She was born in Napier and had initial dreams of becoming an archaeologist, but Hilary Alexander instead joined the ranks of fashion royalty in the UK. The woman twice crowned British Fashion Journalist of the Year is in Dunedin this month to guest judge the iD International Emerging Designer Awards.
Ellie Constantine asked a few questions of the style leader.
A I was always interested in clothes and sewing and used to make my own clothes on my mother's Singer from about age 10. I also knitted. I was also passionate about archaeology, what people wore - their clothes and jewellery, and initially wanted to be an archaeologist.
Q How did you get your start in the media, and how did that evolve into being The Daily Telegraph's fashion director?
A Unfortunately my school results were not good enough to go to university, and my father, who was the manager of Maples furniture store in Palmerston North, knew the advertising manager at the Manawatu Evening Standard. He arranged an interview for me with the women's page editor, a fearsome lady called Mrs Goodard.
I had always been good at English and composition at school (I think I wrote my first poems/short stories for the Evening Post children's pages when I was about 8), and I was taken on as a cadet reporter. I then worked on the Evening Post, and the Dominion Post, then in Australia I worked on the Ballarat Courier and the Wollongong Mercurcy; all of this as a news or feature reporter.
My interest in fashion as a journalistic career began when I moved to Hong Kong in, I think, 1969, and was hired as fashion editor of the China Mail. It was fascinating, still like news, a bit like reporting on a fire, but you had to notice what the firemen were wearing. I did two years there, then a year at the Hong Kong Standard as features editor. I then spent about nine months on a daytime foundation course in art and design at Hong Kong University, and about 10 months travelling as a hippie in South America. I returned to Hong Kong and worked as fashion editor for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, which was the real motivation for working in fashion. I really got to know the industry from the inside out, visiting factories, meeting designers, press and buyers. One of the fashion editors I became friendly with was Serena Sinclair, then on The Daily Telegraph. When I moved to London in 1982, I worked briefly in public relations, and when Serena retired, everyone on the Telegraph fashion desk moved up a notch, leaving a gap - she recommended me for a job as assistant fashion writer. I started there in January 1985.
Q What is it you love about working in the fashion industry?
A I love the people, the excitement, the creativity, the constant change, the hard work, the travel, the clothes, the deadlines - everything about it.
Q What are some of the best experiences you have had on the job?
A Some of the best include getting to know some of the top designers in the world - Karl Lagerfeld wearing green Hunter wellies and dancing a waltz with me on the lawn of his then-house on the Left Bank; having a crafty ciggy with Marc Jacobs; listening to the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana at the opening of every Dolce and Gabbana show; having Anna Wintour host a retirement lunch for me and 20 friends in Paris; visiting the haute couture ateliers at Dior and Chanel; watching the growth of young designers like Chris Kane, Erdem, Prabal Gurung and Mary Katrantzou; being awarded the Eugenia Sheppard Media Award at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards last June; being invited to the Met Ball; meeting Alexander McQueen; watching John Galliano's first-ever couture collection for Dior - too many to recount.
Q You are a passionate traveller, where is the best place you have visited and what were you doing there?
A The best places I have visited have always been on fashion location trips and include Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Easter Island and Macchu Pichu.
Q You rub shoulders with a lot of influential people in the fashion world, who are your favourites?
A I love and admire virtually every designer I've met, especially Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Michael Kors, John Galliano, Yohji, Chris Bailey, and Tom Ford.
Q What are they like?
A They are all human beings and actually very nice people. They have an incredibly pressurised life which is devoted to creativity.
Q Do you feel you stand out as a New Zealander in your job?
A Not especially. There are other New Zealanders working in the fashion business such as Louise Chunn and Karen Walker. I don't really notice nationality, it's more about what people do with their lives.
Q What does it take to make it in the fashion industry?
A Hard work, experience, accuracy, determination, perseverance, enthusiasm, passion.
Q Before being invited to the event, what did you know about iD Dunedin Fashion Week and the iD International Emerging Designer Awards?
A Very little, which is one of the reasons I was thrilled to be invited.
Q What are you hoping to see at the show?
A Something I haven't seen before. Originality and creativity, combined with wearability.
Q Do you have any advice for those entering the awards?
A Remember you are designing clothes you hope people will wear, not just 5ft 11 (180cm), size 6-8, 17-year-olds.
Q What are you looking forward to doing while you are in New Zealand?
A Seeing the young designers' collections for the iD awards, visiting my family in Hamilton, and seeing a bit of the South Island, which I hardly know.
Q Can you share any fashion tips for the public?
A Choose clothes you like, which are flattering and that you feel comfortable in. Never wear anything too short or too tight.
Don't follow trends slavishly. Don't be afraid to try things on. Always use a hand mirror to see how something looks from the back.
If you're unsure, look at yourself in the mirror, put your hand over your face and ask yourself: "What would I think if I saw a girl/woman coming towards me dressed like this?".
Hilary Alexander
• Born in Napier.
• Former fashion director of the Daily Telegraph.
• Twice awarded the British Fashion Journalist of the Year, 1998 and 2003.
• Awarded the title of visiting professor by the University of Arts, London, and an honorary doctor of design degree from Nottingham Trent University.
• Winner of the Eugenia Sheppard Media Award at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, 2011.
• Appears regularly on BBC news programmes and documentaries.
• Member British Fashion Council's management committee and press committee.
