Long before Tat had fully formed, I was plugging away at Instagram, trying to get my name out there so that I could start selling all the bloody bits and bobs. It was a shock when a friend called me and said she had seen the Tat name in print. It was my first piece of press, and it was down to this week's Tete a Tat - Pandora Sykes. She had listed Tat as one of her favourite Instagram accounts, and I was pleased as punch. To say thank you, I sent her a lifesize brass lobster. I do wish I'd gauged a second opinion on that one.
Amazingly enough, the above is not Pandora's only accomplishment; she's actually done quite a bit. She started as a journalist; I first saw her on Style magazine, but now she writes for many different titles (It's hard to think of one she hasn't worked with). She is also a podcaster; Pandora created and hosted 'The High Low' with Dolly Arterton, a podcast that was rarely out of the top ten. They garnered around a million downloads a month and became a bit of a phenomenon, capturing all the zeitgeisty Gen Y happenings. If you thought the end of 'The High Low' meant Pandora hanging up her microphone, you'd be wrong, dead wrong. She has gone on to start two more: 'The Missing', which 'looks into the cases of long-term missing and asks you, the listener, to help', and 'Doing It Right' in which she interviews experts in different fields, from Alain de Botton to Joe Lycett. It's a winner. This brings us to her most recent accomplishment, her book, 'How Do We Know We're Doing It Right?'. Rumour has it there was an eleven-way bidding war for it. Phwoar. Well, those publishers know what they're talking about; it came out in January and had some stellar reviews ('Sharp and observant writing... A manifesto for the millennial woman').
So it's hard to see when Pandora had the time to answer these questions, but as ever, I am hugely excited that she did.
Top Destination in the UK?
St Mawes, in Cornwall. I love staying as close to the seaside as possible so that you can open your curtains in the morning and see it, and seeing it now through my children's eyes feels even more magical.
What did you want to be when you were growing up? A writer.
Favourite Tube Stop/ Line?
The Bakerloo line, because it takes me home from Soho. It also feelings pleasingly like the 90s, probably because it takes so long, and is hotter and slower than any other line. I feel like I'm in Bridget Jones Diary when I'm on it. My favourite stop is Oxford Circus. Because I don't go out much anymore (I mean, I no-one does currently) and so when I do, I head straight for cocktails. There's something about those windy, cobbly Soho streets that makes my tummy fizz. I forget, just for a moment, that I am a mother with an early morning start!
Girl Crush?
Style crush, I have a few - Amanda Gorman, everything she touches turns to chic, my friend Leandra Medine who used to run ManRepeller and I've always loved Sienna Miller's style, which is extremely unoriginal but in my defence,
enduring.
Boy Crush?
Pretty boys, Jude Law in The Holiday with that mad December tan and those diddy little scarves. Jamie Dornan in everything.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
Re-writing the same set of keywords in different orders, for an SEO company about a decade ago. My brain felt like a washing machine. Also, a waitress - because I am so clumsy, that I lived in absolute fear of dropping everything. Turns out, those fears were well-founded: I spilt olive oil down a bride's wedding dress when I was 18.
Best Moment in your career so far?
Doing a live version tour for The High Low and looking round to see thousands of people in the Barbican was pretty mad. We couldn't quite believe that they'd paid to come and see us talk about self-help books from the 1970s and slogan t-shirts we wore as a teenager. I was 98 years pregnant, but I remember the night so fondly. With considerably more fondness than the show in Dublin, where there was a fire alarm during the show, which really brought the charm to a Sunday night event.
Favourite Smell?
My babies' necks. I also love the smell of crisp new pages in a book.
What movie can you watch over and over without ever getting tired of?
Love Actually, for my sins.
Best Restaurant?
L'Escargot. We shot the first promo shots for The High Low there - and filmed the last ever High Low live there, too. But I also love it as a date night - my husband and I did our first and last 'mini break' in London for his birthday, a few years back, where we stayed the night at Dean Street Townhouse and went for dinner at L'Escargot. It's sultry and sort of frozen in time.
A song that can always make your foot tap?
Good as Hell by Lizzo makes me feel pure happiness