In the first days after Selma Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2018, the actress’ battle with symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness and speech impediments left her sleeping a lot. While I was working with doctors and being treated, it was the small, unexpected acts of kindness that made Blair happy, including a gift from the founders of Mersea, Lina Dickinson and Melanie Bolin. “At the time, I was on a different track; I was sick with MS, and I wasn’t leaving my house much, and these travel-inspired blankets and candles made me feel nurtured and gave me hope to go out and experience these luxury moments,” Blair told the Observer. Even with her MS in remission, that act stayed with Blair. Now, she’s partnering with Mersea to create her own collection of bedding so she can bring that same caring feeling to others, whether they’re navigating chronic illness or just want to relax after a long day.
“I’m a sleeper most of the time when I get home because I have to take care of myself,” said Blair. “I don’t know how to cook, but I can sleep.” To combine her love of red carpet glamor with her newfound emphasis on self-care, Blair turned to her mother’s sleepwear for inspiration: the bed jacket. “When I moved to New York, I didn’t have any clothes to go to a fancy dinner at the Gramercy Tavern. But my mom had packed her bed jacket as a cozy, so I just wore this satin, mint bed jacket and pants and high heels,” Blair recalled. An essential loungewear from the 1930s to the 1950s, the bed jacket became a personal piece in the collection for Blair, who sketched several designs before arriving at a collared version for his Sea La Vie and Mersea collections.
Named after her mother, Molly comes in pale pink, as well as midnight blue and red piping that Blair wore with jeans and her satin Kiss Kiss top as she walked through the 14-piece capsule collection alongside her service dog, Scout (who also wore a matching bandage for the event). “This blue one is very wearable outside—I mean, do what you want—but I love the way it looks, it’s lightweight, and the bed jacket was really my first request.”
Satin pajamas and preppy cotton sets were also high on the list for Blair, who added her personal touch with kissable lips and hand-embroidered details to the collection. “I wanted it to feel personal because that’s what Mersea felt from me when I first met them,” said Blair. Also important to the partnership is Mersea’s generous commitment to donate 10 per cent of the collection’s profits to the American Brain Foundation, where Blair serves as a Global Ambassador and National Chair for Mental Health. “There are women who really came forward—men, too—who did something that made a difference at that time: an act of kindness, sending something, wanting to share with you,” Blair said of the importance of not only supporting research into neurological disorders like MS, but also raising awareness to reduce the stigma associated with chronic illness.
“I’ve always loved couture, or high fashion or vintage, but when I needed more sleep, I was like, ‘Where are my cute pajamas?’ Clothes have had a profound, inspirational effect on me, and what Mersea does to make another woman feel special is a big part of that story.” Ahead of Selma Blair’s Sea La Vie and Mersea collection, which debuts April 14, she sat down with the Observer to share her current priorities, from her New York City breakfast spot to what she learned from the former screen star.
