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Today I'm going on a style journey with the businesswoman,
broadcaster and activist, also known as Mary Queen of Shops,
the extraordinary Mary Portis OBE.
Hello and welcome, Mary. Oh, it's so lovely to be here.
God, I can't remember when we last saw each other.
I was trying to remember, but I have to say, I spent last
weekend with your dulcet tones in my ears because I was
listening to you. I shop, therefore I am and Oh my
God, it took me right back to the early days of the label and
wow, I mean, why now and why this book?
You know, I have a thing and, and it's interesting because
you're saying that you, you, you're writing your book, that I
think there's a time where books come to you.
And I just, and for whatever reason, I got asked to write my
second memoir and I just didn't want to do it.
I don't know why, but I remember, I don't know if you
remember, there was a brilliant exhibition that was on at South
Kensington at the Design centre called Rebel.
And it was 30 years of new Gen. and we launched new Gen. at
Harvey Nicks. And I went with my old team.
I hadn't seen them in years, but we went, oh, let's go down
memory lane. And Amanda, it's one of those
times where you just go, wow, we did this.
That's what we were doing in the 90s.
And I remember getting home after laughing my head off at
dinner with them just going, did we really do that?
You know, did we? Because there's a lot of that in
there. There's a lot of different
that's just can we really tell that and I just kept on saying,
Oh my gosh, this is a book, this is ATV series that just wouldn't
leave my and so I just called my agent two days later and said
that I've got the book and I think it's the Harvey next
year's and she said let's do this.
Brilliant. And it's doing brilliantly,
isn't it? Really brilliantly.
And you're on this massive publicity junket at the moment.
I am, I am. And it's, it's, it's part
exhausting and part exhilarating because you, you turn up to
places, you travel the country, which is also just
extraordinary. And you see so many different
types of people who of, of different parts of the, the
country from South to Scotland to whatever.
But actually at the heart of it is all these memories of this
time. People want to share it.
And I, I have this funny feeling.
I got asked it the other day, why, why do you think this is a
return to 90s? And I said, I think it's the
last time before the digital world and where everything was
interaction, physically communicating.
You know, when you were selling there, you'd know the buying
team, you'd be in there, I'd meet with you, we'd discuss what
we were going to do to promote and to market.
It was a very physical, I think it was the last time of that
real physical way of working and being.
Totally. Yeah, totally.
I didn't, I didn't think so. I thought at first, well, the
way everybody goes back with certain fashion trends, we've
seen the revival of the 70s, we've seen the revival of the
80s, but this is more than just the trends and the fashion
trends of what we were wearing in the 90s.
It's kind of a return to connection.
That's what I. Think an era that we will never
go back to I. Don't think so.
I don't think so. I don't think so.
I mean. You're, you have this lovely
moniker, Mary Queen of shops. And I just wondered what Europe,
what you are most excited about in retail at the moment?
Because it's a really tricky time, isn't it?
Yeah, I think it's an extraordinarily difficult time
and I think we're going through this transition period, which
and transition periods take a long time for the penny to drop
with people going ah, ah, this is the new world, you know, and
I think what we're going through now is a real post COVID wake up
call where there's there's tenets that have now taken root
of how we want to live. And part of that is
economically, I think people are saying what is value today?
What what is real value? And that doesn't necessarily
mean cheap. We know that really cheap what
that's done to our planet and we know that what that's done to
sort of consumerist model which has never created well-being.
In fact it's done the opposite. So I think we've got a real wake
up call on that and I think we've got a wake up call on what
businesses do I want to buy into, what do they mean to me.
And I think there's a values system that's going with this re
questioning of value. And I think what's slowly coming
out is a kind of a new, a new territory.
And within that new territory, I'm seeing quite a bit of
innovation that I don't think we saw for a long while in those
heightened consumer years. Yeah.
And that excites me. Yeah, that excites me.
And it's going to be slower and it's going to be smaller, but
it's actually more interesting. Yeah, yeah, I mean, there's a
lot that's broken about the fashion system, isn't there?
And you know, I, I just wondered what your opinion was on the
luxury goods houses, because that is monsters and the prices
seem to be going up, up, up and up to just like crazy levels.
Yeah, but this is what's happening across so many
different sectors. But I think what what they and I
don't think again without. And let me tell you, there's
some seriously clever people working on the top ends of the
luxury business. So I wouldn't want to be sitting
here going, well, this is what you should be doing.
But I think, I think when you've operated in a way that's been so
successful for so many years and I talk about operationally
rather than sometimes creatively, it's very difficult
to move away from that. And that's that's what you've
known. And the business operation that
we've seen in the luxury world was brand, product and brand is
king, right? If you get your product right
and you get your story right, that goes with it.
The brand, it's been king for a very long time.
And therefore you just mark up as it goes and you go more
exclusive and you go more a more aspirational, but attainable.
That's no longer the game. And I think that's happening in
the luxury houses. They're having to reset
themselves. And the problem is when you've
got this huge luxury operations, you've got what sometimes
happens in business and dare I say it is the caretakers and the
pirates who got you there in the 1st place are sort of shifted to
the side while the caretakers are operationally taking care.
And sometimes they sort of over control it.
And actually what we need now is to be putting new ideas out
there that just shake this up and take risk.
And I think they're slowly waking up to it.
And I think one of the brilliant examples of doing that was
Jonathan Anderson at Luefe. He's just, you know, the guy is
a cultural, just a zeitgeist wonderful who was allowed to
absolutely create a sensibility to a brand that was so right for
now. And I think we need to get back,
really get back to these creative visionaries being at
the heart of these businesses and giving risk to.
Yeah. I mean, we've just been on this
giant move around, haven't we, of creative directors in the in
the luxury goods houses. I mean, you meant mentioned
Jonathan Anderson. Anyone else that really stood
out to you or is standing out to you as just a visionary
creative? Tell you what I'm interested in
at the moment, I don't know, My. My quiet obsession is watching
what Gap's going to do Interesting.
Yeah, I tell you, with Zac Posen going in and also I just feel
that they've start, they've taken what was so sexy in the
90s. Have you looked at some of their
campaigns where they've got the dancers back and they're and
they've mixed it with just the the music scene of this sort of
cultural youth of today. And it looks very of the moment
while still being, yes, that's Gap.
And I'm interested that the ex, you know, CEO of Barbie's gone
in. I think that's just incredible.
What that says to me is we're going to be looking at how I
create joy and branding. That's that's connected to where
we want to feel in our hearts, just just free and joyful in a
time when the world's quite a rocky place.
Yes, with quite sort of basic basic pieces.
Yeah, because I think I, I was thinking about this 'cause I was
thinking how will they differentiate themselves from
Uniqlo, which is just nailing it with partnerships, really
nailing it isn't. It Claire Wheat Keller in there.
Ohh, genius move. Really genius.
How are they going to do that? And then I kind of think there's
still that kind of very loose, fabulous LA feel that isn't unit
low, you know, but that has that attitude with it.
And I think that's played well. They should play on.
Look at me, I'm I'm, I'm directing from afar.
Well, I love it. I've always loved that business.
I always thought of under Mickey Drexel.
It's one of my favourites. And I just used to love the sort
of freedom and lightness. We all had it in our wardrobe.
