Today's guest is
Zandra Rhodes, who I had the honor to interview in person yesterday. Lovely, funny, down to earth and like every person that I truly admire,
Zandra is a pioneer--when her early textiles were considered too outrageous for British manufacturers, Zandra set up shop and made dresses from her own fabrics. She took them to New York where Diana Vreeland featured them in Vogue.


Zandra's career is too long and amazing to chronicle, but among Zandra's fans are Tom Ford and Anna Sui, who collect her pieces; Princess Di wore them {along with Ashley Olson, Kate Moss, Deborah Harry, Bianca Jagger, Kylie Minogue, Freddie Mercury of Queen and the late
Isabella Blow}. Other cool trivia: Zandra has designed
glamping gear and starred as herself in
Absolutely Fabulous -
need I say more?
I snapped a few shots of Zandra's newest collection--even more beautiful in person!
Known for her hand-printed textiles, I was dying to find out what Zandra thought about the current digital printing rage and
would she ever consider it?
Zandra: No, because it would be like shooting myself in the foot. I am a printing company. Besides hand-printing goes through the fabric so it shows through both sides. Digital is only visible on one side.
She opened a book and showed me a photo of her printing studio in London where everything is done. It runs alongside the building that Zandra bought and transformed into the
Fashion and Textile Museum in London. All of her print screens are here and she explained that she owns them all, so whenever she feels like pulling out something from her archive, she's free to do so.
I saw this wonderful piece yesterday which uses one of her prints from the 60s and am in love with the contrast of the pop lipstick motif on the delicate silk chiffon.
MJ:
What inspires you to keep going?
Zandra: Opera has changed my life! I've only done but three. I got to know the head of opera in San Diego and started with the Magic Flute back in 1999. My latest work, is
Aida.
I love designing you see. The problem is trying to find the time. I do all the fittings in San Diego and fly back to London to produce everything. So it's 3 weeks here, two weeks there, back and forth."
MJ:
What else inspires you?
Zandra: I love to go backpacking through all this beautiful California wildnerness. I'm doing a book--I don't know when I'll finish it--on the flower fairies of the
California chaparall. If you were to take a young child out in this, she gestured to the Laguna canyon woods--they wouldn't know where they are. As you look closer, each flower is just magical...
MJ:
What advice would you give to aspiring designers and creatives?
Zandra: If you love what you're doing,
commit to what you're doing. DON'T GIVE UP! In the end, if you hammer on enough doors long enough, they have to let you in.
Thank you Zandra, it was such an honor!