What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up this morning?
I'm heading down to East Sussex to some woods there for the Autumn Equinox and I was thinking about giving my sleeping bag an airing...
What do you wear to work?
It depends on what I'm doing. If I'm working from my studio at home it's usually jeans and a T-shirt, barefoot. Two weeks ago I was working up in Argyll and took wet weather gear that I bought from 60 Degrees North, a company in Iceland where I worked last year. For fashion week I'm usually running around like a headless chicken so tend to wear something nondescript but then throw a jacket on later. This year they seem to have been either Rag & Bone, Paul Smith or Marc Jacobs.
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What do you have for breakfast?
It's usually wholemeal toast with honey or museli and always a banana. Sometimes just fruit, whatever is fresh at the time. Tea, rarely coffee. Often cranberry juice.
Do you read a newspaper/watch television/click online?
Yes. Newspapers on the weekend, usually Guardian and Independent. I hardly ever watch TV except for Dr Who. But I do use the TV to watch movies quite regularly.
How do you get to work?
Thankfully I can work from home and I love it. Saves time, it's quiet, and the studio is at the top of the house so I have a lovely view of trees spreading out beneath me to remind me of the seasons. Otherwise I have to fly a lot which I hate. Once I'm there it's fine, but the endless delays and getting to the airports is no fun whatsoever, even though friends still seem to think it's glamorous. This year I've spent half my time in New York, back and forth. The guilt from the thought of my carbon footprint keeps me awake at night even though I offset it through various schemes.
What time do you first check your inbox?
I get up, shower, have breakfast in the studio and usually check it then. I refuse to own a Blackberry. If it's that important people should pick up the phone.
Do you listen to music whilst you work? If so, what are you listening to at the moment?
I usually have something on. I'm a huge Radio 3 fan and also love to listen to the fabulous Genevieve Tudor using the 'listen again' facility on Radio Shropshire. I've heard her play so many great upcoming bands - The Imagined Village, Lavender Diamond, Bat for Lashes, Sharron Kraus, Seth Lakeman, Tudor Morgan, Rhythm Thieves and Gwen Frostic, to name but a few.
Where would your ideal lunch be and who would it be with?
That's a tricky one because my feelings about it have changed daily since you sent me these questions. At the moment it would be at my home, cooked by Heston Blumenthal with a group of friends but with special guests, Mae West (not Rose), Beyonce, Joyce Grenfell, Angela Carter, Genevieve Tudor, Alastair Sim, Doreen Valiente, Debbie Harry, Susan Sontag, Roland Barthes, W.G. Sebald and Leigh Bowery. Goodness only knows how they would all get on...
Summarise in three words your work ethos?
Always. Stay. Calm.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself
Never being able to say no.
What do you think is the most overrated virtue?
Abstinence.
Where do you feel most inspired?
In the countryside.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being able to get up in the morning.
How do you switch off?
With a large glass of very good red wine.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
A vampire or Miss Marple
What excites you/terrifies you on a daily basis?
That's a ridiculous question.
Is there anything about retirement you look forward to?
There are SO many things that I look forward to but I suppose the main ones are building my own house by the sea and hopefully not being so sexually driven.