Yeah, but you're so right. It is those words, freedom and
lightness, doesn't it? It's just that the perfect white
T-shirt. You know my obsession now, Back
in the day, you created a collection for House of Fraser,
yes? It did.
Targeting the needs of the 40 plus women and I just wondered
how you feel that the needs of the 4050 sixty 70 plus woman is
being addressed today? Oh, look, I think we've woken up
to the fact that that's where the money is, Amanda.
I mean, you knew that, you know that that's what we knew that
the money is with women who have a disposable income and have a
confidence as well. You know, even when I get back
to my Harvey Nichols days, you know, it doesn't matter how out
there or how crazy that the ideas that we put into the the
world our market were women who came in at that time and spent
the most on Max Maher and Nicol Farhi and Joseph.
It was not the youth that was spending that sort of money.
That doesn't mean that you don't mark it in a wonderful, youthful
way. And when I did that collection,
I'm always sort of, I always sort of think, why isn't this
happening? You know, if a question comes to
me and what I couldn't understand then and it sounds
it's crazy now because people do market to that age group is I
couldn't even find a model that that was that still on the books
of the model agencies that was over 40.
And now that's. Completely changed and now
that's completely changed and you've got incredible campaigns.
You know, I was looking at I love, you know, some of the
Celine campaigns and when they put in Maggie Smith or you had
it was just like crazy fabulous, strong women.
And the response, it was great. You didn't even have to go that
older, you know, you didn't have to go to a 90 year old woman,
But we're starting to we're seeing a lot more of that and it
just wasn't happening then. And I was like, this is crazy
because actually this is a very sexy age to be a very confident
age to be totally and and why, why, why do we diminish that?
You know what was our obsession with youth?
And yes, I totally understand the physicality of the obsession
with youth, because I still don't care what anyone says.
You see a young girl in a sort of pair of jeans lightly hanging
off her backside in a tiny T-shirt.
It looks great on that body, right?
And of course it does. But equally you've got women who
can wear style with confidence in a different way.
And we just weren't showing it. And so I just decided to do it.
You know, I went to the BBC and said I'd just like, you know,
because I often come up with ideas when I was doing different
shows and why doesn't let's let's see if this would work.
Follow me doing this. And it was just really just eye
opening. But more than that, Amanda, was
the amount of women that just went Hallelujah and you can you
can talk to me about my body and my image and actually not feel I
have to, you know, slip into a size 8 or A6 model size.
It was just really eye opening and profitable.
Good. Good, good.
What is your opinion of the sort of current state of British
fashion? Look, you know, I think the,
the, the always the case with when it comes to British
fashion, I mean, there's some great, you know, little brands
that are out there that I just think, wow, you know, and I
always think, and what I look back when I wrote this book and
started to look at the British Fashion Council, which had kind
of just set up then, you know, I was thinking about that because
I was like, they, they were really early doors.
How far we've come and how amazing, you know, and
celebratory it's become and recognised globally, you know,
so I think we've come such a far and, and also because of the
digital world, you know, I'm speaking to small British brands
who are able to sell internationally very much easier
than you'll remember, you know, what it was like in the 90s.
And I still think there's that wonderful still that, and I
don't want to say the word quirky to this, but there's
still that the feeling of that kind of great sort of
Britishness in how we approach stuff.
You know, I've just opening up a market.
I've just got MasterCard to come in and support doing a market
for small British designers, not just fashion but innovation
across all of. Of retail Brilliant.
And where is that? There's one I'm putting in, one
I'm opening up in Manchester and the other one is in the Truman
Brewery in London, which is next weekend, and I just want to see
15. I've got inundated by so many
innovative, great businesses that just made me smile in my
heart that, you know, we are in that time where we're coming
back out of this change that I talk about.
And actually at the heart of the only thing that's going to get
us into a great place is innovation and creativity.
And there's so much out there. And, and those are just for the
weekend or. Yeah, I'm doing it just for a
weekend, 3 days and 15 different businesses in each.
Yeah. Oh.
Amazing. And did they have to apply?
Yeah, they want to apply those hundreds.
It's very difficult. So there's different mix of
interiors, homewers, fashion and ones I loved on the fashion were
not just selling vintage, but repurposing clothes and just
making them so interesting. There's just, you can see
people, you know, when you're up against it, that's when the
ideas come. Where do I go from here?
You know, we all have that in COVID.
Where where do I go? Oh my God, that that world's
changed out there. How do I innovate?
So yes. And out of that, that vibe comes
creativity, doesn't it? There's a lovely little British
Frankel Tove that I'm loving at the moment.
You know, they're gorgeous, gorgeous.
And I was talking to them, Cam, who owns that, and they're going
doing well in the States. Very beautiful.
Yeah.
There's some great stuff I hope. You're documenting that.
I hope someone's following you with a camera the whole way.
Round this course, yeah. And I just got a note from
government says Secretary of State's going to come turn up
because I'm like, listen, you know when when you go on about
the high streets, we need to give tax breaks to people
because the innovation and creativity is here.
They want it in the physical space.
People are craving physical interaction.
Let's put the two together. You know, it's even like me
being on the road. I was listening to Richard
Osmond. He said he was on his book tour,
and he said, you know, we were all obsessed by how important
digital was and being on social media to get your book out.
They said, actually, what really works is you go out, you go on a
stage, you meet people and they want to come and they want to
talk and they want to hear the stories.
And that, I think, has really changed.
I think we are realizing that we're neurobiologically wired to
connect. As human beings, yes.
And beings, even us, you said, no, I don't do a podcast.
I want to sit together. Yeah.
And then, you know, the conversations that eke out the
connection. Oh, my gosh, you're here.
The physicality, understanding where your world is now, where I
am. Yeah.
It goes bigger. It goes wider.
Yeah, you know, yeah. I mean, it's fascinating the
journey that you have been on and are still on.
I love the way that you just have chapter after chapter after
chapter, and I think it's so inspiring.
Now today we're going on your personal style journey, so let's
start with what you're wearing. Can you talk me through it?
I'm wearing this jumpsuit that I've become quietly obsessed
with this little brand because it is my oh gosh, I'm going to
get up and I, I could either be going to the shops or I could be
coming and sitting with Amanda Wakeley, or I could be on stage
doing a talk. And it's by Wilding WYLDING.
And I have a, I'm lucky enough to have a second home in Stroud
in Gloucestershire. And it's a very kind of arty,
creative community. And actually totally, I'll tell
you. I'll tell you how I discovered
this, because I found this architect who I worked with at
Harvey Nichols, who did some work with me at Harvey Nichols,
Richard found. And I had bumped into him at a
friend's birthday party, hadn't seen him in years.
And he said to me, oh, comfort, comfort.
I have a house near where you've bought, you know.
So I said, OK, OK, well, it took us ages to get together at
night. And he sent me a notice that,
Mary, we've got to put this date in the diary.
And it was very casual, sort of Saturday afternoon.
He said, come to my house. And so I, I remember it's
beautiful summer and I dressed so casually.
I was being in the garden and I just picked some lovely Arabella
big flowers and I took them around.
I've made some apple juice. This is my other love.
Well, I sent them off to be pressed and, and I thought I'll
bring around a bottle of apple juice to Rich's house.
