Zandra Rhodes

Ella Alexander

From the winged cape she designed for Freddie Mercury to her white Biba boots, every piece tells a memorable tale.

A vibrant account of the era-defining designer, filled with rock stars, royalty and life-changing friendships, from Karl Lagerfeld to Diana Vreeland.

Her eye for detail and extraordinary access make for delicious anecdotes ... It’s wildly maximalist, absolutely fabulous and we leave the author, as ever, living la vie en rose.

A wonderful, fascinating, fun collection of memories and stories. I have known Zandra for many years, and her passion for art shines now more than ever. We share the same sentiment... who wants to live a life without colour, music or laughter!

'The most extraordinary designer of her generation. This is a book that everyone will be absolutely taken by.'

Fun stories and memories from the fabulous Zandra! Insightful and funny reminiscences from a self-confessed hoarder.

Zandra Rhodes is a living legend and her inspirational work in fashion, deeply woven into the cultural and musical fabric of the last 50 years, is still as potent and fresh as ever. This book detailing her fascinating life and development as an artist cannot fail to ignite interest all around the world.

Zandra Rhodes has changed the course of fashion history. She has always done things in her own spirit and timing. She has never kept to the calendar.

Her fashion transcends . . . her dresses are fairytale princess dresses and every woman's fantasy, which is why everyone from Princess Anne to a Dallas socialite loves them.'

Zandra has always known the rules of good taste, and that's the only way she knew to break them so beautifully.

Dazzling from start to finish, this shows how Zandra Rhodes became a fabulous style icon and creative genius. Adorable and sometimes pretty astonishing: I couldn’t have loved it more.

My Life in Fashion in 50 Objects

'A vivid and compelling picture of the broader fashion landscape between 1960 and the present day. Anecdotes? The book is full of them.' The Times 
 
'Dazzling from start to finish.' Joanna Lumley 
 
In this insightful memoir, Zandra shares her life story for the first time. Told through a variety of mementos collected over the years, it is a vibrant account filled with rockstars and royalty, of life-changing friendships and poignant reflections on her personal triumphs and tragedies, as well as the fears, sacrifices and pressures that come with being an era-defining designer. 
 
Full of poignant reflections and life lessons on achieving success while defying convention, Zandra recounts being inspired by her avant-garde mother to her time at the Royal College alongside David Hockney; from a road trip to Rome with Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, to opening her first London store thanks to a loan from Vanessa Redgrave with Joe Cocker singing With a Little Help From My Friends to the assembled crowd of London's 1960s fashion scene; from hanging out with Andy Warhol and Halston in New York's Studio 54 to lifelong friendships with legends such as Karl Lagerfeld and Diana Vreeland; from designing for everyone from Freddie Mercury to Diana Ross, Princess Diana to Barbra Streisand to founding the Fashion and Textile Museum. 
 
Capturing the rich and unexpected life of a British icon, this memoir explores what it is to defy the norm. 
 
‘Zandra Rhodes has changed the course of fashion history.' Suzy Menkes, fashion journalist

Zandra Rhodes

Praise for Iconic

From the winged cape she designed for Freddie Mercury to her white Biba boots, every piece tells a memorable tale.

A vibrant account of the era-defining designer, filled with rock stars, royalty and life-changing friendships, from Karl Lagerfeld to Diana Vreeland.

Her eye for detail and extraordinary access make for delicious anecdotes ... It’s wildly maximalist, absolutely fabulous and we leave the author, as ever, living la vie en rose.

From the winged cape she designed for Freddie Mercury to her white Biba boots, every piece tells a memorable tale.

A vibrant account of the era-defining designer, filled with rock stars, royalty and life-changing friendships, from Karl Lagerfeld to Diana Vreeland.

Her eye for detail and extraordinary access make for delicious anecdotes ... It’s wildly maximalist, absolutely fabulous and we leave the author, as ever, living la vie en rose.

From the winged cape she designed for Freddie Mercury to her white Biba boots, every piece tells a memorable tale.

A vibrant account of the era-defining designer, filled with rock stars, royalty and life-changing friendships, from Karl Lagerfeld to Diana Vreeland.

Her eye for detail and extraordinary access make for delicious anecdotes ... It’s wildly maximalist, absolutely fabulous and we leave the author, as ever, living la vie en rose.

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