What do clothes mean to you?

I put a lot of thought into what I wear. According to my mother, I chose what I was going to wear before I could even speak! They are memories of my life in a way, and they’re incredibly important to me. I’d find it very difficult to part with them.

When do you think your interest in clothes began?

I think the first time I went abroad. I was six year old, and I left Wales in this outfit, this fur coat (shows a picture), these long boots and the hat. We went on a boat, on a cruise over to Tangiers. Of course, when we arrived it was boiling – and I had insisted on taking the fur coat. But I loved it and I had to take it with me!

I just remember seeing people dressed so differently to what we wore back in Wales. I remember my faher buying this totally amazing costume – long and odd and something he’d never wear, but it was still exciting – being able to touch and see this material. It was worn by quite a few of the boys in school for natvity plays, it always came out for one of the Three Wise Men!

Another time I remember being in Spain, in some market or other. I saw these amazing clogs! They were so high and so red, and I thought ‘I have to have them’. Now my daughte Isabella dresses up in them.

Not only have you kept loads of clothes from when you were a little girl, you’ve also kept some from the 1980s. You only have to look at them to know they’re from the 1980s! Why have you kept them?

Well I love them – I see many of them as works of art – like this one, it’s a blouse but the image is well-known too, from the pop art movement. Who would have thought when I bought it that one day I would wear it to teach the kids at Gwynllyw about pop art? People look back at 1980s fashion and think it was horrible with all the shoulder pads and stuff, but I think I avoided the ‘Dallas’ look, and looked at the more creative side. For example, I’ve got this vest which was printed by Boy George, and which is a Boy George design. I bought it on the Kings Road, it wasn’t that expensive, Boy George wasn’t that famous, just a name people had heard of.

Which era had the biggest influence on your style?

When I was in art college in the late eighties, I was given the chance to study in Italy, and I went to Venice to study the art. As well as studying Italian art, I studied the shops and the clothes! You could get amazing things there. One example is this yellow dress which comes from the time when Bob Geldof and ‘Feed the World’ was everywhere, so there was a lot of African influence around. It was a very exciting time because you could go to the shops and get amazing things, ‘one-offs – artisan items. For example, I bought this dress by the Forum des Halles in Paris. If you happened to be around at the right time, you could buy things that designers were getting rid of after the catwalk shows.

I’m starting to realise now that you keep everything! So I’m surprised you’ve got room for all this stuff in your cupboards...

There’s something in this cupboard that I wore in the eighties, and which I still wear now! It’s a classic – and designed by Vivienne Westwood.

It was designed when her partner at the time, Malcolm McLaren, was manager of the Sex Pistols. It’s from her Pirate Collection, with this huge scarf which goes around. Vivienne Westwood’s designs were so amazing for the time – you see this sleeve it has a ‘Renaissance’ feel to it, but it’s still fashionable now. I think it’s amazing that Vivienne was making these things in the 1980s. I remember getting this in the post, my boyfriend at the time had sent it to me and after that I was smitten so I married him – who could say no to someone who buys you a Vivienne Westwood dress?!

What do your pupils think of your style?

My registration class love this coat – they sing ‘You are my sunshine, my only sunshine’ when I wear it!

I bought this coat in Harajuku in Tokyo, and the reason I bought it is that there are so many people in Tokyo, I thought if I got separated from my husband and my daughter, they’d find me quicker in this coat. Gwen Stefani mentions this area in Tokyo in one of her songs – I love that line ‘You Harajuku girls - you’ve got some wicked style!’

Have you got a favourite designer?

Yes, I particularly like Italian designers like Georgio Armani and Valentino. I’m attracted to Italian clothes because they’re simple, stylish and well-cut. Armani’s black jackets are to die for – the cut is perfect. I’m lucky enough to have a couple of Armani jackets and coats, and I dream of buying a red Valentino dress!

I designed a plate for the National Eisteddfod when it was held in Newport in 2004, and I knew there would be a ceremony to launch the plate so I said to myself ‘Great, an excuse to buy an outfit!’. I got this outfit from Selfridges in London and it’s by the designer Markus Lupfer. He studied at Central St Martin’s and comes originally from Germany. He’s a quality designer who’s often mentioned in Vogue and famous for the fabrics he uses.

It’s obvious that style runs in the family...

I have this dress here which my mother wore in the late 1950s, and if you feel the velvet, it’s totally amazing. She wore this dress to parties in the 1950s, which was such a glamorous time with lots of couture. When you wear it, you feel lovely and special. I held a party in honour of this dress, with the theme ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, and I wore this dress. What’s lovely about this dress is that it has a history, and that my mother wore it – I really like the idea that Isabella wears my clothes and that history’s moving forwards!