STYLE SECRETS

Mary Portas reveals all

with a personality every inch as bright as her radiant red bob, Mary Portas is officially a Great Person To Be Around. She bounces into the GH cover shoot, greeting everyone with a cheery hello, a broad smile and the energy she pours into all she does – from TV and business to advising governments on how to inject new life into ailing high streets. From the moment in 2007 when she fronted Mary Queen Of Shops, transforming retail spaces with her no-nonsense attitude, she was an instant hit. Since then, she’s created a network of charity shops in collaboration with Save The Children – raising over £11m. She’s also Mum to daughter Verity, 22, son Mylo, 24, and five-yearold Horatio, her child with journalist Melanie Rickey, who she married in 2014. With everything that she juggles, we wanted to know how she manages to look so good. Here, we get Mary to spill the beans (and it’s not as hard as you might think)...

You’re 57 now – do you think you’ll still be blazing a trail in your 60s and 70s?

Fashion should heighten what you feel about yourself. It’s very difficult for women who are in their 40s, 50s, 60s to find other women that they look at who can give them style codes. So, the only thing I can say is, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t wear it.

Have you always had a very strong sense of style?

I’ve always had key things that are quite important, like a distinctive, good haircut. An understanding of your own style and what works for you is probably the most difficult – and most important – thing to come to, and I came to mine in my early 40s. I think it’s evolved since I’ve got older, and that needs to happen. There’s nothing worse than hanging on to the same look that you had when you were 25.

What is the key to style?

Fashion expresses who you are, and when you feel good with it, it makes you feel confident. I get to a place where I feel it’s me. Dress the way that makes you feel comfortable. I don’t think you need to follow the trends.

Do you ever wear the same clothes as your daughter?

No – but she wears the same clothes as me! She happens to end up in my wardrobe and I go, ‘Really?’ She’s become a mini-me. I have to say I feel so honoured in a weird way. So, she’ll say, ‘Oh Mama, can you get me one of those Balenciaga wraps?’ And I’ll say, ‘Bloody hell.’ I see small things that have influenced the way she dresses and I’m really quite taken with it. She’s a completely natural redhead – I need a bit of work with mine. So I don’t dress like her at all, I think it’s the other way around. I think she’d agree.

What does she take from your wardrobe?

She has to ask now because she gets caught out. She’s so ridiculous, she puts it up on Facebook and we go, ‘We wondered where that top was…’ But there’s certain things she knows not to go there.

What’s off limits?

Any of my Marques’ Almeida stuff – at the moment, that’s my go-to designer, so she won’t touch that. ‘I love that, Mum,’ she’ll say, and I tell her, ‘Yeah, well you can keep your hands off it.’

Are you proud to have handed down a good eye for fashion?

My older son has extraordinary style. He, out of any of us, spends the most. And I never thought he would end up being like that, but he really does love great design, great fashion. They’ve seen it since they were young. I never indulged them, at all, I wouldn’t want that. I’ve had to work to get where I am, from my wardrobe being Topshop and Miss Selfridge when I was a kid, to going into the world of better clothes.

How comfortable with your style were you at your daughter’s age?

It was the 1980s – I loved those days, I thought I was brilliant. I remember going to a nightclub in Berlin in 1990 in a pair of gold shorts, thick black ankle boots, a gold Dolce & Gabbana bomber jacket and a bleached wedge. Statement to the extreme! So I don’t think I feel any more confident. Just different.

Do you have to spend a lot to look stylish?

I don’t think you do. I don’t spend on cheap trousers, though. I bought a pair of Comme des Garçons trousers the other day for me and a pair for my wife and they’re just extraordinarily beautiful. I just know they will be in my wardrobe for a long time.

What’s the best way to look stylish on a budget?

Keep it classic. The simpler you can make it, the better. I’m loving men’s shirts right now. My brother gave me all his old shirts. On holiday, I wear those with a pair of old linen shorts and a great hat. I love that look.

What five items should every woman have in her wardrobe?