And I turn up and he's got all the Gloucestershire fashion
press Plum Sykes is in there. Yeah, I thought it was going to
be Cash, Cash Plum and her husband.
And they were, you know, Divine who'd got.
They were all those wonderful catered drinks and I'd come in
with my flowers and the apple juice.
Wearing What were you wearing? I think an old pair of sort of
really old Levi's I think I was wearing in a white shirt, which
I love and you'd love love, but it was but I've gone in with
that. Oh, I'm just having supper with
them round and it it was all the old fashioned crew won the X
Vogue stylist and her husband and Jamie Dornan, the actor, but
with his wife who created this collection.
And but she was telling me about this collection.
She was lovely, really lovely. And she came from the same part
of Ireland that my parents had come from.
So we I ended up chatting to him and anyway, I I then saw someone
in it and I was like, is that the Wilding jumpsuit?
And I had to wait because they were they create it in the UK
and I just love it and because what it is look.
It looks quite. Technical, isn't it?
It's technical because you can go swimming.
It's really about Wilding. So instead of those big coats
that everybody walks around after a swim, you come out.
So it's got the lovely orange fleece inside and I've got one
in the chocolate brand and pale blue, turquoisey blue.
And it's you can dress it up or dress it down.
And every time I wear it, people go Where's that from?
Yeah, I love it because it's one I'm done dressing.
It's one and done. Is that obviously?
Love a bit of 1 and done your brooch.
Oh yes, sorry. I, I listen, I have hardly
wonder. We say, this was given to me by
my friend Sako Zinabev, who's a writer.
And we go to this lovely Ireland and Pat, I've just said it, I
shouldn't have said Pat Moss in Greece, which quite a few
fashion people go to. And I met her there years ago
and she's a writer, brilliant writer, and she's written some
incredible books. And her book was at the same
time as mine. And she just sent me this for
good luck thing. And it's the beautiful Greek Oh.
Isn't it? Yes.
And have you kept that on just during your?
I've just kept on from my book tour and I've got her energy
there and she's just a wonderful.
Person love that, love that and the boots.
Chloe. Old Chloe, I love them because
they've got these. They've.
Got a? Stocking them and then they just
look so casual but also can be really cute and smart and
they're really comfortable and the older they get more soft
they get. The better they are.
Yeah, glasses. Well, you know, you get to the
age where you need the glasses and I'm very lucky.
I actually have 2020 visions. I have very good vision, but my
reading and seeing clothes is not great.
So this is a little company that just I, because I, I sent them
to me called Good Lookers and they're pretty cheap and I have
every colour possible and on every floor of the house and
whatever every room you go into is a pair of my glasses because
I can't bear if I can't read something straight away and I
don't want them hanging on a chain.
Oh no, But you're OK with them when you're not reading?
Because. I I put mine on just for
reading. Yeah.
No, no, no. I need mine just a little bit
more than that, yeah. Well, they look great.
They look great now. You grew up where Watford,
Watford and you were one of five.
And do you remember, was your mother very stylish?
Oh, listen, we didn't have much at all.
But my mother was very much the classics.
And she and my mother and my father, look, you know, we came
from very little. But my father and my mother
would twice a year go and get their wardrobe.
And my father would be Austin Reed, which there was an Austin
Reed at the top of the town. And he would get, you know, he
really, I never saw him ever casually.
He was always smartly dressed in great blazes and trousers.
And my mother was much the same. He was a sales manager for
Brooke Bond Tea. Yeah.
It was really funny. We were talking about, I was
talking to Lulu Guinness, who lives near me.
And we were laughing because both of our mothers, even though
our friend's parents went into that sort of 60s style when we
were younger, our parents didn't.
And they stayed in that sort of quite Tweedy, classic 50s, late
50s polite. And so you, I never saw my
mother in any of that gear. And it sort of made them feel
older. They weren't wearing the
swinging 60s stuff. So I never saw any of that in
the wardrobe. And actually had, you know, I
was thinking about this, which would have been, I went to
someone's house whose, whose grandmother had died and there
was just one small wardrobe. And we were saying, Can you
imagine? But that's what my mother had.
She had her one lovely wardrobe and my father had his.
And they looked after it and they.
Looked after it and great shoes and there was just a classic.
They enjoyed clothes. All my family do, all my all my
siblings, it's been part of our identity for sure.
You know, expressing ourselves to clothes.
But my brothers are the same. My sister's the same.
My brothers particularly by beautiful, great classic pieces.
But do you remember that first time that you put something on
and it felt really good? Or maybe not Amanda, I tell this
story every time I'm on stage when people say can we ever get
people to buy, recycle, upcycle? When I was a child, one of five,
the excitement came when my Auntie Cathy came round with a
bin liner of clothes or my cousin Caroline's clothes.
She was very thin. I was very thin.
My sister was slim, but not as thin as me.
And I the excitement and I. Shopping in a bin bag, Heather.
Opened up now. I will never forget this.
There was a purple pair of knitted flares and they just sat
on my little hips. I would have been, what, 12, you
know, And I had the cheesecloth T-shirt.
The excitement of putting that on and knowing at that age that
was kind of my look. I mean, I, my first big buy was
a jumpsuit from Miss Selfridges, bright red with shell written on
the back promoting shell garrages.
And it was just like, you know, meant to be a sort of boiler
suit that, And I just knew that that that sort of that
silhouette was more the less the peace, but more that that was my
silhouette, that whole look of that sort of 70s and slim.
And that was, and then my mother bought me my very first pair of
Oxford bags, 3 buttoned button, big baggy trouser, you know, and
I looked at the other day, someone sent me a Jackie
magazine cover, my sister. But that was you.
And there was this girl on a chopper bike which I had with
her denim jeans tucked into bright coloured socks.
So for me, that was my identity. And at the time it was, you
know, Bowlin and Bowie and that that sort of, you know, you
didn't know where they're male or female.
They dressed in that glam rock way and that that was my just
joy. And still, and still to this
day, if I put on something like that, I've got one of those
great Gucci green suits. I put it on and I'm back there.
Love it, I love it. Understated.
Not. And did you wear a school
uniform? Yeah, maroon and a boater.
I mean, we went to a convent, literally.
Outdoor uniform indoor shoes, boater for the summer.
And has the has the colour maroon been good, bad or
indifferent? For you, as a result, I, I, I
really did enjoy school. I had you know, I liked my
school. It was a small 300 girls school
and in a convent actually really sweetly.
I was doing one of my book towards the other day and I just
looked in the front row. Eight of them had just turned up
from school and was sitting in the front row.
How cute. Is that?
Oh my God, How? How lovely.
Now you went on to your first job at Harrods.
Yeah. Do you remember what you wore
for that first day? I know what I wore for the
interview. Oh, tell me.
Well, I I thought. Because you were interviewing
for being. Display Assistant, Display
assistant. So to get onto the display team,
which was I think that was about like 2530, it was extraordinary.
You know, you had this team of front stylists from the front
windows, which was the premium, you know, then you've got the
back windows team, then the side windows team.
Actually, it must be more than that.
The men's, they were the men's wear.
