2 January 2024 |
Dame Zandra Rhodes is a British institution. A figurehead in fashion now in her sixth decade of creations, the Kent-born designer, who is 83, has seemingly been on a one-woman mission to paint the town technicolour, but she starts with her own face.
The living embodiment of her eponymous label, Rhodes is instantly recognisable. Her trademarks: Pepto-Bismol-pink bob, eyes haloed with black and blue liner, clothed in a box of decadent confections. Those shimmering gold kaftans, floral fancies and clashing prints are all a testament to her love of dressing up and crafting treasures that are made to be worn, re-worn and adored for years.
Yet her label came from humble beginnings. She founded it in 1969 a few years after graduating in printed textiles from the Royal College of Art. Coined the ‘Princess of Punk’, Rhodes’s designs were a kaleidoscopic jolt to the industry. Misunderstood by commercial naysayers, they were quickly snatched up by creative contemporaries including Elizabeth Taylor, Cher, Bianca Jagger, Jackie Kennedy, Divine, Freddie Mercury, Marc Bolan and not one, but two iconic Dianas: Ross, and the Princess of Wales.
Zandra Rhodes poses for her Medieval collection poster, 1983
In 2003, she turned her talents to furniture and fashion preservation with the founding of London’s Fashion and Textile Museum, an ongoing celebration of British design, and has even had one of her designs featured on a commemorative stamp (first class, of course). There are few spaces in which her contagious love of colour hasn’t permeated. When Rhodes graced Buckingham Palace in 2014, receiving her damehood from Princess Anne, who she dressed for her wedding in 1973, she wore a rhinestone egg on her head, naturally.
Here, in her own words, the design dame reflects on her love of colour, finding her signature look and the power of identity. “My mother always made herself up dramatically. She used to have a big curl at the top of her hair that was raised up and sprayed silver. I think my love of colour was because of the influence of my mother. There wasn’t a lot of dramatic colour back then; it started to come in during the ’60s.
Rhodes in her SS80 Pagoda Sleeve dress, hat by Graham Smith, make-up by Richard Sharah. Archive portraits by Robyn Beeche
But I think of myself really coming to terms with my face once I reached my mid-twenties. I started wearing false eyelashes and making my eyes up quite strongly with eyeshadow. In those days, we didn’t have all of these wonderful brands like MAC; you had to go to Woolworth’s, where you could get different colour palettes.
When I was at the Royal College, at the age of 20/21, the Vidal Sassoon haircut [a geometric blunt-cut bob] came out so I went out and got my own. That was one of the exciting, dramatic things, realising the strength of a haircut. The early ’70s was when Sassoon brought out his coloured wigs and I got one, but it felt cramped and tight on my head, so I thought: why don’t I dye my hair? That was the revolutionary thought.
The dyes weren’t perfected in those days, so I took my own because I’m a textile designer. I tried green, but it always went a funny old pea green, somewhat faded. I experimented and went to Leonard’s [Lewis, of Mayfair] and I had purple streaks put in my hair. Then, eventually, after a trip to China in 1980, I told them ‘red China’, but they dyed my hair pink. That was the start of the pink and it’s stayed there ever since. Except once, when I had a very conservative boyfriend, I dyed my hair brown and felt so boring. People didn’t recognise me. I like being pink, it makes me feel like myself. A lot of things to do with identity are what make you feel good and brighten up your day. That’s what you’re presenting to the world and, for me, it’s my identity.
Zandra began wearing bold make-up in the 1960s
It takes me a maximum of five minutes to get fully made up. I wash my face with soap and water, and I keep a black make-up towel, so it doesn’t matter when the make-up goes on to it. I put a black brow pencil on as eyeliner, around my eyes. Then I have a lovely blue pencil [MAC Colour Excess in Perpetual Shock] that I outline the shape of my eyelid with before putting on a blue MAC eyeshadow. I don’t usually wear lipstick during the day, but sometimes I’ll put some cream on my lips. That’s my routine.
I haven’t got any eyebrows, I plucked them out years ago, so I’ve had wiggly eyebrows, green glitter dots, all sorts; at one time I had my eyebrows joined together like Frida Kahlo. At this moment in time, it’s very strange how important eyebrows have become, one of the most important features of the face. It’s quite extraordinary. I still get on the tube and it’s always interesting when you see people who have bothered with false eyelashes. I used to wear them all the time and I wonder if I should retry them…
If one is a character, then a signature look is something that sticks with you and helps you through the good and even the bad times. Even if you’re feeling awful, your signature make-up look makes you feel together. Particularly the older you get, the more these things are important and you feel that you’re retaining your face to the world. Mine rests on what I can put together; if it took hours, I don’t think I could cope because there’s always something to be done. But if I’m not fully made up, I don’t feel I’m facing the day professionally. Some people wouldn’t want to be made up with lots of colour, but it always makes my day.”
Taken from 10+ Issue 6 – VISIONARY, WOMEN, REVOLUTION – out now. Order your copy here.
kimono by WALLIS x ZANDRA RHODES, brooch by ANDREW LOGAN
PRETTY IN PINK
Portrait JOSHUA TARN
Introduction DOMINIC CADOGAN
Talent DAME ZANDRA RHODES
Make-up SABINA GATEJ using MAC Cosmetics
Talent’s assistants LOTTIE MCCRINDELL and JORDAN WAKE
Fashion assistants GEORGIA EDWARDS and SONYA MAZURYK
