Shopping

Zandra Rhodes was in possession of vivid green hair at the point when she opened up a shop on the Fulham Road in 1969. However, it was her wildly exotic prints and floaty fabrics that brought her fame, becoming part of the whimsical 1970s aesthetic. Born in 1940 in Chatham, Kent, Rhodes was inspired by costume from an early age, not least because her mother was a fitter in Paris and taught at the Medway College of Art. After leaving school, she studied at Medway College before embarking on a course in textile design at the Royal College of Art.

In her time, Rhodes has designed clothes for Marc Bolan, Princess Diana and, more recently, Kelly Osbourne. She divides her time between San Diego, where she lives with tycoon boyfriend Salah Hassanein, and London, where she runs (and lives above) the Fashion & Textile Museum. The museum has been bought by Newham College and is due to reopen in November 2007.
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Diary of a day shopping with Zandra
9am, Zandra’s London flat
Rhodes – clad in a work apron, slacks and a pair of Crocs – has been up since 6am when we arrive at her Bermondsey studio-cum-fashion museum-cum-London residence at 9am on a Friday. ‘Morning,’ she greets us in her distinct Kent twang. ‘Help yourself to coffee.’ Moments after we enter, a couple of her staff arrive for work. Rhodes, ever the early bird, looks unimpressed. ‘That clock is slow, it’s at least five past nine!’ she scowls. For all her eccentricity, you get the impression she runs a tight ship.

Declaring ‘Right, I just have to go and get ready then,’ she disappears. A few minutes later she descends, a vision in pink, head-to-toe Zandra Rhodes as always, and today with peacock-blue eye make-up, geranium-red lips and extravagant false lashes. She gives new meaning to the word radiant.

Zandra Rhodes selects choice stems at her local florist, Igloo Flowers

9.30am, Bermondsey Street, SE1
We begin our day shopping at colourful Igloo Flowers, directly opposite the museum in Bermondsey Street, where Rhodes is welcomed like family. ‘It has a nice villagey atmosphere, this street. There’s a lovely burst of colour in this shop,’ says Rhodes, as she blends into the kaleidoscopic array of blooms on display. ‘I get people bringing me exotic flowers from here – they specialise in more unusual things like kangaroo paws as well as standard classics like lilies and gerberas. They also sell wine specially sourced from small, independent buyers.’

Next Rhodes leads us through the park to Borough Market. An elderly man spots her signature fuchsia hair (which, incidentally, she gets done by a Vidal Sassoon-trained girl called Vicky in San Diego) from 20 metres away and waves an enthusiastic ‘HELLOOO’. Minutes later she looks down at her bright blue kitten-heeled mules clip-clapping along the cobbles on the way to Borough Market. ‘I didn’t bring my best walking shoes,’ she explains as one almost falls off her foot. ‘Because they’ve kept this area authentic, you get the cobble stones, which I actually don’t like – particularly when I’m rushing to the tube with my trolley!’

Rhodes visits Borough Market

10.15am, Borough Market, SE1
As we pass Pâtisserie Lila, a middle-aged female customer spots her through a mighty stack of meringues and smiles enthusiastically. ‘Can I ask you for your autograph, please?’ she says, nudging paper and a pen in Rhodes’ direction. Rhodes obliges with a big grin – could she possibly be quite used to this? We wander towards a spectacular fish counter inside the market, abundant with Cornish squid, Mediterranean snapper and New Zealand mussels. ‘It’s lovely to come here early on a Saturday morning if you’ve got friends in town for the weekend. It’s mad and quite wonderful.’

‘So, do you shop here often then?’ I ask. ‘The truth is,’ she reveals with a slightly embarrassed smile. ‘If you’d really like to know where I do my weekly shop, it’s Tesco at 2am in the morning!’

10.45am, cab to the West End
Rhodes haphazardly, but expertly, crosses busy Borough High Street with hardly a bat of her (false) eyelashes. The pink hair has a practical purpose, too; it stops traffic. ‘Dover Street Market, pleeeease,’ she directs the cabby. On the journey over the river, I ask her about her impressive recent commissions: a new range for Topshop, a bag range in the US and, of course, ENO’s ‘Aida’. A couple of minutes into the journey she stops mid-sentence and shuts her eyes, her mouth slightly agape. Crikey, I think to myself, I’ve sent her to sleep. A few seconds later she blinks open her eyes. ‘I think I was just nodding off then.’

Dover Street Market jewellery department

11.05am, Dover Street Market
‘I love this shop,’ says Rhodes, stepping into the concrete cool of Mayfair’s hippest department store. I feel as though I have entered with the Queen as the shop staff practically bow to the ground. The photographer admits he doesn’t know the shop. Rhodes looks proud. ‘It happens to be one of the trendiest shops in town. Rei Kawakubo [the owner] does a fantastic job. It’s not a market at all. It’s a very chic shop indeed.’
Dikon Bowden, the dapper and ultra-cool manager, shows us down to the basement where Rhodes has a new concession next to Manish Arora’s wild Indian concoction. ‘We sold one of these yesterday…’ says the shop assistant excitedly pulling off one of Rhodes’ lurid £800 dresses. ‘To a loyal customer!’

In need of some sustenance, we all head up to the fourth floor in the lift to the delightful Rose Bakery where we spy aristocratic fashion addict Daphne Guinness having coffee with Rei Kawakubo’s husband and business partner Adrian Joffe. ‘Zandra,’ he purrs before showering her in fashion kisses. We order what proves to be spectacular carrot cake and drink very good, strong cappuccinos. ‘Oooh I needed that,’ Rhodes says, sitting down after her pleasantries with Joffe.