Then there was the weigh in. Then there was the ground floor
beauty team. You know, it was like
incredible. But I went for the interview and
I turned up to my sister who was training at UCH and she she at
her little flat and she dressed me in a black pencil skirt
because I had to look professional and and and a white
shirt, a little fitted white shirt that I just turned the arm
up on, which always still looks so great.
So I wore that's going to be but my first day.
Listen, I was scrappy, lowly little window dressing assistant
and I had an Andrew Wiles. I don't know if you remember
Andrew Wiles, who end up being the marketing director.
Gorgeous man, and he still remembers me turning up in a
blue pinstripe dungarees with kicker boots.
Red kicker boots on so that. And so did the dungarees become
a bit of a a uniform for the window dressing.
Yeah, you didn't. They wore them as you were
practical and you're scrapping on your knees and then it's sort
of, you know, don't forget it's a sort of just post pump.
You're talking about 1980, you know, So it was still that.
You know, my friend was just completely obsessed by Susie and
the Banshees and she dressed like that, literally had these
crazy little leather trousers on and mad make up.
Very, very expressive time. But I was very much the dungaree
girl. So then Top Shop, Top Shop and
this. Is where the difference because
I I often talk so Topshop display manager.
I was 25, and it was extraordinary time.
And it was the time of just, you know, that store on Oxford
Street where the music went on. You know, the DJs would turn up
five DJs, you know, Can you imagine whatever?
Can you imagine that you who's on today?
And the DJs would come into little meetings to work out what
music they were playing, and I'd be working out what we were
putting in the windows and whatever.
And so from Topshop I went to Harvey Nichols and I never
forget I turned up looking like Cyndi Lauper and all the
customers looked like Princess Di and those little Sloan
Rangers. There was another era of Harvey
Nicks, Harvey Nichols. Yeah.
Harvey Nichols and some of the others called it Harvey's,
didn't they? Harvey's.
Oh, you've gone to Harvey's. But this was the Sloan Ranger
time. People forget that was so
powerful, and everyone talked like that.
And they're little frilly collars and puzzles, Yes.
And the Knightsbridge Knotted, which was a little knotted scarf
on the handbag and I'm coming in like, whoa, whoa, hair colour.
It was that fluorescent fashion time, ankle socks and that.
And and this did you, You had red hair then?
Yeah, but I died. I mean, I was dying at every
colour. I think God knows what was
happening there. It's amazing.
You still have such a good. Hair, Hair.
Oh my God. And so then, as your job became
bigger and bigger, ending up on the board, how did your style
evolve through? That two really key people that
that really influenced myself one was the the buying director
heard extraordinary style. She really did and she she wore
she just wear wear much the same bodies to the same height and I
just loved everything about her style.
I mean, she obviously, you know, she was in the powerful position
because in those days, and you'll know this, the bind
director decided whether your collections came into the store
and you know, I. Remember.
Powerful and you know, she really had an incredible eye.
And so I think she was one, I just used to watch her style and
but the other was Anna Harvey, who was the deputy.
I loved this woman. And she was part scary, part
soulful, beautiful woman, maternal, maternal.
And she and it was at the time when I was doing these crazy
windows and Vogue said we'd like to write a piece for Spy page
about you. And I'd had lunch with Anna
Harvey and she was just just guiding me in the most beautiful
way on how to be, I guess, you know, and done with real love
and affection. And, you know, I've met some
very people often talk about women in business.
You know, they can be quite combative.
And there are, of course, it's combative at everything.
But I met a lot of great women who were, you know, like, just
like love the fact that this young girl and and help me along
the way. And but on the day that I was
being starred, Izzy Blow turns up and and I'm like.
Can we just explain who Izzy Blo was for for those that may not
know? So Isabella Blo was a stylist.
I don't know what her exact title was for Vogue, but she was
crazy, man. She was bohemian.
She was eccentric. She was old, old English.
Well, actually her house, she had her family house, but where
I had my house in Stroud artistic, she dressed like I I
can only it was that you couldn't express the dress.
But she mismatched and crazy. I mean, I think it was
Larkerfeld who spotted her once and said who is this woman when
she had one Manolo Blahnik in a red shoe on and the other was
blue. But that was totally purposeful.
Her lipstick was this bright red that was often on her teeth and
she didn't. Care.
It was often everywhere, was it? Eye make up.
She was cute and she was like a little sort of puppy, crazy
little puppy as well. There was this, there was a
sadness about her, there was a madness about her and she was
Philip Tracy. She wore Philip Tracy hats
constantly indoors, outdoors, in bed probably.
God knows, but she, she discovered the queen.
Really, she was the one who discovered Lee McQueen.
And she was extraordinary. So she turned up.
But what had happened before is that Anna Harvey had given me
sort of really key looks on what she thought would suit me and
what I needed to buy. One of which, well, one was what
she called Les Smoking, which was Celeron's dinner suit.
I was like, wow. And I looked at the price and
nearly died. And then I waited for the sale
and put my discount on it and bought, bought the suit.
I still work today. If I was doing an afternoon
speech and I, every time I put it on, I think about it.
And she just told me which white shirt to get.
And at the time it was, you know, Izzy Miyaki was very big
and the Japanese designers and the carpet.
And so I and, and, and the other one who I really loved, which
really, really suited me was Claude Montano.
And I had so I bought again with my little discounts.
I bought these classic pieces was this beautiful Claude
Montana sleeveless pink gilet jacket that went long with the
Donna Karan body roll make underneath.
I just look going to be photographed and have my hair
very short. Izzy turns up with a rail of
clothes that looked like looked like she just stopped off at
some theatre for Madam Twinkie or Widow Twinkie and and and
wanted me to be this crazy person in the windows.
But I wasn't that. I was now taking my style tips
from the Bind director and Anna Harvey and it's just like, no,
no, no, we've got to have you crazy.
I said no, I'm not the mannequin in the window, is he?
And I never forget. That and so were you an
ultimately photographed in the Claude Montana.
Or no, Claude Montana, of course, of course, you know, I
I'm photographed in the Claude Montana and made the windows,
the craziness and I was just standing there in the that
little outfit. But yeah, that those years
really taught me, you know, and all you designers coming in and,
you know, we were all that age of, you know, just in our late
20s and 30s. And it was just a time where
beautiful collections where I just was like, wow in heaven.
You know, I enjoyed every part of it.
But yes, I think the inspiration was.
And also don't forget the catwalk shows we'd go to.
You know, people often ask me, well, how do you do?
You know, how do you style yourself?
Sometimes I just thought, well, we saw such beautiful ways of
expressing fashion tangentially, creatively layered out there.
It sort of gave you a confidence to be there as well.
Yeah, I mean, you had to attend a lot of shows with Harvey
Nichols, didn't you? Do you remember how you
approached your show season wardrobe or your packing and all
of that? Yes, it was.
It was an art form. Yeah.
Actually, I was thinking about this the other day because you
know, and also, you know, the buying director would say we're
going to Calvin or we're going to, you know, Dolce, you need to
be wearing that because you'd have the meetings with them
afterwards. There's no way you were going to
be wandering in and you know, you know Mosquino.
So how did that work? Well, I think we were lucky
enough that we got decent discounts because I would not
have been able to afford it anywhere near enough.
And so you and also I liked so much of the stuff that we were
buying. So I would be mixing that.
