ZANDRA RHODES
My first ever commission my second week out of University was for You Magazine, I got sent to Paris to photograph the two sisters who own the Moulin Rouge. Exciting and terrifying at the same time, experiencing my first commercial shoot, where everything that could go wrong, bar the photographs, did go wrong. Snow, Paris air traffic strike, mad dogs, champagne sprayed over my cameras….
My most recent shoot with the magazine was about ‘A fashionista never retires….’ I had the great privilege of working with the model Jan de Villeneuve, still stunning and stylish at 70, and the vivid and amazing Dame Zandra Rhodes. An absolute inspiration, she at 74, and 50 years in the fashion industry, was wonderful to work with. I had a great day with her at her home and studio in Bermondsey, also the location of the Fashion and Textile Museum she founded.
Both these women were an inspiration, particularly showing that age is no bar to expressing your imagination and pursuing your career as a creative woman.