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