But you would know which shows you're going to and what to be
putting on. And then you'd meet all the
press who were sort of doing the same.
So it was the front row buying teams which were us and then
the, you know, the press on the other side.
It was just you got to know everybody.
You'd be the same place, the same restaurant.
So something very wonderful and unifying about that, you know.
And I mean, I think for us in the fashion industry, we can be
a little bit guilty about sizing people up on what they are
wearing. Is that something that you were
conscious of? That I still do, Amanda.
I think that's the question that we're getting to there.
I sort of do though. I do, I do, I do I because I
think it says a lot about people and and I've come to forgive
myself, as it were, because I think there is there was a time
when, and it's not now It was, you know, if you were in the
front row at the shows, you wanted to have the latest bag
and the latest outfit and the press were in that and
invariably, let's be honest, they had theirs got for free.
Now that's the truth of it. Do you know they were getting
stuff for free. You know, I was married to a
fashion journalist. I know, you know, like.
Vast amounts. Vast amounts that were sent.
So it was a lot easier to, to a certain extent.
And there was a kind of snobbery with that.
There was and the stress that went with that.
I think we'd be lying not to. But do I still look at people
and judge? It's not so much a judging, but
I can kind of tell where they, where they are, even when I'm
travelling the country. And the audiences, you can feel,
you know, really interesting. I was in, in Wales and they were
all dressed up so beautifully. You know, for this evening, it
was it was really in, in Abergavenny, you know, all these
very beautiful polished women turned up for the event.
You know, sometimes, you know, the other ones I'd be going bath
were much more relaxed and, you know, aunty.
And so I think you can tell a lot from how people dress.
And I and I think still to this day, if I see someone, I think,
well, that's cool. There is an attraction there.
You are attracted to. I, I do love great style, you
know, even this morning for coming here, it's my daughter
and her boyfriend was staying because it's his birthday and
they're into their clothes. Not silly, but like, and he's
particularly into it. And I, I love just sitting there
sharing his, you know, picking what pieces, you know, these
Japanese designers that he's into.
And I'm like, I loved his look, you know, and I love.
And I thought, Oh yeah, I can see why my daughter's attracted
to this boy, the way he dresses, the way he starts himself.
I think it's, I do, I think it says a lot about people, but not
I don't want to definitely be in that snobbery, awful way that
when we were on the road on the tours, which is sometimes really
quite tough. But I really tough, but so the
planning of that did you did you sort of literally do big try ONS
and work out? No, I've never been that because
I've kind of I got to the stage where I do know my stuff and I
know what fits and those look, I look at you today, you'll know
what you can get up and put on. You just know it.
That's years of knowing your body.
So I did have that. But also, you know, the buying
team will also really supportive with swap things.
And I was lucky. I was always been a sort of size
10, which was sample size then eight.
Now you used to be able to get a nice sample sale.
I love to sample. Amanda loved a little sample
sale. And now the size 6.
I'll get out of. It, you know, I mean, it's just,
yeah, a bit scary, isn't it? It really is.
You must have been photographed by some extraordinary
photographers. Were you ever taken out of your
stylistic comfort zone? Obviously not for the Vogue
shoot, but was there ever a time?
That's a really interesting story.
That's a really interesting question because I think, yes, I
look back on somewhere I go, what was that in that?
Or I've had photographers, interestingly the other way that
want to do a very particular style of photography.
That's their style and was right for that magazine.
And I remember feeling limited in my body movements as well.
And when you're limited in your body movements, I think that
affects how you feel as well. So I've, I've definitely had
that. I look back, I've got them
because you, you get photographed an awful lot,
especially when you do TV as well.
And, and from, you know, interviews that I've done over
the years and you go, where do I put all these?
And some of them are the most incredible.
You don't want to sound like the little sort of crazy little
egotistical tosser who's got loads of pictures of themselves
around the. House.
So what do you do with them? Well, I put them in my private
bathroom and I quite love it. And it's just, they're quite
joyous. You know, I really like Nadav
can't afford to go and love Nadav's work.
And, and I just, I put them in my, my bathroom and some up the
top of the house because I they're just beautiful pieces.
And maybe one day my kids will go, oh, I'll, I'll, I'll want
that mum. But they don't.
They just take for granted what you've done, you know, they take
for granted. And I, I'm sure they don't read
my books or listen to heart. No, no, no, Amanda.
I'm sure they don't. They will.
One day they will. One day and that's what I think
and and also like actually my daughter turned up to my talk
last night. She was really very sweet, you
know, but and. She thought to herself, I will
actually read that book. Yeah, she probably thinks God,
she's in it. No.
Actually, I tell her to listen to it because I think the fact
that you narrate it is just I, I loved it.
It just took me on a a really nostalgic journey.
Oh, I'm glad. You know when I turned up what
was hilarious, I turned up to do the recording and it's it's a
lot of work when you're recording in a studio and I'm
not a trained actress, but I enjoy doing reading and I and I
turned up to do my audio book and standing outside ready to go
in with a fag on was Joanna Lumley.
Right now. I have not seen her since
Sophie. She's the abs have one filmed in
Harvey. She there time string her with
that gorgeous I'm doing mine recording.
I'm doing mine. You're so good at mimicking
voices. And she sat with it and then
gave a quote for the book and just remembered the years.
And we it was just like, just I thought, you know, when things
come together, when you said to me, why this book?
Now there are times when energy just comes together.
And there was. Joanna, how fabulous is that?
Totally coming back to photographs for one second, what
what would you say is your favorite photograph of you of
all times and can you describe it?
Portrait. I think it's oh, there's some
fun things. I think there was a beautiful
that Naddaf Kanda did. I loved his stuff and he
photographed me in an old shop that was empty and I had this
really wonderful just it was a big white shirt on.
I can't remember who designed it and had this big, oh, it was a
designer. I'll think of it.
It was bright coloured face that was on the shirt.
And I thought I've worn the wrong thing here.
You know, this is going to be difficult for him.
And he was just remarkable. And he put me inside this shop
and it had just an old light that was hanging down.
And he made me just come up to the to the window and I just was
talking to him like this. And he went blow, blow and it
just he just caught me in this wonderful, wonderful shoot.
It is really actually a work of art.
He's a he's an absolute artist. I absolutely adore that one.
I really like that. And the others are so, you know,
I feel I've moved into a very different phase the, the the
times of TV and my Bob. There was some extraordinary
pictures in the guardian one day.
It is the most beautiful 1 And I had a lovely, I was wearing just
a very simple black dress, but I put with it Roland Moray jacket
which had this big furry, if it wasn't furry, they were like
feathery sleeves on it. And they just had me in a chair
on the side and they got my Bob and there was this feathery
sleeves and I had very little make up on it.
Just captured who I I felt I was at that time, you know?
Yeah. I mean, you've had so many
different personas, really. Do you have a sort of I'm a?
Gem and Iron Man. Of course, of course there's
Mary and Mary. And Mary?
Which, Mary have we got? Mary, and there's other Mary's.
But do you have a sort of work Mary persona and then a home
Mary persona in terms of wardrobe?
Do you know what's interesting on that?
Yes, of course, to an extent. But I've also found them melting
into the same space now, which, which, you know, how many pairs
of shoes have I got and boots that are high that I don't wear,
you know, and, and I found myself walking London rather
than jumping in cabs. I found that it's really
interesting. What am I thinking?
