Nia: When you go out to buy clothes, what is the most important thing to you?

Linda: That everything co-ordinates and that they match. That’s extremely important to me and everything about the outfit has to match.

Linda: I was sitting in my bathroom one day and I’d just bought an aqua dress and coat but I was still in search of some matching earrings which I couldn’t find anywhere. I thought to myself, I’m sure these walls are the same colour, so off I went to look for the pot of paint and painted some old metal earrings I had, and they matched perfectly with the dress and coat. I do silly things like that sometimes.

Nia: How do you think this started?

Linda: Probably my Mother’s influence. She likes things to match, as does my daughter, Glesni, she tends to be the same too. We might have slightly different tastes, but having to match everything is important to us all.

Nia: Why is it so important to have that one little different thing?

Linda: I think I’m used to looking for something different. I don’t like wearing the same clothes as everybody else. The school children notice if I’m wearing something a little different and might say ‘where did you get that Miss?’ and I think to myself goodness, I’m too old for the children to like what I wear but I think that’s a nice thing.

Linda: I have three clothes wardrobes but I keep my coats in the spare room

Nia: You’ve plenty of choice haven’t you?!

Mefus: Every Sunday, I go to chapel so I have to have enough coats to rotate.

Nia: There’s enough here to last you for three months aren’t there?!

Nia: How many pairs of shoes do you have?

Linda: I have 32 pairs of boots to start with, and then close to a hundred pairs of shoes I’m sure. My husband often asks ‘why?’ as I’ve only two feet.

Nia: You look smart in your suede. You like you’re suede clothes don’t you

Linda: Yes, I have a separate wardrobe for my suede and leather clothes

Nia: Is there a favourite item in the wardrobe?

Mefus: I think this coat combines a little bit of everything – the leather, fur trim and the coat fastens to the side so there’s something quite unusual about it too.

Nia: What are these? They’re a bit kinky aren’t they!

Linda: These are great. When I wear them, my husband asks me ‘where’s your whip?!’. But I like them because they’re a little different and are comfortable.

Nia: What do the people in the village think of you?

Linda: Who knows, I’d like to be a fly on the wall!

Nia: It’s better for you not to know isn’t it!

Linda: This suit is a favourite too – I’d wear it to a wedding party in the evening with the matching necklace and shoes of course.

Linda: I bought the yellow dress for a special birthday. The bottom of the dress is quite different and I had to buy shoes to match of course.

Linda: This bag was given to me by my sister, Sandra and came from New York

Nia: What strikes me about this wardrobe is that there are a lot of similar ‘gypsy’ style skirts in it aren’t there?

Linda: Yes. I have told myself that I’m going to stop at four with these skirts and my daughter has told me that they’re no longer in fashion.

Nia: So will you stop wearing them then when they go out of fashion?

Mefus: Yes

Nia: And throw them out?

Mefus: Well, it’s difficult to know what to do. I’ve tried to take them to car boot sales but I’m afraid nobody buys them because nobody dresses quite the same as me! Everybody else seem to dress normal so they don’t want them!

Nia: What kind of a relationship would you say you have with your clothes?

Linda: Quite a close one I’d say as they give me confidence. I’m not a particularly confident person, people think I am but as a child, I was very shy. I think that reciting has given me further confidence but the relationship with my clothes gives me more again. It’s also something exciting to wear new clothes and piece a whole matching outfit together.