In this episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with Maddy Evans, the visionary who has presided over the transformation of M&S womenswear, she is the Director of M&S Woman, overseeing the womenswear and lingerie categories…no small job.

I ask Maddy what has been her secret weapon? She tells me that she went through the revamping of Topshop with Jane Shepherdson and it was that experience that gave her the knowledge of how to create change. It was clear at the outset, there was a lot of reliance on history, and a perception of the customer that wasn’t actually true… that she was an older lady who wasn’t interested in style. When she arrived she did a product review with the whole team, some of whom had been at M&S for years, a wonderful and diverse team all wanting to feel stylish, modern and relevant. When she asked them if they would wear anything that they were reviewing no-one put their hand up…there lay the problem.

She knew from the beginning that the 13 million M&S customers, yes extraordinary, trusted M&S for their quality and value but not from a style perspective. So they obviously wanted to protect the value and quality, but with style, so that was the vision. Then it was important to work out what style meant to their customer? It wasn’t leading the trends, but responding to them, and making their customer feel stylish and of the moment.

We talk about how they wanted to work with people to help change the style perception, hence the Sienna Miller collaboration. As Maddy says Sienna is a woman who has matured in front of the cameras and has had an evolution of style and that resonated with the M&S business and customer. They wanted to work with a woman who understands her style…no better person really.

On a personal note I ask Maddy when she first started to understand clothes…she talks about when you’re very young you want to conform, and she remembers going to school having been asked to take in wedding photos of their parents. She was looking round at everyones mums in white wedding dresses, and her mum was in a hand crocheted skull cap, a brown floral dress, suede Mary Janes and freshly picked flowers and her dad looked “nothing short of John Lennon”. It was her first realisation that there are different clothing tribes, and that clothes really did something for you…

We talk about the importance of first impressions and how they really count. I ask her whether she ever gets snow blinded by being exposed to so much fashion… perhaps being overwhelmed by choice? She says she has really stuck to her style, especially as she’s got older, realising that trends don’t work for her…she doesn’t let fashion wear her… such a great lesson!

Stylistically she says she is inspired by the designer Phoebe Philo, a woman who is totally confident and comfortable in her own skin. But also by Kim Bassinger in 91/2 weeks…just totally fabulous, and the uber stylist, the French woman Emanuelle Alt, who as she says, manages with a few product types to “make it look new every time”. She is clearly drawn to women who use a uniform of sorts…their uniform.

I absolutely loved this conversation with Maddy, she is incredibly modest, considered and gracious. Thank you for being such a great guest x

In this episode of Style DNA I go on a sartorial journey with the Founder and CEO of Gold Collagen, the visionary Tony Sanguinetti.

Growing up in Italy, Tony’s love of great-tasting food (a cultural expectation!) was bolstered by the idea that fresh ingredients were inherent to a healthy lifestyle. He was taught that we are what we eat and drink, and this philosophy of living better, for longer, remains at the heart of the Gold Collagen brand today.

As a young man, Tony carved out an interest in nutrition and followed an exacting diet and fitness routine. In his 20s, he embarked upon a successful career as a model for leading designers in Milan, Paris and New York where he realised that beauty captivates consumers - not just in the fashion industry, but in every aspect of life. He walked for the shows of Armani, Dolce Gabbana, Ferre and many others …the exposure to these beautiful clothes refined his style.

It was a life-defining trip to Japan that radically shaped the perspective of his future business and inspired the ethos at the heart of GOLD COLLAGEN®. Unlike European culture, which relied heavily upon external creams to combat ageing, he noticed that Japanese women treated aesthetic beauty as external evidence for inner health. In other words, they believe that a healthy body from within is the first step towards ageless beauty. The myriad benefits of their diet, health and well-being routines were immediately apparent to Tony. Treating food as a medicine and using nutrition and supplements to support inner health and restore balance had given the Japanese the highest life expectancy in the world. He realised that in doing so, they’d also identified the root cause of the visible signs of ageing.