Is that because we're thinking that's just crazy, you know,
what it's doing to the environment?
I don't know, maybe, maybe that. But I find myself that the two
are melding much more into one than that.
Used to be very separate. I mean the Mary Queen of shops
outfits were lined up and it was, you know, what was it?
What was it? My ex-wife said Bob's Bengals
and boots. Have you got your three bees on?
Bob Bengals boots and we're off. I mean, would you say you've got
a style icon? Well, I know who it all.
It used to be in a style of restaurant.
I just used to look at her and just think she was just.
I haven't seen pics of her in a long while.
I can see that for the Mary I knew at Harvey Nick's day.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I don't see that now, no.
I don't. I don't.
You've got much cooler have I Yes, just in a in a just in a
much more relaxed. Way.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I suppose maybe.
That's because in those days, you know, you're in a system.
Doesn't matter what. Yes, you're in a system.
Yeah, you are within a construct of a business.
And now I'm just me. And I suppose those years after
when I left and I was only, you know, really in my mid 30s when
I left. God, yeah.
And then, you know, I, I just did my own thing.
And of course then TV came my way and, you know, so you, yeah,
you. But I feel I'm much more relaxed
in my fashion now, so that I love that kind of boyish LA sort
of look. Do you think there's something
about that? And age, of course.
Yeah. Of course, but then again, you
say that it's really interesting about it because one of the
things and the reason why I grew my hair out, it was COVID and I
found myself sort of wringing my hairdresser and it was like the
French Resistance coming undercover to come colour my
hair in the back garden in the Cotswap.
I was like, like, come at 11, no one will.
See. Oh God, we all had our hair done
in the garden, didn't we? And I was kept on getting
invited on to the news to talk about this.
So many businesses were collapsing and my hair was just
like, you know, the old streak came through and I remember my
daughter. Could mum leave it?
Leave it. And I remember I was going into
this, this different persona, not different shift in my
energy, in my way that I was looking at the world.
It just happened and it and I don't you know, it did you know,
I couldn't say, Oh, I did. It just grew out.
No, I was actually growing out, you know, and it was, I was
going into a completely different space and, and I think
my fashion went with that and and I sort of nurtured that more
and more. It just feels, I know completely
how I want to style myself. Do you know, I did something the
other day. It was just when I was about to
go on the road for about, you know, two months and I didn't
want to buy anything new. And I called up one of my old
team who styled with me at Top Shop years ago.
She's a brilliant stylist. I said, Mandy, would you come
round and go through my wardrobe with me?
Amanda Sweet. I never laughed so much.
She came down with different things.
She look books. She loves it and she.
Have you got this? Yeah, I've got that.
Oh, I've got that jacket.
Oh yeah. And we just changed and I took a
mixed everything and then some things, you know, I took out a
pink pair of boots with a blue heel I hadn't worn in years from
Marcus Almeida, and then chucked that on with a pair of jeans and
then a white shirt and then belt at the new scarf.
We just had the best. Time.
So fun to do that with someone that you know and trust.
Yeah. Who knows your personality, Yes.
And laughed our heads off and just had such fun.
It was really, really lovely thing to do.
But it again, it made me go, no, that's so not what I'd wear
again. I know that's not going to come
back out, you know, but this is. Interesting.
I mean, you've been married twice, yes?
What did you wear for your first marriage to Graham Portis?
I wore a David Fielding, a David Fielding wedding dress with a
big fishtail. Fabulous.
And what era was that? That was late 80s and I was
working at Topshop and the buyers there, one of which was
Jane Shepherdson who then went on to run it.
They, they knew all and I knew I wanted a very slim time big.
It was like that big fishtail and one of my team made this
ruched hairdresser. It was gorgeous.
I, I loved that wedding outfit. I sold it very quickly after so
true. And then and then second
marriage. Well, Antonio Barandi created
matching outfits for us. But like I wore lovely.
It was like an oyster pearly grey beigey silk and bright
orange skirt and jacket that matched it.
Beautiful, beautiful. And Melanie wore a dress, tiny
dress that was in the same fabric.
He was just adorable doing that. That was joyous, really joyous.
And then Hadley Freeman's sister was the photographer.
She was a photographer, Joe, and a photographer.
She did the best photograph just running through Marlborne High
Street with the camera. And and so very repportarish.
Oh, it was just magical. She was brilliant, brilliant,
brilliant. Brilliant.
And then in 2024, you were an Orden OBE.
Oh, big Ed Obi, Wan Kenobi. Obi Wan Kenobi, how did you
decide what you were wearing for that day?
I knew I wanted to wear a suit, a trouser suit, but I wanted a
proper bespoke, you know, trouser fitted.
So where did you go? I went to Savile Row.
I went to Savile Row and there's a women's company that designed
for women's suits there that just did the suit for me.
It was just gorgeous. I honestly, it was divine.
Can you describe it to me? It was a creamy white, very low
cut, very tight at the waist, long jacket, very simple
straight trouser in like a cream, white with a black
stripe, very very simple. Hat.
No, didn't do any of that. I'm so not a hat person unless
it's a cash hat. I love a cash hat.
I tell you what I want you know
where I can get one. Amanda, I want a Diane Keaton
hat in memory of her. I love that hat that she used to
wear. You know, it's big.
They're like the bowler hat, but they're bigger.
They're. Super cool.
I bet you Philip does those. Do you think that it's got to
have that? They're really cool.
I just love that look and I suit a hat and like it.
Wouldn't surprise me if those were Phillips.
Do you think so? I think he's really clever with
those sort of re proportioning. Yeah, yeah, Top Hat.
I go and have a chat with him now.
If I were to ask your daughter how she would describe your
style DNA in three words, what 3 words would those be?
Well, let me put it this way, let me put it this way, you're
never going to get one answer out of this, do you?
My daughter doesn't buy anything new because she's a real rat
honour and she's her whole thing is, is how how we're going to
create a better world. And I love her for this, right.
And but she takes everything from my wardrobe.
So we just say that Amanda. So my daughter style DNAI look
at that. She's just like me, don't you,
Verity? We we don't.
I know you don't want to say you do, but you do.
So I think she would say, oh, that's really difficult because
you're asking me to describe my style DNA.
I am, but I think it's easier, you know, if, if you're doing it
through someone else's eyes sometimes.
Yes, I think. But you know what?
You know your own style. You you tell me what it is.
I think she'd say it's, it's confident.
I think she'd say that. And I think she'd say it's
boldly simple because I think it is that it's.
And what's the third one? Well, that's 2 words.
Sorry. So how about that?
And confident and boldly. Simple.
I like that. I really like that.
So coming back, coming on to you, your body is exercise an
important part of your life? Yeah, but I've done this and
it's really, I was, I had to do an interview the other day at
the time so and I looked who done it before me and then Iris
Apfel was sitting in the green Gucci suit that I actually have
a sort of place that we know we were talking about ageing and
I'm going to get on to ageing. Take two ways.
Well of how you look. I worried that I might end up
like one of those over the top women that age with a really red
Bob. The glasses get bigger.
Think you're doing it in reverse though.