A classic black pant for sure, a classic white shirt, a selection of good but slightly longer-sleeved T-shirts that are loose around the neck, because I think showing the décolletage and covering the top of the arm is a really good thing. A really good pair of casual trainers, and a really good statement coat just lift an outfit.

What high-street shops are you a fan of?

I’m spending a great deal in Arket at the moment. If I want to do cheap Céline, I go to Cos. And, of course, you can’t deny Zara, but I do find it a bit of a stress going in there – there’s so much stuff!

What tips would you give to anyone a bit overwhelmed by fashion?

As we get older, we have to look at our bodies and go, ‘Look, even if I’m slim, wearing something too tight just does not work.’ I wear a size 10, which is relatively slim, and I’m careful that I’m not wearing things – particularly trousers – that are too tight, even if I think I can get away with it. So loosen up where you can, and possibly buy a larger size. Louche and loose is sexier than something too tight.

Are there simple rules to follow?

Don’t be a slave to trends if they don’t suit your body. Have one great statement piece

and mix it with something fabulously neutral. Keep lots of simple tops and great knits in your wardrobe and pair them with something fabulous. If I’m going to wear a big statement jacket, I’m not going to be wearing a statement top underneath it. And accessorising is really key.

Do you dress to empower yourself?

If I’m walking the dogs round the park and bump into someone, even if I have no make-up on, in a slouchy pair of leggings and an old coat, it’s the coat that I feel comfortable and good in, and the slouchy leggings that I feel good in, and my walking boots that make me feel good. So, I stand out there in the rain with no make-up on and think, ‘This is me’. And I’m not sure I would have done that 20 years ago. So many of the codes of what we’ve had to adhere to are absolute bull.

Do you ever have bad hair days?

I really don’t. I just have a cut that’s right and I can get up, have a bath and my hair will be the same. I think if my hair doesn’t feel good, I find it very difficult to wear my clothes in the right way. It’s a really important part of the whole picture for me.

Has it always been this style?

I always had a little bowl haircut as a kid, styled by my dear mother on the kitchen table. Do you know what’s so funny? I do this to my son, Horatio, now. I do the fringe and chop it – we have the same hair. He sits there so sweetly in the bathroom on the sink.

Where does the success of your Living & Giving charity shops sit in your life?

That’s right up there. All my career, I’ve advised businesses on how to sell stuff and to be as effective as they can and to be able to use their knowledge, so actually now I’m going to do that for people who have nothing in the world. It makes me feel I am doing good with what the world’s given me and it’s a huge sense of joy for me. I love Save The Children, they’re so supportive. I’ve opened my 23rd Living & Giving shop and raised £11m. That makes me more than proud.

Was it something you’d always wanted to do?

No. I didn’t think like that. Having lost my parents very young, I was in survival mode for a long time. I think that’s why I ended up getting high up in my career quite quickly – I was fighting to survive. Then suddenly, you go, ‘Hang on, what am I doing for other people?’ Of course, it helps that I have a public persona.

How often do you have a clothes clear-out?

I’m always getting in trouble with my missus. I hand in stuff and think, ‘Oh, no one’s worn it’, but the other week it was hysterical because there was a pair of unique Christopher Kane boots he did with Louboutin. And there were the boots in the window of my charity shop and she was like, ‘You can’t do that, babe! They’re first editions’!

What’s next for you?

I’ve got a book out this year called Work Like A Woman, which is about how to make the future of work more female-friendly. Women are working in record numbers, but the way we work is still very male orientated. I believe that is why we are paid and promoted less. So I’m looking at how to change that to better reflect the skills and values we bring, and also so work fits better into our lives. Most women don’t want to be CEOS but they want to earn money, do great work and be rewarded fairly. I’ve spent the past few years restructuring my business and it’s been a huge learning experience – and a really positive one.

You never look any different – how do you keep in shape?

I used to run every day. It’s not great on my knees any more so most mornings I will get up at seven and walk my two dogs. And I do yoga and Pilates at least once a week, and weights at home. I think if you’re fit in your body, you’re fit in your mind. My wife says I never sloth. I just don’t. I stop, but I don’t ever sloth.