DEIRDRE McQUILLAN talks to actor Joanna Lumley
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?An aubergine shift dress which has pockets – I love pockets – with an egg yolk yellow cardigan, both from Jigsaw, and black wedge-heeled boots.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SHOPS?I hate shopping and I'm a bad shopper, but I love to go to places that I know, such as Betty Jackson, Jaeger and Fenwick. I get help from shop assistants (style advisers) because they are usually clever, and while you're changing they will go and find something else for you. I like to trust people. Rebecca Hale, for example, is a costume designer I know and she can comb London and find things.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULDN'T WEAR?Some things are difficult. Wide crop trousers can be hard, they can make you look like an elephant. Remember that models can wear anything with ease, so ignore what they wear. I particularly don't like very low-cut or very revealing necklines or sleeveless evening dresses. As you get older, it's a bit like gathering moss, you gradually cover up a little bit more.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE ITEMS?Long coats that swing as you walk. I have a black Betty Jackson trench coat that has done weddings, funerals and openings – it's detailed and timeless. I love Hermès scarves and have about three, which I will pass on to my grandchildren.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNERS?I cut my teeth with Jean Muir and have been taught by her to look for good tailoring. I love Nicole Farhi and the slightly gypsy boy look from Jean Paul Gaultier. I have a black lace floor-length evening skirt by him – it is a good nifty buy, you can wear it with a fitted jacket, a wide shirt and gum boots to Glyndebourne.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE BUY?I had been filming in Berlin and came from the studio and bought a Jil Sander floor-length navy blue cashmere coat and signed for it with the plastic, but got a shock when the bill arrived later. I love it and wear it a lot, and even used it in a film to make it earn its keep.
HOW ABOUT JEWELLERY?I love jewellery. This necklance is a handmade Nubian piece and there is something so charming about it. I like things that somebody sat down and made. My little gold ring set with diamonds and sapphires is from Rajastan and it's a little classic. I'm also wearing various bangles including a gold one inscribed with the words "Amor Vincit Omnia" which I bought in the British Museum. But I also have plastic jewellery from Accessorize, such as a ring in the shape of a green cabbage.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON COLOUR?I am tall, with broad shoulders, which means I can get away with murder. I like wearing orange and pink together and crimson with dark red, or odd mixes of colour. I like Buddhist colours such as saffron, rust and oxblood – those colours are wonderful. I like to mix a lot of colour together, opposites in the spectrum, such as a green and red dress with a yellow cardigan.
WHO OR WHAT HAS INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE? Itgoes back to my grandmother who married my grandfather in Rangoon and who travelled widely and had a lot of fabulous clothes in fabulous colours. I'm not keen on pastels.
WHO DRESSES WELL, IN YOUR VIEW?I love the gypsy and slightly tacky look. I thought Carla Bruni was immaculate when she came to the UK, and God, how chic the French are! I used to long to be mistaken for a French girl. Michelle Obama is elegant.
WHAT ABOUT SHOES?I am very fussy about shoes, and an expert on high heels. They work when they are properly balanced and should not tip you forwards. Louboutin's high heels are heaven and they flash a bit of red.
Joanna Lumley was photographed at The Residence, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.