Clothes Line; Out of the Closet

`A lot of black, a lot of white, a bit of colour - and lots of bangles,' says Wendy Dagworthy (above)

WENDY DAGWORTHY has been for almost 10 years head of the BA fashion course at Central St Martin's School of Art and Design, a post which she leaves later this month to become professor of fashion at the Royal College of Art. She also designs the Liberty Collection. Here she reveals her fashion secrets.

"When I open my wardrobe, a double-layered affair which takes up an entire wall of my bedroom, I see a lot of black, a lot of white and a bit of colour. I wear the black in winter, and black, white and grey in summer, but I do have some brightly coloured Indian skirts that I wear occasionally. I used to have a whole room for my clothes; I'm a hoarder, and find it hard to throw things away.

"I still wear a lot of my own Wendy Dagworthy clothes; in fact I've kept all of my collections. They are in big trunks dotted around the house and disguised as tables, or covered with throws. I would never part with them; I would only donate them to the V&A. One of my favourite own-label pieces are broderie anglaise baggy trousers in black or white that I wear underneath dresses. I also have a lot of Betty Jackson, Egg, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons and Romeo Gigli, and even some Prada and Miu Miu that I bought in their knock-down-price warehouse in Milan last summer. I also have a passion for unusual shoes; I've got loads, mainly flat, but I still have the Manolo Blahnik snakeskin wedges I got married in 25 years ago, and the dress. I also collect bangles; my husband buys them for me, and I like to wear lots - the longer I have them the more special they become.

"Funnily enough I don't think I've got a single bit of graduates' work. I love Antonio Berardi, but his clothes are a bit too tight for me, but I would wear Sonja Nuttall - I just haven't got round to buying any yet. I like to feel unrestricted, comfortable and relaxed in what I wear. My theory is if you don't look comfy you don't look right, and I stick to that. I don't get influenced by trends, and being a fashion tutor I can't influence my students either. My main thing is to buy things I like, it doesn't matter whether it's designer label or not. But I must say it's been nice to be able to buy my own clothes again from Liberty; they went into the store last month."