MY FASHIONABLE LIFE: DAPHNE GUINNESS

THE SOCIALITE, FASHION DESIGNER AND POP STAR, 52, ON SUMMERS SPENT WITH DALI, HAIR DYEING DRAMAS AND BEING FRIENDS WITH ISABELLA BLOW

The socialite, designer and pop star on wearing her grandmother’s shoes, hair dye distasters and the artist that inspired her style

MY GRANDMOTHER’S WINKLEPICKERS STARTED MY LIFELONG LOVE OF SHOES. As a young girl, I’d sneak her black, calfskin boots out from the bottom of her wardrobe. They were so elegant; very narrow with a pom-pom attached to the top. At age 18, my first big sum of money was a birthday cheque for £15O and I spent it all on a pair of purple Maud Frizon stilettos.

DALÍ’S STYLE INSPIRED ME. I grew up between Ireland, Paris, London and a monastery in Cadaqués, Spain, where Salvador Dalí was my mother’s close friend. In the 196Os and 197Os he wore eastern Indian robes and Moroccan costume, as well as an artist’s smock with a beret, long jackets and Catalan espadrilles that tied at the leg. This juxtaposed greatly with my mother and her friends in Paris, who all wore early Saint Laurent and late Pierre Cardin, and I loved it.

REFUSING TO KEEP TO SCHOOL UNIFORM RULES WAS MY COMING-OF-AGE REBELLION. I wore one uniform throughout my boarding school years in Oxfordshire. In my first year, my skirt was down to my ankles. By the time I left, it was halfway up my thigh. I even scribbled my maths homework on the lining of my blazer and purposefully ripped my tights and had holes in my cardigan. I used safety pins to hold it all together.

AS A TEEN, I EXCLUSIVELY WORE BLACK. At the weekends I emulated a blend of the New Romantics and punks. I spent what little pocket money I had at Kensington Market, but mostly I made my own clothes with ribbons around my neck like bits of tinsel. They were similar to the scarves I wear today, but a lot more makeshift.

BEING FRIENDS WITH ISABELLA BLOW TAUGHT ME HOW TO HAVE FUN WITH FASHION. I was married at age 19 and became pregnant soon after, but I fell into fashion by assisting Issy’s [Isabella Blow’s] shoots. We had such a laugh. I remember arriving at Heathrow once, and seeing her dressed like a pirate, with her assistant and five huge cases in tow. She was a magical person who never cared if others stared.

I DON’T OWN THE ALEXANDER McQUEEN ARMADILLO HEELS I’M KNOWN FOR. After seeing a magazine shoot of me wearing a pair – which were so big I had to stuff the ends with tissue paper – Lee [McQueen] rang me, saying he would send me a few pairs, but he died before he got the chance. They’re probably the only piece from his collections that I don’t own.

MUSIC WAS ALWAYS THE GREATEST PART OF MY LIFE. So now I’m making it. In the studio, I wear a rotation of comfortable black and white ensembles. But my idea of comfort is a platform heel. Day-to-day, I wear them with a tailcoat, white shirt, waistcoat, shorts, tights and something sparkly to catch the light and my imagination.

I’LL SAY YES TO ANYTHING, SO MY HAIR HAS BEEN A SERIES OF BIG MISTAKES. It’s been blonde with red underneath, blonde with purple, black, cut short, blue-streaked, even pink; there’s been a huge amount of experimentation. It was a nightmare, but I got very good at dyeing my own hair. I’ve settled on my trademark black and white tower, which looks like a pint of Guinness, so it feels apt. Daphne Guinness’ new album Revelations is available now