Zandra Rhodes: “Fashion Seems To Be Getting A Bit Too Sexless”

What do you always have in your make-up bag?

MAC Cosmetics Amplified Lipstick in Violetta [£22] and NARS Single Eyeshadow in Baby Jane [£18].

The secret to a life well-lived is…

Travel and friendship. It’s so important to have fabulous friends to keep you going. Otherwise, you can’t beat Capri.

What song would soundtrack your life?

“With a Little Help From My Friends” by The Beatles.

Is there a decade you would like to revisit?

The 1970s. Everyone seems to be so beige these days and fashion seems to be getting a bit too sexless.

What’s your most treasured memory from Studio 54?

Watching the seas part as I arrived at the doors with Andy Warhol and R Couri Hay, and then dancing with Divine.

What’s your beauty routine?

To never fully take off my make-up. I wash my face in the morning with soap and water and then immediately put on a new layer of make-up.

How much colour is too much colour?

My hair’s been pink since the ’70s so you’re asking the wrong person! I was once challenged to wear black for a week and I found it very difficult.

The last film you saw that left an impression?

Barbie. It had such a wonderful plastic-ness about it.

Which artist’s work do you return to over and over again?

The late Duggie Fields. I have a collection of his paintings in my house, including some wonderful landscapes and a portrait of myself and Chelita Secunda, who worked with me on my first show in New York.

Share the best life lesson you’ve ever received.

You have to stick to your guns and never give up. I’ve had people look at my textile prints and laugh at the prospect of selling them. In life, you have to be honest with yourself and people will eventually understand what you’re about.

What’s the secret to a long-lasting relationship?

Hope to meet someone with similar ideals to you. None of my relationships worked until I found a workaholic. He’d often cancel appointments because he was always working, which meant he didn’t notice when I’d do the same.

The one thing no one tells you about life in your 80s?

Life doesn’t slow down, time speeds up.

Which restaurant do you always return to?

The Wolseley.

Name the best gift you’ve been given.

A blue glitter fibreglass bust from Issey Miyake.