'No woman should ever stop caring about fashion'
Susannah Constantine (one half of style duo Trinny and Susannah) is having one of those days.
When we chat the pair have been managed to squeeze in a mere two hours sleep in 24 hours, so busy are they promoting their new range for QVC.
‘Adrenaline. Adrenaline keeps us going,’ she almost gasps.
But Susannah barely stops to catch her breath before she’s already telling me exactly what is wrong with fashion.
‘God do you know what I really hate more than anything – the one fashion item? Harem pants. Trinny’s wearing some right now but I would ban them. They just make your legs look so short. Why would you wear a pair of trousers where the crutch is down by your knees? MC Hammer did it, why would you do that to yourself? Is there anything remotely sexy or attractive about it?’
Before I can agree she’s already raced on.
‘Femininity has gone slightly out the window,’ she says. ‘I think that women are scared to honour their curves, especially younger girls. They want to be provocative but they do it in a very tom-boyish way.’
Are people simply not making an effort any more I ask? We have people going to supermarkets in their pyjamas and...
‘I have to admit – I do it all the time,’ interrupts the former What Not To Wear presenter.
‘I do it when I drop my kids off at school. On go the Uggs, my husband’s pyjamas, I put on a warm coat usually a kind of vintage fake fur which is quite glamorous, a scarf and off I go.
‘I kind of drop them off and say “OK kids I’m coming in” and they’re like “No Mum please don’t come in! Please don’t come in!”
‘I think to walk into the school in your pyjamas is unacceptable but if you’re just dropping them off at the front door and you’re staying in the car then it’s fine!’
Do women ever “grow-out” of dressing fashionably?
‘No woman should ever stop caring about fashion,’ she says. ‘There are ways to do it when you get older and for us it’s always about dressing for your shape, but you know, you can do it with colour, you can still do it with accessories...
‘It doesn’t have to be the whole chicken, you just pluck at some of the feathers and take elements of what’s fashionable.’
What prompted the pair to collaborate with QVC?
‘For us the inspiration came from not being able to find especially dresses on the high street that a) weren’t too short and b) had sleeves.
‘Manufacturers tend to think that everybody is sort of the same shape so it has always been our dream to create a collection of prescription clothing that will maximise a women’s assets and hide what she doesn’t like. That’s what we’ve done with QVC.’
Is there one fashion myth she’d like to debunk?
‘Yes, that you’re born with style. That’s b******,’ she asserts.
‘I was so far away from ‘born with style’ until I met Trinny and I’m – well I’m still learning – but it gets better each year.’
And with that she’s already being hustled off to her next appointment.
When we chat the pair have been managed to squeeze in a mere two hours sleep in 24 hours, so busy are they promoting their new range for QVC.
‘Adrenaline. Adrenaline keeps us going,’ she almost gasps.
But Susannah barely stops to catch her breath before she’s already telling me exactly what is wrong with fashion.
‘God do you know what I really hate more than anything – the one fashion item? Harem pants. Trinny’s wearing some right now but I would ban them. They just make your legs look so short. Why would you wear a pair of trousers where the crutch is down by your knees? MC Hammer did it, why would you do that to yourself? Is there anything remotely sexy or attractive about it?’
Before I can agree she’s already raced on.
‘Femininity has gone slightly out the window,’ she says. ‘I think that women are scared to honour their curves, especially younger girls. They want to be provocative but they do it in a very tom-boyish way.’
Are people simply not making an effort any more I ask? We have people going to supermarkets in their pyjamas and...
‘I have to admit – I do it all the time,’ interrupts the former What Not To Wear presenter.
‘I do it when I drop my kids off at school. On go the Uggs, my husband’s pyjamas, I put on a warm coat usually a kind of vintage fake fur which is quite glamorous, a scarf and off I go.
‘I kind of drop them off and say “OK kids I’m coming in” and they’re like “No Mum please don’t come in! Please don’t come in!”
‘I think to walk into the school in your pyjamas is unacceptable but if you’re just dropping them off at the front door and you’re staying in the car then it’s fine!’
Do women ever “grow-out” of dressing fashionably?
‘No woman should ever stop caring about fashion,’ she says. ‘There are ways to do it when you get older and for us it’s always about dressing for your shape, but you know, you can do it with colour, you can still do it with accessories...
‘It doesn’t have to be the whole chicken, you just pluck at some of the feathers and take elements of what’s fashionable.’
What prompted the pair to collaborate with QVC?
‘For us the inspiration came from not being able to find especially dresses on the high street that a) weren’t too short and b) had sleeves.
‘Manufacturers tend to think that everybody is sort of the same shape so it has always been our dream to create a collection of prescription clothing that will maximise a women’s assets and hide what she doesn’t like. That’s what we’ve done with QVC.’
Is there one fashion myth she’d like to debunk?
‘Yes, that you’re born with style. That’s b******,’ she asserts.
‘I was so far away from ‘born with style’ until I met Trinny and I’m – well I’m still learning – but it gets better each year.’
And with that she’s already being hustled off to her next appointment.