Pocket Guide: Daisy Knatchbull

Daisy Knatchbull, Huntsman’s P.R. and Marketing Manager, is the latest in a long line of Knatchbull family women to complement their rebellious personality with a head-turning sense of style.
Pocket Guide: Daisy Knatchbull
Halfway through my conversation with Daisy Knatchbull, in which we discuss her sense of style, her genetic predisposition for rebellion and her fascination with tailoring, a gentleman seated next to us leans over to interrupt. “This is the most interesting conversation I’ve eavesdropped on in a long time. Who are you?” he asks her. Daisy is Huntsman’s P.R. and Marketing Manager, creating ripples in an industry dominated by men. “All the women in my family have liked breaking with tradition in some small way,” she tells The Rake. Indeed, Daisy’s grandmother Patricia wore underwear made from silk R.A.F. maps, her aunt turned down a marriage proposal from a prince, and earlier this year Daisy was the first woman to wear morning dress to Ascot’s Royal Enclosure. “Most people thought it was brilliant, and lots of women told me they’d been thinking about doing it but didn’t have the confidence,” she says.“I wasn’t expecting such a positive reaction.” She dresses with an androgynous playfulness and an appreciation for craftsmanship, as well as a sense of adventure. “I think my next suit will be a Black Watch tartan number,” she says. “Watch this space.” Originally published in Issue 54 of The Rake. Subscribe here for more.
Daisy’s mother gave her this bangle engraved with her name when she was a baby, and it is of great sentimental value to her. On the back it reads, ‘To infinity and beyond, I love you’. 

The necklace reflects a superstitious side to Daisy, as the delicate medallion depicts the zodiac sign of Gemini. “So many people I love are Gemini. I’m secretly obsessed with astrology.” 

Her grandmother wore a ring with the letters ‘F-U-C-K’ until she passed away aged 93. “Supposedly it’s the initials of a distant relative called Freddie Ulick Charles Knatchbull,” Daisy says, with
 an unconvinced raised eyebrow. “But basically my grandmother was a bit of
 a maverick.” Depicting an ‘ounce’ — a mythical dog — Daisy’s family crest is stamped sideways onto her oval-shaped Gerald Benney signet ring, a design quirk that all the women in her family share. The gold band is her father’s wedding ring. 

Daisy’s preference for trousers comes from growing up with lots of brothers and male cousins. “I hated dresses when I was younger,” she says, and firmly believes one can look just as dressed up in trousers.
Daisy describes her vintage Gucci watch with a narrow leather strap as “elegant and poised”, just like her grandmother, from whom she inherited it.