Dame Joan Collins is still the pinnacle of glamour..
Stepping out in silver at a recent V&A exhibition, “The Dame” looked ever the diamond – and continues to sparkle in a buzzy new acting role..
By Rebecca Cope
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| The Dame dazzled earlier this month in a silver sequinned top and matching silk trousers by Karen Millen, a Ralph
Lauren grey tweed coat and Chanel jewellery Credit: Getty Last week saw the V&A fêting its latest fashion exhibition, a showcase that celebrates the glittering history of jewellery house Cartier. Amongst its attendees was one of life’s true diamonds, the eternally stylish and seemingly ageless Dame Joan Collins. The actress arrived at the event arm-in-arm with her friend (and occasional stylist) René Horsch, wearing a silver sequinned top and matching silk trousers by Karen Millen, a Ralph Lauren grey tweed coat and Chanel jewellery – in other words, absolutely nailing the cocktail attire dress code.   According to Dame Joan’s longtime PA, ‘shoes, bags and hats are her biggest spends’ (as seen here in Knightsbridge the day before her 2002 wedding) Credit: Getty Indeed, with her life-long devotion to glamour above everything else, “The Dame” or “JC” – as she’s known to her friends – puts Gen Z to shame. In case you need any further convincing, just see her latest Instagram post: a video in which she is promoting M&S’s Foodhalls wearing a white trouser suit and panama hat. It certainly raises the game as you peruse the pasta salads (why hasn’t she been made an ambassador for the brand yet, one wonders?) One thing’s for certain; you certainly wouldn’t catch her perusing the fruit and veg aisle in athleisure, crop tops or ripped denim. She told Glamour as much back in 2009 – the same year she hosted a reality show for ITV dubbed Joan Does Glamour, which promised to get the public out of their tracksuit bottoms– that “she likes to go out ‘fully dressed.” “She has been vocal in the past about the general decline in dressing up and a collective slobbishness,” says Penny McCormick, Joan’s PA for two decades. “Shoes, bags and hats are her biggest spends.” Not that she’s averse to high street. In fact, mixing high and low is something she does with aplomb (case in point, the aforementioned V&A launch look). And she’s certainly known for “keeping it real”, despite her diva-tastic reputation (likely a hangover from her most famous role as Alexis Carrington in Dynasty) – she’s been quoted in the past as championing the Princess of Wales’ “recessionista chic”. For us mere mortals, that means being papped wearing the same item twice or more. McCormick describes her former employer as a “self-confessed shopaholic and fashion lover”. “She is aware of trends but doesn’t follow them slavishly,” she shares. “She loves popping into Zara and I recall visits to Topshop on Oxford Street and M&S – she particularly loves their cashmere edit. She loves every aspect of fashion, from attending and walking in catwalk shows to perusing magazines and gossiping about the royals and their outfits.”  Throughout her life, she’s also focused on what suits her, rather than following trends, and she came of age in a climate where a sense of old school Hollywood glamour could help you go far; see her late sister Jackie’s fondness for that same full frontal approach in terms of vampish OTT. The two of them veritably ruled the Beverly Hills roosts back in the 1980s, and that sense of power dressing finessed during the Dynasty years parlays into how Dame Joan dresses to this day. As she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2021: “I think style is knowing your body, knowing your physicality, your hair, your legs, your eyes and picking the two or three things – and everybody has those! – that are the best you can find and making yourself look as good as you can… you have to f ind your look and your style… rather than slavishly copying things.” For Dame Joan, this has meant focusing on emphasising her legs and her bosom, favouring square necklines, loose-fitting tailored trousers (often suits), f loaty sleeves, cropped jackets and of course, fabulous jewels (you can take the girl out of the 1980s…). “Joan knows what suits her fabulous figure,” explains McCormick. “She also knows the benefits of having a trusty dressmaker, who can alter or whip up pieces – often from tear sheets or her own design. I’ve often accompanied Joan to Joel & Son Fabric, a real treasure trove for design inspiration.” Her other secret? Aside from winning the genetic lottery (which she undoubtedly has – after all, she was often compared to Elizabeth Taylor in her youth) she’s on the record as saying her phobia of needles means she’s never had any “work” done. Instead, her relatively wrinkle-free appearance is down to a strict skincare regimen and a life-long dedication to staying out of the sun, something that is evident in her sheer dedication to headwear, if nothing else.  |