I'm doing reverse. Yeah, I'm doing reverse so and I
like that. I like less, less, less, less
make up less on me. Just I still like great jewelry.
I like great necklaces. I hadn't put them on today
because I was just all over the place.
But I love what you're I love that simplicity, but then bold
statements on certain things. So so anyway, one of the things
that I read and I I and I love this.
I don't. I used to run every day and I
didn't realise I had pro Nate. So my knees are really, I've
just got no cartilage left to my knees, which means I can't
really run. But, and I hate the thought that
I would have to have a time in my diary that I need to go to
the gym or there's a pressure on my body that I, I haven't put
that in. I don't feel good.
So I don't do that. But I do Pilates about 3 * a
week. I haven't done it because I've
been on the road and it's been very difficult.
But I that, that core strength, every morning I get up, I'll do
sit ups and I do the stretch exercise because I've got a
slightly herniated disc which can, if I'm not careful, can
play and I walk everywhere where I can if possible.
So and when I'm particularly in the Cotswolds, I'm like a
lunatic. I get up first thing in the
morning and I put on the worst old pair of bottoms, jogging
bottoms that if I got caught on camera, I'd be totally ashamed.
But no one cares there. No one gives them monkeys.
And I love it. And I put on my walking boots
and I stick my peak cap on and I go up Swift Hill, which is just
behind my house, until my heart is beating.
It's nothing. Just does 10 minutes up there,
10 minutes back down and get home, have a coffee.
Lovely, lovely and your approach to your own beauty.
Hair. Nails.
Well, I don't do, I don't go into my nails and I'm terrible,
but I do sometimes. I'm very, I love great my, I
look after my skin. I'm lucky I've got my mother's
skin. She had a very good skin and
Irish sort of lighter skin. And so I've not got too many
problems on that. I, I have to have a good haircut
and I am lucky that my brother is a hairdresser and yeah, he's
cut my hair for years. But I and I like I like my hair.
If my hair doesn't feel right, I don't feel right.
And I like really good skin creams and oils.
I look after myself on that. And I'm lucky enough that I've
learnt sort of fundamental makeup routines from having my
face done for filming or shooting and I get great makeup
artist a little merry get this or so I and I like I like doing
my makeup and I'm obsessed about body oils and I love great body
oils. Then that's my it's, it's making
my body feel richer. But I'm not a loads of make up
and I don't, you know, spend a fortune on spas forever.
I just don't. Mine is from being outside in
nature. Yeah, and tweakments.
Where are you at on that? I've had Botox and I actually
was watching Bobby Brown the other day and she was saying on
radio that she's never had it done and I'm looking, well, she
looks good because Bobby Brown's got me in her 70s now, isn't she
60s? Would you think?
60s maybe. I remember launching Bobby Brown
and I think maybe I should stop because I have it only about
twice a year. I'll have a bit down around by
my eyes and my forage. And I think maybe I shouldn't
shouldn't do that. And I want to know because The
thing is, I genuinely do look at those women aging that don't
have much done and they do look better.
But then again, I look at people like Julianne Moore, who's my
age, and think there's got to be a facelift going on there
because you can't look that good, can you?
Can you look that good? I am not going to say anything,
no. But I just put in Oh, not all.
If it isn't Julian, you're. Just gorgeous.
I think what I'm surprised about is the number of 30.
Year olds, Oh no, don't it just don't go there.
No, don't facelift. So don't go there.
That's what she was talking about.
So I think it's the sort of Kardashian.
Effect. It's just shocking.
And also, I don't want to have a
face that defies my body. Yeah.
Yeah, and what goes on when they take their clothes off?
But you know what I mean? I don't want someone to go.
I think my body and my face sort of fit.
I look after. I've been lucky enough not to,
you know, have, you know, I could still get in a bikini and
be OK, you know, but. But I do.
Yeah, I have the tricks, but I'm thinking maybe I won't do it
anymore. I just think maybe.
Very personal, isn't it? Yeah, and it just helps because
I'm a frown or an expression, so it just helps.
But yeah, that's that's what I've done.
Let's talk about travel. Talking about bikinis, do you
have a particular travel look? Well, I, I'm, I don't love
travelling much. I find it really just a lot.
Yeah, of course. Yeah, I do.
I do. But I find it just, oh, just get
me there. I'm an impatient person, you
know, so I want to be there. And I have a particular summer
look for my wardrobe, which I, I'm very clear on what that is,
you know, and it just is every year and I'll just update it
slightly, but I love it. So does your change?
Does your style change for the sort of summer beach look?
Yes, but it's again, yes, it does because I wear, I wear lots
of linen, baggy, baggy shirts, linen trousers, loose hats, lots
of hats. I love hats.
I mean, I take about four hats away with me and I'm just like,
what is that about? And they're the most difficult
things to pack, but a really good straw big kind of.
So do you pack that? Yep.
And then I leave them at different houses, but then I
rent different houses and then I've got more hats around the
island and I don't know what than heads to go in and that's
for sure. What luggage?
Shoes. Are you using the away luggage?
They're that big. They're quite heavy cases, you
know, in a big square cases. That's the one I use at the
moment. And I like them.
I yeah. And I bought some for my son
because he travels back on business to New York and I
bought him one of those in a lovely sort of bourbon down.
I like that luggage. I've also got.
What's the other one? Is it bricks?
I'm really like, it's done in an olive green, which suits me and
it's got leather little handles. But, you know, I have them all
up in the attic, my luggage. And sometimes they go missing,
Amanda, when they got kids. Where is that one gone?
Oh no. Oh man.
Oh, funny that. Stealing kids stealing.
If I were to say to you, you can only dress in two brands, 1 High
Street, one designer, which two would those be?
Look at my mouth open and then that one like that.
Well, the ones the the two that I do dress in, I think that I
dress in the most is Marques Almeida, the designer ones,
because they just do that statement piece that when I want
to push it, it's kind of cool and loose and relaxed, but
crazy. So I'm that as well.
So I've got these big floral trousers that I can just put on
the cut is that sort of lovely bowl and it's just gorgeous and
stick that on with a very simple black shirt and it looks great.
If I just want to go and people sometimes want a touch of that,
you know, and I all that great boots.
They just sort of be marked as Almeida and it would be, this is
difficult because I was going to say Uniqlo.
I think it would probably have to be Uniqlo, but I'm wanting
Gap to be the one. Does that sound?
And Uniqlo, you know, when you look at what Jonathan did for
them as well and that comes on, you know, and even my son's like
mum, get me a load of those, you know, Uniqlo, Jonathan and some
socks, you know, they're just so cool.
But in some ways, it's the way they've done those partnerships
really feel symbiotic rather than we've just got, you know,
this label in to work with. It feels like it's really part
of their DNA. Totally and and the Anja 10
genius. I got her little T-shirt and
she's done such great cuts. She did the arm the right
length. How many times do you want to
say please don't have them too short?
I'm a woman of this age. That was the right length.
Thank you, Anja. And those cashmeres with the
sort of the, you know, the, the contrast embroidery, you know,
the sort of fixings that I loved those.
I absolutely loved those. Would you say you've had a worst
fashion moment? Oh God, yeah, I know what that
is. I'll tell you when it went all
wrong. But also it was a note that was
an all the flowery sort of when Chloe, that sort of laity.
