When Dame Trelise Cooper lost a dear friend in his early fifties, it served as something of a wake-up call for the fashion legend and her husband Jack.
“We realised then that life can change on a dime and that you’ve really just got to live every single day,” she says.
That was the catalyst for the couple buying a bolthole in rural France, something they’d always dreamed of. Seventeen years on, they haven’t looked back – spending around three months of every year in their charming medieval village home in rural south-west France.
In fact, when Trelise catches up with Woman’s Weekly, she’s only been in New Zealand for a couple of days and already she’s “scheduled to the max”, with meetings and deadlines as far as the eye can see.
“My mum is always telling me I rush too much,” says Trelise, whose beloved mother Pam is 88.
“She worries that I won’t slow down.”
But this isn’t out of the ordinary for the celebrated fashion designer, who opened her first boutique in 1985. At 68, and after four decades building her internationally renowned business, she’d be forgiven for thinking about retirement, but there’s no sign of that just yet – she’s still got too many ideas and too much energy. Besides, she adds, how on earth would she fill her days?
“I don’t play golf or tennis. My only hobby is my work,” she laughs.
“Work really has been my life’s passion. I wonder what would happen to all of those ideas and creativity if I wasn’t here working? How would I get that kind of joy?”
A slower pace of life
So for now, three months in France is her chance to recharge and relax. The couple spends their days lying by the pool, cooking, and strolling the country lanes eating fruit and berries from the roadside.
“The only way to describe our time there is that it’s soft and tranquil – it’s incredibly peaceful. We have friends come to visit and we do tourist things, but to be really honest, my favourite thing to do there is absolutely nothing.”
Today, Trelise is talking to us about Give, a new book by Food in a Minute star Allyson Gofton celebrating the joy of giving, to which she has contributed a recipe for apricot jam inspired by her life in France.
With proceeds supporting Breast Cancer Cure, it’s a cause very close to Trelise’s heart – she’s worked with the charity for 20 years, including a decade as
a patron.
Standing with women
Throughout her life, Trelise has known countless women affected by breast cancer – those going through treatment, those who have lost their lives to the disease and women whose stories have stayed with her. She has always been motivated to help the cause.
“I haven’t had breast cancer, for the grace of God go I, or anyone in my family,” she says.
“But women are my world. I’m surrounded by them with my work – they’re my customers, my employees, my VIPs and my friends – and so I see women going through breast cancer journeys almost every day.”
A taste of her French life
The recipe she shares in Give was passed to her by a friend in France, who taught her to macerate the fruit picked from their own trees in sugar overnight for a flavoursome jam.
“It brings out the flavour and the juices overnight – it’s really delicious,” says Trelise, who says a jar of homemade jam makes a perfect hostess gift.
In France, she and Jack spend a lot of time cooking together, although she jokes that the pair have very different approaches.
“My husband is a scientist – he’s very logistical and precise. I am the opposite – I’m more of a ‘chuck a bit of this and a bit of that in’ sort of person. I’m not very good at following a recipe.”
Still very much in love
But spending blissful, uninterrupted time together is a gift, says Trelise, and she relishes their peaceful months in Europe, where they’re together 24/7.
“We both feel very lucky that we have a passionate, romantic relationship still,” she says.
“Every day we love and appreciate each other.”
And as she approaches her 70th birthday next year, Trelise admits she can’t quite believe the milestone is approaching.
“I still feel like I’m 40. I feel youthful!” she laughs.
The joy of a full life
While she might not be exactly thrilled about getting older, she’s determined to focus on her gratitude for her full, rich life. Even in tough times, she’s always done her best to remain positive, optimistic and always thankful for the life she’s built.
“I really am happy to know that I’ve got to this age. I’m above ground, I’m really healthy and I have this wonderful life that I love, and a business I love too. I feel very privileged.”
Give by Allyson Gofton (Bateman Books, rrp $49.99 – $30 of every book sold is donated to Breast Cancer Cure Research.) Out now.
