Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1215366
India Hicks will appear at Wisteria as part of Texas Design Week Houston Thursday, March 26, 3 pm, for an illustrated talk and book signing. Texas Design Week is a ticketed event. For complete schedule and tickets, go to texasdesignweek.com. B ritish designer India Hicks has long been a source of fascination, not only due to her family's heritage — she's the daughter of decorator David Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks and served as a bridesmaid in godfather Prince Charles' wedding to Diana in 1980 — but also in her own right as an entrepreneur, designer, author, and mother of five. She has two best-selling books, Island Style and A Slice of England, with a new book from Rizzoli, An Entertaining Story, debuting this fall. Her recently launched podcast series with her mother Lady Pamela, whose father was the last Viceroy of India (hence, Hicks' name) is filled with fascinating anecdotes and has reached more than 100,000 downloads. We zipped off an email to India at her home on Harbour Island, for a chat before her upcoming visit to Houston for Texas Design Week. EVER-INTRIGUING INDIA INDIA HICKS BRINGS HER ISLAND STYLE AND ENGLISH ROOTS TO A TALK AT TEXAS DESIGN WEEK HOUSTON. BY ANNE LEE PHILLIPS Bedside reading. Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner. This book isn't only a record, funny and sometimes dazzling, of a way of life now almost disappeared. It's an unwitting examination of English repression — of how it gets you through and of how it can slay you. Collections. Calligraphied or beautifully written envelopes that arrive in the post. Almost a lost tradition. Next chapter. I'm taking my time to think the next chapter through. I worked quite hard for six years building a business that I loved. We created a lifestyle brand, sold through a supportive community of women, but the difficulties faced as a young company proved too much for us to overcome. [India shuttered her company last year.] Whilst I catch my breath, I'm producing a book on entertaining that will be published by Rizzoli in September, continue to record a Podcast with my mother, oversee my shop The Sugar Mill (@ sugarmillharbourisland), and try to keep five children on track. Must-haves for great entertaining. A sense of humor, good lighting, and a well-thought-through seating plan. 88