Inspired by his trip, Tony had a vision to innovate, create and develop a formulation that could support the immune system from the inside out.

In our conversation Tony explains his mission to reduce the effects of ageing. He tells me that a person’s age is defined by 3 factors: skin (plump and hydrated versus dry and wrinkly), hair (thick, shiny and voluminous versus thin, dull and brittle) and body mobility (supple joints versus aching, stiff joints, strong muscles versus weak, tired muscles) and discovered that the unifying thread that tied those 3 factors together was collagen. And that the amount of collagen in our body decreases as we age.

We discuss aesthetic medicine too…fascinating.

And how clothes are our armour, how we message through them and how Tom Ford is his style icon.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Thank you Tony for being such a great guest.

In this episode of Style DNA I go on a thrifting style journey with the British stylist, editor, author and long-standing champion of second-hand fashion the brilliant Bay Garnett. Often called the “Queen of Thrift”, she is known for her eclectic, vintage-infused styling and her belief in the creativity and sustainability of re-wearing clothes… yes to that!

She started her career working on Cheap Date magazine where she worked on the second hand fashion advertising pictures, changing the font from high designer names to thrift stores and charity shops ( Salvation Army replacing Yves Saint Laurent, Cancer Care Calvin Klein, and so on). Her witty irreverent spreads were spotted by the editor of British Vogue Alexandra Shulman who invited Bay to work on the magazine’s first charity shop fashion shoot and become a contributing Fashion Editor. Bay approached her good friend and thrifting buddy Anita Pallenberg to help her pull some looks together for Jurgen Teller to shoot Kate Moss in…the iconic shoot is often referenced by designers and creatives to this day. She went on to use vintage in all fashion shoots moving forward over 25 years. Working with photographers from Bruce Weber, Jurgen Teller, Tom Craig, Glen Luchford and Craig McDean.

In 2016 she became an Independent Fashion Advisor at Oxfam and styled their first runway show, Fashion Fighting Poverty. In 2019 she Co- founded Second Hand September with Oxfam… the first campaign starred Stella Tennant and her daughter Iris, and then following year, Michaela Cole, then Sienna Miller and a new face each year.

She is a true champion of second hand style … she tells me that a shocking 13 million pieces of clothing goes into British landfill A WEEK…food for thought…

She shares her thrifting tips with me…it can be pretty intimidating to go thrifting if you have never given it a go.

She is also the author of Style and Substance: Why What We Wear Matters (2022), a collection of essays exploring the deeper meaning of fashion and clothing. It is a beautiful and thought provoking book which I have enjoyed dipping in and out of. SOPH CAN WE LINK TO AMAZON?

She is now working with Smartworks …the most amazing charity to help women prepare for interviews by assisting them with what they will be wearing (they have stylists on hand to guide them through the process), as well as helping them with interview techniques and then gives them several outfits once they have the job to set them on their way. Bay has been invited by Bicester Village to create her ultimate charity shop (open now for the next month). She has sourced everything and all the money goes to Smartworks…bravo! If you are nearby over the next month do pop in and check it out…you may even get the chance to meet her.

We talk about age being a consideration as to how we dress…and some style hacks for remaining cool as the years tick by…funnily enough she is also a fan of a good belt!

I hope you enjoy this episode. Thank you @baygarnettt for being such a great guest xx

