Lil Rice

Lil Rice

Founder – Fools Delight Circus

Lil lives in a farmyard, but her heart is in the big top. Since she was a child when, with her sister, she was helping her aunt Nell at Gifford Circus, the romance of the ring, the band and the draw of the stage has had a magnetic pull on her. A musician and talented sportswoman at school, it was not surprising that after training at Circus Space in London she returned to work at Giffords using her particular skill on the Cyr wheel, a steel hoop in which she spins around the stage while singing…. upside down!

Now engaged to chef Dave Cross, and with their baby Louis becoming mobile, her life at Ham Court is fiercely active and busy as she now has a show of her own. Fools Delight is an intimate and thrilling circus company which, for the evening performance, includes a four-course supper while the show leaps into action as each delicious plate is cleared away by costumed waitresses. With a five piece band, acrobats, contortionists and clowns (last autumn’s show starred Tweedy the clown) the normally peaceful courtyard of Ham Court becomes chaotic and noisy and entertains 350 people a day. No surprise then that the narrative Liberty print shirt that Lil has chosen is circus themed…

www.foolsdelight.co.uk

Lil is pictured at home, the setting for her Circus, Fools Delight, wearing our classic Oxford shirt in Lilac stripe. Crafted from pure cotton, the tight basket weave with contrasting threads offers some surface interest, while the classic collar is neat and stylish. With its relaxed, classic fit, this is a shirt you will wear over and over. And believe us, like the best of us, it will get better with age. This has been paired with our knitted neppy vest in Mint, the ideal choice when there is a slight nip in the air. Its shorter length looks great layered over dresses and shirts.

She is also pictured styling our Issacs Jubilee shirt, made with Liberty fabric. We work closely with Liberty of London, Britain’s biggest textile name since 1875, delving into their archive, to create a range of shirts in their signature prints. And we have put together a collection that features a mix of floral, geometric and figurative designs.