Quotes from Dawn O'Porter

Some might say the mini skirt is a whimsical piece of clothing, worn only by good time gals who just want to have fun. Well, the latter might be correct, but whimsical? Never! The mini skirts positioning in fashion history is highly significant.

One thing you have to accept with vintage clothing is that is has very probably been worn before and will, by nature, be quite old. So small signs of wear and tear are normal, and that's just the way it goes.

It's amazing to think that every item of clothing we wear began as an idea in somebodies head. Whether it's a designer dress or a cheap remake, someone somewhere had an idea and brought it to life.

I love 80s fashion. I love it because it's what my mum and aunties looked like when I was a little girl. It's what I imagined myself looking like when I was a grown up.

I thought we were getting more liberal as a society, more inclusive and I'm gutted racism has come back stronger with Brexit, devastated and I feel Brexit promotes a racist attitude.

When you lose your parents when you're a kid, you kind of get this freedom and sense of independence way younger. And obviously I wish my mum had never died but I like the way my life turned out because of who that turned me into.

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.

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.

I recently discovered that Karl Lagerfeld sketches every single design in the Chanel collections. This made me so happy. I know it seems obvious, that the head of a fashion house such as Chanel would do this, but it isn't always the way.

I love designers sketches, they're like poetry. A vision of an idea intended to make someone feel wonderful.

I'm not used to performing in front of people. When I make TV it's very intimate. In front of a crowd I get so nervous and I'm not that great at it.

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.

If I buy anything for personal use or for BOB that has even the slightest hint of moth damage, I put it straight into the freezer for a few days. This might sound odd, but its the best and most efficient way to kill moth eggs.

The British fashion industry had major players, Mary Quant and Biba to name but a few, who were making incredibly stylish and youthful clothing for a generation who didn't want to emulate their parents.

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

There's a lot of criticism of brands getting involved with political messages, people sometimes don't like that, but I think it's really important. They have massive audiences and they have a huge reach.

Got a zip that is catching and not running smoothly? It often happens with old metal zips but it doesn't always mean you should change it. Try running a candle along the teeth.

I have an odd relationship with motherhood. I've never had that relationship of this unconditional friendship, deep bond that you have with somebody, but I have it now with my son.

One of the main reasons I wanted to write about female friendship is because it's so powerful and underestimated.

Love is something we should all be saying yes to. If you're willing to love someone then people should support that. In a world full of such hate and so much negativity, it feels like love is something we should all just be sharing.

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.

When the mini skirt arrived on the scene in the 60s it was both hailed and hated. It represented female liberation, but also encouraged exploitation. It was the uniform for a new breed of feminist, even though most of them didn't even know it.

Delicate fabrics should not be ironed. But if you don't have a steamer, next time you take a hot shower hang the item in the bathroom with you. The steam from the shower will help get the creases out.

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.