In this episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with the extraordinary Mary Portas OBE. Mary is a businesswoman, broadcaster, author and activist. She started her career as a window dresser at Harrods but her creative flare soon saw her go from Top Shop (in its heydays) and on to Harvey Nichols, becoming a board member at the tender age of 32. Mary was the person responsible for Ab Fab using the then Harvey Nicks as their destination for shopping as well as creating some visionary and memorable windows turning the once fusty department store into THE place to enjoy the theatre and discovery of fashion. Her recently published book I Shop, Therefore I Am: The '90s, Harvey Nicks and Me is well worth a read, or even better, a listen on Audible as Mary is the most brilliant narrator as well as an excellent accent mimic.
Harvey Nicks in the early 90's is where our paths first crossed and trust me, fashion was an entirely different proposition back then. Mary tells me it is still the era that she was the last time we were all truly connected....mobiles and social media have totally changed the way we all operate and not necessarily for the better.
From Harvey Nicks she went on to found her on retail consultancy. Mary has since worked with some of the biggest names in global retail. Her BBC series, Mary, Queen of Shops premiered in 2007 and she has presented on television and radio ever since. In 2009, she partnered with Save the Children to reinvent charity shops...Mary's Living and Giving Shops. She also conducted a review of the future for high streets for the British government in 2011. As co-chair of the Better Business Act, Mary heads a coalition of businesses calling for a change in the law to ensure UK companies align their interests with those of wider society and the environment and in 2024, she was awarded an OBE for her services to business, broadcasting and charity.
As you would imagine for someone who has been so deeply entrenched in the fashion world Mary is not short of opinions ...but they are incredibly insightful ones. Charmingly she is not afraid to laugh at herself, as well as sharing stories of her fascinating journey through fashion and retail recalling moments from what feels like another era now. She talks about the late deputy editor of Vogue, Anna Harvey, (the most fabulous low key editor on the planet) advising her on her wardrobe as she progressed from the windows to the boardroom and suggesting that she really should invest in a Saint Laurent Le Smoking... it nearly broke the bank at the time but she still reaches for it when she wants to feel empowered... that's what I call true investment dressing. She is wonderfully open about how her style has evolved including choosing looks for her recent book tour with an old friend and colleague by shopping in her own wardrobe.
We talk about the giant circus of fashion, which brands are inspiring her now (and why) wedding outfits (one to a husband and one to a wife) as well as Botox, facelifts, hair colour and so much more...
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did creating it. Thank you @maryportasoffical for being such a great guest xx

In this episode of Style DNA I go on a sartorial journey with the brilliantly talented English-Italian acoustic singer, songwriter, and musician Jack Savoretti.

Jack’s reputation as a singer-songwriter is perfectly epitomised by those he has collaborated with over the years, which reads like a “who’s who” of the music world including names such as Bob Dylan, Kylie Minogue, Shania Twain, Nile Rogers and Zucchero.

We laugh about his style growing up, how important his school uniform was to him, and the identity that he gets from his clothes. Being dressed correctly is clearly important to him…he loves ”timeless elegance”.

He is a good story teller in proper Italian fashion… embracing British country wear for their life in Oxfordshire, rather than for the streets of Milano where the Italians love to promenade around the shops in their Huskies and Barbours…albeit immaculate ones!

He tells me he bought a 1912 tailcoat to get married in to his beautiful artist wife Jemma Powell (who also wore vintage)…sexy rock chic for the record!

When his father died he found himself reaching for his father’s style…particularly suede jackets which his father loved and he found it incredibly comforting to dress like “Italian men”.

We discuss the privilege and the unique sartorial experience of wearing the great Italian designers…namely Armani and Brunello Cuccinelli in Venice…

He makes sure he and his band are elegant and unified on stage. We talk about him asking his band to get dressed for the show sound check as he says that they perform better when they dressed….there was a professionalism and new level of respect that kicked in when they arrived for rehearsals looking smart.

Jack will be celebrating his 20 year career in music for one night only at The Royal Albert Hall on Thursday 23rd April 2026. Get your tickets quickly before they are all sold out! www.jacksavoretti.com

Thank you @jacksavoretti for being such an entertaining guest x

In this episode of my Style DNA podcast I go on a style journey with the international interior designer Sophie Paterson who is known for creating luxury residential projects across the UK and globally.

To my delight, Sophie arrived for the recording wearing a vintage Wakeley cream scuba jersey two piece given to her by her mother in law which she clearly loves and wears on repeat. It was from a collection that I did about 15 years ago and I can honestly say it looks as current today as it did back then.

