The fashion world may seem to be ruled by bright, young things, but try telling that to 67-year-old boutique owner Pat Copeland. Hannah Bryan talks to the grandmother-of-three who proves age is no barrier to looking and feeling fabulous

CLAD head-to-toe in the best designer gear, with her enviable figure and perfectly styled blonde hair, you’d be forgiven for mistaking Pat Copeland for a woman half her age.

Even in her work clothes – a tartan Vivienne Westwood jacket and black skinny jeans – the 67-year-old looks immaculate and oozes the kind of glamour even some of the most welldressed twenty-somethings would struggle to emulate.

Surrounded by rails of Vivienne Westwood jackets, Matthew Williamson dresses and Barbour coats, the perfectly polished mother-oftwo is clearly in her element in her designer boutique, Joseph M, on Darlington’s stylish Grange Road.

“I eat, live and breathe fashion,” she says proudly, before rifling through one of the rails and producing a striking blue and pink patterned dress by new fashion label, Ingenue, as worn by Denise Van Outen earlier this month.

The Ingenue brand is new in to the shop, and their bright, flattering dresses are expected to be a big hit this autumn.

“I know what’s hot and what’s not and I know the next best thing. I am just very contemporary and I love fashion. I have a good eye and like to bring in new designers,” says the grandmother-of-three. It is this ability to know what looks good and what is the next best thing that, according to Pat, is the reason her business has become so successful – that, and her ability to sell.

“I am a shopaholic and that’s why I am such a good seller. I will have it in the pink, blue and yellow,” she says. “I also believe you only get what you pay for, and quality supersedes everything – if you get one nice thing, it can really make an outfit.

“When you go and speak to people and you have got something nice on, people recognise it. You get the compliments and it boosts your self-esteem.”

Pat began working as a civil servant in Durham at the age of 18 and, apart from taking eight years out to have her children – Vickie, 39, and Rachel, 43 – she stayed there until she was 41.

“I was bored out of my brains as a secretary.

I thought there’s more to life than this,” she says. “I wanted to retire and I was only in my 40s. I was on a treadmill and thought I was wasted.”

A chance opportunity to leave her job and become a party planner saw her discover that her strenght lay with dealing with people and, more importantly, working with fashion.

“I just went off like a meteorite and realised this was what I was born to do,” she says. “I found my niche in life: I am a people’s person and I love fashion.”

In September 1997, Pat took the plunge and opened her own designer boutique which has occupied its Grange Road site for the past 16 years, as well as gathering a large online following thanks to her daughter, Vickie, who helps manage the website.

But, as well as giving her the opportunity to surround herself with some of the world’s best designers – of which, Matthew Williamson is her all-time favourite – the business has also given Pat a surprisingly holistic approach to life: she lives by the motto “a day without laughter is a day wasted”.

The Northern Echo:
Pat’s boutique, Joseph M, on Grange Road, Darlington

“Yes, I love fashion, but you are not the clothes you wear, and you are not the house you live in or the car you drive,” she says.

“Money talks, but it can’t laugh and it can’t sing. Your true happiness in yourself – that is where your wealth is.”

The business, like many in the North-East, has weathered the recent recession and endured its fair share of ups and downs. But it is Pat’s unwavering dedication and passion to achieve high standards that has helped the boutique to survive and become one of Darlington’s premier destinations for designer clothes.

“It is tough out there, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t,” says Pat. “When I opened my shop, I started to think I have taken on a lot here, but I believe you should take a job on bigger than yourself so you grow into the role. You have just got to live for the moment and go for things in life.

“I could have walked away from this many times, but I am just made of sterner stuff. It is how you take the knocks in life that makes you successful.”

  • Joseph M, 12 Grange Road, in Darlington, is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday. For more information call 01325-483331 or visit josephm.com