.
But she doesn’t allow herself to be distracted for long as she gravitates towards her black and gold counter. Like a kid in a candy store, she snaps up a bottle containing her finishing spray and lavishly coats her hair with it.
“All set. That should do it.”
