Dawn O'Porter

“It really is the very top of the fashion world; nothing comes above haute couture. But not any old designer can create something magical and call it haute couture; the term is strictly protected for a very special few.”

“When lockdown happened, and I didn't have that focus to sit down and write a novel, which is what I was supposed to be doing. I still found myself having to write: It was a really interesting thing to learn about myself, that this is a part of who I am, and without it I get frustrated.”

“The vast diversity of looks from the 80s are why we mustn't ignore it completely, there is plenty to build a modern and relevant wardrobe around, and I am enthusiastically kicking my leg warmers in the air in its defence.”

“I'm not sure what came first, the hemline or the Charleston, but skirts needed to go up so the gals could kick their legs out.”

“We didn't ask for our wombs and ovaries, and this presumption that we have to use them because otherwise it's a waste, otherwise we're not emotional or not sensitive in some way, it's a really cruel diagnosis of a woman's character.”

“I can't imagine living in a time where us women had to dress like 'ladies' because that is what was expected of us.”

“They are wild animals that live in your house - that's the only way to describe a toddler.”

“I hold Twitter completely responsible for why I always just make deadlines. But at the same time, as someone who spends most of my working time alone, I couldn't live without it.”

“When you're writing in first person you have to be honest about how people think.”

“I still love chips. Chips are still my favourite potato dish. I struggle not to have chips every day.”

“At school, I had academia shoved in my face, but it was just stunting my creative development.”

“I trawl online for great designer pieces and basically never stop. I try to be very selective, I don't just want the site full of stuff, I want it full of great pieces that all sorts of people can wear.”

“It was Yves Saint Laurent who realised the high-end design houses could make a lot more money if they sold more accessible clothing than the usual couture, when he opened his pret-a-porter store, Rive Gauche, in 1966.”

“I was living in a house in the West Village of New York and trying to be Carrie Bradshaw. I wrote a whole 5 pages about this character who wasn't going to wear high heels because it was not empowering. I've read that article 1000 times, it's so boring! I was writing really cliched women's stuff which is exactly what I didn't want to write.”

“Cooking and writing were my two forms of personal therapy and when I was doing over one or the other, I was in control of my day.”

“Not every woman thinks that their mother is a nice person. I feel like when you really examine a woman's relationship with her mother, any child and their mother, you can really get to know them, because it's such an important relationship in your life and if it's not positive, that's something you definitely carry with you.”

“I do haggle. It's easier when you buy in bulk, so I will up my arms and then tell them what I think I should pay. We go back and forth until we find something we are both happy with.”

“One of the big things that I have realised since styling people is was how many women, size 14 and above, think that covering up in lots of fabric is the best way to dress. I literally could not agree less.”

“I think Brits are more confident probably, and don't rely on self help in the way a lot of Americans do. But we've certainly got our share of hang ups.”

“There are many wonderful things about 80s trends. The clothes were emulating what was going on in society at the time, women were elbowing their way into the work place, earning big cash and being boss.”