We proceed to look at the entire shop, including designs by her old friends Duggie Fields and Andrew Logan. ‘Which other designers do you wear?’ I ask. ‘I don’t wear anyone else,’ she says. ‘I have quite a strict theory, you see. If I’m designing clothes and I’m not wearing them, who am I convincing?’ She admits, however, that she does possess an Issey Miyake bodice, signed by the designer himself, and a few Stephen Jones hats. She is rarely seen without one of Logan’s colourful mirrored brooches (both stocked on the ground floor).

As we leave in a whirlwind of pink, the staff seem a little deflated. After all, this kind of shop thrives on characters – and the inventions of Ms Rhodes and her ilk.

Taking afternoon tea at the Mandeville Hotel

1pm, The Mandeville Hotel via John Lewis
There’s something incongruous about the sight of Zandra Rhodes wandering through the reassuringly ordinary halls of John Lewis. She stands out here more than anywhere else and yet, down in the basement, her vibrantly designed china range has been flying off the shelves. ‘I love the way they’ve done the packaging,’ she coos, stroking the shiny turquoise and cerise boxes. A stern-looking manager looks panicked and walks over as the photographer snaps Rhodes holding her chinaware proudly.

When we wander into the elegant Mandeville Hotel just up the road, the exuberant manager ushers us in as if we were royalty (something I’m getting quite used to) and declares what a joy it is to see her before leading us to the back room where we are doted on by the staff.

As we sit down to enjoy cucumber sandwiches and tea served in special Zandra Rhodes china, I ask if she is always treated in this way. ‘When I’m in Paris, people often shout at me “Vivienne, Vivienne!” It’s so funny. When I’m in New York, they say “Hey, Betsey, I loved your last show…” I don’t bother correcting them now. I just go along with it!’

Rhodes may reside in America half the time, but London appears to be her lifeblood. ‘My friends are here and I can tuck myself away. In America, I will continue to work on something I might have started here. I don’t find it as inspirational as London. I call San Diego a village. I can’t get the right calibre of people to work with me.’

And what about the state of British fashion? Rhodes feels that foreign buyers and press need to be enticed back more. ‘If Prince Charles held a drinks reception for all the key American buyers, that would bring people back,’ she reckons. ‘British fashion leads the world but unfortunately from Paris! We are breeding people to compete with ourselves without making any money for ourselves. You’ve now got Galliano, Stella, Alexander McQueen… Sophia Kokosalaki is now designing for Vionnet in Paris and Matthew Williamson at Pucci; none are here.’

Thirty-eight years into her career, Rhodes is busier, and more popular in fashion circles, than ever. She makes a phone call to the office on a magenta-coloured phone encrusted with fake jewels. ‘OH NO!’ she says before delivering some expletives and ending the call. ‘I can’t believe they reprinted that little sample. SHIT! I shall now go straight back to work again.’ Then she collects herself. ‘It’s been most charming,’ she smiles. And with that we say our goodbyes and Rhodes walks to Bond Street tube to get the Jubilee Line back to Bermondsey.

ENO’s ‘Aida’ (director Jo Davies, music director Edward Gardner and costume designer Zandra Rhodes), London Coliseum, Nov 8-Dec 7 (www.eno.org).

Rhodes in a Stephen Jones hat

Zandra’s little black book
Borough Market
‘Lovely early on a Saturday morning if you’ve got a friend in town,’ says Rhodes, who can be found at the fish counter eyeing up the Scottish salmon.
Borough Market, Southwark St, SE1 (www.boroughmarket.org.uk) London Bridge tube/rail. Open Thur 11am-5pm, Fri 12noon-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm.

Dover Street Market
Here you’ll find a host of vibrant collections from a variety of designers, from new names to established figures such as Rhodes, whose new collection can currently be found in the basement.
Dover Street Market, 17-18 Dover St, W1 (020 7518 0680/www.doverstreet market.com) Green Park tube. Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Thur until 7pm.

Igloo Flowers
Exquisite flower shop specialising in exotic blooms sold alongside a good variety of wines and some jewellery.
Igloo Flowers, Bermondsey St, SE1 (020 7403 7774/www.iglooflowers.com) London Bridge tube/rail. Open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm.

John Lewis
Well, even a fuchsia-haired fashion doyenne needs her basics. In the basement you’ll find Rhodes’ crockery.
John Lewis, 278-306 Oxford St, W1 (020 7629 7711) Oxford Circus tube. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-7pm, Thur until 8pm.

MAC
The make-up Ms Rhodes favours. ‘I usually have a look when I’m at the airport,’ she says.
www.maccosmetics.co.uk

The Mandeville Hotel
Chic boutique hotel in Marylebone serving up traditional afternoon tea for £22.50 and a Champagne afternoon tea for £30, using the Zandra Rhodes range for Royal Doulton china.
The Mandeville Hotel, Mandeville Place, W1 (020 7935 5599/www.mandeville. co.uk) Bond St tube.

Mayflower
A reliable dry-cleaner that Rhodes and her team use. ‘They do a lot of theatre costumes, too,’ says Rhodes.
Mayflower, 83 Goldhawk Rd, W12 (020 8743 0216) Shepherd’s Bush tube. Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm.

Pâtisserie Lila
‘Gorgeous exotic cakes,’ says Rhodes of this sweet and elegant patisserie on the fringe of Borough Market. Check out the marvellous meringues.
Pâtisserie Lila, Borough Market, 1 Bedale St, SE1 (020 7403 6304/ www.patisserielila.co.uk) London Bridge tube/rail. Open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm.

Rellik
One of London’s best designer vintage shops with a good selection of Vivienne Westwood, Ossie Clarke and Zandra Rhodes.
Rellik, 8 Golborne Rd, W10 (020 8962 0089/www.relliklondon.co.uk) Westbourne Park tube. Open Tue-Sat 10am-6pm.