No.1 for Interviews - The Hon. Daphne Guinness

The Hon. Daphne Guinness

The socialite, heiress and film producer renowned for her love of couture clothing, tells Cara Kennedy why Scotland is leaving a lasting impression on the fashion industry.

There are very few people in the world who can afford haute couture clothing. A handful in fact. The term that translated means “high sewing” or “high dressmaking”, has come to represent exquisite taste, exclusivity and expense – and it is highly unlikely
that we ourselves, will ever own our own custom-made creation. So it’s difficult to imagine being in possession of an entire wardrobe full of made-to-measure beauties that have been lovingly designed and laboriously created to fit your body.

Constructed with the utmost care and attention and using the finest materials, each is considered a work of art in its own right. It’s also difficult to imagine being on first name terms with the world’s most respected and revered fashion supremos, or having front row seats at catwalks around the globe – but this is what life entails for The Hon. Daphne Guinness.

An heiress to the Guinness family’s brewing fortune only in part explains the source of funding for her expensive tastes. Marrying Spyros Niarchos, the son of Greek shipping billionaire, Stavros Niarchos, paints a fuller picture. Having married him at just 19, the pair divorced 12 years later in 1997, and saw Daphne receive a settlement of a reported £20 million.

Famed for her individual sense of style, she has become one of the most respected and influential figures in the fashion fraternity and meeting her at the Scottish Fashion Awards it is easy to see why. Dressed in a spectacular jewel encrusted black Chanel gown and sporting her trademark badger-striped hair, it is difficult to take your eyes off her. Her tiny frame belies a woman who has three children and she has almost a fragile, quiet quality about her. Yet talking to her she completely opens up revealing a woman full of eloquent enthusiasm and excitement as she happily explains the origin of the sky-scraping heels she is sporting. “I designed these shoes myself and had them made by my good friend Christian Louboutin. I used to have my shoes made in another place and I thought, ‘you know what, I’m going to have them made by my friend.’” But if counting the god of shoes himself, Mr Louboutin, as one of your ‘friends’ is not impressive enough, then her skill at walking across Stirling Castle’s cobbled walkways in the eight inch neck-breakers, is sure to knock you off your own feet.

But her excitement extends far beyond her footwear. She is positively bursting with anticipation to step through the castle’s gates. “It’s so beautiful,” she exclaims, which coming from a woman wearing couture Chanel, means something special. As one of the judges on the illustrious panel for the Scottish Fashion Awards, she had a key role in the event. “I think Scotland has so much going on,” she answers when asked for her thoughts on the value of ceremony. “People get very London-centric, or Paris-centric or New York or wherever and you can forget about elsewhere. There are so many talented people in Scotland that are just incredible and it’s amazing to celebrate that.”

She makes for a credible judge as her foray into designing runs much deeper than footwear. Daphne has designed everything from clothing to jewellery, collaborating with some of the biggest names in the business. Asking her just how difficult it is for young designers to succeed in the cut-throat world of fashion, her response is very honest. “Fashion has become very corporate,” she notes. “It can be very difficult for young designers to make it as they need that financial backing. It’s the main reason why many don’t.” But it is for precisely this reason that her design collaborations have always been such a success. “What I love doing is collaborating with people,” she has commented in the past. “One of the nice things about having a bit of money is being able to make things happen.”

If that’s one of the nice things then all her fabulous clothes almost certainly has to be another. “People think I’m so into couture, and I am but things don’t necessarily have to be that expensive to be good,” she once stated. But just as we get ready to keep our eyes peeled for her next time we pop into Marks & Spencer she adds, “They just have to be expensive enough to last.” Somehow you have to suspect that our definitions of the word ‘expensive’ are going to vary – a lot.

Asking her about style it quickly becomes apparent that she has some very clear views on the subject. “One of the problems with modern fashion is that people change all the time. There are very few people who keep their look through thick and thin.” It’s a valid point and one that goes a long way to explain why she has become such an iconic fashion figure. The distinctive hair and heels are part of her signature style as much as is the colour black, feathers and breathtaking jewellery.

As the biting Scottish wind starts to feel a little nippy, even for a seasoned Scot, there is just time to ask the burning question; just why does she think Scotland is so fashionable? “I think Scotland’s heritage in the textile industry has a lot to do with it but it’s more probably an alchemy of everything; the colours, the heritage, the way that people dare to do things here. Scottish people are really courageous, they take risks. They have a dream and they go for it and that’s really inspiring.” And for the record so is her ability to walk in those heels.

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