Influential Voices: Style, Supper & Stories with Red Magazine

Revere the Residence, London

At Albaray, we love bringing our community together so we were proud to open the doors of our Bath store to Red Magazine’s Style & Supper Club. It was an evening of inspiration, good food, and great company, hosted in partnership with Red Magazine.


 We were thrilled to welcome two of Red’s leading women: Editor-in-Chief Sarah Tomczak and Fashion Director Oonagh Brennan. Between styling advice, behind-the-scenes stories, and a few shared obsessions, they gave us an insiders glimpse into their world. They kindly sat down to chat with us about fashion, our SS25 collection and what they’re loving right now.

What inspired the idea behind Red’s Style and Supper Club events?


Sarah: "We wanted to invite readers to spend the perfect night out with Red. We know how much women value the styling advice they get from Red, but we wanted to make this a more personalised and intimate experience—and to create an opportunity to partner with the fashion brands we love most."


"It starts as a shopping event, where our guests receive lots of excellent and useful styling wisdom from Oonagh. There’s always a discount on the night and people come ready to shop, but we also share more of Oonagh’s picks and styling ideas online too, so people who couldn’t join us on the night still feel included."


"After the styling comes the supper—at a local bistro—because we love the idea that for the ticket price you get a shopping night plus a lovely dinner afterwards. Red readers are so busy, so the idea that we’ve done all the organising for them and they just get to come along and enjoy themselves, usually with their friends too, is so joy-giving."

After the in-store styling, we headed to Beckford Canteena true gem in Bath’s food scene, serving up seriously good plates in a beautifully relaxed setting.
The goodie bags were a crowd favourite, packed with thoughtful treats from some of our favourite brands. Thank you to all of the brilliant brands that supported the event. 

Oonagh, please can you tell us a bit about your role at Red and what your day-to-day looks like?


"As the Fashion Director for Red it’s my job to create the vision for the brand’s fashion offering. I am constantly researching emerging trends, analysing what’s happening on the runways and keeping on top of the high street collections then adapting and curating them to work for our audience. I oversee and edit all of the fashion content from the covers to the shopping pages."


"My schedule is very varied, and no two days are ever the same. One day I can be in the office planning the monthly fashion schedule with my team and attending back-to-back meetings, and the next I will be flying off to shoot the season’s main fashion stories and covers or dashing about central London attending press events, viewing all the new clothes and trends for the upcoming seasons, meeting new photographers and hosting Red events with some of our favourite high street brands. It never stops feeling exciting or challenging!"


Sarah, we'd love to hear about your journey into the industry, how you came to be Editor-in-Chief at Red and some of the standout moments along the way?


"I’ve worked in journalism for over 25 years now but my career has been really varied. I started out as an editorial assistant at Sugar (remember that?), then moved to New York where I worked for teen title YM on their website, and then as a writer at a fast-paced celebrity magazine called Us Weekly.


Back in the UK I’ve since interviewed many huge stars on the entertainment desk at Glamour and written fashion features whilst working on edition at the Daily Mail. It all felt quite disparate at the time, but the breadth of experience and the different platforms I’ve worked on has really set me up for my role as Editor in Chief of Red. I still feel like I’m learning all the time and the landscape is ever changing, which I love."


What are you currently inspired by? Is there anything culturally that’s influencing your perspective or style?


Oonagh: "I am obsessed with the Victorians, so a lot of my styling inspiration comes from that era. I am currently reading Judith Flanders’ The Victorian City which is all about the everyday lives of people in London during the 1800s—it’s fascinating, if a little geeky."


"I can’t wait for the Marie Antoinette Exhibition at the V&A in September. Sofia Coppola’s movie about the fashionable Queen is my all-time favourite film—it’s a feast for the eyes. You’ll always find a pastel ruffle somewhere in my styling in homage."

Did any pieces from the Albaray SS25 collection stand out to you?


Sarah: "For me, it’s all about the basics at Albaray—mainly because they’re anything but basic. It’s my go-to for the perfect shape t-shirt, which is neither too boxy nor too slim fit and the sleeves hit your arm at the most flattering spot."


"I love white skirts and this summer Albaray has two that are on my wish list—the denim skirt, which has a utilitarian, pared-back feel, and then in contrast, the white puff-ball skirt which is deliciously on-trend, but also manages to be simple enough that I know I’ll still be reaching for it for years to come too."

Oonagh, what’s one go-to styling tip you always come back to when refreshing a wardrobe?


"Invest in 3 key accessories!"


"1. Buy a studded black leather belt. Nip in your blazers and trench coats to give them a more polished silhouette, bring a rocky edge to denim and cargos, and toughen up your pretty summer dresses."


"2. Buy a pair of barely-there toe-post kitten heel sandals—it will give everything a fresh contemporary edge, especially Bermuda shorts."


"3. Tie a little square silk scarf around your neck and then layer up the gold chains—you’ll be surprised how it can make the plainest of white t-shirts feel more fashion forward. A scarf can also work well as a belt; you can even wear it with a chain or thin leather belt as a duo for maximum style points."

Whether it was Sarah’s love for timeless wardrobe staples or Oonagh’s clever styling tips, the night left us feeling inspired to have a little more fun with fashion. We’re all about making style feel effortless and enjoyable and this event reminded us just how powerful it is when women come together to share ideas, inspiration, and a good meal. 


If you couldn’t make it this time, we hope these conversations give you a flavour of the evening and maybe even a few ideas for your next outfit. The night left us feeling inspired to have a little more fun with fashion. We’re all about making style feel effortless and enjoyable and this event reminded us just how powerful it is when women come together to share ideas, inspiration, and a good meal. 


You can find out more about Red's Style and Supper Clubs and how to attend one here.

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Revere the Residence, London