I had never met Sophie before but she came across as humble, approachable and wonderfully focused. She is understated and states that it is “all about the client”. I asked her whether she adapts her style to the client she is visiting… she absolutely does, going so far as saying that she will pick out the most controversial colour in the presentation and wear that. If she is filming one of the properties for YouTube she will dress to match each room so that all the focus is on the interior. If she is meeting a client for the first time she will underplay her look saying that the star of the show is the client, it is all about customer service and she doesn’t want to steal their thunder in any way …clever and refreshing…

Sophie talks about how “everyone has an age to shine in”…hers being her 40’s, however, she understood her silhouette from way before and even going so far as wearing glasses that she didn’t need when she was young in business as she wanted to come across as older.

I loved the advice she was given by her “very stylish mother in law – don’t go smart with everything - if you are going to wear a diamond necklace wear it with a T shirt” … I could not agree more.

Sophie is polished and very considered in everything she does be it interiors, beauty or fashion… I really enjoyed our conversation and hope you do too.

Thank you @sophiepatersoninteriors for sharing your style journey with me xx

In this episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with the celebrated author, entrepreneur and television personality Jo Wood. Her life has been steeped in rock n roll having spent 24 years married to Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.

Jo left home at 16 to become a model, was married for the first time at 17 and had her first child at 18.

Jo hilariously recounts meeting Ronnie at a party having “never been a Rolling Stones fan” …he followed her around the party and asked her where she worked. Having a laugh, she told him she worked on the broken biscuit counter at Woolworths on Oxford Street. When she arrived home the following day she was greeted by a slightly confused Ronnie who had been waiting outside Woolworths for her… the rest is history.

She spent years on the road with Ronnie and the Stones, often travelling with no fewer than 12 suitcases when they toured for a year at a time She clearly loved styling him and doing his wardrobing on stage, whilst respecting the Mick hierarchy in terms of looks…

She has always had a passion for vintage fashion…and over the years she has clearly collected some amazing pieces that are obviously a diary of her life that she will probably never part with. For our interview she is sporting an 80’s Saint Laurent tiger printed velvet jacket that looks as cool today as it must have done when designed…

She laughs at herself when she recounts going on a pilgrimage to Tibet with Sadhguru. Meeting him the morning of their departure he told her that she would be carrying everything she needed on her back. She had to edit her suitcase down in the hotel lobby to just enough clothes to fit in her backpack and how liberating that was…she didn’t miss any of her extra “stuff”…there is probably a lesson there?

Never one to take herself too seriously, Jo tells me that her worst fashion moment was probably post-divorce and being caught on camera in a see through top that was seemingly opaque at home but under the power of flashlights completely see through.

Thank you Jo Wood for being such an entertaining guest xx

In this episode of Style DNA I go on a style journey with the British television presenter and journalist, best known as a Formula 1 pit lane reporter for Sky Sports…the vivacious and energetic Natalie Pinkham.

Natalie was the first woman to commentate on a Formula 1 session for British television and is recognized for her skill in interviewing drivers during high-pressure post-race moments.

We chat about life in the often windy and sweaty Pit Lane …how she approaches her track looks especially having experienced a skirt lifting moment when she was caught out by a gust of wind in South Korea captured on film by a nearby pap (reassuringly put back in his box by none other than Bernie Ecclestone). She talks about the camaraderie of a growing band of female reporters and pundits in a once male dominated sport and how the popular Netflix series Drive to Survive has definitely exposed the sport to a much wider audience.

We discuss the power of feeling great in your clothes and wearing the right thing especially for a particularly intimidating meeting with the editor of a national newspaper after her friend Caroline Flack had died.

Natalie went on to Co-found Flackstock the mental health music festival set up in memory of her precious friend Caroline. She is a passionate Mental Health advocate - developing AI solution for kids struggling with mental health problems.

She is wonderfully down to earth and no subject seems off limits including a reference to being a frequent sleepwalker …let’s just say that is why she now goes to bed clothed head to toe in pyjamas to avoid another potentially revealing moment.

Thank you @natalie_pinkham for sharing your wisdom and insights so warmly xx