It wasn't me. Well, but it was everywhere and
it was, you know, and I, I sort of bought pieces like that and
it was just so that just does not suit me, doesn't suit me at
all. And that, that was a, that was a
bit, yeah, that was a wrong 1. So I had that.
I think I've had wrong fashion moments.
I've got shirts that I've bought that are just beautiful,
beautiful blouses. They've just got too much detail
on them, just too much for me. So do you hang on to them or do
you move them on? Well, I give them to my Mary's
living and giving. Shops which I wanted to talk
about, I mean those were that was so ahead of the time 2009
and are you still very involved How and how does that so how
does that work? Well, it works that they, you
know, I came up with the concept and and sort of the philosophy
and how I want the shops to look.
Just this should not be like a charity shop.
Just the by product is it will. But if it doesn't and you make
people feel joyful and excited and coming in to find stuff
that's not full price, but it's beautifully curated and loved
and good, you know, they're going to be good stuff in there.
You'll make money. And we've made over 30 million
for say the children just by turning ours head.
And and now we've got fashion, you know, charity shops that are
really doing some great stuff, you know, really great stuff and
taking that sort of, you know, way of going.
Why do we have to look like this?
You know, let's invest in making this beautiful and we will make
more money in the long term. So, yeah, a lot of my stuff goes
there. A lot I do give away, you know,
to friends or like, my sister. And then I go, that jacket's
lovely. And she goes, yeah, you gave it
to me. And I want to say, can I have it
right now? Can I have it back?
Indian guest giving. I think I'm going to have it
back now. So you gift, do you?
Do you actually still get involved with any of the
curation at the? The team do all of that, yeah,
we I will then go round twice a year and hang with them.
We do workshops and do. You ever buy when you're on the
road? Yeah, a brilliant Vivian
Westwood jacket the other day from there.
It was fantastic. It's, it's always such a joy,
isn't it, those, those charity. Finding it, the managers must
have a whale of a time and you get that in in first thing.
You know, some of them get some great fights.
Yeah, absolutely. What would you say is the oldest
piece in your wardrobe? Me, yeah.
Oh, stop it. No.
The wardrobe. What's the old?
Well, it will be my my less smoking list.
This is saint-laurent. Leaves Saint-laurent.
Does your daughter ever nick that?
No, she hasn't nicked that. She's done the Gucci and she's
but she hasn't taken that. And actually my son's
girlfriend's just done a little darling of it for me, which is
really sweet. And you should leave a little
tag on it saying never even consider borrowing this.
Do you know what I leave tags on?
Plugs. You know my house in the cots
and I say so friends can come round and I you know the your
plugs, your friend I say do not remove.
Gone when I get there, so do not remove.
Then you need to put and Mary Porter will come after you.
Yeah, on it. OK, one final question before we
go on to the quick fires. The most expensive item of
clothing you've ever bought. You do not have to tell me the
price tag. It was a Hyder Ackerman jacket.
I still have. I haven't worn enough to get the
money back, if you know what I mean.
Pounds per where? I haven't quite got that yet and
I've had it 15 years, so it was one of those who go.
Can you describe it to me? Oh, it's really difficult to
describe Amanda, because you're a designer and you know all the
right terminology and I'll be rubbish at this, but it's a kind
of evening jacket in a beautiful aubergine silk.
And then it's also, so it's, it's shaped like a sort of
Elizabethan style. That's all I can sort of
imagine. So it's very small at the waist,
but quite large, not shoulder Paddy, but big on.
And it has a sort of roll lapels that roll out on it.
And to tie it, you have to go through, you know, a loophole
and it comes around. That's leather ties in it and
leather edging through it and then it's done with the sort of
mole skinny grey edge as well. And it's stunning.
It's stunning. So you know, I've I've worn it
for weddings, but I'll also wear it if I'm doing a torque or and
just with the most simple black pants and it looks just great.
Gorgeous. Let's spin on some quick fires.
What fashion advice would you give your 20 year old self?
Keep it simple, stupid. Fashion trend or era that you'd
most like to see make a comeback?
I know maybe it's just formative years, but I think the glam rock
70s they did, I guess Gucci brought them back, but I just,
oh, I was just loved every part of that.
Fashion or beauty trend that you would consign to Room 101.
A beauty trend has to be the eyebrows that literally ended up
like what's his name marks from the I mean who I I love a good
eyebrow. I love a good eyebrow.
I do not want sticker tape across your forehead and think
that looks good. Who came up with that one?
Literally a black paint light. I literally walked into a
Baker's one day and this young girl served me and I thought is
she done this? Is it?
Is it a joke day today? They were literally about two
inches width of black lines. Slugs, I call them.
Or bigger the slugs. These were mammoth slugs.
Your last impulse buy? I know what it was actually I
bought it online and I'm not a big online driver and it was an
LA brand and it was a leopard print.
I thought I would wear loose the silk trousers for holiday and I
looked like a drag queen in it. So I gave them to my sister and
said you can do the drag act in those.
Tish, is that all right? Your views on tattoos.
Oh no, no, they're just an aging skin though.
I'm sorry it looks so cute. But then no, no, no, no
grooming. Or well-being treatment you
couldn't give up. Oh, it's got to be my hair.
It has to be my haircut. I just love that and I feel
alive when I get a great haircut.
High maintenance. Low maintenance.
What? Me.
Yeah, I think I'm low maintenance, yeah.
High End, High Street. Oh I'm a bit high end.
I'd lie else way. Crocs cute or puke?
Just a really interesting thing, isn't it?
I think there's a cuteness about them.
I've come to see that, especially when I see my 13 year
old Simon. I'm thinking he's cool and I
just breaks my heart. Samba's or gazelles?
Oh, I think I'm a gazelle. Sports Lux or Rock'n'roll?
Oh, you see, that's difficult. That's a really difficult one.
I think you're both. Yeah, I'm both, so I'll be sport
role. Cashmere or cotton?
I think I'm Cotton. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Trilby or Tracy Trilby? Trend or style?
Style, colour or monochrome? Oh.
It'd have to be colour. Patton or Plain Patton Order or
editor, editor, charity shop or resale.
Charity shop. Bikini or one piece bikini
shapewear or sexy lingerie? Shapewear, tights, stockings or
hold UPS. All of those are a horrible
option. Amanda Wakeley, can I just tell
you I absolutely hate the worst one.
I could never date anyone who wears pop socks.
I just say please leave the room now.
I think socks. Socks are so sexy.
Wear socks. We don't need hold UPS but I do
love sometimes a great pair of Woolford black tights which just
can. If you're not feeling great and
you want to wear a skirt or a dress and just wipe that on, it
holds it all. It's still brilliant.
And finally, traditional last question at the end of the day,
what do you or don't you wear in bed?
I wear absolutely nothing. I've always worn absolutely
nothing and I don't know, I can't bear the thought of
anything on my body. And I soon warm up.
Yeah, I'm a complete nudie. Wonderful, Mary, thank you.
I've loved our conversation. I could literally chat on and on
and on. There's so much shared history.
That was wonderful, Amanda. Really wonderful.
Thanks for having me. It's a joy to sit with you in
your extraordinary place. Oh, thank you.
No, my, my pleasure. Was that fun?