Kirsty Wark: When I started on TV, I wore jackets with massive shoulders

Times

6 days ago

I have these ridiculous, sparkly shoes from Chanel that are so special, but too high for me to walk in. When my daughter was 16 she 'borrowed' them from my wardrobe to go clubbing. They're famous in our house for that reason alone.
As a child I loved Chelsea Girl and a shop called Shades in Kilmarnock. When I went to university I started shopping at vintage shops. Actually we just called them jumble sales in those days. I bought a lot of miniskirts. I used to love going to a charity place for distressed gentlefolk in Edinburgh. Older women gave them things they had knitted. I bought this very cool Fair Isle knit with short sleeves that I really, really liked and cherished for many years. Like many young Scottish women, I was given a sewing machine for my 21st birthday, which I used to alter good jackets and dirndl skirts from the Fifties, some of which I still wear.
These days it's a really good quality cotton dress. I've got a couple of La DoubleJ shirtdresses that are so great. I wore one when I was presenting at the Royal Academy of Arts' Summer Exhibition and ended up having my picture taken with a woman who was wearing the same dress.
I got very good at planning once I started working for the BBC. I definitely thought a lot about what I was going to wear in order not to have to think about it again. The key thing is never to be uncomfortable so I'm focused on the job. There is no stylist or budget for wardrobe. When I first started on TV, I wore a lot of burnt orange linen jackets with massive shoulders. They became a suit of armour. You get used to the feedback from viewers. I've had all sorts of comments, from the man who said I looked like I was wearing a chequerboard, to the guy who messaged to ask if I was on my way to a rodeo; I was wearing a western shirt by Christopher Kane.
I wear a lot of navy — well, specifically Margaret Howell navy. My everyday uniform is a pair of cords or a pair of baggy jeans and a stripy top. It's something of an obsession. I buy expensive ones and cheap ones, everywhere from Uniqlo to Agnès b. Whenever I buy one, I buy one for my daughter, Caitlin too. I don't shop on the high street much, but I do love what Clare Waight Keller is doing at Uniqlo.
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Desmond & Dempsey pyjamas — I adore them. I also like Tekla for nightwear.
There are a host of Scottish labels I go to regularly. I love Le Kilt — Sam McCoach, who is behind it, is brilliant — and I adore Christopher Kane. What he and his sister Tammy created is amazing. I've worn so many of his pieces over the years — a heavy duchess satin coat is probably my most treasured. I love the Glasgow/Paris-based La Fetiche too.
I don't really have fashion regrets, but there are hairstyles. I once had a perm and, oh my goodness, did I regret that from the moment I got out of the salon. I looked like a footballer.
Crop tops are a problem.
I've bought a lot of long coats: I think the swaddling effect appeals. I wear them less now,but I've always thought there was something glamorous about them. I had an incredible one at school that I bought in a second-hand shop, and then I got a chocolate brown one when I went to university. I recently bought a new one at the Woolrich shop in New York.
Icons of Style is presented by Kirsty Wark, on BBC iPlayer now