Desperately seeking Zandra Rhodes

BY CAROLYN ENTING

Known for her prints and pink hair, royally approved Dunedin-bound British designer to the stars Zandra Rhodes is back in the limelight as if she's never really been away.

When Kate Moss stepped out in an "antique" Zandra Rhodes dress recently, the media treated it like the designer had made some miraculous comeback.

Yet Rhodes, whose clients have included Princess Diana, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Freddie Mercury, and more recently Kelly Osbourne, Kylie Minogue and Naomi Campbell, has never gone away.

It's something Rhodes, 69, who has been designing clothes since the 60s, can't quite get a handle on, and it's something that always hurts, she says.

"Fashion is such a fickle thing. One minute they love you and another minute they don't even know you existed.

"We're in a very strange situation in the world today where unless you are on the catwalk [at Fashion Week] or your clothes are worn by someone very famous, people don't realise it's there," Rhodes says.

"Funnily enough, Kate Moss was photographed getting out of a car wearing one of my antique dresses and suddenly everyone was interested again."

You only have to look at Marc Jacobs latest spring/summer 2010 collection to realise Rhodes is far from obsolete. Fashion critics have compared the collection to some of her vintage designs.

Rhodes herself calls them "total knock-offs".

"I've got a set of pictures of copies of my things. I don't know whether he went to my book or collected some.

"Anna Sui collects my things, and so does Tom Ford, as objects that they like. There's one picture where I can't decide whether it's his [Jacobs] collection. The pleated jacket is so good I think it is one of mine," Rhodes says.

Rhodes' pace hasn't slowed either. Living between London and San Diego, she usually works an 18-hour day. When she is in San Diego she gets up at 4am and speaks to her London office. Every two weeks she "wastes" 18 hours travelling.

Rhodes will be the guest judge at the iD Dunedin Emerging Designer Awards in March.

Her clothes will be a highlight of the iD Dunedin Designer Collection show , where she will show some of her current designs and maybe some vintage pieces from her archives.

"They've asked me to show some historical pieces but I have to look and see what is not too delicate. Some of the chiffons can tear very easily. They're clothes I did 40 years ago," she says.

She jumped at the invitation to the event, which will be her third visit to New Zealand. She was guest judge at the World of WearableArt Awards in 2000, and has since visited Auckland with her partner to attend a Variety event that honoured Sir Edmund Hillary.

"I always think of New Zealand as the land of The Lord of the Rings. I enjoyed those films so much and I've also got the making of The Lord of the Rings where you get to see all the wonderful places they filmed," she says.

Rhodes' vintage prints have been revived in recent times by British department store Marks & Spencer, which currently produces a line under her name.

Prior to her collaboration with M&S, Rhodes designed five ranges for high- street brand Top Shop, while she's just done a line for outdoor camping brand Millet. Three years ago she collaborated with makeup brand MAC.

Earlier this month she launched a book with International Herald Tribune fashion writer Suzy Menkes, My Favourite Dress - written by Gity Monsef, Samantha Erin Safer and Robert de Niet - with profits going to Save the Children.

The book's title was also the title of one of the first exhibitions at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London, which Rhodes founded in 2003, and of which she is now patron.

The Marks & Spencer prints are new in scale, made larger.

"They go through my archives, pick things and adapt them, which I think they do very well and very true to my name," she says.

Rhodes has never stopped producing her own collections every season, as well as designing one-off creations for clients such as Princess Michael of Kent.

"I'm known for my print kaftans and we do really well with those, especially in Monte-Carlo because people can wear those on boats easily," she says.

Back in 1977 she pioneered a pink and black jersey collection with holes and beaded safety pins that earned her the nickname "princess of punk".

Rhodes' theatrical use of colour has, not surprisingly, seen her transfer her talents to the stage.

The past few years have seen her designing sets and costumes for operas internationally, including Bizet's The Pearl Fishers and Verdi's Aida in 2007, which encored in 2008.

As for her famous hair? After so many years of being pink, she just can't face grey.

"If you've got pink hair you assume you look younger than you are. Isn't it terrible?" she says.

- © Fairfax NZ News